2018-19 Departmental Results Report
Results at a glance
In 2018-19 Infrastructure Canada supported the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities in carrying out his mandatei. In January 2019, the Department welcomed Canada’s first ever Rural Economic Development Minister and began supporting her mandateii as well.
The Department launched a national consultation to better understand the opportunities and challenges faced by rural and remote communities with the aim of developing a whole-of-government strategy to address their priorities and respond to their unique needs. Rural leaders and stakeholders were consulted, and Canada’s first Rural Economic Development Strategy began to take shape. It would be launched soon after the end of the fiscal year, in June 2019.
As Infrastructure Canada delivered on its priorities, its actual spending continued to rise, reaching $5.6 billion in 2018-19. This is a 31% increase relative to the $4.3 billion spent in the previous fiscal year. This amount includes the full scope of departmental expenditures, from infrastructure funding to human resources.
Three years into the 12-year Investing in Canada plan, 23% of the Plan’s $180 billion in funding has been committed to infrastructure projects across Canada; major bridge projects have crossed important milestones; solid foundations have been laid to understanding infrastructure in Canada; and plans have been set to continue growing and developing our workforce.
Priority 1: Implement Investing in Canadaiii, a long-term infrastructure plan that will deliver significant new funding for provinces, territories, municipalities and Indigenous communities to support inclusive and sustainable economic growth.
As the lead department responsible for the horizontal coordination of the $180-billion Plan, Infrastructure Canada worked closely with 13 other federal delivery departments to guide implementation and reporting on over 70 programs that fall under it. Infrastructure Canada tracks progress through an online, interactive project mapiv, a table of results and a progress report, Building a Better Canada (Size: 8.19 MB) . By the end of the 2018-19 fiscal year, all programs had been launched, funding had been committed to more than 48,000 projects and 34,000 of those were already underway.
Infrastructure Canada is also responsible for delivering over $99 billion of the Investing in Canada plan. All funding programs administered by Infrastructure Canada under the Investing in Canada plan were underway by the end of 2018-19.
Key highlights
Integrated Bilateral Agreements were signed with all provinces and territories, allowing for the $33.5 billion Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program to be rolled out through the following 4 streams.
The Integrated Bilateral Agreements included new planning and reporting tools.
- The Climate Lensvi is a planning tool that promotes climate consideration in project planning and design.
- The Community Employment Benefits Frameworkvii is a reporting tool that tracks employment benefits for targeted groups.
Three other initiatives (separate from the Bilateral Agreements) reached important milestones.
*These numbers only reflect the funding commitments made under the new program(s) in the 2018-19 fiscal year. Additional funding is committed to similar infrastructure projects through existing programs and the Gas Tax Fund.
Priority 2: Advance the Samuel De Champlain Bridge Corridor project and the Gordie Howe International Bridge project to contribute to the efficiency and safety of Canada’s major gateways and trade corridors.
With the opening of the Samuel De Champlain Bridgexi scheduled for summer 2019, significant progress was made towards the completion of this massive infrastructure projectxii . At the height of construction in 2018-2019, there were 1,600 workers on-site. Major construction milestones over the year included completion of the bridge's main pylon and the installation of the cables and deck connecting the structure from shore to shore. Additionally, the new Île-des-Sœurs Bridge, another key component of the corridor, was completed and opened to traffic. Meanwhile, the existing Champlain Bridge continued to offer a safe passage across the river, with plans advancing for the deconstruction of the structure once the new bridge is in servicexiii .
Official start of construction began on the Gordie Howe International Bridge project in fall 2018. The project will establish a new international crossing connecting Windsor, Ontario, and Detroit, Michigan, at the busiest commercial land border crossing between Canada and the United States. The project is being delivered through a $5.7-billion public-private partnership (P3) contract which includes the construction and long-term maintenance of a six-lane, 2.5-kilometre, cable-stayed bridge; the Canadian and U.S. Ports of Entry; and building an Interchange to the U.S. Interstate Highway System. This once-in-a-generation, bi-national border infrastructure project will generate significant employment, economic opportunities and community benefits throughout its construction and beyond.
The Gordie Howe International Bridge contract was awarded and construction has started.
Priority 3: Instill a strengthened culture of measurement, evaluation and innovation.
In 2018-19, Infrastructure Canada increased its capacity to collect, develop, use and share high-quality data on infrastructure. The Department worked with Statistics Canada to create the Infrastructure Economic Accountxiv and to publish the first round of data from Canada's Core Public Infrastructure Surveyxv . The Infrastructure Statistics Hubxvi was launched to provide easy access to infrastructure-related data documenting wages, growth rate, and the state and age of the infrastructure, to name a few areas of focus. Once the basic information was made available, employees began to study it for policy ideas, identify remaining data gaps and make the Hub a living part of our work culture. Furthermore, the Department is pursuing its research and data agenda to advance policy development for alternative and innovative models for infrastructure funding, financing, and procurement.
In 2017, Infrastructure Canada launched the Smart Cities Challengexvii to advance a culture of continuous improvement and innovation in Canadian communities. In 2018-19, more than 225 communities came forward with ideas to improve their collective well-being by adopting a ‘smart cities approach' using data and connected technology. Twenty finalists were selected and each received $250,000 to develop their project proposals. Infrastructure Canada launched the Smart Cities Community Support Programxviii and funded Evergreen's Community Solutions Network to provide finalists with advisory and capacity-building services. Their final proposal submissions were received in March 2019 and evaluations by the independent Smart Cities jury began, with the recommendation of winners in each prize category taking place early in the next fiscal year (2019-20).
The town of Bridgewater in Nova Scotia received a finalist grant under the Smart Cities Challengexix to develop a plan for reducing energy poverty in their community - a serious problem that affects about 2 out of every 5 residents.
Priority 4: Strengthen human resources across the Department.
The Department has a new plan to help employees continue learning and developing in their careers, grow within the organization, and contribute to healthy, energized, resilient and productive teams. In 2018-19 a new onboarding program was created, the official languages training program was enhanced and career opportunities were posted internally to help employees develop within the organization. Employees were also invited to take part in the activities of the Young Professional Network, volunteer as Mental Health Ambassadors, and to shadow a manager for a day as part of the Take Me With You government-wide campaign.
Employees were supported in addressing and resolving pay-related issues, and funding was secured to stabilize the workforce. Over the fiscal year, the Department experienced a 23% growth in the number of indeterminate employees.
For more information on Infrastructure Canada’s plans, priorities and results achieved, see the "Results: what we achieved" section of this report.
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