Canadian Infrastructure Report Card
Informing the Future
Issue
Local arts and culture statisticsArticle Link
http://canadianinfrastructure.ca/en/index.htmlBased on a survey of 120 municipalities, this report examines the state of municipally-owned infrastructure in seven sectors: buildings; sport and recreation facilities; roads and bridges; transit; potable water; wastewater; and stormwater. The buildings sector includes “community centres and cultural facilities”.
Arguing that “municipalities own the core infrastructure assets that are critical to the quality of life of Canadians and the competitiveness of our country”, the report finds that about one-third of municipal infrastructure “is in fair, poor or very poor condition, increasing the risk of service disruption”. The proportion of municipal infrastructure with the lowest three ratings (i.e., fair, poor, or very poor condition) varies by type of infrastructure:
- Bridges: 26%
- Roads: 37%
- Buildings: 45%
- Community centres and cultural facilities: 46%
In cities with at least 100,000 residents, the summary rating of community centres and cultural facilities is “Good: Adequate for now – within acceptable condition”. In smaller municipalities, however, community centres and cultural facilities are rated one step lower at “Fair: Requires attention – signs of deterioration, some elements exhibit deficiencies”.
Among municipally-owned buildings, health care facilities and shelters have the highest proportion of structures that are more than 50 years old (48% and 44%, respectively), followed by community centres and cultural facilities (37%). Each of these percentages is much higher than the average for all municipal buildings (23%).
The report highlights the “reinvestment rate” of buildings, which is an annual renewal budget (i.e., rehabilitation, reconstruction, or replacement) as a percentage of replacement value. The reinvestment rate in all municipal buildings is 1.7%, which is at the low end of the target range outlined in the report. For community centres and cultural facilities, the current reinvestment rate is even lower (1.4%).
