Kitchener encouraged by prioritization of housing, infrastructure & transportation 

Today, the Province of Ontario released their 2024 Budget entitled, Building a Better Ontario. The budget included new investments in housing, infrastructure, transportation and innovation. 

“On behalf of the City of Kitchener, I want to congratulate Minister Bethlenfalvy on delivering the 2024 Provincial Budget today,” said Mayor Berry Vrbanovic. “I appreciate the balance between affordability measures important to our residents while also investing in infrastructure that is critical to meeting our mutual housing goals.” 

The province has committed to additional infrastructure funding through the new $1 billion Municipal Housing Infrastructure Program. In addition, the Housing Enabling Water Systems funding has tripled to support communities to build more homes. 

The province also reiterated its commitment to Highway 7 expansion between Kitchener and Guelph, including the next steps in Frederick Street bridge construction. 

“It is critical, now more than ever, to invest in our fast-growing community,” said Mayor Vrbanovic. “Commitments to transportation, including expansion of Highway 7, are important to get people and goods moving across this area of Ontario.” 

Minister Bethlenfalvy also introduced the $200 million Community Sport and Recreation Fund to support new and revitalized sport, recreation and community facilities. This investment will be helpful to communities such as Kitchener to support the diverse needs of people across our City. 

“Over the coming days, our teams will be reviewing the details of the provincial budget to understand the full picture for our City. As always, City Council and I will continue to advocate for the supports we need in Kitchener to best serve our community. We look forward to working with the provincial government in the coming weeks and months to learn more about what this budget means specifically for Kitchener.” said Mayor Vrbanovic. 

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For more information, please contact: 

Shannon Weber, Chief of Staff  
City of Kitchener  
519-741-2200 x 7795  
Shannon.weber@kitchener.ca