OTTAWA — Billions of dollars in stimulus spending in recent years have failed to stop a growing liability from crumbling roads, bridges, water systems and other public infrastructure, the federal government was told in May.
Newly released briefing notes from the Privy Council Office, the central department in Canada's public service that advises Prime Minister Stephen Harper, suggest that it's time to review existing programs to ensure that they are effective.
"There is a significant backlog in municipal infrastructure maintenance, and costs for repairing and maintaining older infrastructure have grown substantially," said one passage from the briefing notes, which were released to Postmedia News through access-to-information legislation.
The analysis was prepared for Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Peter Penashue, who entered Harper's cabinet following the federal election in May. It also said that a major multi-billion dollar infrastructure program, the Building Canada Plan, has little money left for new projects even though it was designed to last until 2014.
"The vast majority of funds in the BCP are fully committed," said the briefing notes.
Penashue was told that the federal government started to tackle the public infrastructure deficit issue in 2002 by creating an Infrastructure Department that "significantly increased funding" through new measures such as a program to share gas tax revenues with municipalities as well as a GST rebate on their spending.
Infrastructure Canada said that the government has made a commitment to a long-term plan that extends beyond 2014, starting with new legislation that would make the gas tax revenue sharing a permanent federal investment. It also estimates that the federal government has made "unprecedented" investments of $10.75 billion in the nation's infrastructure since 2006, combining with the other levels of government for a total investment of $31 billion in the same period.
"But no order of government can address Canada's infrastructure needs on its own," said spokesman Jonathan Spassov, in an email. "This is a continuing effort that involves partnership and intergovernmental collaboration."
But the bureaucrats raised questions about the effectiveness of the Building Canada Plan, which was introduced by Harper's government in 2007. Its special fund for public infrastructure projects required complex and lengthy negotiations before the money started flowing into actual projects.
"As the BCP draws to a close, the onus will be on governments to demonstrate that these large-scale infrastructure programs have provided effective stimulus action, and have resulted in quality, long-term economic and infrastructure benefits to regions," said the briefing notes.
The bureaucrats also questioned how to evaluate the program and whether "value for money was achieved."
"In examining (federal, provincial and territorial) agreements in infrastructure, governments must clarify to whom they are accountable, and how this affects their reporting to Canadians."
Berry Vrbanovic, president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, said that despite recent intergovernmental partnerships and investments in recent years, it's no secret that many cities are struggling to tackle aging roads and bridges, housing shortages and lengthy commute times.
"It's a major issue and it's going to impact on the long term economic viability of our cities and communities," Vrbanovic said in an interview. "You really can't leave it to municipalities to have to choose between sewer pipes and waste water systems versus transit systems. Quite frankly they're both a need."
He noted that the federal government committed to addressing long-term funding issues in its last budget, and explained that discussions between municipal officials and their federal and provincial counterparts are still at a preliminary stage.
The federation has estimated that Canada needs to invest more than $123 billion to bring public infrastructure in municipalities up to acceptable levels.
The briefing note said that Transport, Infrastructure and Communities Minister Denis Lebel would lead the government's efforts to address the issues at stake, but noted that Penashue could also play a role in these and other areas involving federal, provincial and territorial negotiations.
Origin
Source: Canada.com
Newly released briefing notes from the Privy Council Office, the central department in Canada's public service that advises Prime Minister Stephen Harper, suggest that it's time to review existing programs to ensure that they are effective.
"There is a significant backlog in municipal infrastructure maintenance, and costs for repairing and maintaining older infrastructure have grown substantially," said one passage from the briefing notes, which were released to Postmedia News through access-to-information legislation.
The analysis was prepared for Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Peter Penashue, who entered Harper's cabinet following the federal election in May. It also said that a major multi-billion dollar infrastructure program, the Building Canada Plan, has little money left for new projects even though it was designed to last until 2014.
"The vast majority of funds in the BCP are fully committed," said the briefing notes.
Penashue was told that the federal government started to tackle the public infrastructure deficit issue in 2002 by creating an Infrastructure Department that "significantly increased funding" through new measures such as a program to share gas tax revenues with municipalities as well as a GST rebate on their spending.
Infrastructure Canada said that the government has made a commitment to a long-term plan that extends beyond 2014, starting with new legislation that would make the gas tax revenue sharing a permanent federal investment. It also estimates that the federal government has made "unprecedented" investments of $10.75 billion in the nation's infrastructure since 2006, combining with the other levels of government for a total investment of $31 billion in the same period.
"But no order of government can address Canada's infrastructure needs on its own," said spokesman Jonathan Spassov, in an email. "This is a continuing effort that involves partnership and intergovernmental collaboration."
But the bureaucrats raised questions about the effectiveness of the Building Canada Plan, which was introduced by Harper's government in 2007. Its special fund for public infrastructure projects required complex and lengthy negotiations before the money started flowing into actual projects.
"As the BCP draws to a close, the onus will be on governments to demonstrate that these large-scale infrastructure programs have provided effective stimulus action, and have resulted in quality, long-term economic and infrastructure benefits to regions," said the briefing notes.
The bureaucrats also questioned how to evaluate the program and whether "value for money was achieved."
"In examining (federal, provincial and territorial) agreements in infrastructure, governments must clarify to whom they are accountable, and how this affects their reporting to Canadians."
Berry Vrbanovic, president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, said that despite recent intergovernmental partnerships and investments in recent years, it's no secret that many cities are struggling to tackle aging roads and bridges, housing shortages and lengthy commute times.
"It's a major issue and it's going to impact on the long term economic viability of our cities and communities," Vrbanovic said in an interview. "You really can't leave it to municipalities to have to choose between sewer pipes and waste water systems versus transit systems. Quite frankly they're both a need."
He noted that the federal government committed to addressing long-term funding issues in its last budget, and explained that discussions between municipal officials and their federal and provincial counterparts are still at a preliminary stage.
The federation has estimated that Canada needs to invest more than $123 billion to bring public infrastructure in municipalities up to acceptable levels.
The briefing note said that Transport, Infrastructure and Communities Minister Denis Lebel would lead the government's efforts to address the issues at stake, but noted that Penashue could also play a role in these and other areas involving federal, provincial and territorial negotiations.
Origin
Source: Canada.com
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