The bitumen and sidewalks of several main arteries. Line 2 of the entire metro. The aqueduct. The 55,800 affordable dwellings managed by the municipality. All bridges. The list of Toronto infrastructure which is not in a “state of good interview” continues to lie down.
During a press conference last week, the city’s financial director, Stephen Confortioffered a whole list of Toronto maintenance priorities. Mr. Conforti does not hide it: the inhabitants see that the municipal infrastructure is deteriorating.
The delays in the interview are such that the Torontais begin to notice its daily results, launches the director of the Institute of Infrastructure of the University of Toronto, Matti Siemiatycki.
They see this in public transport, which now have slowdown areas. They see it in libraries and community centers that have buckets under the roof because there are leaks.
This is what happens when we postpone the interview
he lets go.
This work is now part of the fixed asset budget proposed in the 2025 budget. According to municipal staff, the City plans to invest $ 6 billion more in infrastructure repairs in order to flatten the growth curve of the backwards.
However, if it is able to invest such a large sum, it is because of the transfer of the Gardiner and Don Valley motorways to the province.
A transfer worth millions of dollars
According to Mr. Conforti, the planned transfer of the Gardiner and Don Valley motorways to the province, announced at the end of 2023, already saves $ 1.75 billion in the city, which can thus reallocate this sum to repairs.
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The transfer of the Gardiner highway to the province allows the city to invest more in the repair of its infrastructure.
Photo : - / Claude Beaudoin
The transfer is not yet finalized, but the financial director maintains that the city already receives funds from the province to cover expenses. According to him, the Gardiner motorway was the largest responsibility of the city in terms of repairs
.
Another agreement which will help to absorb the delay is the financial aid of provincial and federal governments in the purchase of new metro trains for line 2.. Current trains are approaching the end of their useful life.
-Improvements tangible
to be provided
Whether it is the maintenance of swimming pools and community centers or the renovation of the toilets of leisure centers, Mr. Confitti expects the Toruzois to note improvements tangible
in the coming years.
According to Mr. Siemiatycki, visible repairs are essential To make people see the improvements and have the impression of having them for their money
.
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Matti Siemiatycki believes that decades of underinvestment have contributed to the accumulation of repair work in Toronto. (Archives photo)
Photo: - / Gary Asselstine
Agency and programs that should benefit from the most important influx of funds formerly intended for the Gardiner motorway are the Toronto transport committee (CTT), parks, forests and leisure, transport services and community housing.
A persistent backward
Despite this announcement, the city of Toronto maintains that the accumulated delay will continue to grow, going from $ 9.4 billion currently to $ 18 billion at the end of 2034.
However, this prospect is a significant improvement compared to forecasts over 10 years of last year, which rather announced a delay of $ 22.7 billion.
The CTT And the Toronto housing company are among the main people responsible for increasing delay in repairs.
This year’s budget is an important step in the right direction
declares Mr. Conforti.
According to the latter, the increase in maintenance needs is partly explained by the fact that the city made major investments in the 1960s. Sixty years later, all these infrastructures arrive at the end of their cycle of useful life.
With information from Sarah Macmillan of CBC
