Infrastructure spending includes spending on roads, bridges, wastewater treatment and stormwater management as well as public transit.  We use our public infrastructure every day, and every day that we ignore these growing needs the cost increases.

At the Liberal biennial convention in Montreal, delegates voted in favour of resolution 36.  The resolution was a motion to increase the federal infrastructure spending to up to 1% of GDP in order to combat our countries growing infrastructure deficit.  In the 2014 budget, the Conservative Government devoted only $200 million dollars in spending towards infrastructure.  This after the Federation for Canadian Municipalities released a study showing Canada has an existing $171 billion dollar infrastructure deficit.

This increase would amount to around $1.8 billion dollars a year, and would rise along with the growth of our nation’s GDP output.

The economic spinoffs provided by increased infrastructure spending would be substantial.  The direct and indirect jobs created by the projects are nothing compared to the long term value that is created by improving our infrastructure.

Canadian municipalities control over 60% of our country’s infrastructure yet collect only 8% of tax revenue.    This is an imbalance that we need to change.  Infrastructure spending may not sound sexy, after all when was the last time you got excited when you saw a new stormwater retention basin built?  The truth of the matter however is that the recent storms in Toronto, Hamilton and Burlington have shown us that managing and controlling our storm water is of paramount importance.

Canadian municipalities control over 60% of our country’s infrastructure yet collect only 8 cents of every dollar in tax revenue.

The recent Alberta floods cost insurers $1.7 billion dollars in claims.  The cost for claims in Toronto recently cost insurers $850 million.  These costs are being passed along to residents through increases in their insurance rates.   The Conservatives have backloaded their recent infrastructure spending provinces pushing the actual spending of this money out for years meaning the real work that needs to be done now is not being done.

Canadian municipalities need to know they have a willing partner in Ottawa that will listen to their needs and provide funding to address the critical infrastructure needs they face.  Over the past ten years the needs of municipalities have fallen largely on deaf ears.

As the representative for our riding I will hold our new government accountable to the needs of our cities and make sure they receive more money from Ottawa to fund the infrastructure projects that are so badly needed.