Fast Money for Small Towns

Since Ministers Smitherman and Baird announced the $1 billion of infrastructure funding for Ontario small communities on Friday, my inbox has been flooded (no pun intended) with announcements about big bucks for tiny towns.

Water projects are seeing results. Among the 289 communities on the list, Bayfield, Ont. received $4.64 million to finance a water tower and the installation of water distribution lines. Fort Frances will get $513,260 in funding towards $769,890 in improvements to the water treatment plant. Between federal, provincial and municipal funds, North Bay will see $2.3 million for water meters to be installed in every home this summer. Feds and the province will fund about $5 million of Kapuskasing’s new wastewater treatment plant – the old one “needs to be run by hand practically,” said the town’s public works director last October.

The money comes from the “unprecedented” Building Canada Fund, under which Ontario receives $3.09 billion. The province has matched the contribution, and now funds up to two-thirds of these eligible small-town projects. (The towns are responsible for the remaining third.)

The rush of funds comes as part of the infrastructure stimulus, an effort to green light “shovel-ready” projects to create jobs and fix crumbling assets. After last week’s “Our Water; Our Future” event (see earlier blog entries), I can’t help but feel a little concerned about this fast-forward mentality. It’s wonderful to see action getting these projects off the books, but what are the consequences? And is anybody considering sustainability? How long will these “fixes” last?