Skip to content

Thompson could get up to $246,000 per year through province’s new infrastructure funding program

The City of Thompson might get a little more infrastructure funding from the provincial government next year, but it won’t be as much as they have received in the past.
jeff wharton
Manitoba Municipal Relations Minister Jeff Wharton

The City of Thompson might get a little more infrastructure funding from the provincial government next year, but it won’t be as much as they have received in the past.

Municipal Relations Minister Jeff Wharton announced March 19 that the province will distribute $10 million to municipalities without any strings attached this year. Providing the grant unconditionally gives municipalities the flexibility they need to direct funding to where it is most needed, not only to bridges and roads, the province says.

The maximum grant for a city with a population of 10,001 or more will be $246,000. That’s more than the $200,000 that Thompson received for road renewal projects in 2018, but not as much as the $400,000 the city had received through the Municipal Road and Bridge Program in previous years.

“The increase to the municipal baskets demonstrates continued efforts by our government to further streamline grant funding provided to municipalities,” said Wharton in a news release. “This additional funding reduces red tape and enhances the flexibility given to local governments on how to best invest provincial funding for important municipal services and local priorities, including road infrastructure.”

The money will be distributed as part of the annual operating grant that municipalities receive from the province in three payments – on March 31, July 31 and Sept. 30.

Basket funding, established in 2017, is designed to simplify the grant-application process for municipalities and reduce red tape by eliminating the need for municipalities to apply for annual roadwork funding while also making it stable and predictable.

“Ensuring that municipalities receive predictable, stable funding has been a priority for our government,” said Wharton. “The increase to the municipal baskets will allow municipalities to efficiently plan for future infrastructure projects while also maximizing their time during construction seasons.”

When Thompson’s 2018 funding was reduced to $200,000 council passed a resolution to lobby the provincial government on this issue through the Association of Manitoba Municipalities (AMM), with then-mayor Dennis Fenske complaining that the late notice about the lower funding meant that some of the roadwork projects the city had already been planning to complete could not go ahead. 102 municipalities co-sponsored a resolution at the AMM conference in November asking the province to resotre road and bridge funding.

Wharton announced in late November that the province would be developing a new program to replace the old Municipal Road and Bridge Program, which dished out $14 million in 2017 but only $2.25 million last year as the transition was made to a new funding model.

“The AMM appreciates the Province of Manitoba listening to the concerns raised by our members about the importance of investing in municipal roads and bridges,” said AMM president Ralph Groening in the province’s March 19 press release. “This funding is totally unconditional which provides greater flexibility and more ‘fair say’ for Manitoba municipalities.”

push icon
Be the first to read breaking stories. Enable push notifications on your device. Disable anytime.
No thanks