Stouffville scores $427K grant from province

Yokregion.com
March 27, 2019
Simon Martin

Whitchurch-Stouffville, along with 404 other small and rural Ontario municipalities, has been granted one-time funding to help modernize and improve services in the community.

The Ontario government handed the town $427,218.

“Taxpayers deserve modern, efficient service delivery that puts people at the centre and respects hard-earned dollars” says Steve Clark, minister of municipal affairs and housing.

Town council with recommendations from staff will be able to allocate those funds based on the municipality’s unique circumstances.

“I am happy to have secured funding that will improve service delivery and help reduce costs for Stouffville taxpayers,” Paul Calandra, MPP for Markham-Stouffville said. “I understand the financial pressure our town faces and will continue to work closely with our mayor who, in a short time, has shown a fierce commitment to our shared goal of making our town the best place to live, work, and invest.”

The grant comes just over a month after the 2019 budget highlighted increased funding to help the town manage and service new developments; increased funding to help maintain cemeteries; and improvements to the 24-hour fire protection services in Ballantrae; would all be a priority in 2019.

“We are grateful for this generous assistance that will allow pending capital projects to come into fruition sooner than we had previously planned,” Mayor Iain Lovatt said.

The provincial government plans to distribute $200 million in one-time funding to 405 of the province’s 444 municipalities.

Funding was allocated based on the number of households in a municipality and whether the municipality is urban or rural.

“You can’t expect the small municipalities to have the same levels of staff and resources,” Clark said. “They need the province to come forward and provide assistance.”