The city of Barrie spends about 35 to 40-million-dollars a year on infrastructure repairs.
“Some of this stuff isn’t all that sexy,” said Barrie Mayor Jeff Lehman. “It’s pipes, and roads, and culverts. But it’s essential for public safety and public property.”
On Wednesday, Finance Minister Bill Morneau announced that there was an influx of infrastructure cash and that means a one-time top-up for cities across the country, including Barrie.
“We haven’t been able to do exactly what we expected, and that was the reason for the municipal infrastructure top up.”
The Trudeau government announced it would double the gas tax transfer to cities, a move that even some members of the federal opposition are applauding.
For the city of Barrie, that works out to an extra eight-million-dollars to help pay for things like pothole repairs and infrastructure maintenance.
Barrie-Innisfil MP John Brassard said the gas tax transfer is essential, but only serves as a Band-Aid solution. “What I would like to have seen is more permanent infrastructure funding, one that provides that long-term sustainable funding to municipalities.”
Lehman says the government is giving each city the funding to do with as it sees fit, like focusing on projects and repairs that may have been lower on the priority list.
Barrie’s mayor says he’s been told the money could be in the city’s coffers as early as next month.
