Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
Good evening.
I'm coming to you from Prince George, B.C., on the traditional unceded territory of the Lheidli T'enneh.
I'm joined by Matt Gemmel, as you noted. He is the director of policy and research at FCM.
On behalf of FCM's 2,000 member municipalities, we commend you for tackling this important study.
Municipalities own 60% of Canada's public infrastructure, and we influence over half of Canada's greenhouse gas emissions. From our place on the front lines, we identify and deliver investments that meet local needs and drive national outcomes. That's critical. As the country looks to infrastructure investment, it's going to support a sustainable, inclusive economic recovery. I'm going to offer three examples of how municipalities are leveraging federal investments to grow the economy, to fight climate change and to improve people's lives.
The first is public transit, where the federal government has committed $15 billion over the next eight years. That's on top of the investing in Canada infrastructure program funding.
Better transit supports economic growth by creating jobs, easing congestion, shortening commutes and boosting productivity. It enables inclusive growth by connecting people to jobs, especially low-wage workers, women and racialized Canadians. It promotes low-carbon growth by reducing greenhouse gases from the transportation sector. As municipalities, we turn federal funding into outcomes. We build out subway, light–rail and bus networks; and adopt low-emission, made-in-Canada electric buses. We expand active transportation for cyclists and pedestrians.
The new national transit plan also acts on two long-standing FCM recommendations.
First, Canada now has a dedicated fund for rural transit. That's going to help the smaller communities connect residents to health care, education and jobs in regional centres, especially students, seniors and persons with disabilities.
We also welcome the new permanent transit fund, starting in 2026 at $3 billion annually. Its predictability helps us plan in the long term. That includes integrating transportation and land-use planning, and it helps us build low-carbon neighbourhoods on the road to net zero.
Second is better Internet access. That's a huge economic priority for rural and remote communities.
FCM welcomed the new universal broadband fund, and we were pleased to see a billion-dollar boost in last week's budget. Now the priority is to deliver the funding quickly and efficiently. We want to drive some real results on the ground. It's a solid start to the ongoing investment we're going to need from all orders of government on the road to universal Internet access.
A third important sector is community infrastructure. We are talking about libraries, recreation centres, swimming pools, curling rinks, concert halls. These places are the heart of communities, but they are not able to meet today's needs.
According to Statistics Canada, 40% of libraries, 45% of arenas and 50% of swimming pools are over 20 years old. The good news is that retrofitting these facilities is a great way to reduce energy consumption, operating costs and GHG emissions.
The federal and municipal governments are working together to upgrade these aging buildings to ensure they meet the needs of residents. We are doing this through FCM's green municipal fund and Canada's new green and inclusive community buildings program.
We're also using the gas tax fund for community infrastructure, from a new rec centre near me in B.C.'s Cariboo Regional District to a new cycling path in Terrebonne, Quebec.
The commitment to double this year's gas tax transfer, as the Canada community-building fund, is going to bring hundreds more projects to life, and it's going to create up to 20,000 jobs.
Why is that so effective? Why does this tool work? It's because it's predictable and it's direct.
There's insight here for infrastructure investment in general. If you want to build this country, if you want to move national, economic and climate numbers, you do it one community at a time. You do it by directly empowering local leaders who know what's needed and what works on the ground. That idea is baked into tools like the gas tax fund, and we leave you with that insight as you move forward. All pandemic long you've seen local leaders delivering for Canadians in your own communities, of all sizes, and that's where Canada's recovery needs to take root as well. Whether it's building job-creating infrastructure, scaling up local climate solutions or connecting all Canadians to high-speed Internet, with a durable solution to municipal operating budget shortfalls across the country, municipalities are going to be eager partners in driving that strong recovery that Canadians deserve.
With that, we look forward to answering any of your questions.