Thank you for the invitation to speak with you this afternoon regarding Niagara’s perspective on approaches to enhancing federal infrastructure investments.
During the pandemic, regional council has remained committed to proceeding with many of its key capital infrastructure projects. Without the support and close collaboration of senior levels of government, financing for many of these infrastructure initiatives that support growth in the region and house our most vulnerable residents would not be possible. It is critical that municipalities receive predictable, stable funding that can be invested in the necessary capital projects that sustain our communities.
As many federal investment programs are competitive and application-based, considerable resources are required to manage and report on these potential funding opportunities. In contrast, allocation-based funding would enable us to effectively budget for small and, especially, large-scale projects and aid in the region’s overall long-range infrastructure planning. It would also ensure fairness for upper-tier municipalities, considering a disproportionate number of funding programs are geared to rural, lower and single-tier municipalities. Moreover, through our rigorous asset management process, we ensure that our key projects align with the policy priorities and expectations of the federal government by incorporating new environmental and clean energy practices and innovative technologies into the design and construction of regional projects.
Four critical infrastructure projects that will influence social, economic and environmental outcomes by supporting our most vulnerable communities while generating more jobs, trade and commerce include affordable housing, a new waste-water treatment plant, a new trade corridor and broadband.
With affordable rental vacancy rates at virtually 0% in Niagara, our wait-list continues to grow. Our proposed multi-residential modular project outlined in our federal rapid housing initiative funding program application was intended to create new housing for people with the highest core need. This innovative delivery model was an optimum solution because it would house tenants much sooner than if we relied on conventional building models.
Full federal funding would have offset the capital costs and allowed Niagara region to operate the building as 100% geared to income, as there would have been no mortgage required. This was a perfect opportunity to begin to address a significant problem in Niagara. However, Niagara’s unsuccessful RHI application has stalled this shovel-ready project.
With respect to the planned south Niagara Falls waste-water treatment plant, eligibility requirements appear ambiguous under the yet-to-be announced ICIP green stream fund, and questions regarding this project’s potential qualifications and available funding remain unclear. Since this project will be highly dependent on external funding, considerable uncertainty has been created about whether it can proceed without timely funding.
With three access points between Canada and the U.S., Niagara region is a significant economic hub that is central for enabling cross-border trade and tourism. As Niagara region will continue to grow by 30% over the next 20 years, there will be an increasing demand on Niagara’s highways, and it will be important to construct alternative trade routes through the region. Niagara region has experienced challenges qualifying for national trade corridor funding, which may be corrected should the program be expanded to include indirect transportation routes, which are the essential building blocks for a complete trade corridor, to international markets.
I will now pass this over to Councillor Rob Foster, who will speak to our challenges with broadband service.