THUNDER BAY -- The city will not be seeing millions of dollars every year through a new provincial fund.
Last week city council wanted more clarification in the province's new $31 billion Moving Ontario Forward, which includes $15 billion over 10 years for everywhere in the province outside of Toronto and Hamilton.
City officials and some on council thought it could see up to $25 million a year through the infrastructure funding assuming the money to be awarded on a per capita basis. It held off on exploring options on the stalled event centre project and told administration to put a list of priority projects together.
But Minister of Northern Development and Mines Michael Gravelle said the fund was set up on a per capita basis but that's not how the money will be spent.
"If there is an expectation that the fund will be allocated on a per capita basis at the municipal level that probably is an expectation should be dashed because that's not the basis on which the fund has been put together," he said.
"Communities should not be looking at their populations and saying 'this is the amount of money that will be allocated out of this particular fund'."
From Kenora to Cornwall cities, businesses and First Nations leaders will be in consultation with the province bringing a list of major infrastructure priorities they'd like to see built.
"Although this is a significant amount of money, we're also dealing with a very significant infrastructure deficit all across the province and certainly across Northern Ontario," he said.
"Every city has major projects they want to move forward."
Gravelle is hoping that the province's $1 billion Ring of Fire commitment is part of that funding along with the roughly 32 kilometres that remain unfunded for the four-laning between Thunder Bay and Nipigon. That project could be anywhere between around $300 and $500 million.
Gravelle’s comments come as no surprise to City Manager Tim Commisso, who stated in an email response to tbnewswatch.com that the minister was clear that the Moving Ontario Forward program needed to be refined via further consultation.
“The reality is $15 billion over 10 years is a major funding commitment,” Commisso writes in his response.
“I can’t see how it won’t provide a significant benefit to the city once the details are firmed up over the next few months.”
Coun. Frank Pullia said regardless of whether or not the fund will be on a per capita basis, the city needs to explore and see what it can get for Thunder Bay. But council needs to focus on what it has already with infrastructure rather than just prioritizing the event centre.
"I wanted to remind council that the focus should be on everything else," he said.
"The whole way the thing was presented (last Monday) didn't make any sense that's why I voted against it. It was just a way to explore other options for the event centre."
"You don't need a resolution to go after provincial funding, it's always there. You should always do that as part of your job."
