Clearview, county receive additional relief funds

The Ontario government is providing almost $7-million in new funding to help Simcoe-Grey municipalities address ongoing COVID-19 operating costs.
The relief will help ensure the delivery of critical services and keep capital projects on track. It is part of an additional $500-million being allotted to all of the province’s 444 municipalities.
Clearview is getting $244,460, and the County of Simcoe is getting $3,866,447.
“This investment will help our communities provide the services people depend on every day,” said MPP Jim Wilson. “Municipalities have been clear that they need ongoing financial relief to help address the financial burdens brought on by the pandemic.”
In making the announcement Steve Clark, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing said, “Our government continues to adapt and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic as it evolves, and we know our municipalities are on the front lines of this effort. We need the federal government to join us and provide our municipal partners with the additional support they deserve.”
The provincial investment builds on the $1.39 billion in operating funding that was provided to Ontario municipalities through the joint federal-provincial Safe Restart Agreement. The second phase of that agreement was allocated to all Ontario municipalities in December, to ensure that no community entered 2021 facing an operating deficit from 2020.
“Municipalities are important partners in the fight against COVID-19,” said Peter Bethlenfalvy, Minister of Finance and President of the Treasury Board. “I encourage our federal partners to step forward with additional investments as all three governments work together to protect people’s health and jobs.”