Brock Township waits for word on corona-virus funding

Brock Township waits for word on corona-virus funding

by The Standard | Podcast August 08, 2020 https://thestandardnewspaper.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Brock-Waits-on-CV-Funding-August-13th-2020.wav

DAN CEARNS, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, for The Standard

BROCK: The Township of Brock still does not know how much COVID-19 financial assistance, if any, they will receive from the Ontario provincial government. At a meeting on Monday, August 10th, Regional Councillor Ted Smith requested an update on whether the municipality has heard from the province or not, about how much of the recently announced $4 billion assistance they could be eligible for. “Nobody seems to know at this point exactly what amount we will receive. There is some talk about per-capita expenditures to each municipality to help cover off the cost. There [are] also specific allocations for those with transit, because transit was very hard hit. But there has been no confirmation whatsoever of how it will be distributed and if we will in fact receive anything,” treasurer Laura Barta responded. In the agreement announced in late July, the federal government is providing $777 million and the province is providing $1.22 billion to Ontario’s 444 municipalities for COVID-19 relief. The provincial and federal governments are also sharing the cost of $2 billion funding for transit relief. “By working together, we have united the country in the face of the immense challenges brought on by COVID-19, and secured a[n] historic deal with the federal government to ensure a strong recovery for Ontario and for Canada,” Premier Doug Ford said, in a press release, on Monday, July 27th. “I want to thank Ontario’s 444 local leaders who supported us through our negotiations with the federal government and through each stage of reopening. We will continue to be a champion for our municipal partners, as they safely reopen their communities and ensure people can get back to work.” Mayor Debbie Bath-Hadden provided further clarification. “In my conversation with the Premier, he did indicate that after transit was pulled from it, that [funding] would be [apportioned] per-capita, but we still don’t know what that number is,” she said. Later in the meeting, the Mayor did indicate the municipality has been doing well financially during the COVID-19 pandemic. “The team has been very diligent in ensuring that we are not being frivolous whatsoever, and I do want to commend staff and more importantly council for putting our residents first. For every program that we have put in place, our main concern has been our residents, our businesses, and how we get through this together.”