Transport Committee on Oct. 21st, 2010

[Sukh Dhaliwal, Liberal, Newton—North Delta, BC]

You have made a point that the government has made a political statement called “fair and reasonable”, but they have not put a policy in place. They have not given certain criteria or deadlines for those projects that are not finished. The sword of finishing those projects on time, even though it may not be possible, is hanging on their necks. Is this uncertainty creating any costs for those projects?

[Doug Dobrowolski]

No, I don't think so. As an association, we're in constant contact with our members and we're reminding them that they have to get these projects done by the stimulus deadline of March 31. Yes, there's some pressure to get it done. Again, I think the pressure comes from the lack of skilled labour in some of these specified areas and the fact that people are having to wait for these people to come in order to get their projects done.

But all in all, things have gone very well in Manitoba. I think we have to wait till January or February to reassess the process for these and where these projects are construction-wise. Then, I think, that's where the fairness and flexibility come in.

[The Chair, Conservative, Merv Tweed]

I have to end it there. We'll come back.

Monsieur Guimond.

[Michel Guimond, Bloc, Montmorency—Charlevoix—Haute-Côte-Nord, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Mr. Dobrowolski, you said you have two specific requests to make to the federal government. First, you are asking that the government show flexibility, and second, that both federal and provincial representatives meet with representatives of each of the municipalities to help them see what their schedule might be. In terms of flexibility, that's obvious. In any event, the Minister has replied, in the House, that the applications will be processed and the federal government would be flexible.

Can you give us some more explanation about your second request to the federal government?

[Doug Dobrowolski]

If you had asked me one month ago.... In Manitoba, as I mentioned earlier, we've had excessive rainfall. We've had a wonderful end of September and all of the month of October to catch up, and we did that, but a month ago it would have been a very serious situation, as it is in Saskatchewan, because we were experiencing the same wet conditions.

Infrastructure Canada has been working closely with the provincial government and municipalities to ensure they are on track, which we are in Manitoba. I just think that we need to keep the monitoring in place to ensure that we are on track and that we are going to meet these deadlines, so that there are no big cost overruns in the end. Again, it's working very well in Manitoba, and we're working well with the federal government.

[Michel Guimond, Bloc, Montmorency—Charlevoix—Haute-Côte-Nord, QC]

Do you know what percentage of the projects can be completed by March 31, 2011? The people from the Manitoba government might be able to answer that question.

Tuesday, this week, people from the Canadian Federation of Municipalities appeared before us and told us they would not be able to complete 30% of the projects by March 31, 2011. I would like to know whether you have the figure for Manitoba.

[Doug Dobrowolski]

As I said in my presentation--

[The Chair, Conservative, Merv Tweed]

Mr. Jean, on a point of order.

[Brian Jean, Conservative, Fort McMurray—Athabasca, AB]

I'm not sure if the translation is right, but I heard 30%. What I heard from the FCM was 3%, so I'm just not sure.... Was that a proper translation?

[The Chair, Conservative, Merv Tweed]

Monsieur Guimond.

[Michel Guimond, Bloc, Montmorency—Charlevoix—Haute-Côte-Nord, QC]

When we had the Canadian Federation of Municipalities here, they mentioned that 30% of the projects will not be--

[An hon. member]

No. It was 3%.

[An hon. member]

Three per cent.

[Michel Guimond, Bloc, Montmorency—Charlevoix—Haute-Côte-Nord, QC]

It was 30%. Thirty per cent, mainly in Quebec.

[Brian Jean, Conservative, Fort McMurray—Athabasca, AB]

I'm sorry. It was a point of order in relation to the translation. I just wasn't sure.

[Michel Guimond, Bloc, Montmorency—Charlevoix—Haute-Côte-Nord, QC]

It's 30%, mainly in Quebec.

[Brian Jean, Conservative, Fort McMurray—Athabasca, AB]

Oh, in Quebec--I don't remember hearing that.

[The Chair, Conservative, Merv Tweed]

I'm sorry. Please continue.

[Michel Guimond, Bloc, Montmorency—Charlevoix—Haute-Côte-Nord, QC]

In any event, it was in the papers.

[Doug Dobrowolski]

I can only speak for Manitoba. Again, there have been challenges right across this country due to weather, but in Manitoba it's less than 5%. Again, under the stimulus fund, of 73 projects, four are at risk, and under the top-up of 22 projects, two projects are at risk. But if it weren't for the weather we got in September and October, we would have been up to that 30%, for sure, because a lot of projects in Manitoba were sewage lagoons, and a lot of earth-moving projects would not have been completed because we were so wet.

[Michel Guimond, Bloc, Montmorency—Charlevoix—Haute-Côte-Nord, QC]

I can give Mr. Jean the information that in the advertising done by the Minister of Finance, he said the March 31 deadline would be observed in the case of 97% of the projects. I think that's where Mr. Jean got the 3% figure. In any event, we will be meeting with the people from the Union of Quebec Municipalities and the Fédération Québécoise des Municipalités a little later.

It may seem odd, but we are working on a lot of projects that relate to water mains and sewers. In Quebec, some projects can't be completed on time because the plants that produce the pipes for the water mains and sewers can't keep up with the demand. Do you have the same situation in Manitoba?

[Doug Dobrowolski]

No, we are not experiencing that in Manitoba. As far as I know, there hasn't been a shortage of the basic equipment. In my own municipality, we're doing a water treatment plant, and some of that specialized equipment has been delayed because only a few manufacturers make it. But overall, I can say there hasn't been a delay in that type of pipe for that type of thing.

[Michel Guimond, Bloc, Montmorency—Charlevoix—Haute-Côte-Nord, QC]

If I still have time left, I will yield it to my colleague Mr. Gaudet.

[The Chair, Conservative, Merv Tweed]

You have two minutes left.

[Roger Gaudet, Bloc, Montcalm, QC]

I hadn't read the paper that the Library of Parliament sent us. It says:

Under the terms and conditions of the Infrastructure Stimulus Fund, all projects are required to begin and materially end construction prior to 31 March 2011. The federal government will pay its share of costs incurred up to 31 March 2011 and will not provide any funding beyond this date. For projects that are not substantially completed by 31 March 2011, the Government of Canada shall have the right to cancel funding in whole or in part, and further the federal government shall have the right to be repaid any funding advanced for such projects, unless the funding recipient commits to completing the project at its own expense by 31 December 2011.

In most cases, the municipalities are not at fault. It's shortages or other factors, such as the weather, where I come from, that are the cause of the delay. If the municipalities have to give the money back to the government, that won't be a good thing. What do you think about this?