When Mayor Kim Love opened her mail this morning she received a pleasant surprise. This was in the form of a letter from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MMAH) advising her that MV Township would receive the sum of $620,124. This came out of the blue as it constitutes a new, and one-time, initiative announced today by MMAH. Click HERE to read the letter.
In a media release also issued today, Minister Steve Clark stated that some of Ontario’s small and rural municipalities may have limited capacity to plan, modernize and improve the way they provide services to their communities. With this funding, municipalities can improve service delivery by finding smarter, more efficient ways to spend money that help those who need it most while respecting taxpayer dollars. He said,
“Taxpayers need their local government to deliver modern, efficient services that show respect for their hard-earned dollars. This funding will help small and rural municipalities improve how they deliver services and reduce the ongoing costs of providing those services.”
In due course The Current will report on how the Township proposes this windfall will be spent.
I would hope a significant portion of this money will be earmarked for new library purposes. Perhaps with grant money from the Lottery Corporation we can build one that serves the community more widely. If you want people to come for a life time there has to be more on offer than hunting and fishing.
Excellent suggestion Linda. Perhaps some consideration could be given to modifications to P. J. Yakabuskie centre to have it serve as a true community centre and not just a “rink”. The long winter months make it very difficult for many to stay active leading to deconditioning and problems such as osteoporosis, weight gain conditions such as diabetes and heart disease. An indoor track around the upper level would be so beneficial. This is a common sight in many recreation facilities.
I hope this money will be used on something other than roads. I know that keeping up our road infrastructure is important, but I would hope this money would be spent on something else like tourism or economic development or something new and exciting!