The Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities (FONOM) is pleased with the provincial government’s announcement this week to increase the Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund (OMPF) by $5 million for 2018 to a total of $510 million in funding for 389 municipalities across the province.
North Bay will get an additional $1.5 million.
"The province has recognized that municipalities are facing challenging fiscal circumstances by not only increasing funding but also targeting the funding to municipalities that are most challenged," says a FONOM news release.
“While we are pleased with the increase in funding and for recognizing rural and northern communities are facing unique circumstances, it is important to acknowledge that not all communities are seeing increases. In fact, there are communities across Northern Ontario that will be seeing a decrease from their 2017 funding allocations,” says Mayor Alan Spacek of Kapuskasing and FONOM President.
“We would also like to acknowledge the government for fulfilling their commitment to upload social assistance benefit costs and court security and prisoner transportation costs from the property tax base as part of the 2008 Provincial-Municipal Fiscal Service Delivery Review agreement,” said Spacek.
