2021-22 Departmental Results Report
Results: what we achieved

• Previous
• Table of Contents
• Next

Core responsibilities

Core Responsibility 1: Public Infrastructure, Communities and Rural Economic Development Policy

Description

Infrastructure Canada sets policies for both public infrastructure and rural economic development that target the needs of Canadians and stakeholders (public/private partners) while considering finite resources. Policies are set through strategies, plans, consideration of alternative financing models and funding programs, and eligibility requirements, among other tools, and their outcomes are monitored to inform future decision making. Policy solutions determine how the federal government supports public infrastructure development, bridges, public transit, clean water and wastewater, disaster mitigation, and rural economic development, among other areas, which have impacts on the quality of life of Canadians.

Results

Departmental Result 1.1: Infrastructure, communities and rural economic development policies are evidence-based

Infrastructure Canada undertook a number of activities during 2021-22 in order to further the data, research and policy-making capacity of its employees, and engaged with non-governmental subject matter experts, public interest advocates and research groups in order to increase evidence-based policy.  

In terms of its workforce, Infrastructure Canada strengthened departmental knowledge on leading infrastructure research through a monthly expert speaker series, INFRA-Nex. It also developed and rolled out an Infrastructure Canada Research and Innovation Strategy, which defined the core objectives of the Department's research function and research priorities and hired Infrastructure Canada's first ever Departmental Science Advisor in collaboration with Transport Canada to provide scientific and expert advice on various research and policy areas.

To enhance intersectional analysis and evidence-based knowledge of the impacts of infrastructure investments on diverse groups of people and communities, in August 2021, the Department's GBA Plus responsibility centre launched an enhanced GBA Plus toolkit with additional resources and guidance to support the application of GBA Plus analysis in decision-making.

Looking to the Department's programs, the first-ever open call for proposals was launched under the Research and Knowledge Initiative contributions program to engage experts across Canada and across sectors in strengthening community-level data and research on public infrastructure issues to support decision-making.

Additionally, in 2021-22, the Department held a dozen ministerial roundtables to support preliminary thinking on Canada's first National Infrastructure Assessment, as well as bilateral outreach with Canadian and international stakeholders. It also engaged outside experts to better understand how other jurisdictions have undertaken similar infrastructure assessments, and better understand the state of readiness in Canada to undertake this Assessment.

Further, Infrastructure Canada supports evidence-based policy decisions in serving as a policy centre of expertise for the Government of Canada that conducts research and analysis of trends and innovations in project finance and alternative partnerships models both domestically and internationally. In this role, Infrastructure Canada developed advice in response to the Privy Council Office-led (PCO) medium-term planning exercise on the fundamental role of the federal government as a more informed investor in infrastructure delivery, including a platform on commitments such as Canadian-made content requirements and adjustments to the mandate of the CIB.

At the same time, the Department enabled a further policy reset of the CIB following the 2020 Growth Plan and through work undertaken to reconsider the role of the CIB post-Budget 2021. Results of this work were brought forward through Budget 2022 proposals to enable the CIB to further support climate goals through the expansion of existing asset classes.

Departmental Result 1.2: Infrastructure improves the 'quality of life' for all Canadians

In 2021-22, the Department's work on climate resilient infrastructure and adaptation to climate change was important to its goal of improving the quality of life for Canadians. 

Engagement, Policy Research, and Analysis

Supporting the construction of climate resilient infrastructure was an important part of Infrastructure Canada's work to reduce the socio-economic costs of climate change. In order to do this, our Department engaged with external partners, conducted policy research and analysis, and developed relevant policy and program design considerations.

To this end, the Department actively led work related to Resilient Infrastructure as part of the development of Canada's first-ever National Adaptation Strategy. Infrastructure Canada established an Advisory Table for Resilient Natural and Built Infrastructure, which included 18 experts from diverse backgrounds, including Indigenous organizations, the policy and research community, the private sector and professional organizations to advise on a long-term transformational goal to 2050 and key medium-term objectives to 2030 to inform the National Adaptation Strategy.

Infrastructure Canada also supported the development of the resilient communities and infrastructure chapter of the forthcoming Climate Science 2050 report. The Department increased its capacity to understand the needs and investment strategies of Canada's institutional investors in infrastructure projects, as well as understanding of the financial positions of borrowers to better assist in the development of new programs.

At the same time, the Department continued to co-chair the National Infrastructure and Buildings Working Group, under Canada's Adaptation Platform. Quarterly meetings are convened to showcase and exchange leading practices across Canada on adaptation/resilience and infrastructure.

Climate-ready Guidance, Standards, and Codes

Another aspect of encouraging the construction of infrastructure designed to withstand Canada's changing climate is Infrastructure Canada's work to develop climate-ready guidance, standards and codes.

The Department is working on the Climate Resilient Built Environment (CRBE) Initiative in partnership with the National Research Council (NRC). It is being built on the foundation of its predecessor, the Climate-Resilient Buildings and Core Public Infrastructure Initiative (CRBCPI). Some key results include publishing the National Guide for Wildland-Urban Interface Fires, which provides guidance on steps that communities can take to reduce their risk; creating the Design Value Explorer Tool that enables users to access and examine projected future change in design variables; and developing guidelines to improve the flood-resistance of buildings.

Budgetary financial resources (dollars)

The following table shows budgetary spending in 2021–22 for Public Infrastructure, Communities and Rural Economic Development Policy, as well as actual spending for that year.

2021–22 Main Estimates	2021–22 planned spending	2021–22 total authorities available for use	2021–22 actual spending (authorities used)	2021–22 difference (actual spending minus planned spending)
$27,590,754	$27,590,754	$43,046,709	$38,225,901	$10,635,147

Financial, human resources and performance information for Infrastructure Canada's Program Inventory is available in GC InfoBase.

Infrastructure Canada received incremental funding through the 2020 Fall Economic Statement, Budget 2021 and the mandated transfer of the Housing and Homelessness portfolio from ESDC to deliver on new programming and initiatives which were on the horizon but yet to be approved at the 2021-22 planning stage. These initiatives provided incremental funding for the Department to invest in its Public Infrastructure, Communities and Rural Economic Development Policy core responsibility. This allowed the Department to develop policy considerations and program design options, tools and guidance that supported informed making decisions, invest in research and data strategy, which, in return, allowed for the successful delivery of the new suite of programming, as well as the most recent expanded mandate.

Human resources (full-time equivalents)

The following table shows, in full‑time equivalents, the human resources the department needed to fulfill this core responsibility for 2021–22.

2021–22 planned full-time equivalents	2021–22 actual full-time equivalents	2021–22 difference (actual full-time equivalents minus planned full‑time equivalents)
137	225	88

Financial, human resources and performance information for Infrastructure Canada's Program Inventory is available in GC InfoBase.

With the unprecedented influx of new programming, substantial resources were invested to ensure the Department had the policy-making capacity to deliver on the new programs and expanded mandate that were approved in 2021-22. These initiatives provided resources to bolster existing teams and to create new specialized teams to help the Department coordinate and deliver on this core priority. It is also important to note that the transfer of the Housing and Homelessness portfolio from ESDC also included a transfer of existing capacity to continue delivering successfully on Homelessness and Housing.

Core Responsibility 2: Public Infrastructure and Communities Investments

Description

Infrastructure Canada identifies investment opportunities across a range of funding mechanisms and aims to maximize value-for-money as the federal government directs investment into infrastructure.

• Allocation-based programs offer stable funding for projects that balance both national priorities with local needs of provinces and territories;
• Direct-application programs award funding to projects that are selected through an application process; and,
• Alternative financing arrangements identify projects that are delivered in partnership with either private sector or non-government organizations and Infrastructure Canada or Crown Corporations under the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities.

Results

Departmental Result 2.1: Investments in public infrastructure to meet national interests and community needs

In order to meet national interests and community needs through public infrastructure investments, the Department invested both in communities and projects of a national scale through a variety of direct-application and allocation-based transfer payment programs, such as the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP) and the Canada Community-Building Fund (CCBF). It also leveraged its partnerships with the private sector through the P3 Canada Fund, the CIB, and through its major bridge projects. Infrastructure Canada worked closely with both communities and private partners to use its array of funding mechanisms to invest in and maximize the value of its investments for Canadians.

Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP)

In 2021-2022, Infrastructure Canada supported jurisdictions by investing through targeted streams under the ICIP to address provincial/territorial, municipal and Indigenous needs in public transit, green and social infrastructure, rural and northern infrastructure, and the COVID-19 Resilience Infrastructure Stream.

The ICIP is an allocation-based program that is managed through Integrated Bilateral Agreements. Provinces and territories, in consultation with municipalities and Indigenous communities, are responsible for submitting projects and flowing funds to eligible ultimate recipients.

Infrastructure Canada also worked to see that its investments addressed the needs of communities as it continued to support social inclusion and economic growth through its ongoing implementation of the Community Employment Benefits initiative under the ICIP. The initiative complements broader government efforts to increase the supply and retention of diverse workers and by encouraging employment and procurement opportunities for apprentices, veterans, women, youth, persons with disabilities, recent immigrants and Indigenous peoples, small and medium enterprises and social enterprises.

The details and results of these investments through the ICIP are covered in the next section, under Core Responsibility 3.

Canada Community Building Fund (CCBF)

The stable, predictable and flexible funding allocated through the CCBF on a per-capita basis is another mechanism by which the government, through the Department, invests in meeting the needs of communities. The CCBF is a permanent source of funding provided up-front, twice-a-year, to provinces and territories, who in turn flow this funding to their municipalities. Annually, the CCBF delivers funding to 3,600 communities across the country and supports approximately 4,000 projects. In 2021-2022, funding for CCBF was doubled to help address pandemic related challenges.

P3 Canada Fund

In the area of alternative finance, Infrastructure Canada continued to provide advice, guidance, intelligence and expertise to assist partners in the development of their public-private partnership (PPP) projects, including management of the P3 Canada Fund. In 2021-22, the Department supported recipients in the substantial completion of two P3 Canada Fund projects and processed claims for three P3 Canada Fund projects, totalling more than $89 million. As well, it maintained regular contact with recipients and conducted ongoing due diligence review of project agreements, change order requests, annual progress reports and lessons learned.

Additionally, Infrastructure Canada worked collaboratively with stakeholders across governments, the private and academic sectors to build knowledge and understanding through research and data in matters pertaining to public-private partnerships.

Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB)

In 2021-22, Infrastructure Canada also sought to meet the needs of Canadians by supporting the CIB in delivering on its mandate to attract private and institutional investment to revenue-generating infrastructure projects in the public interest. The Department oversaw core policy and accountability responsibilities related to the CIB by supporting the development and approval of the CIB's Corporate Plan and tabling in Parliament of the CIB's Annual Report. The Department also led the development of proposals to expand the CIB's remit to further enable the institution to invest in infrastructure that can support Canada's transition to a low-carbon economy, and managed engagement with the CIB and other government departments on key policy and programming issues. 

The CIB also supported crucial work in electrifying Canada's transit systems, helping transit authorities shift from diesel to electric-powered transit in collaboration with the ZETF stream, which was launched in August 2021 to support the government's commitment to put zero-emission buses on the road. Through the CIB's Growth Plan, $1.5 billion has been allocated to accelerate the adoption of  zero-emission buses and charging infrastructure so Canadians can have cleaner communities.

Major Bridges

The Department's progress on improving the safe and efficient movement of people and goods through its major bridge projects furthers its work to meet the needs of Canadians and invest in communities, including by leveraging partnerships with the private sector.

Infrastructure Canada supported its Private Partner, Signature on the Saint Lawrence Group, in carrying out remaining work on the SDCB.  The Department's multidisciplinary team continues to work and facilitate effective collaboration between its Private Partner and REM inc. for the integration of the REM light-rail transit system within the SDCB's dedicated Transit Corridor.

As referenced in Results at a Glance, Infrastructure Canada also worked with Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority (WDBA) in its delivery of the GHIB, alongside the State of Michigan, through a public-private partnership with Bridging North America (BNA). While the results and progress from 2021-2022 are detailed under Core Responsibility 3, the GHIB's Community Benefits Plan is noteworthy for meeting the needs of communities.

The Community Benefits Plan, which is being delivered by the WDBA and BNA, fosters stakeholder engagement and provides initiatives based on public input to create measurable and results-based opportunities for host communities. The Plan includes a workforce development component with employment, training, and educational opportunities, and an infrastructure component that makes aesthetic and functional improvements to local neighborhoods. The Plan's Workforce Development and Participation Strategy is ensuring that at least $250 million (CAD) of the Bridge work in Canada will be performed by local workers and contractors. Initiatives under the Plan's Neighborhood Infrastructure Strategy represent $20 million (CAD) in community investments shared equally between Windsor and Detroit.

Budgetary financial resources (dollars)

The following table shows, for Public Infrastructure, Communities Public Infrastructure and Communities Investments, budgetary spending for 2021–22, as well as actual spending for that year.

2021–22 Main Estimates	2021–22 planned spending	2021–22 total authorities available for use	2021–22 actual spending (authorities used)	2021–22 difference (actual spending minus planned spending)
15,330,043	15,330,043	20,661,158	18,614,204	3,284,161

Financial, human resources and performance information for Infrastructure Canada's Program Inventory is available in GC InfoBase.

With the suite of new programming recently approved, Infrastructure Canada worked diligently at identifying infrastructure investment opportunities to maximize value-for-money. To successfully deliver the new programs which were mostly merit-based, additional capacity was required to launch intake processes and evaluate proposals. With the influx of new infrastructure investments, especially in the Permanent Public Transit Program, the increase in the work tied to alternative financing arrangements resulted in the need to bolster Infrastructure Canada's existing capacity in this domain. While the transfer of the Housing and Homelessness portfolio had an incidence on our 2021-22 spending, the program was for the most part focused on policy development and at the oversight and delivery stage for the existing programs.

Human resources (full-time equivalents)

The following table shows, in full‑time equivalents, the human resources the Department needed to fulfill this core responsibility for 2021–22.

2021–22 planned full-time equivalents	2021–22 actual full-time equivalents	2021–22 difference (actual full-time equivalents minus planned full‑time equivalents)
132	169	37

Financial, human resources and performance information for Infrastructure Canada's Program Inventory is available in GC InfoBase.

New programming approved through the 2020 Fall Economic Statement and Budget 2021 had a direct impact on the increase in capacity observed under the Public Infrastructure, Communities Public Infrastructure and Communities Investments. New capacity was required to identify investment opportunities through project intakes and other mechanisms.

Core Responsibility 3: Public Infrastructure and Communities Investment Oversight and Delivery

Description

Conduct oversight to ensure recipients comply with project requirements and projects are delivered according to agreements. Infrastructure Canada oversees programs and projects as well as major bridges, Crown Corporations and alternative financing arrangements. While Crown Corporations operate at arm's length, the Department plays a secretariat role in supporting them. Across all programming, numerous monitoring activities are used to oversee projects and ensure they are delivered as expected for Canadians.

Results

Departmental Result 3.1: Infrastructure investments and assets are managed through their lifecycle

Under its responsibility for managing infrastructure investments and assets through their lifecycle, Infrastructure Canada conducts end-to-end oversight of funding agreements and project investments to ensure compliance and achievement of expected outputs and outcomes through the ongoing collection, monitoring, and assessment of information.

Infrastructure Canada has undertaken a number of efforts to carry out and improve monitoring and oversight of funding agreements and project investments to ensure compliance and achievement of expected results, including:

• Completion of over 900 assessments to determine whether Infrastructure Canada funding triggered Indigenous consultation obligations and environmental statutory requirements;
• Monitoring of over 6,000 active projects for progress, risks and results achieved;
• Facilitation of 13 Oversight Committees with provinces and territories to monitor the progress of ICIP in each jurisdiction: and
• Reviewing and processing payments for over 800 claims, facilitating the flow of funding to project recipients.

In addition to undertaking improvements to its oversight function, over the course of 2021-22, Infrastructure Canada managed and oversaw a slate of transfer payment programs, as well as its major bridge projects. These include the following:

Smart Cities Challenge (SCC)

One of the transfer payment programs overseen by Infrastructure Canada in 2021-22 was the SCC, which challenges communities to adopt a smart cities approach to improve the lives of their residents through innovation, data, and connected technology.

The Department monitored four Smart Cities Challenge winners through milestone reports and Agreement Management Committees. These four winners are implementing their projects and achieving milestones. Due to the impacts of COVID-19, adjustments to activities and timelines have been made to ensure approved projects are still achieving planned outcomes. Contribution agreements are being monitored through regular Agreement Management Committee meetings and progress reports.

More details on this program are found in the Experimentation section.

Canada Healthy Communities Initiative (CHCI)

Notably, the Department also monitored the CHCI through quarterly and annual reporting from the recipients as well as quarterly Agreement Oversight Committee meetings to ensure that the results are met. This helped to support new approaches and solutions that are needed by communities to ensure that Canadians can safely engage in physical, social and commercial activities locally.

The CHCI is a COVID-19 response initiative that will provide up to $61.284 million in contribution funding over five years to Community Foundations of Canada (CFC), a not-for-profit organization selected through an open and transparent call for applications. CFC is working directly with communities to identify and fund local projects that can be put into place quickly to improve the lives of Canadians.

Municipalities, local governments, and Indigenous communities as well as not-for-profit community partners are able to apply directly to CFC, the CHCI contribution recipient, with their project proposals. The Initiative is helping communities by supporting innovative ideas for small-scale, community-led infrastructure projects across Canada. Local projects must be infrastructure-related and must respond directly to needs arising directly from COVID-19 by creating safer and more vibrant public spaces, improving mobility options and enabling digital solutions.

Over the last two years, the CHCI provided up to $31 million in existing federal funding for 661 projects approved across the country. Approved projects will help communities establish digital solutions, improve mobility, and adapt and create public spaces and local services in a way that meets people's needs both during and following the COVID-19 pandemic.

This approach entails rethinking public spaces, expanding temporary infrastructure to allow residents to reconnect with their communities, to safely access essential services, and to support healthy lifestyles. Of the three funding streams, Creating Safe and Vibrant Public Spaces received the highest number of applications and largest amount of funded projects (63%), followed by Digital Solutions (30%) and Improving Mobility Options (6.5%). People with low incomes or living in poverty, persons with disabilities, and newcomers are amongst the most served communities.

Green and Inclusive Community Buildings (GICB)

As outlined in Results at a Glance, April 2021 saw the launch of the new $1.5 billion GICB program, which will build more community buildings and improve existing ones – in particular in under-served areas with populations experiencing higher needs. The GICB program supports the first pillar of the Strengthened Climate Plan by making it easier for Canadians to improve the places in which they live and gather, including by cutting pollution (e.g. reducing GHG emissions, increasing energy efficiency, building resiliency to climate change and encouraging new builds to net zero standards), making life more affordable and supporting thousands of good jobs.

In order to provide support for smaller community needs on an ongoing basis, the GICB includes a continuous intake stream for small and medium retrofit projects (under $3 million) to existing community buildings. Projects approved to date include improvements to cultural and recreation centres, as well as Indigenous schools.

GICB also includes a scheduled intake stream that supports large retrofit projects as well as the construction of new community building projects (from $3 million to $25 million). The first intake closed in July 2021 and the interest in the program was extremely high. More information and announcements of decisions will continue throughout the new fiscal year. In addition, a second timed intake is planned for later in 2022.

In 2021-22, Infrastructure Canada approved 19 small to medium retrofit projects, representing a federal contribution over $29 million under GICB.

In recognition of the distinct role that community infrastructure plays for the well-being and self-determination of Indigenous peoples, a minimum of $150 million of the $1.5 billion envelope for the GICB program is allocated on a distinctions-basis* to Indigenous projects being led by and for Indigenous populations and communities. Infrastructure Canada engaged with various Indigenous stakeholders which, in turn, resulted in a high volume of applications received - over 40% of applications were submitted by Indigenous communities and organizations. Of the projects approved in the first year, two were from Indigenous applicants, representing a federal contribution of $3.4 million.

Public Transit

Infrastructure Canada also advanced the commitment to provide permanent public transit funding, which will reduce GHG emissions and congestion, provide a range of health benefits, and benefit women and disadvantaged groups who rely on transit services the most.

As such, the Department has begun its work to develop programming for $3 billion in permanent public transit funding in a manner that offers the greatest benefits to Canadians from coast to coast to coast. Consultations with provinces, territories, municipalities, local governments, Indigenous communities, transit agencies, policy experts and other stakeholders on the design of the new permanent public transit funding will follow to address how all orders of government can work in partnership to get the most out of investments in public transit.

To support the distribution of this new funding, the Department undertook a number of activities, including the creation of three regional offices to increase and deepen engagement with communities, and to improve the Department's understanding of regional perspectives on transit.

Infrastructure Canada also partnered with leading researchers to advance knowledge on transit issues, including co-funding 23 Knowledge Synthesis Grants on transit and mobility with the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), collaborated on a study with Natural Resources Canada on optimized charging infrastructure for electric buses, and provided in-kind contributions to Mobilizing Justice, a multi-sector research partnership committed to solving transportation inequities in Canadian cities.

To ensure that investments continue to positively impact and meet the needs of all Canadians, the Department leveraged its GBA Plus capacity to inform the analyses and considerations of the effects of permanent public transit funding investments on diverse groups. The Department is applying GBA Plus to understand the social and economic outcomes of the investments on groups, and the intersectional factors that inform the transit-related needs of various users, including vulnerable populations.

Furthermore, under the Rural Transit Solutions Fund (RTSF) stream of the Permanent Public Transit Fund, wrap-around support is provided to rural applicants with limited capacity in navigating the application process, including guidance and outreach services in order to increase our responsiveness to the needs of applicants.

In addition to the successful launch of the three funds discussed in Results at a Glance, Infrastructure Canada funding has also enabled a number of major transit projects to advance, which includes the following:

• In May 2021, the Government announced its largest ever transit investment of over $12 billion for five projects in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area. This included over $8 billion in approved funding for the Ontario Line, Scarborough Subway Extension and Eglinton Crosstown West Extension, and $4 billion in funding, subject to Treasury Board approval, for the Yonge North Subway Extension and Hamilton Light Rail Transit project.
• In May 2021, the Government also announced a $180-million contribution to the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) Streetcar Program, which involves the procurement of 47 new streetcars, as well as upgrades to the existing Hillcrest maintenance and storage facility to support the streetcars. The provincial government has also committed $180 million towards the project.
• In July 2021, the Government announced that it would invest up to $1.3 billion in the Surrey-Langley SkyTrain project, extending SkyTrain service by 16 kilometres from Surrey to Langley City Centre, subject to Treasury Board approval, and announced its commitment to funding up to 40% toward future planning for a proposed extension of the Millennium Line from Arbutus Station to the University of British Columbia.
• In January 2022, the Government committed up to $10 million towards planning studies to aid transit bus operations bridge planning gaps and increase readiness to adopt zero emission buses. An agreement was signed with the Canadian Urban Transit Research and Innovation Consortium (CUTRIC) to deliver the planning services. Thorough, consistent and cost-effective planning will be a key factor in achieving the Government's goal of supporting the purchase of 5,000 zero emission buses.   

Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP)

Another vital part of the lives of Canadians is their health and safety, which is linked to the resilience of their buildings and public spaces. In support of public health, Infrastructure Canada carried out work on a $190-million program to improve ventilation in public buildings, as outlined in Results at a Glance. The additional funding allocated to the ICIP COVID-19 Resilience Infrastructure stream specifically helped to support ventilation improvement projects in public buildings. In addition to the dedicated ventilation improvement funding, provinces and territories may access up to 10% of their ICIP funding through the COVID-19 Resilience Infrastructure stream. Public buildings retrofits, repairs and upgrades are an eligible category and may include ventilation improvements. In total, Infrastructure Canada has funded a total of 636 ventilation projects with a total value of $863,181,855 both through the dedicated ventilation improvement funding and the broader COVID-19 stream.  

At the same time, under the ICIP Public Transit stream, the Department provides provinces and territories and municipalities with funding to support new transit networks, service extensions and active transportation infrastructure that will improve the way that Canadians live, move and work. To date, 348 projects representing $10,932,680,941 in federal investments have been funded.

Additionally, the ICIP Green Infrastructure stream provides funding for projects that enable greater adaptation and resilience to the impacts of climate change and climate-related disaster mitigation and ensures that more communities can provide clean air and safe drinking water for their citizens. To date, 1211 green infrastructure projects, representing $5,409,285,290 in federal investments, have been funded.

Finally, the Rural and Northern Communities Infrastructure stream provides funding to support the needs of Canada's rural and remote communities. To date, 551 projects to build or improve roads, improve broadband, enhance food security, and support Indigenous health and education in rural and northern communities, representing $1,346,408,008 in federal investments, have been funded.

Under the ICIP, to date 4,876 projects with a federal contribution of over $20 billion and total value of over $57 billion have been approved. Infrastructure Canada continues to work closely with provinces and territories to identify, prioritize and approve projects to commit remaining ICIP allocations.

Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund (DMAF)

The Department also invested in the resilience of communities through the DMAF. Since its inception in 2018-19,  the DMAF has approved 70 projects with municipalities, provinces and territories, Indigenous groups and not-for-profit organizations, representing over $1.9 billion in federal funding, to help protect communities against drought, earthquake, erosion, extreme temperature, flood, permafrost thaw, storm, and wildland fire. Following the Budget 2021 announcement, intakes for small-scale (between $1 million and $20 million) and large-scale ($20 million and above) proposals were launched in July 2021, with applications received by October 15, 2021, for large-scale proposals and November 15, 2021, for small-scale proposals. Assessments were ongoing at the end of 2021-22.

Climate Lens

Additionally, Infrastructure Canada continued to implement a technical requirement, the Climate Lens, to ensure that GHG emissions reductions and climate resilience are actively considered for key federally-funded infrastructure projects. The Climate Lens requires project proponents to estimate GHG emissions profiles, and to analyze future climate conditions and identify any risks they may pose to the project, as well as to propose measures to withstand, respond to, recover from or adapt to climate change impacts.

Major Bridges

In terms of managing its infrastructure investments, Infrastructure Canada supported the safe and efficient movement of people and goods at two of Canada's important crossings, while also promoting alternative transportation options by including active and public transportation options.

Samuel De Champlain Bridge Corridor

In 2021-22, Infrastructure Canada continued to conduct effective oversight of progress on the SDCB during construction and the transition to the operation-maintenance-rehabilitation (OMR) period. The Department works closely with its colleagues from Public Services and Procurement Canada and Justice Canada to ensure that all contractual provisions of the Project Agreement are respected. The integrated governance approach has been successful in delivering the project.

With construction coming to an end, the Department has been working on an operational manual that it can use to provide strategic guidance and direction in the implementation of the OMR phase of the project.

The new Samuel De Champlain Bridge meets modern standards, which represents a safety improvement over the original Champlain Bridge, notwithstanding that some work was on-going during 2021-2022. Furthermore, the multi-use path on the SDCB is open year-round, which helps promote active transportation. Construction related to the REM is on-going on the central corridor which will enhance public transportation options in Montreal.

The Department continued to work with the Private Partner to address outstanding deficiencies, including corrections to noise barriers to ensure that sound levels in the corridor are consistent with the provisions of the Project Agreement. The Department also reviewed and addressed key issues related to interfaces with the REM during construction of the light rail system in the Bridge corridor. Construction works were largely completed in 2021-2022;  the Department is now focusing on addressing outstanding operational interface issues prior to the REM entering service.

Gordie Howe International Bridge (GHIB)/Jacques Cartier and Champlain Bridges Inc.

In addition to the SDCB project, the Department worked closely with the JCCBI and WDBA as they effectively carried out their mandated responsibilities.

In 2021-2022 the Department worked collaboratively with central agencies and drafted the submissions needed to approve WDBA's Five-Year Corporate Plan, which ensures WDBA has all resources needed to deliver the Gordie Howe International Bridge Project. Infrastructure Canada has a robust governance structure in place with WDBA to ensure clear lines of communication,  facilitate the flow of information, share best practices, and receive ongoing updates on the GHIB project. The governance structure helps to ensure alignment between governmental policy priorities and the Project.

Infrastructure Canada also facilitates the work of the International Authority (IA) that was established to provide a forum for collaboration between Canada and the State of Michigan, as work on the GHIB advances. The WDBA, BNA and their Michigan partners engage in consultations during key stages of the project. Consultations include Indigenous communities in the process.

The Department also has a governance structure in place with JCCBI, which includes monthly meetings at various levels to ensure constant flow of information on governance and operations. Throughout 2021-2022 Infrastructure Canada provided the Crown corporation with strategic advice on topics such as funding, government approvals and communications. The Department also supported JCCBI in the development of the Bonaventure Expressway project in collaboration with the City of Montreal.

In addition to overseeing the work of its private partner and Crown corporations, Infrastructure Canada engaged with industry experts and other jurisdictions to monitor and analyze the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on major infrastructure projects in Canada.

In 2021-22, this work included:

• Engaging with Build Force Canada on labour market implications for the Canadian construction sector nationally and provincially.
• Collaborating with the Canadian Steel Producer's Association on supply and demand dynamics on steel and low carbon steel over the medium term.
• Engaging with the Canadian Cement Association on COVID-19 related impacts on domestic production and transitioning to low-carbon steel.
• Collaborating with the Canadian Construction Association on the pandemic's impact on major projects, cost overruns, force majeure and labor issues.
• Participating in the OECD's Working Group on global infrastructure responses to COVID.

Budgetary financial resources (dollars)

The following table shows, for Public Infrastructure and Communities Investment Oversight and Delivery, budgetary spending for 2021–22, as well as actual spending for that year.

2021–22 Main Estimates	2021–22 planned spending	2021–22 total authorities available for use	2021–22 actual spending (authorities used)	2021–22 difference (actual spending minus planned spending)
6,755,898,794	6,755,898,794	10,587,649,741	8,846,154,206	2,090,255,412

Financial, human resources and performance information for Infrastructure Canada's Program Inventory is available in GC InfoBase.

The variance between actual spending and planned spending is mainly attributable to the top-up to the Canada Community-Building Fund and the program spending tied to the Housing and Homelessness portfolio which was offset by slightly lower than anticipated level of spending under the existing Infrastructure programs. While Infrastructure Canada's grants and contributions expenditures have reached a record high, some funding was unavailable for use given conditionality around certain projects, delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and supply chain issues which have continued to be observed throughout 2021-22. This explains why total authorities available for use were higher than the actual spending.

Human resources (full-time equivalents)

The following table shows, in full‑time equivalents, the human resources the Department needed to fulfill this core responsibility for 2021–22.

2021–22 planned full-time equivalents	2021–22 actual full-time equivalents	2021–22 difference (actual full-time equivalents minus planned full‑time equivalents)
205	234	29

Financial, human resources and performance information for Infrastructure Canada's Program Inventory is available in GC InfoBase.

With the influx of new programming, new incremental FTEs were secured to ensure sound oversight and delivery. While the increase in resources is smaller in proportion to the other core responsibilities, it directly tied to the life cycle of the programs. However, policy work and identification of investments are done upfront, while the oversight and delivery occurs once infrastructure projects have been selected and approved. That said, the Department is ramping up to address the upcoming workload in future years given the unprecedented level of programming.

Gender-based Analysis Plus

Infrastructure Canada is committed to ensuring inclusive outcomes of infrastructure investments and is working toward developing a GBA Plus culture and strengthening the implementation of GBA Plus in its daily activities.  In 2021-22, Infrastructure Canada's GBA Plus responsibility centre was enhanced with additional resources and continued to provide support to program and policy teams across the organization to develop evidence based GBA Plus analyses for Memoranda to Cabinet, Treasury Board Submissions and budget proposals, as well as new and ongoing policy and program development more broadly.

The Department continued to maintain an internal website to provide key resources on GBA Plus and support the development of GBA Plus analytical capacity. In August 2021, the Department launched Women and Gender Equality Canada's (WAGE) enhanced GBA Plus toolkit, which includes a step-by-step guide to support employees applying GBA Plus in their work. In addition, the Department's GBA Plus responsibility centre continued to liaise with WAGE and other government department GBA Plus focal points to support knowledge sharing and dissemination on GBA Plus best practices.

The GBA Plus responsibility centre continued to collaborate with various committees and groups across the Department. This work included collaborating with Infrastructure Canada's Anti-Racism, Equity and Inclusion Division toward enhancing the Department's approach to anti-racism, equity and inclusion across all areas of business.

In addition, the responsibility centre continued to provide advice and analysis to teams across the Department on ongoing and planned investments in a variety of public infrastructure, including public transit. The Department also continued to monitor the implementation of the Community Employment Benefits reporting initiative. The initiative encourages project planners across Canada to take advantage of infrastructure projects to support employment and procurement opportunities for a broader array of Canadians.

United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals

The 2019 to 2022 Federal Sustainable Development Strategy (FSDS) presents the Government of Canada's sustainable development goals and targets, as required by the Federal Sustainable Development Act. Infrastructure Canada adheres to the principles of the FSDS and has developed the Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy (DSDS) which communicates its plans relating to the Sustainable Development Goals that are relevant to the Infrastructure Canada mandate. The report on results achieved during 2021-2022 is posted on Infrastructure Canada's website. The next iteration of the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy (2022-2026) is expected to be tabled in Parliament in November 2022 and Infrastructure Canada will start developing its next Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy in 2023 to align it with the new FSDS.

Experimentation

The Smart Cities Challenge is an experimental program which consists of a pan-Canadian competition open to all municipalities, local or regional governments, and Indigenous communities. The Challenge empowers communities to adopt a smart cities approach to improve the lives of their residents through innovation, data, and connected technology. It is part of a whole-of-government initiative called the Impact Canada Initiative (ICI) which encourages innovative approaches toward Government of Canada programming.

As part of this initiative, Infrastructure Canada works closely with participating communities to track and monitor performance outcomes and lessons learned. The experimental outcomes of the Smart Cities Challenge will be measured over the eleven-year life cycle of the Challenge and seek to assess the value of smart cities approaches in Canada and their benefits for Canadians.

The second round of the Smart Cities Challenge was delayed as communities turned their attention to the COVID-19 pandemic. Noting this delay in 2020, the Department continues to monitor and evaluate outcomes from the first round of the Smart Cities Challenge on an ongoing basis. In 2022–23, a mid-program review will be conducted to assess its performance.

Results achieved

The following table shows, for Infrastructure Canada, the results achieved, the performance indicators, the targets and the target dates for 2021–22, and the actual results for the three most recent fiscal years for which actual results are available.

Core Responsibility 1. Public Infrastructure, Communities and Rural Economic Development Policy

Departmental results	Performance indicators	Target	Date to achieve target	2019–20 actual results	2020–21 actual results	2021–22 actual results
1.1: Infrastructure, communities and Rural Economic Development policies are evidence-based	1.1.1: Percentage of assessments that find Infrastructure Canada's policies assist in the development of effective programs and federal initiatives	100%	March 2022	N/AFootnote 1	N/A	100%
	1.1.2: Percentage of management action plan (MAP) items implemented as planned	100%	March 2022	N/A	N/A	75%
1.2: Infrastructure improves the 'quality of life' for all Canadians	1.2.1: Change in real Gross Domestic Product attributable to federal investments in infrastructure	$45.9 billion	March 2022	$48.1 billion	$46.3 billion	$48.9 billion ($48,951,986,096)Footnote 2
	1.2.2: Change in the remaining useful life of infrastructure assets	50%	March 2022	N/A	N/A	58.5%Footnote 3
	1.2.3 Reduction in per capita GHG emissions from transportation, buildings, solid waste, construction, and wastewater sectors since 2005	Less than 0Footnote 4 (reference year 2005: 0.0000085 MT)	March 2022	N/A	N/A	1.19 tonnesFootnote 5 (Reduction) (equivalent to 0.00000119 MT)
	1.2.4: Remaining useful life of public infrastructure assets particularly relevant to vulnerable populations: public transit, and recreational and sports facilities	50%	March 2022	N/A	N/A	57.5%Footnote 6

Core Responsibility 2. Public Infrastructure and Communities Investments

Departmental results	Performance indicators	Target	Date to achieve target	2019–20 actual results	2020–21 actual results	2021–22 actual results
2.1: Investments in public infrastructure meet national interests and community needs	2.1.1: Infrastructure Canada funding committed to projects	$8,100,000,000	March 2022	$6,037,912,300	$3,610,134,441	$11,987,647,243
	2.1.2: Number of transactions and amount of private investment in public infrastructure	250 projects	March 2022	N/A	N/A	362 projects

Core Responsibility 3. Public Infrastructure and Communities Investment Oversight and Delivery

Departmental results	Performance indicators	Target	Date to achieve target	2019–20 actual results	2020–21 actual results	2021–22 actual results
3.1: Infrastructure investments and assets are managed through their lifecycle	3.1.1: Percentage of projects completed	60%	March 2022	N/A	N/A	27%Footnote 7
	3.1.2: Percentage of programs/projects that comply with funding documents	100%	March 2022	N/A	N/A	100%
	3.1.3: Value of Infrastructure Canada's funding contribution disbursed in the fiscal year	$6,607,504,217	March 2022	$7,616,737,618	$5,300,448,253	$8,727,609,761Footnote 8
	3.1.4: Percentage of transfer payment program service standards that are met	80%	March 2022	N/A	N/A	91%

Financial, human resources and performance information for Infrastructure Canada's Program Inventory is available in GC InfoBase.

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

Communication services

In 2021-22, Infrastructure Canada continued to engage with and inform Canadians about the Government's Investing in Canada Plan and the Department's new and ongoing infrastructure programs through a wide range of communications activities.

The Department enhanced its website by revamping navigation to improve findability of key information, while also adding hundreds of pages throughout the year to support new programs. Furthermore, the Department successfully completed the transfer of 140 website pages from ESDC's website to Infrastructure Canada's website – a key part of the transfer of responsibility for the Reaching Home program. Over the course of the year, there were over 240,000 visits to the departmental website and over 2,000 social media posts published which generated over 5,000,000 impressions.

Through frequent traditional and social media updates, Infrastructure Canada kept Canadians informed about the benefits, progress and results of priority federal infrastructure initiatives. Overall, the Communications Branch made 405 announcements representing over $9 billion of funding – a significant increase over last year.

Communications support was provided to the Ministers' Offices through the delivery of speeches, Senate and committee appearance material and to the Department by responding to media calls and public enquiries. The Department also continued to provide effective corporate and internal communications services to support the Deputy Minister and senior management and to keep employees informed, particularly throughout the pandemic.

Financial management services

On the finance and administration side, Infrastructure Canada continued to modernize its worksites in line with GC workplace standards and in accordance with public health guidance to ensure a safe and sustainable work environment for all employees.

On the topic of new developments this year, Order in Council (OIC - P.C. 2021-0952) in fall 2021 shifted over 100 FTEs from ESDC to the Department. This machinery change expanded Infrastructure Canada's scope of responsibility to include the support for the Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion (HDI), which includes the development and delivery of a national, sustainable housing and homelessness program.

Over the first months of this transition in fall/winter 2021-22, the Department worked collaboratively with ESDC to establish a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), ensuring the uninterrupted delivery of the Reaching Home program across Canada.

In order to support the delivery of new programs, our financial management services played an increased role in ensuring the sound stewardship of financial and procurement transactions and processes, as well as ensuring the proper management of budget and expenditures for the Department.

Human resources management services

In terms of human resources, Infrastructure Canada has developed a three-year plan to implement a new Service Delivery Model (SDM). The plan is progressing and multiple enhancements are in place to improve people management processes as well as to deliver proactive and excellent HR services. The HR organizational structure was reviewed to support the new SDM. It includes the creation of a Talent Acquisition team to focus on creation of new talent pools and of a Service Excellence team to lead improvements of our processes and tools of all business lines supporting the new SDM.  In addition, a new HR Partner role was created to serve as a central point of contact in the development of people management strategies based on sound analytics. The role includes fostering strong collaboration between clients and all HR disciplines to bring forward cohesive and complete solutions. Infrastructure Canada has also been working on several initiatives to maintain and foster a safe, healthy, diverse and inclusive workplace while the pandemic has continued to evolve.

Notably, the Department's growth has been steady in 2021-22 and has required the ability to both retain talent and promptly recruit a large volume of employees. Initiatives to place the right talent in the right position include the alignment of collective staffing processes with upcoming organizational priorities.

Information management services and Information technology services

The Department invested in a modern data integration platform in order to be a leader in data and analytics for the infrastructure data ecosystem in Canada. The Department put a focus this year on the setup and configuration of the technology, including the security parameters, in order to be able to store Protected B level data.   

An Options Analysis and Assessment was conducted for the future digital platform and the technologies have been chosen. The new platform was set up and configured within the Infrastructure Canada Microsoft Azure Cloud Instance. The Natural Infrastructure Fund (NIF), a new infrastructure funding program, was selected as the first program to be on-boarded onto the new platform with the registration and intake module completed.

In June 2021, the Department also completed seamless GC email migration from canada.ca to infc.gc.ca and enhanced features available in M365 Teams, Power BI and Power Apps which have become departmental standards.

Budgetary financial resources (dollars)

The following table shows, for internal services, budgetary spending for 2021–22, as well as spending for that year.

2021–22 Main Estimates	2021–22 planned spending	2021–22 total authorities available for use	2021–22 actual spending (authorities used)	2021–22 difference (actual spending minus planned spending)
41,993,815	41,993,815	59,086,660	59,086,660	17,092,845

Infrastructure Canada received incremental funding through the 2020 Fall Economic Statement and Budget 2021 to deliver on new programming and initiatives. The new programs required bolstered internal services in Human Resources to create new structures, recruit and retain new employees, Information Management and Information Technology to create system parameters to capture the new programs as well as successfully onboard and service the additional full-time equivalents, and additional financial capacity to ensure sound financial management and oversight.

Human resources (full-time equivalents)

The following table shows, in full‑time equivalents, the human resources the Department needed to carry out its internal services for 2021–22.

2021–22 planned full-time equivalents	2021–22 actual full-time equivalents	2021–22 difference (actual full-time equivalents minus planned full‑time equivalents)
272	328	56

Infrastructure Canada received incremental funding through the 2020 Fall Economic Statement and Budget 2021 to deliver on new programming and initiatives. Internal Services capacity was required upfront to support the Department in its exponential growth. Ensuring that Infrastructure Canada had the recruitment capacity, equipment and systems in place, tools and support needed to face this unprecedented growth was a key pillar of success to deliver on the new programming.

• Previous
• Table of Contents
• Next