As a result, all levels of government now encounter a dual needs dilemma with a dire need to repair existing aging infrastructure, while building new infrastructure to reinforce economic competitiveness and growth at the national and global level, a new report suggests.
Entitled From the Ground Up: The Role of Local Governments in Building Canada's Economic Infrastructure Network, the report addresses the infrastructure gap currently facing the country.
Commissioned by the Canadian Construction Association (CCA) and conducted by the Mowat Centre, an independent public policy think-tank, it identifies a number of challenges and provides recommendations focusing on the role of municipal governments when it comes to what public infrastructure projects should be adopted.
"Some of the recommendations give examples of how governments can move forward to co-ordinate better, to be more strategic in its investments and provide greater leadership," said Sara Ditta, who authored the report and is a policy associate at the Mowat Centre. "Those kind of themes that come out of the report could serve as a guide for the federal government, but also for other levels of government going forward with these issues."
While the promise made by the federal Liberal government to double infrastructure spending to $125 billion over the next 10 years is encouraging, the report still underlines the importance of having a strategic approach to maximize each dollar spent.
According to the CCA, the Mowat Centre is advocating for an integrated infrastructure investment approach that ensures a prominent role for municipalities. The report states that strong co-ordination among all levels of government is critical to strategic decision-making in particular for projects that will directly impact economic growth and productivity.
Bill Ferreira, CCA vice-president of government relations and public affairs, said the lack of involvement by municipal governments in the decision-making process hinders economic progress and limits business opportunities.
"It doesn't matter how many trade agreements you sign, nor does it matter how many opportunities are available, if Canadian businesses can't get their products to market in a timely and efficient manner we are going to lose out on those opportunities," Ferreira said.
Currently, there is no consistent strategy or alignment across governments in Canada to support infrastructure planning and investments, the CCA states.
"The problem with municipal governments is often decisions are being made regarding trade enabling infrastructure; highways, airports etc. by higher levels of government without a lot of consultation or input from the municipality," Ferreira said. "The municipality needs to be directly involved from the get-go to ensure that those assets serve the widest variety of needs and are adequate to the community."
A combination of other factors specified in the report have contributed to the country's infrastructure deficit which includes the sustained period of low investment in public infrastructure in the '80s and '90s; the added strain to existing infrastructure due to economic and population growth; and the increased responsibility local governments have taken on to tackle infrastructure problems without sufficient resources.
Yet there has been instances of success. Ferreira highlighted the involvement from all levels of government early on in the decision-making process for the Asia-Pacific Gateway and Corridor Initiative (APGCI).
It was led by a coalition of local public and private transportation stakeholders through the Vancouver Gateway Council.
The APGCI, after strategic infrastructure was constructed, was successful at increasing international trade between Western Canada and Asia, especially with China. Port Metro Vancouver alone represents 19 per cent of Canada's overall trade.
The APGCI model was seen as success, however, attempts to recreate it in other jurisdictions have been mixed since the level of support from governments is not the same.
"One of the key takeaways of the report was that local governments can play a key role in infrastructure, particularly on large scale projects, but that potential hasn't been tapped because there hasn't been opportunities for co-ordination and there hasn't been a larger strategy in which they can align their efforts," Ditta added. This wasn't the case for the APGCI.
The report identified three key success factors when it comes to strengthening and enhancing infrastructure planning: Co-ordination and consultation with all government partners; strong leadership, providing direction and setting priorities; and reliable and strategic investments from diverse sources.
Several recommendations were also made to address challenges, such as evidence-based economic analysis particularly at the local level; better regional and intergovernmental co-ordination through group forums; and the development of new mechanisms to incentivize local governments to give more attention to the national economic infrastructure network by providing more of the financial benefits.
The role of municipalities needs to be strengthened if Canada is to truly achieve the type of successes free trade agreements should yield, resulting in greater opportunities for export which is critical for the future of this country, Ferreira added.
As a result, all levels of government now encounter a dual needs dilemma with a dire need to repair existing aging infrastructure, while building new infrastructure to reinforce economic competitiveness and growth at the national and global level, a new report suggests.Entitled From the Ground Up: The Role of Local Governments in Building Canada's Economic Infrastructure Network, the report addresses the infrastructure gap currently facing the country.Commissioned by the Canadian Construction Association (CCA) and conducted by the Mowat Centre, an independent public policy think-tank, it identifies a number of challenges and provides recommendations focusing on the role of municipal governments when it comes to what public infrastructure projects should be adopted."Some of the recommendations give examples of how governments can move forward to co-ordinate better, to be more strategic in its investments and provide greater leadership," said Sara Ditta, who authored the report and is a policy associate at the Mowat Centre. "Those kind of themes that come out of the report could serve as a guide for the federal government, but also for other levels of government going forward with these issues."While the promise made by the federal Liberal government to double infrastructure spending to $125 billion over the next 10 years is encouraging, the report still underlines the importance of having a strategic approach to maximize each dollar spent.According to the CCA, the Mowat Centre is advocating for an integrated infrastructure investment approach that ensures a prominent role for municipalities. The report states that strong co-ordination among all levels of government is critical to strategic decision-making in particular for projects that will directly impact economic growth and productivity.Bill Ferreira, CCA vice-president of government relations and public affairs, said the lack of involvement by municipal governments in the decision-making process hinders economic progress and limits business opportunities."It doesn't matter how many trade agreements you sign, nor does it matter how many opportunities are available, if Canadian businesses can't get their products to market in a timely and efficient manner we are going to lose out on those opportunities," Ferreira said.Currently, there is no consistent strategy or alignment across governments in Canada to support infrastructure planning and investments, the CCA states."The problem with municipal governments is often decisions are being made regarding trade enabling infrastructure; highways, airports etc. by higher levels of government without a lot of consultation or input from the municipality," Ferreira said. "The municipality needs to be directly involved from the get-go to ensure that those assets serve the widest variety of needs and are adequate to the community."A combination of other factors specified in the report have contributed to the country's infrastructure deficit which includes the sustained period of low investment in public infrastructure in the '80s and '90s; the added strain to existing infrastructure due to economic and population growth; and the increased responsibility local governments have taken on to tackle infrastructure problems without sufficient resources.Yet there has been instances of success. Ferreira highlighted the involvement from all levels of government early on in the decision-making process for the Asia-Pacific Gateway and Corridor Initiative (APGCI).It was led by a coalition of local public and private transportation stakeholders through the Vancouver Gateway Council.The APGCI, after strategic infrastructure was constructed, was successful at increasing international trade between Western Canada and Asia, especially with China. Port Metro Vancouver alone represents 19 per cent of Canada's overall trade.The APGCI model was seen as success, however, attempts to recreate it in other jurisdictions have been mixed since the level of support from governments is not the same."One of the key takeaways of the report was that local governments can play a key role in infrastructure, particularly on large scale projects, but that potential hasn't been tapped because there hasn't been opportunities for co-ordination and there hasn't been a larger strategy in which they can align their efforts," Ditta added. This wasn't the case for the APGCI.The report identified three key success factors when it comes to strengthening and enhancing infrastructure planning: Co-ordination and consultation with all government partners; strong leadership, providing direction and setting priorities; and reliable and strategic investments from diverse sources.Several recommendations were also made to address challenges, such as evidence-based economic analysis particularly at the local level; better regional and intergovernmental co-ordination through group forums; and the development of new mechanisms to incentivize local governments to give more attention to the national economic infrastructure network by providing more of the financial benefits.The role of municipalities needs to be strengthened if Canada is to truly achieve the type of successes free trade agreements should yield, resulting in greater opportunities for export which is critical for the future of this country, Ferreira added.
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