King-Vaughan MPP Lecce announces $1.2M in provincial funding for King Township road projects

By Jim Stewart

Member of Provincial Parliament for King-Vaughan Stephen Lecce brought good news to the Township of King last week, when he announced $1.2 million in funding for local road maintenance projects.
The allocation of funds is part of the Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund which is dedicated to the renewal and rehabilitation of essential infrastructure. The Provincial Grant is earmarked for rural communities.
The simultaneous arrival of a GardaWorld truck and MPP Lecce's entourage was a lovely coincidence and timely metaphor that underscored the importance of the funds being delivered to the front entrance of the Township's municipal building.
Mayor Steve Pellegrini, who welcomed MPP Lecce as well as King councillors and staff in attendance, equated the $1.2-million grant to a prospective and undesirable “4% tax increase” if these funds weren't granted to the Township.
Mayor Pellegrini mentioned that “funding is always a challenge for a small municipality” and noted that the grant would be allocated for “road paving, culverts, and bridge maintenance ­– all determined by our recent needs assessment.”
The congenial Mayor kidded MPP Lecce good-naturedly for remembering that “King comes before Vaughan” in the hyphenated riding designation.
In response, MPP Lecce adroitly noted familial connectivity to King, delineated how many local projects the provincial government has funded recently, and emphasized the value all residents would derive from the funds allocated:
“It's a good day for the people of King,” the popular MPP declared to those assembled at the King Township Municipal Building's foyer. “We're here to help and continue to make King a great place to live. We've invested in clean water for Schomberg. We've invested in the King Recreation Centre – one of the largest allocations in Canada. King is an amazing place and worth fighting for at Queen's Park.”
Emblazoned on MPP Lecce's media conference lectern are the words “Results for King-Vaughan” and last Wednesday's OCIF grant announcement underscored more favorable results for the rural sector of the riding.
“My number one priority remains delivering for families in King and Vaughan, including better infrastructure, roads, internet connectivity and keeping our streets safe,” said Lecce. “Every day I fight hard to ensure the King community – a community that was ignored by the former government – gets the investment it deserves so we can build modern state-of-the-art recreation centres, libraries, seniors' centres, long-term care capacity and high-speed internet connectivity. I am proud to deliver to this significant investment in King knowing full well that it will support modern infrastructure that our rural community deserves.”
MPP Lecce has a track record of delivering funding for the community, including significant investment for the Schomberg Main Street Revitalization Strategy, repairs and upgrades to the municipal water system in King, and a new long-term care home in King City. Moreover, in 2022, the government improved internet and broadband connectivity in King through a $219 million investment to bring high-speed internet to more than 66,000 households in over 300 communities such as Kleinburg, Kettleby, and Schomberg; and $48 million for a project by YorkNet to bring high-speed internet access to over 3,000 homes and businesses in 31 communities across York Region, including King City, Nobleton, Laskay, Pottageville, Lloydtown, and across other concessions.
This funding will be directed towards road paving, bridge improvements, and culvert replacements to maintain the safety and integrity of King Township's core infrastructure.
This builds on the government's doubled annual investment for OCIF to nearly $2 billion over five years since 2022 to support more local infrastructure projects in small, rural and northern communities. This has supported reconstruction of the roadway along Brownsville Court in King and replacement of the lining in the watermains along Western, Elmwood and Castlewood Avenues in Schomberg.
In 2021, King Township received $608,548 in funding to help build and repair infrastructure projects in the community such as roads, bridges, water and wastewater infrastructure.