There are two parts to my answer.
First of all, we quantified our needs very precisely and that is in the document we are going to table. The amount of $1.3 billion represents the catch-up work that must be done and that figure is derived from the study we carried out with great precision for each of our activity sectors, waterworks, sewers, asphalt and buildings. This $1.3 billion amount is the cost of catching up. That is the amount needed to repair the damage.
For years taxes were collected to build roads, but there were no taxes levied for repairs. We continued to build and today we have a deficit. Among all the cities in Canada that have this type of need, the amount we need is the best substantiated one.
More generally, we have to change the picture of municipal taxation. I reiterate that cities shoulder 58% of the cost of managing infrastructure, but only receive 8% of the revenue. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to understand that we have a serious problem there.
In short, if we change this ratio of responsibility to revenue, we could choose to invest in public transit without having to go and beg in Quebec or in Ottawa. Through the Canadian Federation of Municipalities, the cities are asking whether they could be partners, in fact. They wonder if they could be considered like real governments, local governments, rather than as entities that go and beg for money whenever there is an election. There has to be a better balance between our responsibilities and the income at our disposal.