Commission on the Reform of Ontario's Public Services

Municipalities are responsible for maintaining their infrastructure — a responsibility clearly
defined through policies that govern municipalities. The province also has an ongoing
obligation to help ensure the safety and sustainability of municipal infrastructure. The province
accomplishes this through a variety of policy instruments (e.g., standards and inspections) as
well as funding programs that support municipal infrastructure priorities. Despite these efforts,
there are continual calls on senior governments to ensure adequate investment in
municipal infrastructure.
In recent years, there have been numerous efforts to quantify the need for investment in
municipal infrastructure and develop provincial policies and funding programs in response.
While policies have rightly focused on specific issues (such as drinking water safety), there is
a need for a more comprehensive plan that points the province, municipalities and the federal
government in the same direction as efforts are made to address the ongoing challenge of
underinvestment in the sector. While probably part of the solution, this challenge cannot be
resolved through funding alone. More fundamental reforms are needed for the sector to be
on a sustainable footing.
Asset management planning for municipal infrastructure should be comprehensive and
achieved through a one-window requirement of the province. Poorly maintained infrastructure
delivers a lower quality of service, costs more to repair and replace, and can increase risks to
health and safety from potential failures. Asset management provides the information needed
to make strategic decisions about investing in the maintenance, rehabilitation and replacement
of assets. This tool helps optimize service delivery, minimize risk and provide services more
efficiently. While many municipalities are practising asset management, there are no set
standards for how this should be done. Some municipalities have detailed asset management
plans while others do not. In Chapter 12, Infrastructure, Real Estate and Electricity, we
recommend that more emphasis be placed on achieving greater value from existing assets in
asset management plan reporting requirements than is currently proposed in the Long-Term
Infrastructure Plan (LTIP).
As a starting point, an effective plan would include a set of principles to guide future
investments and policies. Examples of principles include:
� Recognition that safe and sustainable municipal infrastructure is a shared priority for
all orders of government;
� Municipalities are the stewards of their own infrastructure;
� Comprehensive asset management plans should guide investment decisions;
� Health and safety issues are top priorities; and
� Small communities face unique challenges that require tailored solutions.
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