FCM calls on federal government to invest in infrastructure in Budget ‘24
The Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) is calling on the federal government to invest in critical infrastructure for Canadian communities as the country faces historic crises in housing, affordability, homelessness and climate change.
“We have been moving at a record pace,” said Halifax Mayor and Chair of Big City Mayors’ Caucus, Mike Savage. “Municipalities across the country have been accelerating housing construction, fast-tracking permit approvals, and coming up with innovative zoning solutions to get more housing built faster.”
While municipalities are working to get housing built, they own and maintain most of the infrastructure that Canadians rely on every day, FCM says. Yet they only collect between 8 and 12 cents out of every tax dollar.
“We tend to take infrastructure for granted because most of us only think about it when it’s not working. We expect our first responders to show up when there’s a crisis, our local recreation centre to have space for kids to play, and our bus to get us to work on time,” said FCM President Scott Pearce. “But this critical infrastructure and these services cost money – and municipalities can’t be expected to keep raising property taxes to pay for them.”
Municipalities have been underfunded for decades and municipal funding models have not kept pace with record growth.
FCM is calling on the federal government to enhance its commitment to new housing in Budget 2024 by investing in the infrastructure required to develop complete communities.