NEWS RELEASE
PROVINCE OF ONTARIO
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Ontario is helping Simcoe County to attract investment and tourism, create jobs and enhance local economic growth by investing in the revitalization of many of the county’s downtown and main street areas.
Steven Del Duca, MPP for Vaughan, was on King Street in Midland today to make the announcement. The province is providing municipalities across Simcoe County with up to $1 million for a number of projects throughout the county through the Main Street Revitalization Initiative, to help revitalize downtown and main street areas.
Vibrant main streets help attract visitors, create jobs and increase the competitiveness of small businesses, which are the backbone of our communities. That's why the province is helping municipalities enhance and revitalize their downtown and main streets through improvements such as the installation of pedestrian crosswalks or landscaping. Municipalities can also direct funding to local businesses to improve the appearance of their storefronts by installing lighting or new signage.
Supporting small businesses and communities across the province is part of Ontario's plan to create fairness and opportunity during this period of rapid economic change. The plan includes a higher minimum wage and better working conditions, free tuition for hundreds of thousands of students, easier access to affordable child care, and free prescription drugs for everyone under 25, through the biggest expansion of medicare in a generation.
Quotes
“Our government is committed to ensuring our rural communities and downtown cores thrive today and for many years to come. Investments that support small businesses and main streets will help communities be better positioned to attract investment, create jobs, and grow their local economies.”
— Steven Del Duca, MPP for Vaughan
“Our government understands the unique challenges faced by many small businesses all across Ontario. By supporting the development of healthy and vibrant main street areas, we can help to improve local economic development, strengthen small businesses, and create good jobs across the province.”
— Jeff Leal, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Minister Responsible for Small Business
“We always appreciate the support and assistance provided by the Province! This program will provide us with assistance in our upcoming rejuvenation of King Street, our main street in Midland. This revitalization project will showcase the unique character of our downtown commercial corridor, improve access and mobility for pedestrians, while also replacing aging sewers and watermains.”
— Gord McKay, Mayor of Midland
“Main streets are the heart and soul of small town rural Ontario communities, they represent and showcase our local merchants, artisans and entrepreneurs. Investments that help smaller municipalities revitalize our main streets are critical. We are grateful for the significant investments being made by the Ontario government.”
— Gerry Marshall, Warden of Simcoe County
Quick facts
- Ontario is investing up to $26 million in the Main Street Revitalization Initiative, which will be administered by the Association of Municipalities of Ontario and its rural arm, the Rural Ontario Municipal Association.
- The Town of Midland is eligible to receive up to $50,328 as part of the Main Street Revitalization Initiative.
- This initiative is part of a $40 million investment over three years in the Main Street Enhancement Initiative, which will help strengthen small businesses in downtown and main street areas and enhance the digital presence and capabilities of small businesses through increased access to digital tools like e-commerce.
- The revitalization initiative expands upon and complements the Downtown Revitalization Program that supports main street revitalization in rural areas.
- Funding will be allocated to municipalities based on population size, using the most recent data from the 2016 Statistics Canada Census of Population.
- The funding formula includes an adjustment for those municipalities that have fewer than 25,000 residents. This adjustment ensures that small communities are provided an appropriate level of funding where their population figures would otherwise limit their respective funding allocations within the parameters of the program.
- About one-third of Ontario workers are employed by small businesses, which are businesses that employ less than 100 paid employees.
- To strengthen Ontario small businesses, the province is providing more than $500 million over three years in new initiatives that include lowering the small business tax rate by 22 per cent from 4.5 per cent to 3.5 per cent, investing in youth employment, providing support for downtown main street businesses and reducing red tape.
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