Province Flowing Safe Restart Agreement Funding to Municipalities

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Program Complements Substantial Provincial Support: Squires

The Manitoba government is flowing over $100 million to Manitoba municipalities as part of the federal Safe Restart Agreement, Municipal Relations Minister Rochelle Squires announced today.

 

“Manitoba municipalities have been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and need assistance,” said Squires. “These funds from the Safe Restart Agreement between Manitoba and the federal government will help our municipalities continue to deliver the services Manitobans rely on.” 

 

As part of the Safe Restart Agreement, Manitoba has received $106 million for municipalities and public transit. Of that, $72.6 million will flow directly to Manitoba’s 137 municipalities on a per-capita basis. Municipalities are being notified of their respective funding amounts today.

 

The remaining $33.4 million will be allocated for public transit in the five Manitoba municipalities with eligible public transit systems. The formula for this allocation is being finalized and will consider factors such as ridership as well as projected losses compared to pre-COVID levels.

 

“Our government is committed to working collaboratively with our municipal partners,” said Squires. “Together, we can protect Manitobans while working toward a strong recovery from the effects of this pandemic.” 

 

Funding from the Safe Restart Agreement between Manitoba and Canada is in addition to previously announced provincial funding to support municipalities as they deal with the challenges posed by COVID-19. The Manitoba government responded to municipal needs quickly by advancing $129.45 million in flexible operating grants to municipalities in May and a further $43.15 million in September. 

 

In total, Manitoba has delivered operational support of over $500 million for a range of municipal services, programming, systemic capacity, and necessary prevention and resiliency measures.

 

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