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Last week, the Ontario government announced its first round of the Housing-Enabling Water Systems (HEWS) Fund, providing $970 million in 54 projects across 60 municipalities. Intended to enable the construction of more than 500,000 new homes in Ontario, these investments help develop, repair, rehabilitate and expand drinking water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure. Projects and allocations will continue to be announced.
Also announced was the opening of the second round of HEWS funding totaling $250 million. We are pleased that the government recognizes the need to support vital community infrastructure and is continuing funding under this three-year program. Note that of the total funding provided, $456 million went towards 30 projects in small, rural and northern municipalities without housing targets, part of which was reserved for these municipalities under the Building Faster Fund. As infrastructure costs continue to rise, we will continue to advocate for stable and predictable funding in local infrastructure to help municipalities be financially sustainable and plan for future infrastructure needs.
Finally, the Province announced a new lending stream for housing-enabling water projects under Infrastructure Ontario’s loan program. Projects will be provided options for deferred interest payments, longer loan terms, more flexible repayment terms and lower administration costs.
Our members and municipal staff can learn more about eligibility, and other details on the Housing-Enabling Water Systems Fund page. The deadline to apply is November 1, 2024.