According to Mayor Bélanger, that project has been long in the making – he first put in the funding application when he was CAO. He also says it’s an important project, because on the south side of Dorion Road they are developing a number of “housing opportunities – and I’m talking all kinds of housing,” including estate lots, single-family lots, medium-density lots, and even a tiny home complex. “So we’re fitting into what the Ontario government is doing right now,” Mayor Bélanger says. “The province is trying to produce 1. 5 million homes by 2031. We want to be part of that. We want to try and help. So we’ve been working real hard. We’re hitting the pavement. We’re going after all the opportunities we can to make this happen.” In the near future, the Town of Mattawa also hopes to rehabilitate their Main Street – which is also known as Highway 533. That street “runs through the heart of our community,” Mayor Bélanger says, and “is vital to the town.” He says that council is aware of the need to rehabilitate the street to address public safety, traffic capacity deficiencies, and other infrastructure needs, and they hope to earn provincial funding through the Connecting Links program to accomplish that. Ontario’s Connecting Links Program helps municipalities pay for the construction and repair costs for municipal roads and bridges that connect two ends of a provincial highway through a community or to a border crossing. Through that same program, the Town of Mattawa also hopes to help fund the rehabilitation of the Pont Mauril Bélanger Bridge. Their goal is to have both projects shovel-ready by the end of the year. Another major project is Rosemont Valley Suites – that’s a residential building that the town purchased several years ago, then invested $6 million into renovations in order to create 30 affordable senior housing units, which the community desperately needed. The town’s plan has always been to get that facility up and running, then sell it to a third party operator. Recently, they have met with several potential buyers who are interested in maintaining the affordable housing model, so that plan is being executed. “We’re working on a number of major important projects,” Mayor Bélanger says. “That should give you a pretty good idea of where we’re at and the kind of progress we’re making. And remember: Mattawa only has a population of about 2,000 people. So we’re punching well above our weight.” AUGUST 2025
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