Office of Terry Sheehan
Member of Parliament for Sault Ste. Marie
Press Release
For immediate release
December 18, 2020
Sault Ste. Marie
The COVID-19 pandemic has put new pressure on municipalities. They are at the front line of the pandemic response, as they need to put in place precautions to minimize the spread of COVID-19 and manage public spaces and services.
The federal government recognized the important role played by municipalities in keeping Canadians healthy and safe and chose to support them in these difficult times through the Safe Restart Agreement.
In September 2020, the federal government announced it was providing the government of Ontario with over $776 million in funding, matched by the province, to support municipalities throughout the province. In total, over $5 billion were transferred to the government of Ontario to help keep people safe and healthy through the second wave.
Today, the government of Ontario along with the Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development announced how $695 million of this fund will be allocated to municipalities across the province.
MP Terry Sheehan announced that the City of Sault Ste. Marie will receive $351,000.00 and the Township of Prince $20,000.00 to help them operate as they continue their important work of delivering key services and keeping the people in my riding of Sault Ste. Marie healthy and safe.
Quotes
“I am very glad to see this announcement addresses and resolves the very real concerns of the municipalities during these unprecedented times. Our government remains committed through the SRA funding that the Province needed to allocate and this money will ensure these municipalities enter 2021 without an operating deficit.”
— Terry Sheehan, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages and Minister responsible for FedNor
“The economic consequences of the pandemic response have been significant and municipalities need support from our government partners to continue to serve our communities. The financial assistance from the Government of Canada is important and it has been significant. I want to recognize and thank the government accordingly.”
—Christian Provenzano, Mayor Sault Ste. Marie
”On behalf of Prince Township and all the other municipalities we are very grateful for the financial help the Federal Government has given us through this hard time dealing with the Covid virus. Our MP Terry Sheehan has been outstanding in the work he does and is much appreciated.”
—Ken Lamming, Mayor Township of Prince
“Fighting COVID-19 and safely restarting our economy requires a Team Canada approach. We will continue to work together with provinces and territories to keep Canadians safe and healthy, and to build a more resilient Canada.”
—The Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada
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Contact
For more information (media only), please contact:
Corinne Havard
Senior Communications Advisor and Press secretary
Office of the President of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs
343-551-9740
