Funding Will Support New Homes, Food Production and Keep Workers on the Job in the Face of Tariffs and Economic Uncertainty
Photo Caption: Sam Oosterhoff, MPP for Niagara West, joins Hon. Kinga Surma, Minister of Infrastructure, and Hon. Trevor Jones, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness, along with municipal leaders and local growers, at St. David's Hydroponics in Niagara-on-the-Lake today, following the historic water infrastructure announcement in Niagara Falls.
NEWS
August 11, 2025
NIAGARA FALLS – The Ontario government is investing $135 million in water systems and irrigation infrastructure in Niagara and Leamington to help build more homes, protect farmland and keep workers on the job.
Niagara will receive approximately $94 million in provincial funding, which includes over $53 million for six water systems projects to help unlock up to 14,000 new homes through the Housing-Enabling Water Systems Fund Stream of the Municipal Housing Infrastructure Program, as well as another $41 million for irrigation pipelines to help deliver water to hundreds of farms and agricultural businesses across the region.
"This is a truly historic day for Niagara," said Sam Oosterhoff, MPP for Niagara West.
"With almost $100 million in water infrastructure investments for our region, this shows, yet again, that for Premier Ford and our government, Niagara matters. Today's investments will help build more housing to make the dream of home ownership a reality for young people and it will expand our local irrigation systems, ensuring world-class fresh fruits and vegetables can continue to grow and thrive in Niagara."
"In the face of American tariffs and economic uncertainty, our government is investing in the future for the people of Ontario by doubling down on our plan to build," said Hon. Kinga Surma, Minister of Infrastructure.
"With our additional investments in the Municipal Housing Infrastructure Program, we are unlocking more housing and building critical infrastructure that will protect communities, support the farming sector and keep workers on the job."
The water systems projects in Niagara are part of the province's $400 million in previously announced Municipal Housing Infrastructure Program funding. This round of funding will support fifty new water infrastructure projects in fifty-five municipalities to help build up to 86,000 new homes across the province, bringing the total number of homes enabled through the Municipal Housing Infrastructure Program to approximately 800,000. Additional projects that have been approved for funding will be announced in the coming weeks. In total, the province has invested $2.3 billion in the Municipal Housing Infrastructure Program to date.
"This investment is a clear example of our government's plan to protect Ontario's economy by supporting the people and sectors that drive it," said Hon. Trevor Jones, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness.
"By funding critical infrastructure like the Niagara irrigation and Leamington wastewater projects, we are strengthening local economies, safeguarding food security, and making sure Ontario farmers have the tools they need to grow, compete, and succeed, now and for the future."
Investing in local infrastructure is part of the province's more than $200 billion capital plan to build and improve transit, highways, hospitals, schools and other critical public infrastructure, while strengthening the economy for the future.
Quick Facts:
- The two agriculture projects in Niagara and Leamington will help improve crop yield, quality, and drought resilience by ensuring a consistent water supply that will particularly benefit high-value fruit and vegetable crops like peaches for Niagara, as well as enhance water quality in Leamington through the collection of nutrient-heavy wastewater from the greenhouse operations.
- The agri-food sector in Niagara contributed to over $2 billion in Gross Domestic Product in 2024.
- Program funding will also support efficient irrigation in Niagara to help conserve water and support long-term farm sustainability by using tools like irrigation scheduling, reservoirs, water-saving systems tailored for Ontario's diverse soil and climate conditions and effective wastewater in Leamington to enhance water quality to facilitate greenhouse and community expansion.
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