Ontario Helping Build More Homes in the Town of Midland

The Ontario government is investing over $30 million to enable the construction of new homes in the Town of Midland. The funding is being delivered through the first round of investments under the Housing-Enabling Water Systems Fund, which includes $970 million to help municipalities develop, repair, rehabilitate and expand drinking water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure.

This funding will support the Town of Midland’s Development Service Upgrades and the project will enable 3,120 housing units in the Town of Midland.

“We are grateful to Minister Surma and the Ministry of Infrastructure team and the advocacy of Jill Dunlop, MPP for Simcoe North, for her continued support of Midland through this funding, allowing us to upgrade our critical water infrastructure to build over 3,000 new homes in the future,” said Bill Gordon, Mayor of Midland. “Our team built and presented a solid business case to the Ministry of Infrastructure that aligns our growth needs to play a meaningful role in the Provincial effort to build 1.5 million homes. Making these sustainable upgrades positions the Town to welcome new growth and much-needed housing in our community. The ability to meet with Ministers and their staff at conferences like AMO is a valuable opportunity to make the case for funding like this and we have been rewarded with funding far greater than we’ve ever secured in the past.”

“I was thrilled to join Mayor Gordon this morning to announce the over $30 million through the Housing-Enabling Water System Funds for the Town of Midland,” said Jill Dunlop, MPP for Simcoe North. “This significant investment will directly support the community’s growth by ensuring that essential infrastructure is in place to meet the needs of new housing developments. These funds will enable us to build more homes and, in turn, help more families find a place to call home in Midland. Together, we’re paving the way for a stronger, more vibrant community.”

The government is also allocating an additional $250 million and accepting a second round of applications through the Housing-Enabling Water Systems Fund, bringing the province’s total investment in the fund to $1.2 billion.

“By investing in drinking water and wastewater treatment facilities and connecting pipes to land, we are helping municipalities build more homes,” said Kinga Surma, Minister of Infrastructure. “Homes can’t be built without connections to drinking water and wastewater.”

In this year’s budget, Ontario announced more than $1.8 billion in housing-enabling infrastructure funding through the $825 million Housing-Enabling Water Systems Fund and the $1 billion Municipal Housing Infrastructure Program, in addition to funding announced previously through the province’s Building Faster Fund. In response to the significant demand for investments in water and wastewater infrastructure to enable the construction of more homes, and after consulting with municipalities, the province is transferring $275 million from the Municipal Housing Infrastructure Program to the Housing-Enabling Water Systems Fund in order to meet this demand. In addition, the $120 million from the Building Faster Fund that was reserved for small, rural and northern communities is being flowed to these communities through the Housing-Enabling Water Systems Fund.