Government infrastructure eroding: Report

OTTAWA — In the last five years, Canadian governments have increased their infrastructure capital more than at any time since the 1960s and 1970s.

However, the growth has not been strong enough to prevent more and more signs of wear, says a new report by Statistics Canada.

The study, titled “From roads to rinks: Government spending on infrastructure in Canada,” indicates that overall growth of government-owned infrastructure has been similar across most regions over the past 44 years.

With the exception of the Atlantic Provinces, the range of average annual capital growth from one region to the next has been very narrow, falling between 1.8 percent and 2.2 percent since 1961.

The infrastructure capital studied constitutes an array of structures and networks such as roads, highways and bridges, water systems, security and recreation facilities.

This lowest period of government investment occurred in the 1990s when governments were grappling with significant budgetary deficits. Many of the assets built in the post-war infrastructure boom were also reaching the end of their life span, notes the report.

Roads and bridges made up the bulk (39.9%) of the government-owned stock of infrastructure. Road infrastructure per capita increased significantly between 1960 and 1980, but has been eroding since then. “Governments boosted the flow of investment in roads from $4.3 billion in 1998 to $7.3 billion in 2005, but this has barely offset the ongoing erosion of the road system,” states the report.

Quebec’s road capacity grew rapidly during the 1960s and 1970s, but also dominated the decline in subsequent years. Lower investment spending and steady depreciation resulted in a significant decline in its net capital stock in roads over the following two decades, far more than in any other part of the country.

“In terms of bridges and overpasses, Quebec invested so little that its capital stock fell in absolute terms, tumbling from the most in Canada in the late 1970s.”

The average age of bridges and overpasses in Quebec has also risen constantly since 1976, becoming older than those of any of the other provinces.

Last fall, an overpass near Montreal collapsed, killing five people. A subsequent inquiry found that the stability of the bridge had severely deteriorated over the years, sparking public calls to step up investment in that province’s highway infrastructure.

Ontario was the only province where the capital stock in roads continued to rise throughout all four decades. The Atlantic Provinces stood out as strong investors in their road system, perhaps because of the importance of tourism. Their per capita road infrastructure was well ahead of the other regions.