The following statement was given today in the House of Assembly by the Honourable Derek Bennett, Minister of Environment, Climate Change and Municipalities:

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased today to speak about the $27.4 million from the Safe Restart Agreement and the funding allocations that each municipality in Newfoundland and Labrador will receive. This Federal Government portion is being matched on a 50/50 cost share basis with Provincial Government expenditures retroactive to April 1, 2020.

Mr. Speaker, the Safe Restart funding is distributed based on 2016 census data, and is guided by a per capita basis allocation to all municipalities. No applications are required and payments will be processed once Budget 2020 is fully adopted by the House of Assembly. Allocations for each municipality can be found on the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Municipalities website.

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 supports the safe reopening of economies in Canada.

Mr. Speaker, our Government supported Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador as the organization advocated for communities at the onset of COVID-19. The province also wrote a letter of support to the Canadian Federation of Municipalities in the national organization’s effort to secure funding for municipalities.

We thank the Federal Government for partnering with us in support of municipalities. We know it has been a stressful time for municipal leaders, and they have been eagerly awaiting word as to how much they will receive through this program. Our government appreciates 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.

Thank you.