RC116 JanFeb 2025 - Magazine - Page 28
MUNICIPAL INFRASTRUCTURE
the challenges is the asset manager, the person collecting
that data, is not the person making the decision and
releasing the funds and initiating projects. We need to
somehow communicate what the implications of this
data and evidence are to the decision makers. One of the
critical things is being able to adequately articulate risk.
revenue is so limited. As a result, I think we need to have
that broader conversation of what is the provincial role
in managing municipal infrastructures. How do you
communicate to Canadians the state of our infrastructure
and these are why we need to make these investments?
STEPHANIE BELLOTTO: The storms experienced in Ontario put
the state of our underground
infrastructure into the spotlight;
or else it’s usually out of sight out
of mind. The full cost recovery
model would be a great solution
until [the] municipalities’ longterm plans of funding this
infrastructure. There needs to be
long-term solutions. The majority
of municipalities in Ontario use
age-based assessments, meaning that if a pipe is deemed
to have a lifespan of 80 years, they’re not going to look
at it until the next 80 years. We recommend to a lot of
municipalities that they should be conducting regular
conditions-based assessments.
OWEN JAMES: When we make decisions today about our
infrastructure, we’re often thinking about capital. It’s not
just about the cost, it’s about the bene昀椀ts. When we’re
having that conversation about cost, it’s not just about the
“People only seem to talk about infrastructure when something like this happens.
Infrastructure touches us every single day of our lives socially, economically and
environmentally, and we need to give it the seriousness it deserves.”
We need to articulate the results of that data in terms of
what it means for people, the environment, and society.
What are the economic losses? Somehow we’ve got to be
a little better at articulating the implications of the risks
that as society we’re facing from our water infrastructure.
FRANO CAVAR: When municipalities are creatures of the
province, their powers come directly from the province.
When it comes to municipal infrastructure, they can’t
do it alone because their taxation in the way they raise
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