Type of Intervention: Financial and Economic
Sectors Involved: Finance/Economy, Transportation
Intervention Categories: Finance policy and financial aid
Level of Jurisdiction: Ontario
Lead People/Agency: Caroline Mulroney, Minister of Transportation; Rod Phillips, Minister of Finance and Chair of Ontario’s Jobs and Recovery Committee
Overview: The Ontario government is offering an additional $10 million in funding for the existing Connecting Links program as part of Ontario’s Action Plan: Responding to COVID-19. This funding supports road and highway projects in an additional nine municipalities across the province, aiming to connect communities and develop new jobs. The total annual investment for the program is $40 million, reaching a total of 33 municipalities. The Connecting Links program supports the building, repair, and replacement of municipal roads and bridges that connect two ends of a provincial highway through a community, or to a border crossing. This intends to support the transportation system of Ontario, the economy and jobs, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Full details here: https://news.ontario.ca/mto/en/2020/06/ontario-building-a-safer-more-reliable-transportation-system.html
Other links: 1 2
Type of Justification: Advice of INTERNAL government advisory committee or group, Providing support
Source of Evidence or Justification: Sub-national, Government of Ontario officials and provincial public health officials
Evidence/Justification: This investment is part of Ontario’s Action Plan: Responding to COVID-19, which has provided approximately $17 billion in relief for Ontarians, including in the healthcare sector and direct support for individuals. This plan is guided by a number of government and public health officials, including those in finance, education, and the health sector. The goal of this investment is to offer more funding to an greater number of municipalities to support their ability to repair, replace, and build roads and bridges that connect communities throughout the province.