THUNDER BAY — The district's social services board is receiving money it was promised after it was cut earlier this year because of a dispute between the federal government and the province.
The District of Thunder Bay Social Services Administration Board (TBDSSAB) was originally expecting $4.2 million in funding that was earmarked for capital repair and affordable housing projects.
That money was cut by the federal government after both the provincial and federal governments disagreed over Ontario's affordable housing target numbers.
Bill Bradica, the TBDSSAB's chief executive officer, said he was happy to see Ottawa release the money to the province.
"There's some indications in the media release that Ontario has agreed to some changes with Canada on how the funding will be utilized. There will be targets set with each service manager, including TBDSSAB, and it would appear, based on some of the language in the release, that possibly more of the money will be used towards new builds.
"We're waiting for final confirmation for our local situation."
Bradica said he's reached out for clarification on these details and wasn't provided with a timeline for a response.
"I certainly didn't expect that we would be hearing this soon. I really didn't think we'd be hearing anything until the fall or possibly later," Bradica said.
"It's nice to hear that going into the summer . . . I'm cautiously optimistic that we will get the $4.2 million."
The CEO confirmed that many projects were going to continue regardless of funding.
"The board did approve a resolution at a previous board meeting to cover those [projects] from reserve fund should the funding not materialize for the year.
"They will now be paid for from this national housing strategy funding. What we're hoping to see is some clarity, too, on the years 2025 to 2028 and get a final look at what our allocations will be for those years and what the funds can be used for."
There were some "direct operated projects" that had to be deferred to 2025, Bradica said.
"Because of the timing, a decision was made to defer those two, the work itself, to be done in 2025. However, now, based on what we're seeing, we're feeling more confident that we'll be able to pay for those from national housing strategy dollars rather than reserve funds."
Currently, the TBDSSAB has a waitlist of over 1,300 people in the district needing affordable housing.
Katie Nicholls is a Local Journalism Initiative Reporter with Newswatch
