Today, the Honourable Derek Bennett, Minister of Environment, Climate Change and Municipalities, announced the allocations that each municipality in Newfoundland and Labrador will receive from the $27.4 million in Safe Restart Agreement funding in response to COVID-19. This Federal Government portion of the Safe Restart Agreement is being matched on a 50/50 cost share basis with Provincial Government expenditures retroactive to April 1, 2020.
The funding distributed in additional operating grants for municipalities is based on 2016 census data, and is guided by a per capita basis allocation, to all municipalities. No applications are required. Payments will be processed once Budget 2020 is fully adopted by the House of Assembly.
The Government of Canada announced the Safe Restart Agreement in July, with details released in September, and it supports critical needs to protect public health and safety, prepare for future waves of COVID-19, and further support the safe reopening of economies in Canada. The Federal Government is contributing up to $2 billion to support municipalities in Canada with COVID-10 operating costs through this agreement.
The Provincial Government supported Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador as the organization advocated for communities at the onset of COVID-19. Government also wrote a letter of support to the Canadian Federation of Municipalities in the national organization’s effort to secure funding for municipalities.
The Provincial Government has a number of provincial programs supporting municipalities directly. In addition to approximately $29 million in unconditional Municipal Operating Grants and Provincial Gas Tax, the Provincial Municipal Capital Works program invests millions annually in municipal infrastructure as well as a multi-year capital works program for larger municipalities.
Total funding allocations for each municipality through the Safe Restart Agreement is available online.
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“We know municipalities and their advocates at Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador have been eagerly anticipating the amount of funding that each municipality will receive through this program as they begin their budgeting processes. We appreciate the vital role that municipal governments in our province have, and we want them to remain strong and operational as we live with COVID-19. This year has been like no other but it has displayed how resilient we are and how our municipal leaders have forged ahead as we navigate through this time. The Federal Government’s support for municipalities is greatly appreciated.”
Honourable Derek Bennett
Minister of Environment, Climate Change and Municipalities
Learn more
Funding Allocations for Municipalities
Government of Canada’s Safe Restart Agreement
Media contact
Lynn Robinson
Environment, Climate Change and Municipalities
709-729-5449, 691-9466
lynnrobinson@gov.nl.ca