Blog – Closing the Infrastructure Gap for Canada – March 2023.docx
Blog – Closing the Infrastructure Gap for Canada – March 2023 - https://www.linkedin.com/posts/paul-
young-055632b_federal-budget-2023-long-term-investments-activity-7047525931862630401-
a93k?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop
Between the late 1950s and mid 2000s, public investment in infrastructure decreased from
around three per cent of GDP to 1.5 per cent, though it began to rise again in 2010.
During this same period, there was a significant shift in terms of who carries the burden of
investing in infrastructure from the federal government, with a large revenue base, to
municipalities who have the smallest revenue base.
Canada’s infrastructure deficit is at minimum estimated at $150 billion.
Local governments bear much of the additional infrastructure costs related to extreme events,
climate change mitigation and adaptation.
In 2013, floods caused around $3 billion in damage in southern Alberta and Toronto. The cost of
rebuilding in British Columbia after 2021 flooding has reached nearly $9 billion. The annual cost
of natural disasters in Canada could be up to $139 billion by 2050
https://www.canadianmanufacturing.com/features/federal-budget-2023-long-term-investments-are-
needed-to-fix-canadas-infrastructure-gap/
More creative ways need to happen as part of upgrading, maintaining, and building new infrastructure.
Asset monitoring and management as part of risk mitigation also needs to be a focal area by all levels of
government. https://www.capterra.com/sem-compare/asset-tracking-software/?utm_source=ps-
google&utm_medium=ppc&utm_campaign=:1:CAP:2:COM:3:All:4:INTL:5:BAU:6:SOF:7:Desktop:8:BR:9:A
sset_Tracking&network=g&gclid=Cj0KCQjwiZqhBhCJARIsACHHEH94dZNKs6uPVBlQh641XWjrpAEKCda-
3Y1mprkuQWQow5VOyrorl-4aAsp7EALw_wcB or
Blog – Construction Spending – Analysis and Commentary – February 2023 -
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/blog-construction-spending-analysis-commentary-february-paul-young