Transport committee  We are doing that. Part of that is through the infrastructure report card. The first one was done in 2012 and the second one is coming out in 2015. For part of the 2015 report card that has come out, FCM and CPWA, along with other organizations, including the Canadian Network of

Transport committee  As I mentioned, some of the western provinces are engaging in advanced asset management practices. The City of Edmonton, the City of Calgary, for example, have adopted a very similar practice to what Australia and New Zealand are engaging in. For the most part, Australia and New

Transport committee  The principles of asset management are based on value. It's assessing what the needs are, investing the right money at the right time to get the maximum life out of your assets. It's doing long-term financial planning to ensure that assets are replaced at the appropriate time, be

Transport committee  Sure. Again I go back to looking at sustainability as we invest in our infrastructure going forward. Envision is one tool that we've seen at use in Canada. It was developed by our sister organization, the American Public Works Association, the Canadian Society for Civil Engineer

Transport committee  It provides a framework and a rating system with standards municipalities set out to achieve. Depending on the long-term carbon footprint of your infrastructure, for example, or the cost, you get the impacts on society and the environmental impacts of this going forward. It asses

Transport committee  Yes. It includes a software program. You can use it at all stages of your project and rate each of those steps you're planning by looking at what is the best option for the location. It gives you a rating for those different options.

Transport committee  On the sustainability side there's not necessarily an investment that's required. We see the role of the federal government more for supporting and promoting the use of those type of tools. On the asset management side, however, the current gas tax program does include building c

Transport committee  With asset management planning, there's no one size fits all. It depends on the size and complexity of the organization. For instance, in Ontario if it's a lower tier versus a single tier versus an upper tier municipality, there are different needs and requirements that may be

Transport committee  I think you may have misheard that. In fact, 60% of the assets are owned by municipalities across Canada. As a result of that, ensuring that there are good asset management practices across the country is very important for the federal government. It's important for all levels of

Transport committee  Why is it important for us to consider sustainability as we go forward with investments in infrastructure? I think the principles of sustainable development are fundamental to assuring that we are getting the best return on investment as well as looking after the environmental an

Transport committee  Again, I am from the municipal perspective. My position is that of city engineer for the City of Guelph, so my position as president of the Canadian Public Works Association is the volunteer side of my desk position. From a municipal perspective, similar to asset management, th

Transport committee  I think that for consistency across the country, to ensure that we are getting the best investment for our infrastructure funds both now and into the future, that's why it's important for the federal government to take a leadership role.

Transport committee  We have 2,200 members across Canada.

Transport committee  The 2012 infrastructure report card that was referred to earlier identified that there are pockets of brilliance across the country with regard to asset management practices. There are still quite a few municipalities, typically the small and the rural municipalities, that...it's

Transport committee  With significant investments that are coming in over the next decade through the new building Canada plan, there is a good opportunity to look at how we assess sustainability. That's why, through our submission, we refer to sustainability rating tools such as the Envision tool. I