Budget 2016 Infrastructure Spending for Supplementary estimates (A), 2016-17

Budget 2016 Infrastructure Spending

In Budget 2016, the Government announced an historic plan to invest more than $120 billion in infrastructure over 10 years. The plan takes advantage of historically low interest rates to renew and to make significant new investments in Canada's infrastructure.

The funding to be voted through these Supplementary Estimates represents the first steps of Phase I of the Government's plan.

Short-term Investments in Public Transit, Green Infrastructure and Existing Programs

The initiatives being undertaken over the next two years cover a wide range of investments that are needed immediately to modernize and rehabilitate public transit, water and wastewater systems; provide affordable housing; and protect existing infrastructure from the effects of climate change.

Health ($26 million)

Funding for the public health components of the First Nations Water and Wastewater Action Plan – This renews and expands the support provided for inspection of drinking water in First Nations; training and advice to communities on drinking water safety; and the development of regulations for safe drinking water.

Indian Affairs and Northern Development ($309 million)

Funding for the First Nations Water and Wastewater Initiative, under the Capital Facilities and Maintenance Program – This provides drinking water advisory task forces; planning, procurement and construction of more than 140 capital projects each year; development of regulations; training, capacity building, and operations and maintenance support for First Nation operators of the water systems.

Funding for solid waste management infrastructure on reserve – This supports education, planning, negotiation and construction of facilities to enable up to 30 First Nations to enter into waste diversion agreements with nearby municipalities. It will also support planning, capacity building, and construction of transfer stations and engineered landfills on reserve for up to 6 remote First Nations.

Natural Resources ($15 million)

This funding supports a range of clean energy research, development and demonstration projects to encourage innovation in energy technology and cleaner and more efficient use of energy. The incremental funding will provide for additional demonstrations of electric vehicle infrastructure and research to enable greater penetration of clean technologies in the Canadian electricity sector.

Office of Infrastructure of Canada ($1.398 billion)

Funding to establish the Public Transit Infrastructure Fund – This will support the rehabilitation of public transit systems; the planning of future system improvements and expansions; enhanced asset management; and the optimization and modernization of systems and approaches that result in reduced greenhouse gas emissions. These initiatives lay the groundwork for longer term, strategic investments in public transit that will keep pace with the rapid growth of Canadian cities.

Funding to establish the Clean Water and Wastewater Fund – This will support the rehabilitation and optimization of water and wastewater related infrastructure; improve asset management; and plan for future upgrades to wastewater treatment and collection infrastructure.

Funding to establish the Asset Management Fund and the program for Capacity Building Climate Change Challenges – This supports improvements in municipal infrastructure asset management practices that will result in more reliable data on infrastructure assets and greater evidence-based decision making for strategic investments. These new programs will also serve to increase municipal capacity to recognize and act on decarbonisation opportunities, and enhance planning for climate change resilience.

Funding for the New Building Canada Fund – Provincial/Territorial Infrastructure Component – This funding will support national and regional projects, including the Lions Gate Wastewater Treatment Project in British Columbia and the Lake Manitoba/Lake St. Martin Outlet Channel Flood Mitigation Project in Manitoba.

Funding to develop codes, guidelines and specifications for climate resilient infrastructure – This supports an arrangement with the National Research Council of Canada on revising codes, guidelines and specifications to integrate climate change resilience into design and rehabilitation of public infrastructure. 

Investing in Social Infrastructure

New investments in social infrastructure will help promote inclusive growth for Canadians, through initiatives like expanding affordable housing, supporting early learning and child care, renewing cultural and recreational infrastructure, and improving community health care facilities on reserve.

• Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency ($8 million)
• Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency ($3 million)
• Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec ($16 million)
• Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario ($22 million)
• Industry ($3 million)
• Western Economic Diversification ($23 million)

Funding for the Canada 150 Infrastructure Program – This supports over 1,400 additional projects to improve community recreational facilities across the country.

Canadian Heritage ($83 million)

Funding for the Canada Cultural Spaces Fund – This program supports improvements, renovation and construction of arts and heritage facilities, as well as specialized equipment. This incremental funding allows the number of projects undertaken to increase from 85 to 180, and an increase from 45 to 95 in the number of communities reached.

Canada Mortgage and Housing ($1.070 billion)

Funding for Northern and Inuit Housing – This helps address higher housing costs in the Territories and to improve living conditions for 600 households. Funding will also be directed to as many as 250 new homes in Nunavik, Inuvialuit and Nunatsiavut.

Funding for Affordable Housing – This enables Provinces and Territories to design and deliver housing programs that address local needs. In cost matching programs, funding will serve up to 100,000 households through new construction, renovation, housing affordability measures and independent living supports. In non-cost matching programs, funds will be used to renovate or construct 5,000 housing units for seniors; renovate or construct 3,000 shelters or transition housing units; and repair or retrofit 100,000 social housing units.

Funding for On-Reserve Housing – Through programs supporting Residential Rehabilitation Assistance, On-Reserve Retrofit and Shelter Enhancement, these funds will enable renovations and retrofits to 3,000 to 4,000 existing private housing and social housing units on reserve, as well as the construction of 3 new shelters and renovations of up to 20 existing shelters on reserve.

Funding for Aboriginal Capacity Development – This supports First Nation housing institutions and providers in up to 100 communities in managing their non-profit rental housing portfolios.

Employment and Social Development ($76 million)

Funding for the First Nations and Inuit Child Care Initiative – This supports investments to repair, renovate or acquire equipment for the existing network of 417 child care facilities and 12,000 spaces in First Nations and Inuit communities.

Funding for the Homelessness Partnering Strategy – This supports 61 designated communities in reducing by 500 the number of shelter users who have experienced episodes of homelessness, and reducing by 750,000 the number of emergency shelter bed-nights.

Funding for the Enabling Accessibility Fund – This supports at least 80 additional small scale projects to increase accessibility and remove barriers in communities for Canadians with disabilities.

Health ($95 million)

Funding for Aboriginal Head Start on Reserve Program – This initiative provides pre-school education programs, outreach and home visits to support early learning and developmental needs of young children living in First Nations. This funding supports the construction of 13 replacement facilities; major repairs to 2 facilities; minor repairs to 6 facilities; and planning and design for 8 projects scheduled to begin construction in 2017-18.

Funding for the Health Facilities Program – This program provides health infrastructure for First Nations on reserve. This funding supports construction of 31 new facilities; repairs to 8 existing buildings; and design for one new building project. Funding is also provided for repairs to existing federal hospitals in Norway, Manitoba and Sioux Lookout, Ontario.

Indian Affairs and Northern Development ($241 million)

Funding for On-Reserve Housing – This program supports First Nations in maintaining, insuring, construction, acquisition and rehabilitation of existing housing. This funding provides for construction of 300 new housing units, renovating 2,800 housing units and servicing 680 lots on reserve.

Funding for the First Nations Infrastructure Fund – This supports construction and renovation of 40 cultural and recreational facilities in First Nation communities.

Parks Canada Agency ($10 million)

Funding to expand the National Historic Sites Cost-Sharing Program – This supports an additional 90 projects over two years to maintain or improve national historic sites that are not federally owned.

Revitalizing Federal Public Infrastructure

Projects to improve the state of Canada's federal infrastructure will begin in 2016, ensuring that Canadians continue to benefit from modern, efficient and sustainable infrastructure.

Over the next five years, the initiatives listed below will support maintenance and upgrades across a wide range of federal infrastructure assets, including: the national park system; harbours; federal laboratories; cultural infrastructure; National Defence and Canadian Coast Guard infrastructure; transportation infrastructure for airports and ferries; and repairs, retrofits and upgrades of other federal buildings. Funding is also provided for environmental remediation work on contaminated sites.

Agriculture and Agri-Food ($9 million)

• Modernize science infrastructure
• Rehabilitation of research sites
• Federal contaminated sites

Canada Border Services Agency ($20 million)

• Health and safety infrastructure upgrades to ports of entry across the country

Canadian Food Inspection Agency ($2 million)

• Lethbridge Laboratory

Environment ($2 million)

• Federal contaminated sites
• Reducing the environmental footprint

Fisheries and Oceans ($159 million)

• Upgrade and repair work at core fishing harbours
• Improvements and repairs to real property
• Replace aging infrastructure with greener and more efficient technologies
• Construct physical barriers to prevent the spread of alien species
• Federal contaminated sites and liability reducing projects

Health ($13 million)

• Federal contaminated sites
• Security infrastructure modernization
• Laboratory infrastructure renewal
• National office modernization and renewal

Indian Affairs and Northern Development ($15 million)

• Federal contaminated sites

Industry ($10 million)

• Communications Research Centre (Shirleys Bay Campus, Ontario)

Marine Atlantic Inc. ($6 million)

• Investments in Marine Atlantic Inc. facilities

National Arts Centre Corporation ($38 million)

• Renewal of performance venues and supporting infrastructure

National Gallery of Canada ($1 million)

• Replacement of the roof, windows and elevator in the Main Entrance Pavilion and Colonnade

National Museum of Science and Technology ($46 million)

• Construction of a collection storage and conservation centre

National Research Council of Canada ($4 million)

• Modernization of laboratory and facility infrastructure
• Federal contaminated sites

Natural Resources ($31 million)

• Federal contaminated sites
• Laboratory and facility modernization

Parks Canada Agency ($68 million)

• Highway 5 in Wood Buffalo National Park
• Federal contaminated sites
• Trans-Canada Highway in Yoho National Park
• Pacific Rim Traverse Trail
• Icefields Parkway Trail

Public Works and Government Services ($54 million)

• Capital betterment improvements to existing Crown-owned assets
• Federal contaminated sites

Transport ($18 million)

• Investments in Transport Canada owned airport and port infrastructure assets
• Federal contaminated sites

VIA Rail Canada Inc. ($7 million)

• Upgrades to the Montreal and Toronto maintenance centres, and major stations in the Windsor‑Quebec corridor
• Federal contaminated sites