The COVID-19 Safe Restart Agreement was a 2020 federal-provincial agreement providing over $19 billion in funding to help provinces, territories, and municipalities safely restart economies and support resilience during the pandemic. For municipalities, Safe Restart funding addressed COVID-related transit revenue losses, protective equipment costs, and other pandemic expenses. The funding represented significant federal recognition that municipalities faced extraordinary costs while revenues (transit fares, recreation fees, permit fees) collapsed. The agreement demonstrated intergovernmental cooperation during crisis, though municipalities argued the amounts were insufficient to address full pandemic impacts. Safe Restart illustrated how senior government fiscal capacity is essential during emergencies affecting municipalities.