Essex County Council has decided to hand over nearly $3.8 million in federal infrastructure money to its seven local municipalities, including Amherstburg, instead of using the province’s default 50/50 split between the county and its local towns.
At its August 5 meeting, council approved redistributing $3,791,875 from the Build Communities Strong Fund to Amherstburg, Essex, Kingsville, Lakeshore, LaSalle, Leamington, and Tecumseh. The county will keep 20 percent of its total allocation, while 80 percent goes directly to the local towns. Under the province’s default rules, the split would have been 50/50.
The Build Communities Strong Fund is a permanent federal source of infrastructure money that was previously known as the Canada Community-Building Fund. It was rebranded in June 2026. The fund allows municipalities to pool, bank, and borrow against their allocations, giving them more options for long-term planning.
The money is distributed based on 2021 census population data. Lakeshore receives the largest amount at $794,059.55, while Amherstburg gets $462,248.37. Other allocations include Essex ($416,896.00), Kingsville ($434,640.02), LaSalle ($642,970.12), Leamington ($583,214.24), and Tecumseh ($457,846.76).
The county will retain $2,527,917 for its own infrastructure projects, managed through the Infrastructure and Planning Services Department. According to the County of Essex, the 80/20 split has been used in previous years and gives local councils more say in how federal dollars are spent on roads and community improvements.
