Mayor Nenshi on the Canadian Infrastructure Report Card

Today, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FMC) released the Canadian Infrastructure Report Card. The report can be found here.

Below is a statement from Mayor Nenshi about that report and what it means for Calgarians.

This report shows that infrastructure across the country is a major issue for all cities. In some cities, infrastructure needs to be upgraded and maintained, and, in other cities such as Calgary, it must be built for a growing population.

Calgary in a better position than much of the country when it comes to drinking water and wastewater collection and treatment because of major investments over the past decade. However, those investments created enormous debt for The City of Calgary which we are currently addressing. And, in a growing city like Calgary, transportation and public transit continue to be major priorities.

Cities are responsible for 60 per cent of the infrastructure in Canada, yet we lack the long-term, sustainable funding they need to build and maintain this infrastructure. In 2014, $2 billion in federal funding for municipal infrastructure will run out and a new federal plan must be designed to help communities like Calgary meet infrastructure challenges while creating jobs, building a strong economy, and maintaining a high quality of life for all Canadians. 

This is not about asking for a hand-out from the federal government. The true fiscal imbalance in our country is between the cities and the other levels of government. Calgarians send $10 billion more in tax dollars to the federal government than we receive back in all federal services and investment. It’s time we received a fairer share so we can build the infrastructure our great city needs to become even better. A new, long-term federal infrastructure plan will help do just that.

- Posted by Daorcey from Mayor Nenshi's team