2019-20 Departmental Results Report
Results: what we achieved
Core responsibility: Public infrastructure
Description: Implement the Government of Canada's infrastructure plan to enable strategic investments in core public infrastructure that will create long-term growth; improve the resilience of communities and transition to a clean growth economy; and improve social inclusion and the socio-economic outcomes of Canadians. This work is done in partnership with provinces, territories, municipalities, Indigenous communities, other federal departments and agencies, and private sector and not-for-profit organizations. It includes delivering funding to infrastructure projects as well as building capacity for improved asset management and evidence-based planning.
Results
Result 1: Infrastructure projects are funded and supported by Infrastructure Canada
In 2019-20, Infrastructure Canada approved more than $4.4 billion ($4,463,974,147) in funding for 633 new infrastructure projects under ICIP, and contributed up to $7.6 billion to projects that were either ongoing or completed in 2019-20. This continues the steady increase in Departmental spending, up from $5.6 billion in 2018-2019, and $4.3 billion in 2017-2018.
Infrastructure Canada also engaged with other levels of government in contributing to project costs in 2019-20, resulting in $6 billion in federal funding being used to support projects with a total value of more than $14.2 billion. The costs in excess of the $6 billion of federal funding are provided by recipients who are mainly other levels of governmentFootnote 1.
As stated in 'Results at a Glance' under Priority 1, Infrastructure Canada also made substantial progress in 2019-20 to improve the flow of funds from the Department to its funding recipients. This includes progress on various initiatives underway to enhance the organization's financial forecasting and IT systems, and to increase efficiencies in program delivery. Infrastructure Canada also successfully completed the implementation of a pilot project with three provinces to enhance the flow of payments, which resulted in approximately $11.5 million in claims being paid as part of this pilot project.
Infrastructure Canada also assisted the Crown Corporations in its portfolio in fulfilling important commitments in 2019-20 and advancing priority projects:
Québec Bridge
The Government of Canada recognizes the importance of restoring the Quebec Bridge. Infrastructure Canada is, as such, committed to finding a sustainable approach for the rehabilitation of this bridge.
On August 23, 2019, Yvon Charest was appointed Special Negotiator on the Quebec Bridge file. The Negotiator's mandate is to recommend options to rehabilitate and ensure the sustainability of the Quebec Bridge, and is considering several options to address this priority, including a possible transfer of ownership of the bridge with adequate compensation from all parties.
In winter/spring 2020, Mr. Charest presented his preliminary report to the federal government. The report outlined the Negotiator's activities to date and his preliminary findings. Discussions also occurred with partners and stakeholders to advance key internal and external analyses. In 2020-21, the Negotiator will submit his final recommendations to the Ministers of Finance and Infrastructure and Communities for consideration.
Gordie Howe International Bridge (GHIB)
The Gordie Howe International Bridge project is in the second year of its six-year design-build phase. In 2019-20, substantial progress was made on detailed design of the GHIB project. Additionally, key construction activities have begun on the permanent works for all four components – the Canadian Port of Entry, Bridge, the U.S Port of Entry and the Michigan Interchange. In the spirit of the ongoing Canada-Michigan collaboration, the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities and the Governor of Michigan issued a joint statement in May 2019 highlighting Canada and Michigan's strong commitment to the GHIB project.
Champlain Bridge Deconstruction
Upon the conclusion of a fair, open and transparent procurement process, the Jacques Cartier and Champlain Bridges Incorporated (JCCBI) announced in March 2020, that Nouvel Horizon St-Laurent G.P., which is comprised of Pomerleau and Delsan-A.I.M, is the chosen bidder to deconstruct the original Champlain Bridge.
In addition to providing oversight to the JCCBI, Infrastructure Canada collaborated closely to ensure effective coordination of interfaces between the deconstruction project and the Samuel De Champlain Bridge Corridor.
Result 2: Public infrastructure is managed in a more sustainable way
Through the Smart Cities Community Support Program, Infrastructure Canada funded the Community Solutions Network (CSN), an initiative that provides smart city advisory and capacity-building services to communities of all sizes across the country. The initiative includes the Community Solutions Portal, a resource portal for communities; one-to-one advisory services, networking events, and published research and information regarding the state of smart cities in Canada.
The Smart Cities Challenge (SCC) raised awareness of smart cities issues across Canada, highlighted the winning projects in national and international fora, and inspired work by think tanks, universities, and academics. The Challenge itself received widespread coverage in national and regional media.
SCC's experimental approach is also reflected in the outcomes-based contribution agreements (CAs) signed with winning communities, which took an innovative approach aligning federal funding to project outcomes and milestones for achieving them.
Infrastructure Canada continues to build a strong foundation to support the Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB) including collaborating on the development of federal projects, regional federal-provincial initiatives, and promoting the CIB model with other governments and stakeholders:
- The CIB is working on structuring complex, long-term projects to attract private and institutional investments to help meet public policy challenges.
- The CIB has already made signature investments in public transit, green and trade and transportation infrastructure. Recently the CIB announced a partnership with Alberta to consider Calgary to Banff rail.
- Beyond investments, the CIB is also providing advice and is engaged in capacity building with partner governments.
Result 3: Rate of economic growth is increased in an inclusive and sustainable way
In 2019, the total impact on gross domestic product (GDP) of infrastructure investment in Canada was $68.9 billion.
Integrated Bilateral Agreements (IBAs) Highlights
Under the IBAs signed with Canada, each of the provinces and territories commit to allocating a portion of funding from the Community, Culture and Recreation Infrastructure stream to projects that benefit Indigenous peoples not living on reserve, for a total of $150 million nationally. The federal government will also contribute up to 75% for projects cost-shared with Indigenous recipients. In 2019-20, up to $225,104,885 in federal funding was approved for 55 projects with Indigenous recipients.
While INFC has mechanisms in place to support inclusivity, such as the ability for Indigenous recipients under ICIP to stack federal funding up to 100%, the Department looks for opportunities to increase inclusivity and enable Indigenous communities to access infrastructure funding more easily. In 2019, Infrastructure Canada updated the Terms and Conditions of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP) to add Indigenous development corporations to the list of Indigenous eligible recipients. The program's Terms and Conditions were clarified to ensure Métis Nation governments are eligible as well.
The IBAs signed between Canada and each of the provinces and territories in 2018 also provided $2 billion in federal funding under the Rural and Northern Communities Infrastructure stream to invest in the unique and wide-ranging infrastructure priorities of small, rural and remote communities. As a result, in 2019-20, $592,648,262 of this funding was approved for 203 projects. The $400 million Arctic Energy Fund also supports energy security in communities in the North, including Indigenous communities, by investing in upgrades to existing fossil fuel-based energy systems, as well as supplementing or replacing these systems with renewable energy options. In 2019-20, $47,940,200 was approved for five projects under the Arctic Energy Fund.
In addition, the IBAs provide eligibility for health and education projects that address the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Calls to Action. In 2019-20, Infrastructure Canada approved eight projects meeting this criteria amounting to $64.8 million.
Rural Opportunities / National Prosperity
The Rural Economic Development Strategy for Canada was launched on June 27, 2019 in conjunction with Canada's Connectivity Strategy. Ongoing engagement with rural communities and stakeholders, as well as other federal departments and agencies continues, and will identify opportunities and priorities for vibrant rural economies. Infrastructure Canada developed guidance on a rural lens, to help all federal programs and services understand how they need to be adapted to better reach rural Canada.
Community Employment Benefits / Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund
The Community Employment Benefit (CEB) is a reporting requirement included in contribution agreements for all projects approved under the Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund.
Community Employment Benefits / Smart Cities Challenge
Contribution Agreements signed and in negotiation with winning communities each include expectations for community employment benefits strategies to be developed and reported by the winning community.
For example, the City of Guelph and Wellington County, ON, identified three target groups among which employment would be encouraged through their Smart Cities Challenge project. This includes:
- Newcomers (specifically women and youth);
- Small and medium enterprises (SMEs); and
- Social enterprises, which focus on not-for-profit and Indigenous-led enterprises.
Result 4: Improved urban mobility in Canadian communities
Samuel De Champlain Bridge Corridor
The Samuel De Champlain Bridge fully opened to vehicular users in both directions on July 1, 2019. It is built on the foundation of mobility for all users. This bridge keeps people moving year-round: by foot, bike, car, truck, and soon aboard the Réseau express métropolitain light rail transit network. The multiple-use path, which provides cyclists and pedestrians a secure direct link between Montreal and the South Shore, opened in December 2019.
During 2019-20, Infrastructure Canada also worked closely with the proponent of the Réseau express métropolitain project (REM Inc.) to finalize a lease agreement and begin its construction within the Samuel De Champlain Bridge's dedicated transit corridor. While the private partner continues to complete deferred works and corrects deficiencies, the Samuel De Champlain Bridge Corridor project is now transitioning to the full operation, maintenance and rehabilitation phase which extends to 2049-2050.
Result 5: Environmental quality is improved, GHG emissions are reduced and resilience of communities is increased
Under the IBAs, certain projects must be assessed on their environmental outcomes through a climate lens assessment. This assessment is used to judge how a project might impact the environment and hold up to the effects of climate change. This aims to build climate-smart infrastructure that will help combat climate change, reduce energy costs, and provide Canadians with safer and more resilient communities.
In 2019-20, funding recipients completed 46 mitigation climate lens assessments and 38 resilience climate lens assessments.
The IBAs also provide $9.7 billion in federal funding under the Green Infrastructure Stream to invest in green infrastructure projects with outcomes across three crucial areas:
- Climate Change Mitigation;
- Adaptation, Resilience and Disaster Mitigation; and
- Environmental Quality.
In 2019-20, up to $1,438,076,290 of this funding was approved for 182 projects. In addition, a total of 39 projects, representing a federal contribution of $926,130,857, were approved and announced in 2019-20 under the Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund.
Result 6: Canadian communities are inclusive and accessible
A total of $1.3 billion in federal funding is allocated to the Communities, Culture, and Recreational Infrastructure Stream under the IBAs. This allows for investments in projects that improve cultural infrastructure, support upgrades to recreational facilities, and improve community infrastructure. In 2019-20, $242,898,779 of this funding was approved for 101 projects.
These projects must also meet or exceed the requirements of the highest published accessibility standard in a jurisdiction, in addition to applicable provincial building codes and relevant municipal by-laws.
The four Smart Cities Challenge winning projects also broadly support social inclusion and address the social, economic, and psychological wellbeing of their residents. Three of these four projects focused explicitly on the themes of empowerment and inclusion. For example:
- The Town of Bridgewater's Energy Poverty Reduction project aims to lift residents out of energy poverty, focusing on low-income households;
- Nunavut Communities' Katinnganiq Makerspace Network project aims to reduce the risk of youth suicide in the territory, in part by enabling accessibility of peer support networks and educational and creative resources;
- The City of Guelph and Wellington County's Our Food Future project aims to create an inclusive circular food economy that will increase access to nutritious and affordable food; and
- The City of Montreal's Montréal en commun will improve access to food, particularly for vulnerable people, in part by innovating and improving mobility in the city.
Gender-based analysis plus
Infrastructure Canada is committed to ensuring inclusive outcomes of infrastructure investments to benefit all Canadians. The Department continues to look for opportunities to strengthen inclusive outcomes for more vulnerable and disadvantaged populations in program design and pursue these efforts in both medium and long-term planning strategies.
In 2019-20, Infrastructure Canada's Gender-Based Analysis Plus (GBA+) responsibility centre continued to provide evidence-based GBA+ analyses in Memoranda to Cabinet, Treasury Board Submissions as well as budget proposals and ensured that GBA+ considerations are included in public reporting.
Additionally the responsibility centre sought to build capacity through awareness and training by promoting GBA+ training for employees as well as deliver outreach activities for employees. The responsibility centre continued to liaise with Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE), the Government of Canada GBA+ Interdepartmental Network and worked in conjunction with Infrastructure Canada's Diversity, Inclusion and Official Languages Co-Champions to promote an inclusive workplace.
The Department prioritized inclusion as a key outcome in evaluating all infrastructure investments and continued to ensure transparent, evidence-based decision making. To do so, the Department conducted an organizational scan to assess current levels of GBA+ knowledge and application, which took into consideration available data and research to support GBA+ for infrastructure. Additionally, the Department undertook key diagnostics to strengthen GBA+, including work that supports the Community Employment Benefits reporting initiative and its promotion of opportunities for women and other identified groups to work on infrastructure projects.
Experimentation
Infrastructure Canada's SCC was launched in 2017 as one of the first challenge-based programs under the Impact Canada Initiative. SCC is an experimental program in terms of the challenge prize model, as well as its use of outcomes-based contribution agreements signed with winning communities; it uses an innovative approach by aligning federal funding to project outcomes and milestones for achieving them.
These projects serve as test cases to assess early-stage innovations related to "smart cities" as a new domain of city management and to evaluate the merits of smart cities models using impact measures and comparisons where possible. The understanding and integration of program experiences and lessons learned for future program design is a core element of the experimental nature of the program, and will inform future iterations of the Challenge.
The SCC seeks to test two hypotheses:
- Whether a challenge prize funding approach is more effective at spurring innovation relative to traditional policy instruments, and
- Whether various smart cities approaches are feasible in Canada and can generate tangible local benefits to support more resilient communities (and under what conditions).
The first round of the SCC received proposals from 225 communities; four prize winners were recommended by an independent jury and were announced in May 2019. By virtue of the Challenge's outcomes-based funding model, the implementation of winning communities' projects is focused on measurable and tangible outcomes and is enabled by a milestone-based funding agreement. These agreements were negotiated with each winner individually to reflect their unique project and its goals. Funding is allocated for the achievement of project milestones and supports the development of experimental evidence in demonstrating the impacts of the investments and project activities.
The Department is also actively measuring a number of key outcomes that serve as evidence to either support or contest the hypothesis of the effectiveness of the challenge prize model. These outcomes include: creation of multi-stakeholder partnerships and networks, improved innovation capacity in communities, improved socioeconomic outcomes, and encouraged replication through the dissemination of knowledge about smart cities. 2019-20 was a baseline-setting year for a number of these key outcomes.
Results achieved
Results tables below outlines the six departmental results and their progress over the last three years.
Result 1
| Departmental results | Performance indicators | TargetFootnote 2 | Date to achieve target | 2017–18 Actual results |
2018–19 Actual results | 2019–20 Actual results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result 1: Infrastructure projects are funded and supported by Infrastructure Canada | 1.1: Infrastructure Canada funding committed to projectsFootnote 3 | $5,588,587,561 | March 2020 | $6,039,963,409 | $8,472,838,904 | $6,037,912,300 |
| 1.2: Value of Infrastructure Canada's funding contribution in the fiscal yearFootnote 4 | $9,544,693,639 | March 2020 | $3,608,705,632 | $5,449,773,453 | $7,616,737,618 | |
| 1.3: Implementation status and oversight of major bridge projectsFootnote 5 | Yes | March 2020 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Result 2
| Departmental results | Performance indicators | Target | Date to achieve target | 2017–18 Actual results |
2018–19 Actual results | 2019–20 Actual results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result 2: Public infrastructure is managed in a more sustainable way | 2.1: Total annual investments from all levels of government in infrastructure projects supported by Infrastructure CanadaFootnote 6 | $13,747,743,601 | March 2020 | $13,680,346,734 | $20,931,752,734 | $14,247,489,286 |
| 2.2: Percentage of municipalities that strengthened their asset management practices as a result of federal fundingFootnote 7 | 2.5% | March 2020 | 4.3% | 9% | 4.5% | |
| 2.3: Change in remaining useful life of infrastructure assetsFootnote 8 | 57.8% | March 2020 | 57.8% | 56.6% | 56.1% |
Result 3
| Departmental results | Performance indicators | Target | Date to achieve target | 2017–18 Actual results |
2018–19 Actual results | 2019–20 Actual results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result 3: Rate of economic growth is increased in an inclusive and sustainable way | 3.1: Change in real GDP attributable to federal investments in infrastructureFootnote 9 | $44.2 billionFootnote 10 | TBD | $44.2 billion | $45.0 billion | 48.1 billion |
Result 4
| Departmental results | Performance indicators | Target | Date to achieve target | 2017–18 Actual results |
2018–19 Actual results | 2019–20 Actual results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result 4: Improved urban mobility in Canadian communities | 4.1: Percentage of Canadians living within 400 metres of a transit station or stop | TBDFootnote 11 | Not available | 77.5%Footnote 12 | Not availableFootnote 13 | 86.5%Footnote 14 |
| 4.2: Modal share of public transit and active transportationFootnote 15 | 24.2% | December 2028 | 19.3%Footnote 16 | 19.3%Footnote 17 | 19.3%Footnote 18 |
Result 5
| Departmental results | Performance indicators | Target | Date to achieve target | 2017–18 Actual results |
2018–19 Actual results | 2019–20 Actual results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result 5: Environmental quality is improved, GHG emissions are reduced and resilience of communities is increased | 5.1: Percentage of municipalities that built or enhanced their capacity to reduce GHG emissions and adapt to climate change as a result of federal fundingFootnote 19 | 4.3% | March 2020 | 5.7% | 3.5% | 4.6% |
| 5.2: Percentage of municipalities that built or enhanced their drinking water system as a result of federal fundingFootnote 20 | 5.8% | March 2020 | 10.6% | 7.8% | 9.4% | |
| 5.3: Percentage of municipalities that built or enhanced their wastewater treatment system as a result of federal fundingFootnote 21 | 5.2% | March 2020 | 9.7% | 8.3 | 8.2% |
Result 6
| Departmental results | Performance indicators | Target | Date to achieve target | 2017–18 Actual results |
2018–19 Actual results | 2019–20 Actual results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result 6: Canadian communities are inclusive and accessible | 6.1: Number of community, cultural and recreational facilities that were enhanced or built as a result of federal funding, and are accessibleFootnote 22 | 82 | March 2020 | 251 | 201 | 336 |
| 6.2: Number of public transit systems that were enhanced or built as a result of federal funding, and are accessibleFootnote 23 | 73 | March 2020 | 128 | 226 | 114 |
Budgetary financial resources for core responsibility (dollars)
| 2019–20 Main Estimates |
2019–20 Planned spending |
2019–20 Total authorities available for use |
2019–20 Actual spending (authorities used) |
2019–20 Difference (Actual spending minus Planned spending) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10,685,305,408 | 10,685,305,408 | 11,084,426,555 | 8,891,374,387 | (1,793,931,021) |
Human resources for core responsibility (full-time equivalents)
| 2019–20 Planned full-time equivalents |
2019–20 Actual full-time equivalents |
2019–20 Difference (Actual full-time equivalents minus Planned full-time equivalents) |
|---|---|---|
| 275 | 275 | 0 |
Actual spending was 17% below planned spending for 2019-20 in the Public Infrastructure core responsibility. This variance is mainly due to large project negotiations taking longer than expected and impacting forecasts, the emergence of COVID having a direct impact on ultimate recipients' operations, and delays in project approvals and submissions to INFC than originally planned.
Actual full-time equivalents aligned with planned full-time equivalents for 2019-20 in the Public Infrastructure core responsibility.
Financial, human resources and performance information for Infrastructure Canada's Program Inventory is available in GC InfoBase Endnote i .
Internal Services
Description: Internal Services are those groups of related activities and resources that the federal government considers to be services in support of programs and/or required to meet corporate obligations of an organization. Internal Services refers to the activities and resources of the 10 distinct service categories that support Program delivery in the organization, regardless of the Internal Services delivery model in a department. The 10 service categories are:
- Acquisition Management Services
- Communication Services
- Financial Management Services
- Human Resources Management Services
- Information Management Services
- Information Technology Services
- Legal Services
- Material Management Services
- Management and Oversight Services
- Real Property Management Services
Budgetary financial resources for internal services (dollars)
| 2019–20 Main Estimates |
2019–20 Planned spending |
2019–20 Total authorities available for use |
2019–20 Actual spending (authorities used) |
2019–20 Difference (Actual spending minus Planned spending) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 51,359,545 | 51,359,545 | 62,719,778 | 57,493,166 | 6,133,621 |
Human resources for internal services (full-time equivalents)
| 2019–20 Planned full-time equivalents |
2019–20 Actual full-time equivalents |
2019–20 Difference (Actual full-time equivalents minus Planned full-time equivalents) |
|---|---|---|
| 197 | 365 | 168 |
Actual spending was 12% above planned spending for 2019-20 in the Internal Services' core responsibility. The variance in spending is due to $6.6M in new funding that Infrastructure Canada was able to secure during the 2019-20 fiscal year through a Treasury Board submission for its program integrity to maintain operations.
Actual full-time equivalents were 85% above planned full-time equivalents for 2019-20 in the Internal Services core responsibility. Given the Program Integrity funding to maintain INFC at 2018-19 funding levels was only accessed towards the end of 2019-20, through the Supplementary Estimates, this resulted in a 25% decrease in planned full-time equivalents at the beginning of the year to deliver on Internal Services compared to 2018-19. The Program Integrity funding was later approved, allowing INFC to maintain 2018-19 levels of 261 full-time equivalent for Internal Services. Further investments were also made in Internal Services in 2018-19 and 2019-20 to support key areas, where capacity was insufficient to manage workload and improve effectiveness through stronger tools and business processes. This had a direct incidence on the 2019-20 actual full-time equivalents commensurate to the number of positions staffed as a result of the investments.
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