Greening our Municipalities and Infrastructure

At Issue
For over a decade, Canada has consistently failed to meet international greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets. Under Liberal governments, progress was nil, and under the Harper Conservatives, targets have simply been abandoned. Over this same period, a municipal infrastructure deficit of $123 billion developed and persists even today. To reduce this infrastructure deficit, we must prioritize funding for development of transit, building retrofits, and other municipal infrastructure. Such projects can be instrumental in reducing our individual and collective carbon footprint, fighting climate change in meaningful ways, and protecting the environment. Perhaps most importantly, targeted investment like this will spur green technological innovation and create new green jobs to sustain and grow our economy.

In Context
Just because the Harper Conservatives have withdrawn Canada from the Kyoto protocol doesnt mean Canadians have. We care about our obligations to our planet and future generations, especially since Canada is one of the highest GHG emitting societies per capita in the world. When the Chrtien Liberals signed the Kyoto Accord in April 2000, Canadas GHG emissions were at 717 Megatonnes (Mt). Kyoto committed Canada to a GHG emission reduction target of around 556 Mt to be achieved between 2008 and 2012. Yet by the time they left office in 2006, the Liberals had allowed GHG emissions to rise beyond where they were when we joined Kyoto. The Harper Conservatives have let GHG emissions rise even further to 734 Mt in 2008. Municipal Infrastructure Deficit In its report, Danger Ahead: The Coming Collapse of Canadas Municipal Infrastructure, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities estimated our municipal infrastructure deficit at $123 billion, representing the difference between the cost of replacing municipal infrastructure and municipal funds available. Municipal leaders in Canada have explored various ways the federal government could help to resolve this deficit but the federal government has been reluctant to act. The massive municipal infrastructure deficit (aging buildings, insufficient public transportation systems, and the like) is actually a golden opportunity for Canada. Since an estimated 60-70% of Municipal Infrastructure Deficit

Year Deficit
1985 1992 1996 2003 2007 $12 B $20 B $44 B $60 B $123 B

Source: Federation of Canadian Municipalities

GHGs are emitted in our cities due to inefficient buildings, energy generation, and transportation, now is the time to rebuild on an innovative and greener basis. Transportation Despite increased fuel efficiency among vehicles, GHG emissions in Canada have increased 10% from 81 Mt in 2000 to 88 Mt in 2008. But instead of tackling transportation deficits in ways that will encourage the greatest number of Canadians to use low-GHG modes of transportation, urban and interurban transit spending remains insufficient. Transit is the largest infrastructure priority for most cities. In order to plan effectively, municipalities require sustainable, predictable, long-term funding. Buildings and Housing GHGs from aging commercial and institutional properties have risen from 37 Mt in 2000 to 56 Mt in 2009. Everyone wants to spend less on energy from property managers to owners to tenants and new energy technologies can help cut energy consumption. Yet Canada has no national standards for retrofitting buildings energy systems which would improve energy efficiency and drive innovation. In addition, the renewal of affordable housing stocks in cities is a pressing issue that requires predictable long-term funding. Retrofitting housing stock is a significant opportunity to lower GHG emissions and operating costs while improving living conditions of tenants. Creating Jobs A 2010 report by the Conference Board of Canada called Lessons from the Recession and Financial Crisis says infrastructure investment is the most effective fiscal stimulus measure. But Canada has approached municipal infrastructure in an on-again/off-again fashion, resulting in lags to address economic slow-downs and loss of skilled workers. While long-term stable funding for infrastructure creates stable, high quality jobs, investment in infrastructure with an eye to greening our communities fosters technological innovation and new green jobs. Jobs like these are sorely needed in Canadas current economic climate. There are feasible ways to lower our GHG emissions, reduce Canadas infrastructure deficit, create high quality jobs, and make our cities and towns more livable. We deserve no less.

The Peggy Nash Plan

Under my leadership, the NDP and the next government will strategically tackle the infrastructure funding deficit in our communities and develop green technology and green jobs. I will: 1. Establish a National Transit Strategy with a ten-year funding horizon; 2. Create two Canada Green Communities funds one for cities, one for smaller municipalities whose mandate will be to invest in municipal projects such as transit and affordable housing renewal to maximize GHG emission reductions; 3. Establish a new Canada Green Buildings fund to fast-track energy efficiency investments and drive the application of innovative green technologies; 4. Bring together municipal, provincial, and First Nations representatives to shape how funds will achieve GHG reduction and infrastructure goals and ensure the process for receiving/applying funds meets the needs of municipalities, provinces, First Nations, and the Government of Canada; 5. Develop a permanent inventory of pre-approved Canada Green Communities infrastructure projects and accelerate funding during periods of slow economic growth; 6. Mandate the Canadian Housing and Mortgage Corporation to support investments in energy efficiency for buildings through commercial loans collateralized against future energy savings and repayment schedules that reflect the planned financial return of the energy investment; 7. Revise national building and energy codes to set the highest standards for new and existing buildings, including the requirement to publish energy consumption rates; 8. Lead by bringing all federal buildings up to new standards set through changes to the national building and energy codes.