Ontario Investing Nearly $20M for Critical Water Infrastructure in Windsor

January 23, 2026

Funding will support housing, jobs and economic growth

WINDSOR — Today, MPP Andrew Dowie was joined by City of Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens at the Pontiac Stormwater Pumping Station in Windsor to announce the Ontario government’s investment of $19,994,700 to improve stormwater infrastructure within the Pontiac Stormwater Pumping Station drainage area. The funding comes from the province’s Municipal Housing Infrastructure Program’s Health and Safety Water Stream (MHIP-HSWS), which has increased by $700 million for a total of $875 million to support access to safe drinking water, housing, job creation and protection for communities in the event of extreme weather events.

“As part of our government’s commitment to Protect Ontario, this nearly $20-million provincial investment will help better protect homes south of Sand Point and Stop 26 Beaches from flooding and increasingly severe weather,” said Andrew Dowie, Member of Provincial Parliament for Windsor–Tecumseh. “I thank the City of Windsor for its strong leadership in modernizing stormwater infrastructure, strengthening local flood protection, and ensuring critical community infrastructure is built to be resilient — helping to safeguard residents and keep communities strong.”

The MHIP-HSWS funding will be used to improve current stormwater infrastructure within the Pontiac Stormwater Pumping Station drainage area, specifically through the City’s East Marsh Drainage Redirection project and Cedarview Relief Storm Sewer project. The focus of these stormwater improvements is to reconstruct local roads, upgrade the storm sewer system, and reduce the risk of surface flooding in the drainage area resulting in improved resiliency from both rain-derived flooding risk and coastal flooding risk. The following roadways are included in the East Marsh Drainage Redirection project:

Florence Avenue from Wyandotte Street East to Riverside Drive East
Menard Street from Florence Avenue to Elinor Street
Clover Street from Clairview Avenue to Wyandotte Street East
Clairview Avenue from Clover Street to Adelaide Avenue

Elinor Street from Clairview Avenue to Wyandotte Street East
John M Street from Clairview Avenue to Menard Street
Clairview Avenue from Clover Street to Florence Avenue

Both projects have been identified as immediate priorities in the City of Windsor’s Sewer and Coastal Flood Protection Master Plan.

“These vital works identified and prioritized as part of Windsor’s ambitious Sewer Master Plan represent another significant investment in growth towards building Windsor’s flood resilient future,” said Drew Dilkens, Mayor, City of Windsor. “Projects like these continue to demonstrate the City’s long-term vision to keep people and properties safe, ensuring our infrastructure is enhanced to keep pace with unprecedented growth and development. We thank the Ontario Government, Premier Ford, Minister McCarthy, and MPP Dowie for the continued investments in the safety, security, and prosperity of the community for the benefit of residents today and for generations to come.”

This funding is part of a historic investment of $4 billion in the Municipal Housing Infrastructure Program (MHIP), included in Ontario’s $220 billion capital plan, the most ambitious in the province’s history, to build transit, highways, hospitals, schools and water infrastructure that enables new housing.

“As we continue to navigate economic uncertainty and unwarranted U.S. tariffs, our government is protecting Ontario by investing in critical infrastructure that drives growth, creates jobs and strengthens communities,” said Todd McCarthy, Acting Minister of Infrastructure. “Through our historic $4 billion Municipal Housing Infrastructure Program, we are giving municipalities and First Nations the tools they need to get shovels in the ground and build stronger communities. Our investments will deliver more homes, modernize aging water systems and lay the foundation for long-term prosperity across Ontario.”

QUICK FACTS

In August 2025, Ontario increased the MHIP to $4 billion to speed up construction of homes and core infrastructure, such as roads and water systems. Since its launch in 2024, the MHIP has made about 800,000 more new homes possible.
The MHIP is comprised of four funding streams: the Housing-Enabling Water Systems Fund (HEWSF), the Housing-Enabling Core Servicing (HECS) Stream, the Health and Safety Water Stream (HSWS) and the Agriculture and Irrigation Stream.
In January 2025, Ontario announced an initial investment of $175 million to launch the HSWS.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

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