The Safe Restart Agreement also includes a second phase of Social Services Relief Funding (SSRF) totalling $362 million. This is in addition to significant investments made earlier to the SSRF and in support of public health. Details will be outlined in a letter to Service Managers in the coming days.

Municipal Operating Funding Phase 1: Immediate Funding for Municipal Pressures

Phase 1 of this funding will be allocated on a per household basis and I am pleased to share that the City of Windsor will receive a payment of $12,026,800 to support your COVID-19 operating costs and pressures.

Please note that your municipality is accountable for using this funding for the purpose of addressing your priority COVID-19 operating costs and pressures. If the amount of the funding exceeds your municipality’s 2020 COVID-19 operating costs and pressures, the province’s expectation is that your municipality will place the excess funding into reserves to be accessed to support COVID-19 operating costs and pressures that you may continue to incur in 2021. Your municipality will be expected to report back to the province in March 2021 with details on your 2020 COVID-19 operating costs and pressures, your overall 2020 financial position, and the use of the provincial funds in a template to be provided by the ministry. More details on this reporting will be shared in the coming weeks.

In the meantime, I am requesting that your municipal treasurer sign the acknowledgement below and return the signed copy to the ministry by email by September 11, 2020 to Municipal.Programs@ontario.ca. Please note that we must receive this acknowledgement before making a payment to your municipality. We intend to make payments to municipalities in September, subject to finalizing details.

Phase 2: Funding for Additional Municipal Pressures

I anticipate that the funding our government is providing through Phase 1 of the municipal operating stream will be sufficient to address COVID-19 costs and pressures for most municipalities. However, we recognize that some municipalities have experienced greater financial impacts arising from COVID-19 than others. As a result, we are offering a second phase of funding to those municipalities that can demonstrate that 2020 COVID-19 operating costs and pressures exceed their Phase 1 per household allocation.

To be considered for this Phase 2 funding, municipalities will be required to submit reports outlining their COVID-19 operating costs and pressures in a template to be provided by the ministry. These reports will be due by October 30, 2020. Municipalities that require additional time to submit their report are asked to reach out to their Municipal Services Office contact by October 30, 2020 to request an extension to November 6, 2020. Please note that the ministry is unable to consider municipal requests for Phase 2 funding if the municipality has not submitted its report by November 6, 2020.