The provincial government announced last week that it is spending another $700 million on critical water infrastructure to support housing in Ontario. That funding will go to 127 communities across the province, and it is the latest round of funding through the Municipal Housing Infrastructure Program. We know that $78.4 million will go to five projects in the riding of Simcoe North, as this was in last week’s initial announcement by the riding’s MPP, Jill Dunlop, and acting Minister of Infrastructure, Todd McCarthy; but we cannot tell you which other ridings will see this funding yet – because the government will not tell us.
Only a few years ago, provincial announcements for new funding included a list of all the projects approved for that specific program at the time of the initial announcement. Significant projects warranted a local announcement as well — those were usually announced in conjunction with federal or a significant third-party funding contribution was involved. That is not how announcements are currently made. Instead, the province announces a program with the overall funding, then MPPs make individual announcements in their local ridings at a time of their choosing. In some cases, this occurs weeks or months after the overall funding program has been announced. Not only is this a wasteful way of announcing information, but it is the highest level of self-aggrandizement.
The announcement for what – if any – projects have been approved for our local riding of Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry has not yet been scheduled. Ministry officials did not say if any local projects have been approved for the 2026 round of funding when asked by The Leader.
Government funding announcements are not some trifling bit of information, they are an important part of accountability between decision-makers and the citizens who fund the government through taxation. Additionally, knowing who the government has picked as the winning and losing projects is important for other levels of government when setting priorities and passing budgets.
Leaving this piece of information to be used as a glorified photo-op for MPPs is a poor use of time. It is blatant self-promotion, drawing self-generated praise for doing the job for which they were elected. Members of Provincial Parliament are supposed to advocate for funding for projects in their community — that is part of their role. Holding announcements until a media team with an acrylic podium can be set up in each location is nothing more than using government resources for free advertising. That, in and of itself, circumvents the spirit of political party advertising rules, and is a waste of taxpayer resources.
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