Dealing With “Dirty Dirt” (Part II)
By: Casey Vander Ploeg, Senior Policy Analyst, Canada West Foundation The benefits of urban brownfield development are numerous and significant, breathing new life into old neighbourhoods, increasing local property values and land productivity, and mitigating sprawl. There is also a strong infrastructure connection. Brownfields sit upon an existing network of roads, sidewalks, lighting, water mains, [...]
Go Long!
The following column is written by Gord Hume, President of Hume Communications Inc., former Councillor of the City of London, ON, and author of “Cultural Planning for Creative Communities” and “Taking Back Our Cities” When Casey Vander Ploeg and the team at the Canada West Foundation and Communities of Tomorrow approached me about writing a [...]
Technology Boosts Public Transit
By: Casey Vander Ploeg, Senior Policy Analyst, Canada West Foundation In most large cities, public transit boasts a long history, being one of the most visible and vital services provided to citizens. The transit system in Calgary, for example, goes back to 1909 when the Calgary Municipal Railway was established with a dozen electric streetcars. [...]
Are We Organized for Progress?
By: Clare Kirkland, Director of Strategic Development, Regina Regional Opportunities Commission, and former Deputy Minister of Highways and Transportation, Saskatchewan Over three decades spent leading engineering and technical organizations, I am convinced that modern road science offers an enormous innovation dividend in reduced road costs and improved road quality. However, this dividend is not being [...]
Out and About
By: Casey Vander Ploeg, Senior Policy Analyst, Canada West Foundation Our work-a-day lives tend to follow predictable patterns, and it all starts with municipal infrastructure. The alarm goes off and the lights go on. We hit the switch on the coffee maker, push the handle on the toilet, turn the tap in the shower. Whether [...]
Getting Prices Right
By: Dr. Enid Slack, Director, Institute on Municipal Finance and Governance at the Munk School of Global Affairs (University of Toronto) Canadian cities not only have to provide roads, transit, water, sewers, and other “hard” infrastructure, they also have to provide “soft” infrastructure and services that enhance the quality of life in their communities—parks, libraries, [...]
From Developing Needs to Developing Solutions
By: Konrad Siu, Director of the Office of Infrastructure and Funding Strategy, City of Edmonton With municipal revenues failing to keep pace with investment needs, civic leaders across Canada face the daunting task of managing scarce dollars, balancing competing demands for services, and ensuring citizens continue to enjoy a high quality of life. While the challenges [...]
Building a Better Road
By: Casey Vander Ploeg, Senior Policy Analyst, Canada West Foundation Rural towns in the West are sleepy little affairs, and the small southern Alberta town in which I grew up is no different. There were, however, two occasions when the local hum-drum was broken, and believe it or not, both brouhahas involved infrastructure. The first [...]
Sustainable Infrastructure Investment Critical to the Economy
By: Michael Atkinson, President, Canadian Construction Association (CCA) There is little doubt about the need for safe, reliable, and efficient core infrastructure, both for the safety of Canadians and the competitiveness of the Canadian economy. The Canadian Construction Association, which represents the non-residential construction industry, has worked diligently to ensure that infrastructure remains a key [...]
1¢ Solution to a Billion Dollar Problem (Part IV)
By: Casey Vander Ploeg, Senior Policy Analyst, Canada West Foundation Solutions to policy problems seldom enjoy unanimous, much less unqualified, support. The “Penny Tax” is no exception. In this final segment, I respond to the critics. Criticism: The infrastructure deficit is fictitious. It compares what “is” spent (observable) with what “ought” to be spent (unobservable). [...]
