Today, we announced that Markham will receive $7,289,158.41 from the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP): COVID-19 Resilience Infrastructure stream. Under the terms of this bilateral agreement, the Government of Canada will provide 80% of the funding, and the Government of Ontario the remaining 20%.
“The City of Markham is delighted and appreciative to receive funding from the Federal and Provincial governments to keep Markham safe, green and ready,” said Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti. “Funding as part of the COVID-19 Resilience Infrastructure stream of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program will allow the City of Markham to make safety enhancements such as touchless systems and enhanced air purification to our facilities as we begin to welcome back the public. As a municipal leader in sustainability, funding will also be allocated to planting more trees and pruning trees to improve storm damage resistance.”
As Ontario enters Step 3 of Ontario’s Roadmap to Reopen, all levels of government are working to support COVID-19 recovery and to build a safe and resilient future.
Markham’s funds will focus on five community infrastructure projects that:
- Improve health and safety at City facilities by increasing touchless technology to minimize indoor touch points and to improve accessibility. Funding will also be used to improve air filtration and indoor air quality.
- Upgrade Markham’s Emergency Operations Centre so it will be fully functional whether staff are working on-site or remotely.
- Advance Markham’s Trees for Tomorrow program to achieve a canopy cover of 30%. To date, this program has engaged community groups, volunteers and non-governmental organizations to plant more than 400,000 trees citywide.
- Continue Block Street Tree Pruning of nearly 70% of street trees through the Neighbourhood Tree Maintenance program. Properly pruned trees sustain less damage from storms and will not block roads and sidewalks.
- Advance Tree Replacement of 595 street trees that have died. This will provide shade, improve community greenspace, and contribute to the City’s goal of achieving a canopy cover of 30%.
The Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program has been adapted to respond to the impacts of COVID-19. Up to $10M per project in federal and provincial funding is being offered for retrofits, repairs and upgrades to municipal buildings, for health infrastructure and schools; COVID-19 response infrastructure; active transportation infrastructure; disaster mitigation and adaptation; and ventilation improvements.