Ottawa – As we continue to adapt to the new physical, social and economic realities presented by COVID-19, all orders of government are working together to ensure the safety and well-being of Canadians. This includes providing local communities with tools and support for evidence-based decision-making that will help them plan a healthier, safer and more prosperous future for everyone.

That is why the Government of Canada is investing $124,000 in three new projects in Nova Scotia communities through the Municipal Asset Management Program (MAMP), delivered by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities on behalf of the federal government. The program aims to strengthen local infrastructure planning and decision-making by increasing local asset management capacity through investments in activities such as asset management training, technology and software enhancements and information sharing.

With funding from MAMP:

• The West Hants Regional Municipality will implement an integrated asset management and workflow system, which will include linear assets (potable water, sanitary and storm water, transportation network), fixed assets (treatment plants, municipal buildings) and park and recreational facilities. (Grant: $50,000)
• The Town of Port Hawkesbury will record and formalize operations, maintenance data and procedures to better preserve and record performance on its asset register.  The work will target the water network and municipal facilities. The town will use free open-source software to collect, maintain and use its operation and maintenance procedures. (Grant: $24,000)
• The Village of Bible Hill will conduct a comprehensive assessment of its sanitary sewer system and develop a long-term capital needs assessment, complete with written recommendations to maintain the system in a state of good repair. The Village intends to complete closed-circuit television (CCTV) inspections of up to 10 km of gravity sewers and develop relevant asset management planning information such as condition, risk, replacement cost and useful service life for each asset. This information will be leveraged to develop the long-term capital needs assessment for the entire network. (Grant: $50,000)

Quotes

“I am pleased to see our government invest in infrastructure asset management planning to help the Windsor-West Hants Regional Municipality and other communities across Nova Scotia plan for the future. These projects will ensure the local governments have a strong foundation on which to build an even more resilient and sustainable community. Canada’s infrastructure plan invests in thousands of projects, creates jobs across the country and builds stronger communities here in Nova Scotia.”

– Kody Blois, Member of Parliament for Kings-Hants, on behalf of the Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities

“Rural communities are the backbone of the Canadian economy and among the best places in Canada to call home. Smart investments in infrastructure are helping smaller communities to grow, strengthen their economies and improve quality of life for their residents as they recover from the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Through projects like those announced today, our government is helping to ensure that local leaders, especially those in rural areas, have the tools they need to plan for the long-term and creating stronger rural communities now and for generations to come.”

– The Honourable Maryam Monsef, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development

“Municipalities of all sizes are Canada’s builders. They own nearly 60 percent of the public infrastructure that supports Canada’s economy and quality of life. With strengthened asset management practices, they are making infrastructure investment decisions based on sound and reliable data. Supported by our strong federal-municipal partnership, FCM is delivering programs from coast to coast to coast that help municipalities in Nova Scotia do what they do best: deliver solutions that work.”

– Garth Frizzell, President, Federation of Canadian Municipalities

Quick facts

• The $110-million Municipal Asset Management Program, delivered by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and funded by the Government of Canada, has invested in more than 830 municipal asset management projects.
• MAMP offers funding, training, and resources to help small and medium sized municipalities improve their asset management policies and approaches enabling them to make solid infrastructure investment decisions.
• To support Canadians and communities during the COVID-19 pandemic, a new stream has been added to the over $33-billion Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program to help fund pandemic-resilient infrastructure. Existing program streams have also been adapted to include more eligible project categories.
• The COVID-19 Resilience Stream will help other orders of governments whose finances have been significantly impacted by the pandemic by increasing the federal cost share for public infrastructure projects in a variety of areas including disaster mitigation and adaptation projects and pandemic-resilient infrastructure.
• Furthermore, the Canada Healthy Communities Initiative will provide up to $31 million in existing federal funding to help communities adapt spaces and services in response to immediate and ongoing coronavirus-related needs over the next two years.
• Since 2016, the federal government has invested $28 billion in over 18,000 infrastructure projects in communities with populations under 100,000. More than 6,100 kilometers of highways and roads, and 103 bridges have been built, repaired or upgraded in rural communities, and more than 3,134 projects are providing rural communities with access to cleaner, more sustainable sources of drinking water.

Associated links

Municipal Asset Management Program
Infrastructure in your Community
Investing in Canada: Canada's Long-Term Infrastructure Plan
Investing in Canada plan project map
Speech from the Throne: A stronger and more resilient Canada

Contacts

Chantalle Aubertin
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities
613-941-0660
chantalle.aubertin@canada.ca

FCM Media Relations
613-907-6395
media@fcm.ca

Infrastructure Canada
613-960-9251
Toll free: 1-877-250-7154
Email: infc.media.infc@canada.ca
Twitter: @INFC_eng
Web: Infrastructure Canada