Compte rendu de l'atelier

Les collectivités nordiques: Prospérité, déclin et rôle des infrastructures

Appendix E: Presentation - A Brief Overview of Infrastructure and Communities Initiatives at INFC

Presented by:
Bogdan Makuc, Cities Secretariat, INFC and
Guy Félio, Program Operations, INFC

Communities and Infrastructure Portfolio

• Infrastructure Canada (INFC):
  • Cities and communities; infrastructure programs, policies and research and analysis; communications; administration.
• Select Crown corporations that have a role in community development:
  • Canada Lands Company
  • Parc Downsview Park Inc.
  • Vieux Port de Montréal
  • Queens Quay West Land Corporation

Infrastructure Canada

• Public priorities for 2005-06
  • Advancing the New Deal for Cities and Communities
  • Managing and leveraging investments to improve the sustainability of Canada's public infrastructure
  • Building, connecting and sharing knowledge

Building Strong Relationships

• Strong relationships a key to infrastructure success
  • Local governments have been key partners
  • Respect for provincial / territorial jurisdiction
  • Expanded role of municipal organizations
    • In BC and Ontario, municipal associations responsible for delivering gas tax funds to municipalities
  • Includes federal regional development agencies, TC, IC, INAC+ as delivery partners
  • Practitioners community (engineers, planners, finance, etc.)
• International dimension new area of emphasis

The New Deal and Infrastructure Funding

New Deal Framework

• Based on a long-term vision of sustainable cities and communities
  • Sustainability is our overarching goal
• Stable, predictable and long-term funding
• Creating new partnerships and connections through use of specific tools including
  • Integrated Community Sustainability Plans
  • Seat at the Table
  • Framework for Tripartite Agreements
  • Building upon partnership delivery

Gas Tax Funds

Gas Tax Agreements

• $5 billion over 5 years and ongoing
• Agreements set out basic conditions for funds
  • Environmentally sustainable municipal infrastructure - help to achieve clean air, clean water and reduced GHG emissions
  • Innovative funding approach - funds are upfront, are bankable, no federal role in project selection - municipalities decide on projects
  • Commitment to develop integrated community sustainability plans by municipalities
  • Also commitments to act on other elements of the New Deal - several items in NWT agreement

NWT Agreement

• Signed on November 10th - $37.5M over five years
  • Funding will reach $15M in year 5 and will continue at this level
• All 33 communities will each receive a base allocation of 1%
  • Remaining will be distributed on a per capita basis
  • Formula developed in consultation with key community stakeholders
• Communities will be permitted to use funds to help build a stronger capacity for sustainability planning
• Communities can carry over gas tax funds to future fiscal years

Integrated Community Sustainability Plans (ICSPs)

• Will help accelerate a shift in local planning toward long-term, integrated sustainability and balanced decision-making
  • Economic, environmental, social, and cultural dimensions
  • Community participation
• ICSPs is evolving concept - no single template
• Need to build guidelines and principles collectively to assist communities with ICSPs
  • EACC Roundtable - initial gathering of "expert opinion"
  • Draw upon expertise within federal family
  • Seek input from from P/Ts, municipal sector, Aboriginal organizations; key stakeholders; academics; other partners

Building Capacity and Knowledge

• Many New Deal initiatives expand municipal capacity to address community sustainability and infrastructure / asset management needs
  • Gas Tax Agreements and ICSPs
  • InfraGuide
  • Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund - 1%
  • Technology Road Map commitments (CCPE/CSCE/NRC/CPWA)
  • National Roundtable on Infrastructure

Investments in NWT

• Corridors for Canada ($65M) - a national priority project
• Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund ($16M)
• Infrastructure Canada Program ($4M)
• National Satellite Initiative (total $85M) - a national priority project - including a soon to be finalized agreement for NWT Broadband

Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund (MRIF)

MRIF

• $1 billion announced in Budget 2003
• Allocation formula: $15-million minimal floor plus notional based on population - for the NWT, this means $16 million
• Helps Canadian communities, especially small and rural ones, address some public infrastructure needs

Eligible Categories

• Similar to the Infrastructure Canada Program, but with additional measures to influence the quality of projects funded:
  • Green Categories:
    • Water and wastewater
    • Municipal environmental energy improvements (new)
    • Solid waste
    • Public transit
  • Other Categories:
    • Culture, Tourism and Recreation
    • Local roads
    • Connectivity

MRIF in NWT

Agreement

• Signed on January 18, 2005
• NWT is receiving $2 million more than it received under the Canada - Northwest Territories Infrastructure Program
• Fits the reality of NWT
  • Unique split between tax-based and non-tax-based communities

Key Features

• Reinforced Partnership
  • Partnership with the NWT Government and observer role for the NWTAC on the Management Committee
• Green Target
  • At least 80% of the funding will go towards "green" projects
• Promotes Innovation
  • 20% of the funds earmarked for tax-based communities to go towards innovative technologies
  • NWT people proposing NWT solutions to NWT issu