The provincial government is shelling out to help pave the way forward in Bradford.
As part of the annual Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund (OCIF) allocations, York-Simcoe MPP Caroline Mulroney announced the province is committing $1,635,386 to the town for 2025, according to a press release issued Oct. 9.
“Our government is ensuring that communities across Ontario can invest in the critical infrastructure required to support our growing population,” Mulroney said in the release.
As part of the 2024 capital budget, council forecast using the 2025 allocation for the town’s road rehabilitation program, including work on Bridge Street, Maplegrove Avenue, Melbourne Drive and Turner Court — all of which is expected to be considered by council as part of the 2025 budget deliberations scheduled for next month.
“This source of funding is certainly appreciated and it is a source of funding that our capital budget has become reliant upon to maintain town infrastructure,” Ian Goodfellow, the town’s director of finance and treasurer said via email.
That comes as part of $400 million in OCIF funding to help 423 small, rural and northern communities with populations less than 100,000 build roads, bridges, water and wastewater infrastructure.
Tuesday’s announcement also included $2,324,799 for Georgina and $975,665 for East Gwillimbury.
“This investment of over $4.9 million means that the Towns of Bradford West Gwillimbury, East Gwillimbury, and Georgina can improve their local infrastructure and boost economic growth in York-Simcoe for years to come,” Mulroney said.
Funding is based on a formula that accounts for the different needs and economic conditions of each community including the value of town infrastructure, total property assessment, population, households and median household incomes among other factors.
While municipalities don’t need to apply for OCIF funds, they are required to provide planning and reporting documents to the government to receive the grants.
Starting in 2022, the government increased its investment for the OCIF by $1 billion over five years, according to the release, which notes the funding is part of the government’s $190 billion capital plan to build and expand more homes, highways, hospitals, transit and high-speed internet across the province.
