To no surprise, the Town of Okotoks is happy to see the provincial government follow through with the MSI (Municipal Sustainability Initiative) funding initially promised back in March.

Okotoks will receive $4,596,284—the largest total out of any town in Alberta.

Deputy Mayor Ed Sands says MSI funding is an important asset for any municipality, as it can be used any way they see fit.

He says in Okotoks' case, the funding will go towards facilitating the Town's constant growth.

"Very few strings attached to this funding," Sands says. "Many other programs out there have strings attached to it, and there are tight requirements. But, this can help to support growth, and help to lay the infrastructure needs in anticipation of growth post-annexation."

Sands says most of the MSI funding has already been earmarked for certain projects.

"Currently we're using the majority of our MSI funding for the Operations Centre upgrade, and expansions going on over there," he says. "Looking forward, we would perhaps look at twinning 32nd street, with 2017 as a target."

Sands says it's also possible part of the funding could be used towards the twinning of Pason Centennial Arena, to meet the Town's growing recreational needs.

He says the Legacy Regional Field House, a joint-project with the M.D. of Foothills, which actually used several years worth of funding, goes to show how far MSI funds can go for a town.

"There's no debt whatsoever from that project," he says. "So, we're very proud of that, and we hope the provincial government is proud of that as well, for municipalities to be able to accomplish that kind of recreational infrastructure for communities without the need for municipal debt."

Although the funding was originally announced before the government changed hands from the PCs to the NDP Party, Sands says he was still confident the dollar amount wouldn't change.