The Government of Canada and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) announced a federal investment of over $1.1 million to help 16 communities in Ontario and nine communities in British Columbia implement innovative strategies to manage their municipal infrastructure.
Known as asset management, this investment will help the communities ensure that their infrastructure such as arenas, bridges, drinking water and wastewater systems, and roads are working as efficiently as possible. It will also allow them to make better investment decisions. Asset management also helps reduce risks so municipalities can provide reliable and affordable services and a high quality of life to their residents.
“Investments in infrastructure asset management projects will help improve the quality of life in municipalities across British Columbia. Today’s funding announcement will help them plan and manage their infrastructure based on reliable data to create strong, sustainable and affordable communities,” said Sean Fraser, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities.
Among the communities in B.C. are:
The City of Williams Lake. It will receive $50,000 to review the current asset management status; develop an asset management program for the City, including policy, strategy, roadmap/plan; to review and update the City’s asset classes and asset inventory; review existing asset management record systems (MAIS) for suitability with a proposed asset management program; and do system integration and training.
The District of Vanderhoof. It will receive $50,000 to develop an asset management plan. This project will allow the District to understand its assets’ condition in a more comprehensive way. Through these assessments, the District will be able to keep track of its municipal assets and plan updates, repairs, and replacements with increased efficiency. This will also allow to budget more efficiently and plan better the completion of those projects.
The City of Kimberley. It will receive $48,000 to improve asset management in the community. The primary software currently used by the city for asset management does not match its needs and recently experienced failure, data loss, and security issues. Thanks to the funding, the City will install a robust and resilient platform to bolster its asset management program. Data from the legacy system will be migrated and redeployed in a modern, user-friendly, secure environment for staff and public to access.
Among the communities in Ontario are:
The Town of Aurora. It will receive $50,000 to develop an asset management plan and a better understanding of the town’s assets, specifically roads, water, wastewater & stormwater systems, facilities, fleet, land, parkland & land improvements, bridges & culverts, and machinery & equipment. It will also help the Town evaluate the performance of assets, and effectively prepare for future maintenance. The plan will also assist Aurora in its budgeting process and will be critical in helping it comply with provincial.
The United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry. They will receive $50,000 to continue collecting information on the material, the size and the condition of remaining un-inspected storm sewers.
The City of Quinte West. It will receive $50,000 to conduct traffic counts for strategically chosen roads throughout the municipality, improve the road condition assessment process and provide better source data for its asset management plan.
“Local governments are responsible for approximately 60 per cent of the public infrastructure that support our economy and our quality of life, such as roads, bridges and wastewater systems. That’s why supporting them in building and maintaining strong asset management through initiatives like the FCM’s Municipal Asset Management Program is crucial. This program, funded by the Government of Canada, helps communities in British Columbia and across the country develop sound asset management practices and conduct data collection and analysis to improve their investment decisions,” said Scott Pearce, president, Federation of Canadian Municipalities.
Featured image: (Town of Aurora)
