Press Releases
MPP Rick Nicholls Announces More Financial Relief for Chatham-Kent and Essex County
December 17, 2020
Chatham-Kent — Today, MPP Rick Nicholls of Chatham-Kent-Leamington announced that Chatham-Kent will receive a total amount of $1,165,000 and Essex County, which includes Municipality of Leamington, City of Windsor, County of Essex, Town of Tecumseh, Pelee, Kingsville, Lakeshore, LaSalle, Essex, and Amherstburg will receive a total addition of $24,439,000 in Safe Restart Agreement funding. The discretionary funding will be used to offset operating costs for critical services and help ensure that the municipality of Chatham-Kent does not carry an operating deficit into 2021.
“Everyday people rely on critical services throughout their communities, and with a growing need, this funding is essential,” said MPP Rick Nicholls of Chatham-Kent-Leamington. “A well-maintained balanced budget going into 2021 will give the municipality the confidence to proceed with the critical projects needed to drive economic growth due to lost revenue from COVID-19, which will result in lessening the burden on taxpayers.”
The Ontario government is allocating an additional $695 million across the province to provide financial relief for municipalities and help ensure they do not carry operating deficits into 2021.This investment builds upon the first phase of the federal-provincial Safe Restart Agreement announced this summer.
“This joint funding will help Ontario’s municipalities recover from the impacts of COVID-19 faster, by helping them to enter into 2021 without operating deficits from this year,” said Steve Clark, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. “By ensuring our municipal partners are in a sound financial position to begin the new year, they can better focus on keeping their capital projects on track while continuing to provide the critical services their residents rely on.”
“Not only will this funding help with the delivery of critical services we rely on every day,” said Monte McNaughton MPP for Lambton-Kent-Middlesex. “Today’s announcement also lays the groundwork for a 2021 budget that will give Chatham-Kent the confidence needed to invest in the community and drive economic growth.”
Of the $695 million announced today, $299 million is being allocated across all 444 municipalities to help provide more financial relief, as 2021 operating budgets are finalized. An additional $396 million is also being allocated to 48 municipalities that have been hardest hit by COVID-19 and who have demonstrated a need for additional assistance in covering their 2020 operating deficits.
