WHEREAS the province reaffirmed its commitment to “continue its cost share funding arrangement with municipalities to support high priority repairs to conservation authority infrastructure” in its March 2020 Ontario Flooding Strategy; and
WHEREAS the province allocated $5 million annually for this purpose in 2003 and has not increased or indexed the funding envelop in 17 years; and
WHEREAS demand for replacement and upgrade of water and erosion control assets is ever increasing due to aging infrastructure and the impacts of climate change;
WHEREAS critical infrastructure within the Mississippi Valley watershed that serves this municipality did not receive funding this year and there are no guarantees that it will in the foreseeable future based upon current program demand; and
WHEREAS should funding not be received from the province for these and other MVCA capital projects the burden of those costs will fall in part to this municipality;
NOW THEREFORE, be it resolved that a letter be sent on behalf of Council for submission to the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry, the Minister of Environment, Conservation and Parks, and the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing supporting the letter from the MVCA and requesting that funding of the Water and Erosion Control Infrastructure (WECI) program be significantly increased and that program rules be adjusted to allow for reasonable construction periods and the carry‐over of funds between fiscal years.