​Bruce County encouraged by Ontario’s 2024 budget

Bruce County is encouraged by the provincial budget tabled Tuesday (March 26) by finance minister Peter Bethlenfalvy. The budget acknowledges the fiscal and service delivery pressures faced by Ontario’s municipalities and has committed to avoiding further downloading of provincial pressures to municipal governments.

In a press release, issued Thursday, the county states it is pleased to see the continued commitment to leading in nuclear energy through investment in Bruce Power. The company contributes to local prosperity, and the county looks forward to continued partnership with Bruce Power to strengthen the local economy, by setting the conditions for success through the pre-development work for Bruce “C.”

The budget also recommits to funding that supports the development of affordable and attainable housing, and associated infrastructure. The province has committed to new taxation tools for municipalities to maintain and create affordable housing.

The province also announced the Ontario Transit Investment Fund that will focus on transit in rural areas. Overall, the budget commits over $1-billion to support building homes across the province.

The budget commits to continue the investment in mental health and addictions services with $396-million in new funding province-wide. And the province has recently announced health investments in the county, ensuring better access to primary care.

“Our local MPPs, agriculture minister Lisa Thompson parliamentary assistant Rick Byers, have always been more than open to our feedback and have been advocates for the needs of Bruce County and our area municipalities,” said warden Chris Peabody. “We look forward to continuing the discussion with them as the 2024 budget is implemented, ensuring these significant investments benefit the citizens of Bruce County.”

While the budget is encouraging, there is still much work needed to support municipalities with current fiscal pressures and economic conditions.

The Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) is calling on the province to lead an economic and social prosperity review to ensure the long-term fiscal sustainability of the province’s municipalities.

Bruce County believes these conversations will provide a constructive space to collaborate and understand the pressures facing both the province and municipalities.