Evidence of meeting #15 for Transport, Infrastructure and Communities in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was million.
A recording is available from Parliament.
4:15 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Judy Sgro
I'm sorry, Ms. Duncan, your time is up.
Mr. Fraser is next, for six minutes.
4:15 p.m.
Liberal
Sean Fraser Liberal Central Nova, NS
Thanks very much.
I'd like to pick up where Mr. Badawey left off on public transit. This question is for Infrastructure Canada.
One theme that you explored was the floor for public transit infrastructure funding. I come from a place that is defined by a series of small communities that depend heavily on community transit that isn't necessarily public transit in the way people commonly conceive of it.
Will these community transit organizations be eligible for funding in cases in which a single new bus, for example, could transform the service, or will it go to the typical municipal, big city, public transit items that we think about?
4:15 p.m.
Associate Deputy Minister, Infrastructure Canada
Thank you for the question.
I would say that primarily the intent of the public transit infrastructure fund, the short-term funding, is for maintenance of and upgrades to existing infrastructure. There was a recognition that there has been a considerable lack of good repair in many systems. It's really not for the expansion of systems. I think that's what is going to come through phase two.
I would also mention that these kinds of transit investments, for public transit are also eligible under the current stock of infrastructure programs—the new building Canada fund, the small communities fund, and indeed the gas tax fund—but the allocation for the public transit infrastructure fund is based on ridership data provided by CUTA.
There may be some cases in which there would be exceptions, and those are the discussions that we're having right now with our colleagues in the provinces and territories.
4:15 p.m.
Liberal
Sean Fraser Liberal Central Nova, NS
Certainly.
I may know the answer to this question already, but has it yet been determined how decisions for phase two of the program will be made, either by Infrastructure Canada or the provinces or the municipalities?
4:15 p.m.
Associate Deputy Minister, Infrastructure Canada
No, but thank you; that's an excellent question.
Phase two is going to be the subject of a lot of consultation and negotiations over the next several months. Right now, no decision has been taken on how the money is going to flow and how it's going to be allocated. That will be dealt with via a memorandum to cabinet in the course of the next year, I hope.
4:15 p.m.
Liberal
Sean Fraser Liberal Central Nova, NS
Certainly, as do I.
Under the more general infrastructure side of things, I think you mentioned that you were getting info to provinces ASAP.
Along a similar line of questioning to the transit questions, how are the decisions being made? Is it by the provinces, by Infrastructure Canada in consultation with the provinces?
4:15 p.m.
Associate Deputy Minister, Infrastructure Canada
It's a very collaborative process. Certainly, the allocation formulas have been shared with the provinces. That was done through the letters that were sent from Minister Sohi to his counterparts. We are waiting for the provinces and territories to prioritize where they want to invest. They are in the process of developing lists of projects that will be shared with us, and on the basis of those lists, bilateral agreements will be signed with each of the provinces and territories.
A bit of a pool is going on in our department right now to see who's going to be the first to sign. Certainly, there's a recognition that a lot of eligible and very worthy projects are ready to go. The provinces and territories are working very hard, as is our staff in the department, to make sure we can sign these agreements quickly.
4:20 p.m.
Liberal
Sean Fraser Liberal Central Nova, NS
It would be up to the province, for example, to consult with the municipalities to say its waste-water treatment facility is at the top of our list and now it's telling the federal government. Is that the rough process?
4:20 p.m.
Associate Deputy Minister, Infrastructure Canada
That is the rough process, and frankly, most provinces, territories, and municipalities already have really good capital asset plans. They know where the priorities are and it's just a question of identifying the ones that are the readiest to go that can be done in the next two years.
4:20 p.m.
Liberal
Sean Fraser Liberal Central Nova, NS
That's excellent.
I have a few minutes left. I think Mr. Badawey had a few follow-up questions from his earlier line, and I'm happy to cede my remaining time.
4:20 p.m.
Liberal
Vance Badawey Liberal Niagara Centre, ON
Thank you, and thank you to the member.
I have a question with respect to the funding for transit, I want to get back to that again, if I may.
You mentioned a few new systems that may be eligible. Some areas in the province or the country for that matter want to put in inter-municipal transit and things like that. They want to join a provincial system in Ontario, such as GO Transit. Will they also be eligible for funding?
4:20 p.m.
Associate Deputy Minister, Infrastructure Canada
The intent of the public transit infrastructure fund is really for rehabilitation and optimization of existing assets. Every province may not have that need for rehabilitation, in which case there may be possibilities for expansion.
The trick will be that the funds are intended to be expended over the next two fiscal years. Typically, expansion projects take longer than that, so they would be likelier candidates, I would think, for phase two, which is going to be looking at larger projects, typically in expansion. However, phase one does allow for investments in planning for the kinds of expansion projects that you're describing for which the capital investment might flow later.
4:20 p.m.
Liberal
Vance Badawey Liberal Niagara Centre, ON
For example, when you look at the integration of existing services, there might be three to six services in a region, and to integrate those services into one and then in tandem integrate with a provincial system, would that be eligible?
4:20 p.m.
Associate Deputy Minister, Infrastructure Canada
I'm not sure, because I would want to know better—and we can certainly get back to you with more detail on this, if you wish—what the actual investment would be. Is the investment going to be to refurbish existing stock? Is it going to be to optimize to purchase some more low-floor buses, for example?
My answer would have to be, it would depend. If it's the mechanics of integration, I don't think that would be eligible under the current program.
May 30th, 2016 / 4:20 p.m.
Liberal
Gagan Sikand Liberal Mississauga—Streetsville, ON
Having heard the line of questioning from my colleague Ms. Block, I have a very general question with regard to passenger screening at airports. Whereas I think Heathrow has a processing rate of 95% in five minutes, Pearson I think is at 15 minutes for 95% of all passengers. I'm curious to know if there is an international standard or goal.
4:20 p.m.
Associate Deputy Minister, Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, Department of Transport
No, there is not.
4:20 p.m.
Liberal
4:20 p.m.
Liberal
Ken Hardie Liberal Fleetwood—Port Kells, BC
The questions are landing all over the place, so I'll start with Transport Canada.
Part of your statutory appropriation was $2.6 million for staff benefits. I'm curious as to why that's appearing in a supplement and not in the main budget for the year.
4:20 p.m.
Chief Financial Officer, Department of Transport
Every time there is an appropriation, whether it's in the main estimates or the supplementaries (A), (B), or (C), if there's a portion dealing with staff, you'll have a portion separated out for the EBP, employee benefits plan. There's a segment in supplementary estimates (A) that goes to Transport Canada operations for paying employees. In the budget it's always separated out. You'll see that happen in the main estimates as well.
4:20 p.m.
Liberal
Ken Hardie Liberal Fleetwood—Port Kells, BC
It's curious, because it seems to mask the idea of the total costs of something. When a budget is released, all of a sudden we have a number in a budget, and the next thing you know, along troops another whole bunch of numbers that tends to add to the cumulative total. It's very difficult for us, much less other Canadians, to get our heads around what exactly this all costs. It goes back into the mists of time, I'm sure.
4:20 p.m.
Voices
Oh, oh!
4:20 p.m.
Liberal
Ken Hardie Liberal Fleetwood—Port Kells, BC
Why ask a rhetorical question, he says. Let's continue.
Infrastructure Canada is looking for additional personnel, and a piece of that $14.7 million in additional operating expenditure is for that. What will this additional staff be there to do? Are these new hires?