North Glengarry officials have succeeded in getting funds from the Ontario government to overhaul the sewage treatment system in Alexandria.
“Huge news for North Glengarry,” Mayor Jamie MacDonald posted on social media Monday. “We have received $28,543,000 from the provincial government for our lagoon and sanitary system in Alexandria, allowing us to finally approve housing subdivisions and make necessary repairs for the future.”
The appeal for funds was made at the recent Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA) Conference in Toronto.
Council members met Ministry of Infrastructure representatives, presenting a video on the potential for housing development and growth in Alexandria if funding could be acquired from the government to expand the town’s sewage lagoon, which is over capacity.
An Environmental Compliance Approval (ECA), that would permit the expansion of the Alexandria lagoons is set to expire in 2025, pressing the need for the $30 million investment from the government.
“I always value the opportunity to network with other municipal politicians from across Ontario and share best practices,” said Deputy Mayor Carma Williams. “The ROMA conference is also a key opportunity to lobby the provincial government on municipal priorities such as funding infrastructure to enable growth, rural homelessness and access to healthcare in rural communities,” added Williams, who is a member of the ROMA board of directors.
Councillors from both North and South Glengarry attended to network with other municipal leaders and discuss the challenges of rural governance.
“Rural Routes” was the theme of the conference that featured speakers from provincial ministers and Premier Doug Ford.
All members of South Glengarry council attended the conference, along with CAO Jamie Fawthrop. From North Glengarry Township, five council members attended.
The focus was on making health care more accessible and improving infrastructure to allow for more affordable housing. In addition, sessions on waste management were held. This is a subject that has been top-of-mind for businesses in rural areas with the provincial government’s changes to the recycling program. The expansion of broadband and cell capacity through the Eastern Ontario Regional Network (EORN) project, in conjunction with Rogers Communications, was also discussed. Crews continue to lay cables across Glengarry, even in winter’s cold weather, to keep this cell expansion project moving forward, which includes 300 new telecommunications sites, as well as upgrades to over 300 sites already in existence.
The provincial government acknowledged the unique challenges faced by rural areas and will be investing $10 million in funding through the Rural Ontario Development Program in support of business development in rural areas to expand the workforce capacity and increase economic growth. In addition, a $175 million Health & Safety Water Stream, through the Municipal Housing Infrastructure Program (MHIP), will support rural communities to have safe, reliable water and wastewater services that don’t fail, even in extreme weather events.
Ford said, “After years of neglect from previous governments, we are making sure rural communities are seeing the new investments, infrastructure and homes they need to thrive and create new jobs and opportunities.”
Discussion was also held on the Community Paramedicine program currently active in SD&G. Community Paramedicine provides health care, post-operative care, blood work, etc. to patients at home and allows for a health wellness check-in. This program has been government funded on a yearly basis and has proven advantageous for the community.