The Province of Ontario will soon begin construction of a six-lane extension to the Garden City Skyway from St. Catharines to Niagara-on-the-Lake. It is estimated that the Province could spend as much as $2 billion on this multi-year project. Ontario Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria reports the Province is making this investment to “tackle the gridlock, create new jobs and drive economic growth.”
At this time, it is not clear what social benefits will accrue from this project.
Should the Province choose to invest just a small percentage of this project in the Niagara Region, local community organizations could be the recipient of significant community benefits.
Community investments associated with large infrastructure projects have been realized in Ontario and in other provinces. Benefits include local job creation, pre-apprentice training in skilled trades, buy-local purchase agreements and investments in community infrastructure projects such as green spaces, parks, health centres, local artists, affordable housing, food distribution and community centres.
For example, the new Gordie Howe International Bridge between Detroit and Windsor has made substantial investments in the local communities on both sides of the bridge, including:
- Workforce Development and Participation for engaging businesses focused on supporting workforce, training and pre-apprenticeship/apprenticeship opportunities.
- Neighbourhood Infrastructure Strategy collaborating with stakeholders and community members to develop a community investment strategy based on identified priorities.
With the support of community organizations, we hope to work with the Province to invest in the well-being of the Region by including community benefits as part of the Skyway project funding. Re-investing in the communities and in organizations like yours offers a much greater return for our public tax dollars beyond just traffic relief.
Will you join us?
We are holding a Community Investment information session on Thursday, October 16 at noon over Zoom, where we will review needs and potential benefits and discuss next steps.
Recent Comments