Ontario commits $41M for Niagara irrigation upgrades

Niagara-on-the-Lake’s aging irrigation system is set for long-awaited upgrades thanks to a $41 million provincial investment announced this month. 

According to reporting by the Penticton Herald, the funding will be distributed through Niagara Region’s irrigation committee and shared among Niagara-on-the-Lake, Lincoln and St. Catharines. The investment is part of a larger $135 million provincial package for water and irrigation infrastructure in Niagara and Leamington. 

Officials say the funding will expand and modernize pipelines, with the goal of getting “shovels in the ground” as soon as possible. Farmers will continue to pay to use the system once improvements are complete.