The Wynne government is committing up to $190 million to help municipalities in Ontario pay for the cost of cleanup and recovery from the pre-Christmas ice storm.
That falls short of what Municipalities across southern Ontario estimated the recovery could cost, pegging it more than $250 million, including $106 million just for Toronto. The storm caused trees to fall on hydro lines, left hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses without power for days and stalled road and air travel. Municipal leaders said property taxes alone could not fund the recovery and gave the province until March 1 to respond. Municipal Affairs Minister Linda Jeffrey announced the funding today.