RCCAO welcomes government’s municipal funding commitment

VAUGHAN, ONT. — The Residential and Civil Construction Alliance of Ontario (RCCAO) is commending the Governments of Ontario and Canada for providing financial relief to municipalities across the province to help them deal with budget shortfalls caused by COVID-19.  

RCCAO has been advocating for this vital funding as it provides municipalities a measure of financial certainty so they can proceed with state-of-good-repair (SOGR) projects, indicates a release, adding research has shown that a huge number of construction-related jobs are at risk if such projects are delayed or cancelled.  

The funding will help municipalities keep their capital projects on track while providing critical services to Ontarians, said Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Steve Clark of the funding. With municipalities still facing deficits in 2021, RCCAO is urging both the federal and provincial governments to step up with a Safe Restart Agreement 2.0 so adequate funding continues to flow in the new year. Without it, municipalities could face the prospect of having to delay or cancel SOGR projects to balance their budgets, which would have disastrous effects on the construction industry and the provincial economy, states the release.