The Ontario government has announced an over $9.3 million investment in water and sewer infrastructure to help build more homes in Amherstburg.
Essex Conservative MPP Anthony Leardi announced the grant Friday on behalf of the province.
Leardi says this is important because water systems like sewer lines and water lines are necessary for building houses.
"They're very expensive, so if we want to get more houses built faster, we need to do water lines and sewer lines," he says. "This $9.3 million for the Town of Amherstburg is going to allow the town to do that. It's going to open up 1,100 new housing units in the Town of Amherstburg."
Amherstburg will use the funding for its Southeast Quadrant Sanitary and Water Servicing project, which will install new sanitary and potable water infrastructure within the town.
Leardi says it's in the area near Fryer Street and Lowes Side Road.
"What's important about it is that it's going to be a mix of housing. Single-family homes, duplexes, semi-detached homes, and multi-residential homes," he says.
The project includes a sanitary pumping station, force main, sewers, and watermain.
Leardi says this is good for Amherstburg and for families who want to stay in the town.
"Amherstburg as it stands today has approximately 11,000 residences. To add another 1,100 residences is a 10 per cent increase in the total number of residences in the town. But this is needed," he says.
The funding is being delivered through the province's Housing-Enabling Water Systems Fund (HEWSF), a stream of the Municipal Housing Infrastructure Program (MHIP).