The Finance Ministry has launched an online survey tool designed to ask Canadians about the best way to stimulate the economy. This is a unique opportunity to affirm what Canadians know - the bestway to stimulate the economy is by expediting infrastructure spending.
You can visit the
online survey, or view the pre-budget
consultation papers (also in
French)
2009: The Year of Infrastructure?
Across the G-20, the globe's leading economies are lining up to pour money into infrastructure.
Whether it's
Argentina,
Australia,
China or of course, a new stimulus package being promised by President-Elect Obama in the
USA, billions of dollars are flowing into infrastructure programs worldwide. Canada has pledged the same - see the related story in this issue about urging the Finance Ministry to follow through.
Why Infrastructure and the Economy?
It's a question we're asked all the time... why is infrastructure spending the best way to boost the economy? In a nutshell, two simple answers.
1) The projects that are built will be in place to drive future growth, and;
2) the building materials for those projects and the labour to build them tend to come from the local economy. Whether it's pipe, concrete, bricks or ashpalt, suppliers tend to be from within a 500 km radius.
Collapsing garage takes man's life in Montreal.
Montreal - a city already reeling from lead contamination of its water system and overpasses that are deemed unsafe for truck traffic, received another infrastructure blow this month. A
parking garage collapsed, killing one man and displacing up to 500 residents of a nearby apartment building. Government inspectors are blaming corrosion caused by salt, and have temporarily closed other similar structures in the area.
