Ontario Helping Rural Communities Grow With More Jobs, Homes and Infrastructure

Province making historic investments to support the unique needs of rural municipalities

The Ontario government announced the latest steps in its plan to invest in rural communities and municipalities at the annual Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA) conference, with measures that will help to strengthen rural economies, get more homes and housing-enabling infrastructure built and increase access to important local services in rural areas.

Premier Ford announced new details regarding the expansion of Ontario’s $1.2 billion Building Faster Fund (BFF) to small, rural and northern municipalities that have not been assigned housing targets by the province. Ten per cent – or $120 million – of the BFF will be reserved for these municipalities to help them build housing-enabling infrastructure, with the province intending to distribute these funds through an application-based process that will prioritize projects that can get shovels in the ground faster. The province will continue to consult closely with rural municipalities to ensure this process effectively reflects their unique needs.

In the coming months, the province will also begin to roll out BFF funding for municipalities that have met or exceeded their assigned housing targets. Premier Ford announced that the province intends to direct any unspent BFF funds leftover from municipalities that have not met their housing targets into additional housing-enabling infrastructure investments that can be applied for by all municipalities, including those that have already received funding through the BFF. This will ensure all municipalities continue to receive the support they need to get homes built while also continuing to reward and incentivize municipalities that meet or exceed their housing targets.

The government is taking further action to support rural municipalities and drive economic growth and success in rural Ontario. Lisa Thompson, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced the start of consultations to help develop a new Rural Economic Development Strategy. Rural municipalities and the public will have an opportunity to share ideas about how Ontario can improve economic opportunities, create jobs and support growth in rural and Indigenous communities across the province.