Eastern Ontario organizations Receive $1 million in funding from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation

Glenburnie, ON – The Eastern Ontario Regional Network (EORN), 2B Developments, the Frontenac Municipal Services Corporation (FMSC) and the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus (EOWC) announced today the awarding of Stage 1 funding from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s (CMHC) Housing Supply Challenge to EORN and 2B Developments. EORN and 2B Developments will be working together through a new collaboration known as Rural Impact. The funding totals $1 million to support water and wastewater management via the creation of municipal services corporations, supporting communal servicing in rural and small municipalities.

Front: Frances Smith EORN Vice Chair and FMSC President, Lindsay Blair 2B Developments, Bonnie Clark EOWC Director. Rear: Danielle Millett Specialist Innovation and Partnerships CMHC , Gracen Johnson Senior Specialist Housing Programs CMHC, Peter Emon EOWC Chair, Jason St.Pierre EORN CEO, Kevin Farrell CAO County of Frontenac.

Communal servicing is a way for clusters of homes and businesses to share dedicated and local water and wastewater treatment facilities. Communal services approaches and technologies represent an alternative middle ground to the large-lot and well-and-septic approach traditional to rural areas, and to the hugely expensive centralized water and sewer systems approach used in cities.

Communal servicing has several advantages for rural and small municipalities including lower cost, time, and regulatory barriers for developers as well as new possibilities for economic growth through construction of mixed-use-development of residential, public, and commercial units for residents of small towns and hamlets. Communal servicing is a fair and sensible way to grow and build much-needed public tax base for rural municipalities, and regulated and professionally operated and overseen systems to help protect the natural environment in ways well and septic may not.

Today also marks the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the FMSC and EORN who will be working together with 2B Developments to understand FMSC’s experience in establishing a municipal services corporation, and to integrate lessons learned into a program to share with other municipalities.

Bonnie Clark EOWC Director, Gracen Johnson Senior Specialist Housing Programs CMHC, Frances Smith FMSC President.

Quotes

“I am very excited about the partnership with FMSC and the funding that was received,” said Jennifer Murphy, chair of the EORN board of directors. “This will enable us to use municipal service corporations and study how decentralized communal systems can be effectively managed within this framework to enable dense and diverse housing development in rural and small municipalities. We greatly appreciate the support of the EOWC and its members as Stage 1 moves forward,” Murphy said.

“We’re very grateful to the CMHC for their confidence in the communal services initiative and for helping to fund these important next steps,” said Frances Smith, FMSC president and board chair, EORN vice-chair, and warden of the County of Frontenac. “Shared water and wastewater systems represent a safe, clean, and reliable alternative to complex and prohibitively expensive centralized systems. This is a bold and novel solution to a whole basket of issues facing residents of rural municipalities, like us,” Smith said.

"On behalf of the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus, this is an exciting step forward for our region to unlock water and wastewater infrastructure that will help build housing in small and rural communities," said Peter Emon chair of the EOWC and warden of Renfrew County. "We are pleased to continue to work in partnership with our municipal members, like Frontenac County, as well as the Eastern Ontario Regional Network, to advocate for and deliver projects that enhance our region’s growth and prosperity, such as this communal services initiative. Thanks to funding from the Canada Mortgage Housing Corporation and to all involved,” Emon said.

About EORN

Eastern Ontario Regional Network strives to fuel economic development and growth by working regionally to improve and leverage broadband access and cell connectivity. EORN is a non-profit organization created by the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus. Since 2010, it has helped bring hundreds of millions of dollars in federal, provincial and private sector investment to improve connectivity across the rural region.

EORN is currently completing a $300 million Cell Gap Project which is funded in partnership with federal, provincial and municipal governments and Rogers Communications. The project is to be finished by 2026. While EORN’s historical focus has been on broadband and cellular services, its expertise transcends the telecommunications sector. EORN possesses the capability to amalgamate diverse expertise required to deliver solutions while aligning with the unique needs of municipalities and their residents.

About 2B Developments

2B Developments works with public, non-profit, and private sector clients providing comprehensive project management, construction management, development consulting and development design services. With over 15 years of experience delivering projects and helping client obtain funding, we help our clients from A to Z. 2B Developments is actively involved in several housing projects and initiatives in Lanark County, Frontenac County, Ottawa, and surrounding regions.

About FMSC

Frontenac Municipal Services Corporation is part knowledge base, part public utility. It is the administrative organization created to implement and oversee communal servicing in Frontenac County and to help guide other municipalities as they explore the advantages of similar approaches in their own jurisdictions. FMSC shareholders are the Township of Frontenac Islands, the Township of South Frontenac, the Township of Central Frontenac, the Township of North Frontenac, and the County of Frontenac. The Board of Directors are Frances Smith, Ron Vandewal, Gerry Lichty, and Mike Jablonicky. Learn more about the communal services initiative in Frontenac County: https://engagefrontenac.ca/communal-services.

About the EOWC

Eastern Ontario Wardens' Caucus is the regional voice for 103 municipalities across rural eastern Ontario, representing one quarter of Ontario’s municipalities. The EOWC is an incorporated non-profit organization representing 800,000 residents covering an area of 50,000 square kilometres from Northumberland County to the Québec border. The EOWC has gained support and momentum by speaking with a united voice to champion regional municipal priorities and work with the government, business leaders, the media, and the public. For more information, visit eowc.org.

Media contact:

Lisa Severson
Eastern Ontario Regional Network
Director of Communications
613-213-8520
lseverson@eorn.ca