The March 28th ice storm left nearly 400,000 homes and businesses without power, and many sustained extensive damage as freezing rain accumulated into layers of ice across parts of Ontario.
The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing has announced that the Ontario government is launching two one-time financial assistance programs to support communities impacted by the ice storm. The Municipal Ice Storm Assistance program will help municipalities pay for emergency response and clean-up costs and the Business Ice Storm Assistance program will help small businesses, small farms and not-for-profit organizations pay for costs not covered by private insurance.
“Our government is stepping up to provide impacted communities with the resources they need to recover and rebuild,” said Rob Flack, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. “These new programs will deliver critical financial support to help make communities safe, protect local jobs and get businesses back on their feet.”
Eligible small businesses, small farms, not-for-profit organizations and municipalities have until October 31, 2025 to apply for financial support under the programs.
In the 705, Barrie, Gravenhurst, Bracebridge and Huntsville are among the areas impacted. The Municipal Ice Storm Assistance program will help affected municipalities with emergency response and recovery costs, including clean-up of fallen trees and making communities safe from hazardous branches along roads and paths. The amount of funding will be based on eligible municipal costs.
According to barrietoday.com, the total projected cost of Barrie’s ice-storm cleanup is $24.95 million, but the city could recover $22 million in Municipal Disaster Recovery Assistance program funding — referencing figures from Bala Araniyasundaran, Barrie’s general manager of infrastructure and growth management — leaving a net $2.9-million bill.
The Business Ice Storm Assistance program will provide up to $5 million for small businesses, small farms and not-for-profit organizations to assist with storm-related clean-up and essential repairs not covered by insurance.
“In the immediate aftermath of the ice storm, our government deployed Ontario Corps within 24 hours to assist with urgent tasks like debris removal, meal delivery and mental health and wellness checks,” said Jill Dunlop, Minister of Emergency Preparedness and Response. “Now, we’re stepping up again with critical financial support to help municipalities and businesses recover as soon as possible and get back to normal.”
