Critical infrastructure funding to be reallocated to ‘unbudgeted capital projects’ in Whitby & Oshawa

Durham Region is looking to reallocate funding from certain infrastructure branches into emergency projects.

A document from an upcoming Works Committee Meeting (scheduled for Dec. 4), has revealed that additional financing for the completion of specific projects is required throughout Durham.

According to the document, the best way to acquire the financing is to dip into surplus pools left over from previous 2024 funding slates.

Specifically, in this case, surplus money from waste management and public transit.

This week’s upcoming proposal — if approved by the Commissioner of Finance —will take funding left over from these two arms of infrastructure and immediately inject it into what is described in the document as “unbudgeted capital projects.”

According to the paperwork, the two projects that require additional funding are a fire suppression system for a Whitby-area Material Recovery Facility (MRF) and repairs for an Emergency Bus Hoist for public transit vehicles in Oshawa.

The report further indicates that the exact amount required for each project is as follows:

Material Recovery Facility Suppression System: $582,545
Durham Regional Transit East Hoist Repair: $279,848

Details within the proposition also draw a straight line between this reallocation of funds and Durham’s Region Strategic Plan, as it aligns with the optimization of resources and partnerships and collaboration between regional programs for “a seamless service experience.”

No details on the approval status or the exact dollar going to these projects have been revealed at the time of publication.

For more information, visit the Region of Durham’s official website.