BACKGROUNDER
While Prime Minister Stephen Harper has made repeated announcements on infrastructure funding, the reality is his government has continually failed to meet its commitments and failed to provide funding for needed infrastructure investments. Data from federal government Public Accounts records confirms this showing the total money lapsed (money budgeted approved but not spent) in the Office of Infrastructure reaching over $2 billion.
• 2005-06: $261 billion lapsed (Public Accounts 2006, Volume II, Page 24-7)
• 2006-07 $651 billion lapsed (Public Accounts 2007, Volume II, Page 24-9)
• 2007-08 $1.17 billion lapsed (Public Accounts 2008, Volume II, Page 24-9)
The amount of lapsed funding is likely to increase again this fiscal year (2008-09), given the fact that only a fraction of the $926 million budgeted for infrastructure projects in the Building Canada Fund (BCF) for the 2008-2009 period has been announced, while an additional $1.141 billion allocated for infrastructure programming from previous Liberal budgets is scheduled to sunset. (Budget 2007, Table 5.3, 167)
In 2007, the Conservative government launched its $8.8-billion Building Canada Fund (BCF). In its first year, however, the Building Canada Fund flowed zero funding to infrastructure projects. The Federation of Canadian Municipalities estimates that the BCF has flowed less than $300 million of the $1.5 billion announced in its first two years of budgeted spending.
Between taking office in 2006 and March 31, 2008, the Harper government’s chronic inability to deliver when it comes to infrastructure has taken approximately $3 billion in fully-funded economic stimulus out of the market and prevented job creation. Last month, 71,000 full-time jobs were lost across Canada, 44,000 in the construction industry alone. Since early November 2008, Conservative ministers Flaherty and Baird have committed to accelerate infrastructure funding, but have done nothing to address the government’s ongoing mismanagement of previously-allocated funds.
The Federation of Canadian Municipalities has released a list of $14 billion in shovel-ready projects, waiting only for federal funding. These small- and medium-sized projects are well beyond the initial planning stages, have already completed environmental assessments, and have met all regulatory requirements. Funding for these projects would help address critical infrastructure needs for road repairs, water and wastewater management, municipal building upgrades, and public transit.
The following are a few specific examples of infrastructure projects that are waiting for funding and could create jobs quickly in Canadian communities.
• Bus Rapid Transit Project, Kelowna, BC. Cost: $25 million, number of jobs created: 285
• Argyll School renovation, Edmonton, AB. Cost: $4.1 million, number of jobs created: 43
• Heritage Valley neighbourhood park and ride, Edmonton, AB. Cost: $23 million, number of jobs created: 263
• Confederation Drive sewer system, Saskatoon, SK. Cost: $9 million, number of jobs created: 103
• Replacement of Number 4 Fire Station, Regina, SK. Cost: $2.25 million, number of jobs created: 26
• Columbia Lake Rehabilitation, Waterloo, ON. Cost: $3.8 million, number of jobs created: 43
• TTC Station modernization and accessibility improvements, Toronto, ON. Cost: $29 million, number of jobs created: 331
• Cycle path to rapid bus BRT project, Gatineau, QC. Cost: $7 million, number of jobs created: 80
• Public library renewal and construction, Montreal, QC. Cost: $35 million, number of jobs created: 400
• Electric Bus garage and maintenance improvements, Quebec, QC. Cost: $6.9 million, number of jobs created: 79
• Arden and Jones street reconstruction, Moncton, NB. Cost: $2.4 million, number of jobs created: 27
• Infrastructure housing project, Fredericton, NB. Cost: $6 million, number of jobs created: 68
• Bikeway Master Plan implementation, Halifax, NS. Cost: $2 million, number of jobs created: 23
• Transit vehicle fleet expansion, Charlottetown, PEI. Cost: $1.28 million, number of jobs created: 15
• Trans Labrador Highway and upgrading of the Argentia Access Road, NL. Cost: $51.5 million, number of jobs created: 580
• Water treatment plant improvements, Yellowknife, NWT. Cost: $10 million, number of jobs created: 114
• Road improvements, Teslin, YK. Cost: $1 million, number of jobs created: 11
