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Liberals to force Ontario government to have long-term infrastructure plans
November 7, 2013
Premier Kathleen Wynne’s minority Liberals will make it unlawful for the province not to have a long-term plan for building new public transit, hospitals, schools, bridges and roads, the Toronto Star has learned.
The new Infrastructure Plan Act is a cornerstone of Finance Minister Charles Sousa’s fall economic statement to be delivered in the legislature on Thursday.
“No more ad hoc planning,” said a senior Liberal with knowledge of the initiative.
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The source, who would speak only on condition of anonymity, noted the forthcoming legislation would force the current and future governments to implement five- or 10-year infrastructure blueprints to ensure things are not allowed to fall by the wayside or decay.Surprisingly, Ontario governments of all political stripes have only built infrastructure on an as-needed basis over the years. This new way of doing business is designed to help the province, cities and towns better tackle the “infrastructure deficit” now estimated at more than $100 billion. An alarming 60 per cent of what needs to be repaired or replaced is more than 50 years old.
To underscore the Liberals’ hopes of being seen as job creators in an election expected next spring — and highlighting that 50 per cent of Ontario’s infrastructure deficit is in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area — Sousa’s statement will announce that the second phase of a three-year $35-billion infrastructure investment is underway. FULL STORY By: Robert Benzie Queen's Park Bureau Chief, Richard J. Brennan Provincial Politics Thursday, November 7, 2013