Today, the Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, and Member of Parliament for Scarborough Southwest, on behalf of the Honourable Catherine McKenna, Federal Minister of Infrastructure and Communities; Adam Vaughan, Member of Parliament for Spadina—Fort York; Marci Ien, Member of Parliament for Toronto Centre; the Honourable Kinga Surma, Ontario’s Minister of Infrastructure; the Honourable Rod Phillips, Ontario’s Minister of Long-Term Care; and His Worship John Tory, Mayor of the City of Toronto, announced joint funding for 14 projects to improve cultural, community, and active transportation infrastructure across the City.
Toronto, Ontario, August 13, 2021—Across the country, Canadians are feeling the impacts of COVID-19, on their families, their livelihoods, and their way of life. Together, Canada and Ontario are working to enhance citizens’ quality of life, meet the needs of communities, and promote job creation and make meaningful investments to address the impacts of COVID-19.
Today, the Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, and Member of Parliament for Scarborough Southwest, on behalf of the Honourable Catherine McKenna, Federal Minister of Infrastructure and Communities; Adam Vaughan, Member of Parliament for Spadina—Fort York; Marci Ien, Member of Parliament for Toronto Centre; the Honourable Kinga Surma, Ontario’s Minister of Infrastructure, and Member of Provincial Parliament for Etobicoke Centre; the Honourable Rod Phillips, Ontario’s Minister of Long-Term Care, and Member of Provincial Parliament for Ajax; and His Worship John Tory, Mayor of the City of Toronto, announced joint funding for 14 projects to improve cultural, community, and active transportation infrastructure across the City.
The Government of Canada is investing more than $13.6 million in these projects through the COVID-19 Resilience Infrastructure Stream (CVRIS), and the Community, Culture and Recreation Infrastructure Stream (CCRIS) of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure plan. The Government of Ontario is providing more than $8.3 million, with recipients contributing over $5.6 million towards their respective projects.
Among projects funded through CVRIS are eight components of the City of Toronto’s Ravine Strategy to improve the City’s active transportation infrastructure. Project work includes the construction of a new connection from Meadoway Trail to Highland Creek Trail, as well as upgrades to trails through Taylor Creek Park and Rowntree Mills Park, including trail reconstruction and site drainage. Additional work involves a new trail wayfinding signage in ravines at the East Don Trail, Upper Highland Trail, Meadoway and Upper Black Creek. Finally, upgrades to existing entry points at approximately seven ravines across the city, including Edwards Gardens, will improve community access to green spaces.
The Toronto Ravine Strategy project will increase access to public and private greenspace. This will provide residents with accessible and reliable trail systems and outdoor spaces to help them maintain a healthy and active lifestyle while staying safe.
Other projects funded through CVRIS will support important upgrades to HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning), humidifiers, and heating systems in long-term care homes across the city, providing residents with a more comfortable living environment. These investments will also improve the safety of homes for both residents and long-term care workers.
Funding announced today will also support improvements to community, cultural and recreation facilities throughout the city, such as the rehabilitation of the Don Montgomery Community Centre, improving accessibility and quality of visitor experience at the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre; renovations to the Young Centre for the Performing Arts, and improved accessibility at the Toronto Zoo.
Once complete, the projects announced today will provide all Torontonians with safer access to quality, cultural and recreational facilities, encouraging families and friends to reconnect, stay active, and enjoy the abundant cultural experiences throughout the city.
The COVID-19 Resilience Infrastructure Stream, implemented in response to the pandemic, allows the Government of Canada to invest up to 80 per cent of eligible costs for projects in provinces, and up to 100 per cent for projects in territories and Indigenous communities. The Government of Ontario will invest 20 per cent of the eligible costs for projects across the province.
“Investments in local infrastructure are critical to the wellbeing of our communities. Today’s announcement of over $2 million to the Don Montgomery Community Recreation Centre in Scarborough Southwest through the COVID-19 Resilience Infrastructure Stream, and nearly $12 million for 13 other projects across the City of Toronto, will assist with facility rehabilitation costs and help ensure that the residents of Scarborough and Toronto have places to gather for years to come.”
The Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness and Member of Parliament for Scarborough Southwest, on behalf of the Honourable Catherine McKenna, Federal Minister of Infrastructure and Communities
“Recreation and cultural spaces are at the heart of inclusive, sustainable, and welcoming communities where people want to live, work and raise a family. Together with our partners, we are supporting improvements to 14 projects that will provide residents of Toronto with accessible, safe, and modern recreation and cultural spaces where they can stay fit, explore local heritage, or enjoy a range of cultural activities.”
Adam Vaughan, Member of Parliament for Spadina—Fort York
“Now more than ever Canadians rely on access to safe and modern community spaces so they can stay active, connect with loved ones, and maintain their well-being. Our government’s support for Toronto’s Ravine Strategy project is important to ensuring Torontonians have improved access to the trails and parks they value, while also providing alternative transpiration options for residents and visitors for years to come. Canada’s infrastructure plan invests in thousands of projects, creates jobs across the country, and builds cleaner, more inclusive communities.”
Marci Ien, Member of Parliament for Toronto Centre
“Torontonians have made huge sacrifices throughout the pandemic. It’s not easy living in high rise buildings with limited space to be active. These projects will improve vital services, such as increased access to public and private greenspaces, as well as more accessible and reliable trail systems. Local and accessible recreational and active transportation opportunities are so important, now more than ever, to personal, family and community health. These investments will help residents maintain a healthy active lifestyle, while safely enjoying the City’s outdoor space. As we look ahead, we will continue to invest in active, healthy and inclusive community projects for many years to come.”
The Honourable Kinga Surma, Ontario’s Minister of Infrastructure, and Member of Provincial Parliament for Etobicoke Centre
“Our government is repairing and rebuilding long-term care in Ontario. The joint investments announced today will enable Belmont House, the Tony Stacey Centre for Veterans’ Care, and the Wexford Residence to improve their long-term care homes. These upgrades are another part of our plan to ensure residents live in safety and comfort.”
The Honourable Rod Phillips, Ontario’s Minister of Long-Term Care, and Member of Provincial Parliament for Ajax
“I want to thank the federal and provincial governments for investing in Toronto and for providing much-needed funding to help enhance and improve our city and its facilities. All of the projects announced today will greatly improve the lives of our residents and help create new opportunities for residents. During the pandemic, it was made clear that recreational and outdoor facilities play a great role in providing residents places to get out and get physical activity. Investments towards our Ravine Strategy for example will help us move forward in protecting and maintaining ravines and trails across our city. As a city, we know how important these services are and we continue to invest in them but we know we cannot do it alone. By working with the federal and provincial governments we can make changes quickly and ensure that we are continuously maintaining and updating our facilities for generations to come.”
His Worship John Tory, Mayor of the City of Toronto
Through the Investing in Canada plan, the federal government is investing more than $180 billion over 12 years in public transit projects, green infrastructure, social infrastructure, trade and transportation routes, and Canada’s rural and northern communities.
The Government of Canada has invested over $14.4 billion in more than 3,900 infrastructure projects across Ontario under the Investing in Canada plan.
Ontario is investing $10.2 billion under the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program to improve public transit; community, culture and recreation; green, and rural and northern community and other priority infrastructure.
Across Canada, since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic the Government of Canada has contributed $9.7 billion to 3,500 infrastructure projects.
The COVID-19 Resilience Infrastructure Stream funding stream guarantees a minimum of $100,000 to each of the province’s 444 municipalities. Additional funding has been allocated to municipalities based on a variety of factors, including the value of infrastructure and median household income in each municipality.
Over the next 10 years, the Government of Ontario is investing approximately $320 million across the province, and the federal government is investing approximately $407 million under the Community, Culture and Recreation Infrastructure Stream of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program. This stream supports the construction of new facilities and upgrades to existing facilities that improve community infrastructure (e.g., community centres, libraries), recreational venues (e.g., arenas, recreational spaces) and cultural spaces (e.g., theatres, museums).
Emelyana Titarenko
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities
873-355-9576
emelyana.titarenko@infc.gc.ca
Hayley Cooper
Press Secretary
Office of the Honourable Kinga Surma, Ontario’s Minister of Infrastructure
437-233-3224
hayley.cooper@ontario.ca
Sofia Sousa-Dias
Communications Branch
Ontario Ministry of Infrastructure
437-991-3391
sofia.sousa-dias@ontario.ca
Louise Brunet
Operations Manager
Office of the Mayor
City of Toronto
647-460-4870
louise.brunet@toronto.ca