Funds flow to unlock Stayner development
On his final stop of a funding tour Tuesday, Simcoe-Grey MPP Brian Saunderson was in Stayner to announce that Clearview Township will be receiving $35 million in provincial funding to add water capacity in Stayner and allow development projects to proceed.
He said the money will unlock in- fill properties and new subdivisions, adding that the new long-term care facility and grocery store on Highway 26 are all “critical pieces of the puzzle to make sure the community is thriving.”
He said the successful funding application is a testament to the advocacy of municipal and elected officials.
“It’s been a busy day in Simcoe-Grey, and if you believe the rumours, this will be the last announcement of this 43rd session of the Ontario Provincial Parliament and I can honestly say that we have left the best for last,” said Saunderson. “Today’s announcement is a real opportunity that I think will show how much this government recognizes the importance of this area, wants to partner with our communities to make sure they can grow in responsible and sustainable ways.”
The money will go toward funding a new water well field, pumping station and mains to create water capacity for more than 4,000 units in Stayner.
It is part of a $1.3 billion spend on critical water infrastructure to help fund 77 water projects and build up to 600,000 new homes across Ontario. The funding is being delivered through the Housing-Enabling Water Systems Fund (HEWSF), to help municipalities build, repair, rehabilitate and expand critical drinking water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure.
Township of Clearview was one of 23 successful applicants in this second intake of HEWSF.
Saunderson said Clearview’s application rose to the top in Round 2.
He called for “A real round of applause for Mayor Measures, your council and your senior staff for putting your best foot forward, because you made it happen.”
“Brian, I have to tell you this is such exciting news for our town,” said Doug Measures. “We have been waiting over a decade to do this project.”
He said the water capacity could also open up some commercial growth.
“Our community is growing every year and we welcome new citizens to the most beautiful place in Simcoe County,” he said.
The success of this application hinged on an agreement with three of Clearview’s largest developers to pledge up-front funding for the project. Prior to submitting the application in the fall, Clearview Township was required to demonstrate that it can finance the entire infrastructure build for the Stayner Water Project at a cost of about $70 million. A first attempt at an agreement in 2022 was stalled due to high costs.
“I want to thank the province and Brian for everything you’ve done to advance this application and get the approvals we need,” said CAO John Ferguson, adding that building is needed to start levelling out the cost of housing. “We have developments that are notquite finished because our assets were stranded, we couldn’t give out any more water units. We couldn’t do any in-fill.”
Despite an increase in grant allocations and a second intake, Saunderson said only about one-tenth of applications received funding.
He said post-pandemic costs are making it difficult for municipalities to realize infrastructure needs on their own.
“These projects became so much more expensive for a number of factors I think. There were labour issues, supply issues and factors of world politics and other issues… So what we saw was such a massive increase in the cost that municipalities, which are providing other essential services…, that the funding model became very difficult,” Saunderson told The Echo.
He described it as a perfect storm resulting in unaffordable housing.
“We’re working with municipalities to try to smooth that off so that we can get the homes built,” he said.
He acknowledges that rural communities are facing new growth pressures.
“We’re now seeing people who want to live, work, settle and raise their families in communities such as this,” he said. “So our government is committed to making sure that we work with communities to make sure they have the resources and infrastructure in place so that they can grow to accommodate them and that the children who are being raised in these communities don’t need to look south for their careers and their livelihoods. They can stay right here.”
During his tour, Saunderson also announced that the County of Simcoe will be receiving up to $3,039,900 to create short- and long-term housing for vulnerable people as “alternatives to encampments and to help restore safety and order to Ontario’s parks and other public spaces.”
Wasaga Beach is receiving $10,950,158 in critical infrastructure to facilitate the construction of up to 3,050 new homes in the municipality, and $59.3 million is being allocated to build a second new Wasaga Beach High School. This will support the creation of 1,145 secondary student spaces in Wasaga Beach.
The funding tour took place the eve of a provincial election campaign. Ontario voters go to the polls on Feb. 27.