Does the Province have enough financial and statistical data available to execute a needs-based grant allocation to target municipal infrastructure investment instead of utilizing an application process to allocate funds?

Author

Brenda Garrett, Western University

Date of Award

7-1-2017

Degree Type

Major Research Paper

Degree Name

Master of Public Administration

Program

Political Science

Supervisor

Jennifer Kirkham

Geographical Areas

Ontario, Oxford County, Wellesley Township, Plummer Additional Township, Highland East, Peterborough

Abstract

Municipalities across the Province are grappling with infrastructure deficits. Small, northern, and rural municipality’s tax assessment base limits its ability to garner sufficient revenue to support operations as well as renew and replace infrastructure. Federal and Provincial governments must step in and assist. As a result, the province introduced the Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund (OCIF) as a permanent program to fund critical infrastructure projects for core assets—roads, bridges, water and wastewater. This paper analyzes provincially mandated municipal Financial Information Returns (FIRs) in conjunction with OCIF statistics to assess whether the Province can efficiently and effectively re-distribute revenue using existing financial and statistical data to local governments, and to investigate the effectiveness of an application-based, rather than formula-based, approach for infrastructure grants. I conclude that the distribution of grants was inequitable, and so did not efficiently target need, and recommend that the province increase transparency and predictability by adopting a formula-based granting model.

Recommended Citation

Garrett, Brenda, "Does the Province have enough financial and statistical data available to execute a needs-based grant allocation to target municipal infrastructure investment instead of utilizing an application process to allocate funds?" (2017). MPA Major Research Papers. 168.
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/lgp-mrps/168