Minister of Northern Development and Mines Michael Gravelle has made his second big announcement in two days in the city with the heart of gold.
At a press conference Friday morning at city hall, it was announced that $3 million is coming to the city through the Ontario government's Connecting Links Program.
Timmins-James Bay MPP Gilles Bisson was on hand, as well as a large number of city staff, and City Councillors Walter Wawrzaszek and Rick Dubeau.
"I am really excited to be back here. I was very pleased when last year, we announced in the 2015 budget that the Connecting Links program was returning. Certainly that meant that we could again start supporting municipalities across the province. This past February, Premier (Kathleen) Wynne announced that indeed we're going to be increasing that funding program. May I say, it was done at the encouragement and the blessing of people like my colleague Gilles Bisson, but particularly Mayor Black who certainly made a strong case that indeed this was a program that we needed to see strong support for" said Gravelle.
The funding will cover 66 percent of the $4.5 million project, known as 'Phase 1'. It is a two-kilometre stretch of Highway 101 East, between South Porcupine and Schumacher.
"The roadway is in some critical condition. You can look at the breaking up of the asphalt, so it is one of the areas that has deteriorated significantly. Its also one of the areas that doesn't have all the underground services underneath it, which is a lot more complex and costly to deal with. We chose a project that was ready to go in 2016. It's a great start and a great step forward" said Mayor Steve Black
This section of Highway 101 E between South Porcupine and Schumacher is in dire need of repairs. Andrew Autio for TimminsTodayThe entire connecting link reconstruction in Timmins is expected to cost $95 million dollars, spread out over the next 10 years.
Ontario is helping municipalities repair their roadways and bridges that connect communities to provincial highways and border crossings. The province is funding up to 90 percent of total eligible project costs up to a maximum of $3 million .
Timmins has secured that maximum amount.
"Our Connecting Links program is one way we show our long-term commitment to Ontario's rural and northern communities and to the families who live there. These highways are essential links in many communities, connecting people to jobs, managing local congestion and improving the economy and residents' quality of life" said Minister of Transportation Steven Del Duca in a press release.
Black says the isn't any long-term commitment from the provincial government for the connecting link yet, but sees this announcement as a 'big win'.
"It's not a project that we need all $95 million in one year, its going to be done in phases, so now that we've got the first phase accomplished, we can start discussing plans for the next phase" said Black.
"I think this announcement today is probably more funding than we've gotten the last 10 years combined for connecting link, so its a very big announcement for Timmins, its a very big step forward by the province."
The announcement comes a day after Gravelle announced $2.5 million in NOHFC funding to develop an industrial rail park in the far east end of the city.
