Ontario Premier Doug Ford dropped into the Smiths Falls water treatment plant on May 8 to announce a major infrastructure grant to the Town and the municipality of North Frontenac. He was joined by MPP John Jordan who he described as a vocal advocate for his riding of Lanark Frontenac Kingston, not the quiet guy many people mistake him for.
The monies will come from the Province’s Municipal Housing Infrastructure Program’s Health and Safety Water Stream (MHIP-HSWS).
Smiths Falls will receive $13,306,867 for their trunk water-main upgrade and sewer separation projects and North Frontenac will get $1,022,000 to support the rehab, repair, and expansion of the storm-water management system in the village of Plevna. When asked how municipalities can deal with infrastructure construction costs that have risen 70% in the last decade while slashing development fees as he is demanding, Ford responded it’s all in the growth.
Ontario’s investment in the Infrastructure Program how totals $875M. Listen to our question and Ford’s extended answer below
Story by Brian Turner
