Frustrated with denials and a lack of funding from the federal and provincial governments, the City of Quinte West passed a motion on Wednesday calling on the feds to reevaluate how it funds rural municipalities in Ontario with a population less than 50,000 and for the province to invest more than the previously allocated $200 million in the Housing Enabling Water Systems Fund.
The motion would also be circulated to top government officials such as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier Doug Ford as well as local officials and municipalities in the Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA).
It stems from a decision by the federal government to deny funding to the City of Quinte West from the Housing Accelerator Fund.
Before the notice of motion was brought forward, Quinte West Mayor Jim Harrison spoke about the denied request.
“There were only, I think, two rural municipalities who received funding. That’s it in the province of Ontario, only two rural municipalities,” Mayor Harrison told council when discussing the denial for funding from the Housing Accelerator Fund.
“So, I think it would be fair to say that rural Ontario has been ignored. Rural Ontario is very important to all of us and to all the province and to all the residents, not just in Quinte West.”
Harrison said the city would reevaluate the application and look for improvements to make before resubmitting to the program.
Councillor David O’Neill was critical of the process in applying for the funding.
“I feel the federal government’s wasting our time,” O’Neill said to council. “We fill out all these applications and we don’t get approved for any of them. If you want to have a housing initiative, you want us to fill this out, at least give us some money. Don’t keep saying no to everything we do.”
Councillor Zack Card also expressed disappointment with the denial.
“I don’t know how we can deliver without partnerships with the higher levels of government. We don’t have the tax base to do this alone. It’s profoundly disappointing as other local mayors and municipalities have also communicated.”
Later in the meeting, Councillor Shelley Stedall brought forward the motion outlining the funding needs not only in housing but in water and sewer.
While the province was also named in the motion, Stedall said the city needed to really send the message to the feds.
“We’ve got a little city here with the military base right here with the federal government,” Stedall said. “It’s been indicated from the military resource centres that there’s 250 (people) sitting on that waiting list looking for housing and the federal government is not stepping up.”
Under the rules regarding notice of motion, a motion being introduced during council would not be voted on until the next council meeting. Council voted to waive the notice of motion rules in order to vote for the motion during Wednesday’s meeting.
The motion passed with council also voting in favour of Stedall’s motion.
