October 20, 2014, Mississauga, Ont. – With a week to go
until Election Day, the Ontario Road Builders’ Association (ORBA) is calling on
all individuals seeking municipal office to commit to investing more in road
and transit improvements.
October 20, 2014, Mississauga, Ont. – With a week to go
until Election Day, the Ontario Road Builders’ Association (ORBA) is calling on
all individuals seeking municipal office to commit to investing more in road
and transit improvements.
“ORBA’s member companies across the province are urging all
municipal candidates for their commitment to investing in the future of our
province by investing in transportation infrastructure,” said Geoff Wilkinson,
Executive Director of ORBA. “Infrastructure plays a vital role in our economy
today and into the future.”
According to the Association of Municipalities of Ontario,
Ontario’s municipalities own and are responsible for maintaining almost 50% of
Ontario’s public infrastructure including more than 15,000 bridges and large
culverts and more than 140,000 kilometres of roads. This is more than double
the provincial (12.4%) and federal (9.2%) combined. Municipalities are
currently facing an infrastructure deficit of over $60 billion, of which $28
billion accounts for the infrastructure gap for roads and bridges alone.
Transportation infrastructure is a critical public asset
that affects people’s everyday lives and business competitiveness, while also
playing a key role in long-term economic growth and development. Conversely,
poorly maintained infrastructure delivers a lower quality of services, costs
more to repair and replace, and can increase risks to health and safety.
Traffic congestion has become an increasingly troubling issue, particularly in
the Greater Golden Horseshoe, where it causes upwards of $11 billion a year in
lost economic productivity.
“Traffic congestion has become the #1 issue affecting
economic growth and social prosperity in Ontario. Eliminating the staggering
infrastructure deficit currently facing municipalities as well as expanding our
existing transportation infrastructure will place municipalities and Ontario at
a competitive advantage,” added Mr. Wilkinson.
Voters across the province will head to the polls on October
27, 2014 to elect mayors, councillors and all other elected officials in their
respective municipalities.
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