The electoral priorities of municipalities: “Build, build, build”

Municipalities want their infrastructure needs to be at the heart of the electoral promises of federal parties. They depend on Ottawa to resolve a huge infrastructure deficit.

A huge maple leaf on the edge of the trans -Canadian motorway marks the country’s longitudinal center. Here, in the rural municipality of Taché, the first concern of the inhabitants, is the relationship with the United States, according to the mayor, Armand Poirier.

One of the big questions is: anyone who takes the government after the election, that he insists that we are a sovereign countrysays the imposing septuagenarian. But, then, it is all kinds of infrastructure issues that dominate the conversation, often in connection with the growth of the number of inhabitants.

The municipality is notably part of the Rouge-Seine-Réine-Rat Wastewater Treatment Cooperative, an infrastructure project of 190 million dollars which should make it possible to link the water treatment systems from several municipalities in the Southeast Manitobain with tens of kilometers of pipes to centralize the treatment of wastewater near Niverville.

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This is something that is very, very expensive, and even it is almost swallowing when you hear the huge sums that it will take to establish this programsays Armand Poirier.

However, this is a necessary measure for the region, where population growth continues to put pressure on the sewers. A few years ago, the municipality of Taché was forced to expand its lagoon so that there can be new constructions.

With the population that increases like it, it does not last long, ten years. And then there, you have to redo a bigger lagoonnote Armand Poirier.

The new system must reduce greenhouse gas emissions from municipalities by 93 % while allowing the construction of more than 12,000 new dwellings in the region, which suffers from a shortage of affordable housing.

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A project for this scale is only possible with money from the federal government. Last year, the Canada Infrastructure Bank announced that it will provide $ 51 million to the project, the province, 18 million dollars, and the federal government, $ 21 million.

The construction must begin in the coming months, but the election brings a share of doubt to the municipalities participating in the project. Me, what worries me is to have a government that comes to power, then that gives us out with a song that says: “Ah” there, everything is bad “and then you have to start making cutssays Armand Poirier.

In the last seven to eight years, we have had many Ottawa supports for major projects. Above all, projects to prevent greenhouse gases, housing projects, these things. I hope that one who comes to be able after April 28 will continue to bear them in the same wayhe adds.

A huge deficit

The Association of Municipalities of Manitoba (AMM) estimates that the cost of water infrastructure projects in the province has increased by 65 % in two years. While the cost of approximately 300 projects, ready for construction, was estimated at 976 million, it inflated to $ 1.6 billion.

The president of theAMM And municipal councilor in Thompson, Kathy Valentino, is delighted to have the opportunity to assert the problems of municipalities with parties during this campaign. His priorities are housing, infrastructure and security.

Everything is linked. We cannot build houses if we cannot connect water and sewersshe says. Some municipalities have even had to put real estate projects on break because they need water infrastructure.

In addition to the water infrastructure that municipalities need to grow, they must also take care of their roads and their recreational infrastructure. Thus, municipalities across the country are struggling with an aging infrastructure, without having sufficient income to maintain it.

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We all have an infrastructure deficit, I don’t know if we will one day be able to get out of this holeexplains the president of theAMM.

In 2023, Statistics Canada had calculated (new window) that assets representing approximately 10 % of the total replacement value of the essential public infrastructure in the country were in poor or very poor condition, with a total replacement value of 264.7 billion dollars, or $ 16,252 per private housing in Canada.

For the moment, the bulk of the announcements of the Liberal Party, the Conservative Party and the New Democratic Party in Infrastructure was about national scope or natural resource projects.

L’AMM In particular, the federal parties would like to undertake that there is a rural sector and an urban sector with infrastructure financing programs.

A unique approach does not work. A per capita financing model that they commonly use gives an unfair disadvantage to rural municipalities which for example have only 2000 inhabitants, but which cover a huge territorynote KathyValentino.

Growth marked in bilingual municipalities

Municipalities with a high proportion of French -speaking inhabitants, such as the municipality of Taché, particularly need development support, according to the head of the management of the Bilingual Municipalities of Manitoba, Justin Johnson.

Bilingual municipalities in Manitoba experience population growth on average of 8 %, while the provincial average is 5 %. This growth management requires resourceshe argues.

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He claims that federal infrastructure funding is critique pour the advancement of capital -scale projects like water treatment factories.

Sixty percent of public infrastructure across the country are managed and maintained by Canadian municipalities. Hence the importance of this financial partnership, for, either renew or build new structures that ensure a quality of life for residents and ensure that these communities are more welcoming, but also attractive for new families, and also for investments coming from the private sectorcontinues Justin Johnson.

You have to build, build, build. This is the watchword for bilingual municipalities in Manitoba. This is the watchword for Manitobaine and Canadian municipalities.

The Association of Bilingual Municipalities of Manitoba (AMBM) will therefore make its best to ensure that the bilingual and rural perspective of its members is taken into account in the development of federal infrastructure financing programs, no matter what party will form the next government.

Let’s be clear, an infrastructure, a building, a community center does not speak one language or another. That said, it is important to clarify that an investment in strategic infrastructure within bilingual municipalities […] to a significant and direct impact on the prosperity, development, vitality and sustainability of this French -speaking communityconcludes the chief executive officer of theAmbm.