September 11, 2012, Ottawa, ON – Canada's municipal infrastructure is at risk,
with more than half of municipal roads requiring significant repairs and one in
four wastewater plants needing major upgrades.
September 11, 2012, Ottawa, ON – Canada's municipal infrastructure is at risk, with more than half of
municipal roads requiring significant repairs and one in four wastewater plants
needing major upgrades. This was the key finding of the first-ever Canadian
Infrastructure Report Card, a major study released today by the Federation of
Canadian Municipalities (FCM) and three industry partner organizations.
"The report card shows that core
municipal infrastructure like roads and water systems, assets critical to
Canada's health, safety and economic prosperity, are at risk," said FCM
President Karen Leibovici, speaking today at a news conference in Ottawa.
"Investments in infrastructure over the last few years have helped, but
without long-term action we are still headed for a crisis."
The report card, which surveyed more than
120 municipalities representing 60% of the Canadian population, says more than
half of municipal roads are falling apart beneath our tires. One in four roads
is over capacity, transporting far more people and goods than it was designed
to handle. And one in four wastewater treatment plants needs to be upgraded or
replaced to meet new federal standards introduced this summer, at a cost of at
least $20 billion.
Without immediate improvement and ongoing
maintenance, the cost of fixing or replacing the assets studied will explode
over the next decade.
"Two billion dollars in federal
funding for local governments is going to lapse by March 2014," Leibovici
said. "The new federal long-term infrastructure plan is a
once-in-a-generation opportunity to put our essential infrastructure back on
solid ground. Municipalities are ready to work with all partners – federal,
provincial, territorial, and the private sector – to fix the problem once and
for all."
The FCM partnered with the Canadian
Construction Association (CCA), the Canadian Public Works Association (CPWA)
and the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering (CSCE) to deliver the report
card. This marks the first time a group of national stakeholders worked
together to measure the state and performance of municipal infrastructure from
one end of Canada to the other.
Leibovici was joined at today's news
conference by FCM Vice-President Claude Dauphin, CCA President Michael
Atkinson, CPWA President Darwin Durnie, and CSCE Senior Vice-President, Reg
Andres.
This first edition of the report card
measured the condition of municipal roads, drinking water, wastewater, and
storm water systems. Future studies, which the FCM and its partners plan to
release on a regular basis, will look at other assets such as housing and
transit.
The full report card, as well as
background information and supporting documents, can be viewed at www.canadainfrastructure.ca, a
new website launched today.
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