Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound will also be getting new funding from the province to help out with operating costs related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
MPP Bill Walker says in a release from March 4th that Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound municipalities will receive an additional sum amounting to almost 2.2 million dollars in funding to help address COVID-19 related operating costs. 11 municipalities, including Owen Sound, as well as Bruce and Grey Counties will all receive funding that will assist them in keeping up with capital projects and ensure that they can continue to administer key services to residents in their region.
In the release, Walker states that the funding is part of the provincial government's 500 million dollar investment to help ensure the stability of Ontario’s 444 municipalities as they plan for the year ahead.
The Ontario government is providing the following amounts:
Arran-Elderslie - $55,626
Bruce County - $501,184
Chatsworth - $57,043
Grey County - $619,680
Georgian Bluffs - $95,714
Grey Highlands - $100,984
Hanover - $66,875
Meaford - $106,127
Northern Bruce Peninsula - $96,223
Owen Sound - $187,212
Southgate - $58,770
South Bruce Peninsula - $133,840
West Grey - $108,271
“The new financial relief will help our municipalities in Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound ensure the delivery of critical services during the pandemic and keep capital projects on track,” says Walker. “Our municipalities have been hit hard by the pandemic and this funding will be available for things like personal protective equipment, cleaning supplies, bylaw enforcement and purchasing online meeting tools to support remote council meetings.”“Our government continues to adapt and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic as it evolves, and we know our municipal partners are on the front lines of this effort – providing the critical services people depend on every day,” adds Steve Clark, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. “Our municipalities have been clear that they need ongoing operating funding in 2021, and it is important that we step up and provide that support so our municipal partners can continue to deliver the services Ontarians rely on each and every day.”