WE are told we will receive details of a 10 yr infrastructure plan in April or May of this year.

(1)

March 31, 2011

Construction associations praise Ontario 2011 budget, await details on 10-year infrastructure plan

VINCE VERSACE

staff writer

A $35-billion commitment in Ontario’s 2011 budget is an encouraging sign that infrastructure will continue to play a key role in provincial planning, say various construction stakeholders.

“There was a real focus on how infrastructure projects create jobs,” said Karen Renkema, Ontario Road Builders’ Association (ORBA) government relations director. “We are pleased to see the infrastructure commitment as a preview to their 10-year plan which we anxiously await details of.”

(2) Right now the following meeting is going on:

Thunder Bay Hosting NOMA Conference
Posted by Mike Ebbeling on Wednesday, April 27th, 2011 am 10:57:49 AM
11 resolutions are up for discussion at the annual Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association meeting in Thunder Bay.
The Conference gets underway with official business Thursday and will see municipal representatives from across the region.
Four Provincial Ministers are scheduled to attend including Minister of Infrastructure Bob Chiarelli, Minister of Northern Development Michael Gravelle, Minister of Natural Resources Linda Jeffrey and Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities John Milloy.
Issues to be discussed include infrastructure, a long term affordable housing strategy, preparing for mining growth, energy and the property tax model

(3)

Chiarelli announces 10-year infrastructure plan

Posted Jan 6, 2011 By Steph Willems

EMC News - Returning to the Queensway Carleton Hospital (QCH) two months after participating in the groundbreaking of their new expansion, Ontario Infrastructure Minister Bob Chiarelli announced the province's plan to form a 10-year infrastructure program beginning early next year.

Chiarelli outlined the scope and success of the province's infrastructure stimulus projects, more than 700 of which have been completed in 2010.

"Over the (last six years), the infrastructure spending has been $60 billion, and that's made up of two programs - Renew Ontario, which was a five-year infrastructure investment program completed in four years, and two years of infrastructure stimulus programs that will end March 31, 2011," said Chiarelli. "That averages $10 billion a year."

Being that Ontario is entering an election year, Chiarelli pointed out this investment in infrastructure was double what previous governments had invested in double the amount of time.

While hard infrastructure like roads, bridges and hospitals are vital to the health and safety of communities, they can often be overlooked. The QCH recently benefited from a provincial investment allowing them to break ground on Phase III of their expansion, that two-part project will see a new building completed in summer, 2012, followed by a major renovation project.

The Renew Ontario program and the stimulus cash provided by the province and feds gave Ottawa a chance to put major projects into motion, but many wondered what would happen to the city's long-term sustainability when the funding ran out. Chiarelli addressed this concern by announcing the McGuinty government's plan for the future.

"What's underway in my ministry is the creation of a 10-year infrastructure program. I learned from my years as mayor and being on the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, working with caucuses of mayors across Canada, the biggest problem they have is the lack of sustainable, predictable funding. It is the same thing for the CEO of a hospital or the president of a college. They have to plan in a five to 10-year window, and if there are no federal or provincial programs indicating the funding envelope that will exist over that long-term period, then they're trying to plan in a vacuum.

Chiarelli said after an "extensive" province-wide consultation process, the plan will be rolled out in April or May of the coming year. Part of the plan will serve to stimulate innovation in the province, he said.

Speaking in a media scrum following the announcement, Chiarelli said the provincial government is going ahead with long-term planning in spite of the upcoming election.

"Governments need to plan," he said. "If there are changes of circumstances, either within a re-elected government or a newly elected government, then changes can also be made. But there needs to be a baseline from which we can operate on the infrastructure side, both federally and provincially."