Latest news with #MinistryofMunicipalAffairsandHousing
Global News
5 days ago
- Business
- Global News
Ontario township claims bankruptcy with $2.5M in accumulated debt
A small township in northern Ontario says it will suspend all municipal services next month, after years of financial instability and unsuccessful requests for provincial help. The Township of Fauquier-Strickland announced the decision last Tuesday, citing over $2.5 million in accumulated operating deficits and the complete depletion of reserve funds. In a release issued July 9, municipal officials say they've exhausted all other options, including layoffs and significant service cuts. The only alternative, according to the town, would have been to implement a property tax increase of 190 to 230 per cent on residents, which would have tripled most tax bills and potentially forced families from their homes. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The municipality has been operating with zero cash reserves for over a year, relying heavily on credit to fund ongoing operations. In 2024, property taxes were increased by 26 per cent in an effort to address the growing problem. Story continues below advertisement The township says it has repeatedly requested financial aid from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing but is yet to receive a substantive response. As a result, all municipal employees will be laid off Aug. 1, 2025, representing a significant loss for a community where the municipality is the largest local employer and one of the only sources of summer student employment. The sudden halt of municipal services now threatens that momentum and raises deeper questions about the long-term viability of small northern communities. 'The temporary cessation of municipal services sends concerning signals,' the township's release reads, 'and could undermine years of progress in regional development.' After decades of population decline, Fauquier-Strickland and the surrounding region had begun attracting new families drawn by affordable housing and resource-sector jobs. The municipality reached out to neighbouring communities for support in advocating for provincial intervention, recognizing that the economic consequences this crisis could have on the small municipalities throughout the Highway 11 corridor. The township is calling on the province to step in urgently by appointing a supervisor or adminsitrator and providing emergency financial assistance. 'This represents the most difficult decision Council has ever had to make,' the statement said.
CTV News
5 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Fauquier-Strickland meets with Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing
Officials with Fauquier-Strickland, which is heavily in debt and has threatened to cease services, have met with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Officials with Fauquier-Strickland, which is heavily in debt and has threatened to cease services, have met with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Town in financial crisis meets with the province In a phone interview with CTV News, Madeleine Tremblay, the mayor of Fauquier-Strickland, said officials with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing met with her on Wednesday to review the municipality's financial crisis. Last week in a letter to residents, mayor and council announced it would have to cease most of its core services by Aug. 1. The municipality has accumulated $2.5 million in debt in the past decade. That means it can't afford to pay for services such as road maintenance, landfill, cemetery and fire without financial help from the province. Tremblay told CTV News that the meeting went well and the municipality now awaits recommendations from Minister Robert Flack's office. She said no timeline has been given. In the meantime, Tremblay said she's working on finding a solution to be able to continue providing municipal services.
Global News
5 days ago
- Business
- Global News
Municipalities have $10B from developers saved up. Ontario says they should spend it now
The Ford government is accusing Ontario's major towns and cities of 'sitting' on billions of unspent dollars amidst a growing housing crisis, telling them the money should be used to reduce the cost of building. According to data shared by the provincial government, Ontario's 444 municipalities have roughly $10 billion in the bank between them, funds collected from developers building new housing projects. The data, which Global News requested from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, shows Toronto has $2.8 billion, Durham Region has $1.1 billion and the City of Ottawa has collected over $800,000. Brampton's development charge balance, as of 2023, sits around $412,000. Vaughan's is at 543,000, while Mississauga's has roughly $414,0000. It's money the provincial government argues municipalities should spend — and quickly — to reduce the cost of building new homes. Story continues below advertisement 'Municipalities across Ontario are sitting on $10 billion of development charge reserve funds — funds that could be used to get shovels in the ground,' a spokesperson for Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Rob Flack told Global News. 'The changes we are making through the Protect Ontario by Building Faster and Smarter Act will ensure municipalities allocate at least 60 per cent of their development charge reserves, following the examples of Vaughan and Mississauga, who are already using these reserves to reduce building costs and support new housing.' Developers continue to complain that it is too expensive to build new homes in Ontario, despite various fees being reduced. Housing starts across the province are down compared to 2024, which was also a decline from the year before. Municipalities, however, argue the money they have in their reserve accounts isn't simply sitting there. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy In Toronto, for example, a spokesperson said the $2.8 billion reserve fund weighs against a 10-year building plan worth $6.1 billion. 'We are also now at a point in time where we are spending development charges at a faster pace than we are collecting them,' they said. Similarly, Mississauga — where the mayor slashed development charges — is predicting a shortfall when spending commitments are taken into account. A spokesperson for Durham Region said that 'funds currently held in the DC reserve funds have already been committed to capital projects that are either underway or about to commence.' Story continues below advertisement Vaughan, which has made cuts to its DCs, said the changes the provincial government would not have a negative impact on its balance. The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing urged the cities to use the money in their accounts to unlock new housing. 'We continue to encourage municipalities across the province to use their reserve funds to build more homes in their communities,' they said in a statement. Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed-Ward, who also chairs the Big City Mayors' caucus, said the 'narrative that development charges hold up housing or make it less affordable is a destructive distraction.' 'There's this narrative, there's a single DC rate for everybody and it's too high — without any kind of understanding DCs are developed in the community, with the development industry, based on very restrictive provincial restrictions,' she said. 'So I can't collect a DC for a community centre and spend it on my fire department. I have to spend it on what it was intended for, it's very prescribed.' In 2022, the Ford government announced audits into the development charge accounts of major municipalities, alleging at the time that they were sitting on billions. Those audits were never made public. Since then, the province has made a number of changes to how development charges work, what can be collected and how they can be spent. Story continues below advertisement In its latest legislation, Ontario reduced the scope and number of studies municipalities can require for new developments, sped up certain minor variances and standardized and streamlined development charges. It also allows municipalities to more easily reduce development charges, allows residential builders to pay those fees at the time of occupancy instead of when a permit is issued and exempts long-term care homes from the fees in order to spur their development. Many of those changes, unlike previous tweaks, were suggested to the government by homebuilders and municipal advocates together. Lindsay Jones, the director of policy and government relations for the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, agreed that 'municipalities are not hoarding development charges.' She said, however, the system would benefit from changes. 'There's no question that there's been really significant shifts in the market, in the overall macroeconomic context, and in the realities of incomes for Ontarians since the development charge regime was put in place almost 30 years ago,' she said. 'No question, there are ways that it can be improved — and we are optimistic about the potential for Bill 17 to be able to have some positive impacts.' — with a file from The Canadian Press
Hamilton Spectator
15-07-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Township taxpayers still on the hook for some ice-storm costs
While taxpayers in Springwater and Oro-Medonte townships will have to pony up more of their hard-earned cash to help cover the costs of March's devastating ice storm, the majority of the costs are expected to be covered by the Municipal Ice Storm Assistance (MISA) program. MISA replaces the Municipal Disaster Recovery Assistance (MDRA) program, which will not be activated for the ice storm, according to a report prepared for Springwater council by Greg Bedard, the township's interim deputy chief administrative officer. 'The Municipal Ice Storm Assistance (MISA) program provides one-time support to eligible municipalities for incremental costs related to the ice storm that began on March 28, 2025,' Bedard wrote in his report to council, which was delivered at the township's July 2 meeting. 'There is no cost threshold to qualify for this program.' According to Bedard's report, the township incurred $493,000 in additional costs by June 13 and expects it may add another $130,000 in future costs for a total of $623,000. The single largest cost was for goods and services — costs for external service providers contracted to undertake work directly related to the ice storm, and the rental of specialized equipment used by township staff to assist with debris cleanup — which came in at $318,000. Bedard's report noted that if the township incurs eligible costs totalling $623,000, the province would contribute about $490,000 in MISA funding. The remaining $133,000 would be funded by the township. In Oro-Medonte, the numbers are significantly higher. According to a report presented to Oro-Medonte council on April 29, chief administrative officer Shawn Binns said the township incurred costs of almost $6.5 million due to the ice storm. He downgraded that to about $6 million on Monday. 'The township's April 29, 2025 report provided an overview of the expenditures,' Binns said in an email to BarrieToday. 'The breakdown of costs has not changed materially from what was previously reported although actuals are slightly lower at an approximate cost of $6 million versus the approximately $6.5 million previously reported. 'With support from the province, the net impact to the township would be approximately $457,000,' he added. According to Binns' April 29 report, operations, which included mutual aid, contracted services, rentals and equipment, cost the township $5.65 million. Oro-Medonte council will discuss its MISA application during Wednesday's meeting, which begins at 9 a.m. To qualify for the MISA program, a municipality must: Applications will be reviewed by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing and are subject to final funding approval by the minister. If approved, the province and municipality will enter into a transfer payment agreement, of which all payments under the agreement will be based on eligible costs incurred. For eligible costs up to three per cent of the municipality's own-purpose taxation, the province will reimburse 75 per cent, and for eligible costs above three per cent of the municipality's own-purpose taxation, the province will reimburse 95 per cent. 'The township has based ice-storm response and recovery decision making on the assumption the township will be fully responsible for all costs associated with the ice storm,' Bedard's report noted. 'Provincial assistance has not been seen as a guarantee, given the previous cost threshold under the MDRA program, as well as the need to substantially document eligible expenses for the province's review. 'Should the township's MISA application be approved by the minister, this will positively impact the financial implications associated with the township's response to the ice storm,' Bedard added. In addition to MISA, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing also launched the Business Ice Storm Assistance Program (BISA) that provides one-time support to certain small businesses, small farms, and not-for-profit organizations that incurred damage resulting from the late March/early April 2025 ice storm. The BISA program is application based with a deadline to apply by Oct. 31, 2025. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Gulf Insider
07-07-2025
- Business
- Gulf Insider
Saudi Arabia Sets New Rules For Food Trucks, Bans Operations After Midnight
Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing has introduced a set of sweeping regulations governing the operations of mobile vending carts and food trucks across the Kingdom, part of an effort to standardise the sector and bolster food safety standards. The new requirements, approved by Majed Al Hogail, Minster of Municipal Affairs and Housing, include mandatory installation of surveillance cameras inside all vending units, and a blanket prohibition on operations past midnight — unless vendors obtain a 24-hour activity permit. The updated rules also outline strict limits on where mobile vendors can operate and what activities are permissible within the carts. Food truck and mobile cart operators have been granted a 180-day grace period to comply with the new regulations. Under the new framework, vending is strictly prohibited near traffic lights, major road junctions, emergency exits, gas stations, and areas with high vehicle congestion. Vendors are also barred from operating near environmentally hazardous zones, such as waste dumps, sewage sites, or areas that emit gas and smoke. Locations allocated for emergency services or people with disabilities are off-limits as well. In a move aimed at maintaining public order and health standards, the regulations ban smoking, loudspeakers, and external audio equipment on all mobile units. Food preparation must take place inside the cart, with an exception made only if firewood or charcoal is used — requiring the use of a separate cart. The sale of tobacco products is explicitly banned. All operators must install security cameras that comply with the Kingdom's Law of the Use of Security Surveillance Cameras and its executive regulations. Additionally, individuals will be permitted to hold only one licence per cart, trailer, or semi-trailer, and must obtain approvals from the General Traffic Department and the relevant regulatory body overseeing their commercial activity. Temporary exemptions will apply to vehicles participating in registered public events. The new rules come after a period of public consultation held via the national 'Istithlaa' platform from May 13 to 28, during which citizens and stakeholders were invited to submit feedback. Officials say the measures are intended to strike a balance between facilitating private sector investment and ensuring compliance with health and safety protocols. The ministry noted that the reforms are part of a broader strategy to create a regulatory environment that supports commercial activity while preserving public health. All licencing procedures — including issuance, renewal, amendment, and cancellation — will fall under the purview of the Municipal Licensing Procedures System. The updated regulations reflect the Kingdom's ongoing efforts to modernise its municipal governance and attract entrepreneurial activity, particularly in the growing mobile food sector, while ensuring that public welfare remains a top priority.
