West Nipissing is receiving over $6 million dollars from the Ontario Government’s Municipal Partnership Fund (OMPF). It’s part of the province’s $500 million the OMPF issues throughout the province, which helps support municipalities.
“It’s absolutely everything. It’s our general operational funds,” said West Nipissing CAO Jay Barbeau. “It’s not a dedicated fund that has to be spent in any way. You have three sources of general revenue for a municipality: municipal taxation, Ontario government stable funding, and user fees. This is the stable funding amount that we get every year.”
The $6,608,900 provided by Ontario is $80,000 more than last year.
“Budgets and challenges happen as well as additional expenses. When the Ontario government funding doesn’t keep up with the regular increases that we’re forced to pay, utility costs and so on, the taxpayer has to make up the difference from taxation. It’s always good that all of our sources of funds have a certain increase in them, to weather the increase in expenditures in our operations,” added Barbeau.
The OMPF is the province’s main general assistance grant, used to support the local priorities and specific needs of nearly 400 municipalities… with a special emphasis on northern and rural communities.
“Our government recognizes the importance of certainty and stability for municipalities, particularly in these challenging times. That’s why we are announcing the allocations for the 2021 OMPF today — consistent with our commitment last year to provide our partners with the information they need when they need it to plan their budgets,” said Rod Phillips, Minister of Finance. “Our government will continue to work together with municipal governments to build a strong foundation for Ontario’s long-term economic recovery, and improve the quality of life for the people across the province.”