The province is increasing the amount of money it gives the City of Windsor through the Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund.
The province-wide fund is being increased by $50 million this year to bring the total funding to $600 million in 2026.
As a result of the change, Windsor will receive $25,333,900 through the OMPF in 2026-an increase of $947,900 compared to 2025.
Windsor-Tecumseh Conservative MPP Andrew Dowie announced the funding Wednesday alongside Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens during a news conference at city hall.
Dowie says the OMPF is for larger places and rural and northern municipalities with a widespread geography to make sure they can pay for the services that are needed.
"There's an acknowledgement that cities like Windsor need additional funds to reflect the services they account for; think of prisoner transport, for example, or some of the courthouse types of services," he says. "The OMPF is intended to make the municipality as whole as possible."
The OMPF supports 388 small, northern, and rural municipalities, along with communities with a limited property tax base and those who help deliver provincial services, by providing stable and predictable funding to help address local priorities and projects such as public transit, libraries, emergency services, and road maintenance.
"I think it's a fair reflection of the kinds of services that the community is undertaking for the betterment of everybody. Very happy to see this formula amendment recognizes what Windsor does and the cost it incurs," he says.
Mayor Dilkens says the city relies on and counts on this money.
"In a year when we did a zero budget because we're dealing with affordability, we still want to invest responsibly. Responsible investment means we look for every funding source. OMPF has been a consistent funding source for us, which we're able to use across a wide variety of municipal uses. It's not discreet for one particular use; it allows us to spend it on needs in the community, which is really important," he says.
Several other local municipalities are also receiving money through the fund, including:
-Town of Essex: $4,462,200
-Municipality of Leamington: $1,363,800
-Town of Amherstburg: $1,215,000
-Town of Kingsville: $566,500
-Municipality of Lakeshore: $452,000
-Town of Tecumseh: $15,840