Updating infrastructure in Canada : Mise à jour des infrastructures au Canada

UPDATING INFRASTRUCTURE IN CANADA: AN EXAMINATION OF NEEDS AND INVESTMENTS Report of the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities Larry Miller Chair JUNE 2015 41st PARLIAMENT, SECOND SESSION Published under the authority of the Speaker of the House of Commons SPEAKER’S PERMISSION Reproduction of the proceedings of the House of Commons and its Committees, in whole or in part [...] This represents a significant increase compared to the level of public infrastructure investment during the 1990s — a decade of underinvestment — which was estimated to be in the order of 2% of GDP.3 Statistics Canada data presented to the Committee indicate that the average age of core public infrastructure in Canada declined from 17.5 years in 2003 to 14.7 years in 2013. [...] While neither the ratio of public infrastructure spending to GDP nor the average age of infrastructure in Canada are indicators of whether the needs of the economy and residents are being met, some witnesses and Committee members noted that the trends appear to reflect that such investments are now a higher priority for Canadian policy makers than they were at the turn of the millennium.4 3 The Fe [...] With a few exceptions, the Gas Tax Fund usually flows to the municipalities through the provinces and territories.19 The provinces and territories each establish a list of their highest-priority projects for submission to the $10 billion Provincial-Territorial Infrastructure Component of the New Building Canada Plan. [...] According to the FCM, “It's hard for municipalities to understand how their projects are approved or not approved, who is making the decision, and what criteria are being used.”21 The STO and the City of Gatineau, together, recommended that the federal government ensure that the transportation priorities for the National Capital Region are among the projects submitted 8 by the Government of Quebec