As the federal government announced its budget yesterday, Canada’s construction and infrastructure industries responded to its promises, which include five-year capital investments of $115 billion for infrastructure, $25 billion for homebuilding and $30 billion for defence and security.Among the funding commitments are $54 billion for core public infrastructure (e.g. water and transit), $5 billion for trade and transport infrastructure, $19 billion for Indigenous communities and municipal infrastructure and $37 billion for other infrastructure and assets, such as in health care and innovation. Of the $30 billion for defence and security, meanwhile, $5 billion is earmarked for infrastructure and equipment.The Association of Consulting Engineering Companies – Canada (ACEC-Canada) praised the budget for “significant commitments to infrastructure, housing and productivity.”In particular, ACEC-Canada called the new $50-billion Build Communities Strong Fund “a critical opportunity to strengthen Canada’s foundations for long-term prosperity” and welcomed the budget’s continued commitment to the new Major Projects Office and funding for further infrastructure in the natural resources sector and to aid in trade diversification. The organization is now advocating for a “timely and predictable” delivery of funding, “streamlined procurement and project delivery” and “a focus on project life cycle and sustainability.”“Consulting engineering firms are at the heart of every successful infrastructure project,” says ACEC-Canada president John Gamble. “We look forward to working with government partners to deliver high-quality, resilient and sustainable infrastructure.”“Canada has underinvested in critical infrastructure for decades,” added Rodrigue Gilbert, president of the Canadian Construction Association (CCA). “These investments reflect the essential role of infrastructure in addressing the national housing shortage and committing substantial resources to projects.”The Canadian Renewable Energy Association (CanREA), meanwhile, expressed encouragement over the budget’s climate policy, which it says “sends businesses a clear signal that Canada is a safe and stable place to invest in wind, solar and energy storage projects.”“The Clean Electricity Investment Tax Credit (ITC) will help to build critical infrastructure, like interprovincial transmission, and begin to level the playing field for municipalities and Indigenous companies,” says Fernando Melo, CanREA’s senior director of public affairs and federal policy. (ICE TORONTO)

Fonte notizia: https://www.canadianmanufacturing.com/