Federal Infrastructure Program Changes No Guarantee of New Cycling Investments for BC
A new source of infrastructure funding recently introduced by the Government of Canada to help communities act quickly to respond to the COVID-19 virus may not be allocated towards any new or upgraded active transportation facilities in British Columbia, according to sources of the BC Cycling Coalition (BCCC).
On August 5th, as part of their 12-year, $33 billion Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP), the federal government announced that it is redirecting 10% of these funds — worth up to $3.3 billion — to a new COVID-19 Resilience stream for the provinces and territories.
Federal Minister of Infrastructure and Communities Catherine McKenna announced new flexibilities under the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP) in Ottawa.
Under the rules of this new stream, provincial and territorial governments can benefit from expanded eligibility requirements, accelerated project approvals, and increased federal cost-sharing, in order to allow ICIP funds to be directed to a broad array of infrastructure projects across a number of categories within the new COVID-19 Resilience stream, including public transit and green infrastructure.
British Columbia’s total share of ICIP funds is $4.13 billion, and under the terms of the new stream, the BC government could choose to immediately allocate up to $413 million to new and upgraded public facilities that could include walking paths, cycling routes and other active transportation facilities, all in order to accommodate pandemic-related social distancing requirements.
According to the BCCC, however, little to none of this funding may end up being allocated to new active transportation projects in BC.
"At first glance, it seems like an incredible opportunity for the BC government to make some bold commitments towards new cycling and walking infrastructure, not just to keep British Columbians safe and healthy during the pandemic, but also to deliver on commitments made in the CleanBC strategy," said Colin Stein, Executive Director of the BCCC. "However, the provincial government made a plan with municipalities for how the four-plus billion dollars would be spent back in 2018.”
“For the federal government to change the rules of the program two years in means that, in order for any money to now be directed towards active transportation, the province has to revisit all these plans, and take funding away from other buckets. This could compromise non-transportation projects in rural or Indigenous communities, or even public transit.”
Eligible projects under the new stream could include new construction, retrofits, repairs and upgrades, measures to support physical distancing, and disaster mitigation and adaptation, as long as they meet the following conditions:
Projects must be valued at less than $10 million
Projects must be initiated prior to Sept 30, 2021, and be completed by Dec 31, 2021
"We know public transit needs support for recovery, but we also can't continue to ignore the current demand for cycling and walking facilities, and to improve public safety,” said Stein. “So the challenge for many provinces, including BC, remains the same — how can we meet the current imperative to improve conditions for the hundreds of thousands of British Columbians who have taken up cycling during the pandemic without aggressive, forward-thinking investments?”
“This is an issue being addressed by local, state and federal governments around the world, yet in BC we’ve fallen way behind. New funding would help us catch up, but seemingly at this point in time, this is not being offered by any level of government.”
In addition to expanded eligibility criteria, projects funded under the new COVID-19 Resilience stream are now also subject to increased federal cost-sharing — up to 80% for the provinces, and 100% for Indigenous groups and projects in the Territories — as well as a simplified approval process, in order to allow work to get underway quickly while respecting public health measures.
“Infrastructure for cycling and walking is cheaper than any other mode by a long shot, and delivers the biggest bang for the buck in terms of environmental and health outcomes,” said Stein. "Our primary concern is that while the BC government talks about Clean BC, there is yet to be any commitment made to new investments in active transportation.”
Referring to the federal government’s announcement, Stein said the BCCC has received numerous enquiries from member organizations, requesting support to bring potentially eligible cycling and walking infrastructure projects to the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure for consideration of such funding.
“We’ve had emails and calls from groups across the province, and been pulled into a flood of conversations on social media about the potential for this funding to be a game-changer for cycling in BC. With the federal funding that has just been opened up, everyone seems to recognize that the moment to double-down on creating the future transportation networks is now.”
"With or without federal funding, our provincial government must remain focused on building the kind of infrastructure needed to fulfill the promise of British Columbia as an active transportation leader. There are many ‘shovel ready’ and ‘shovel-worthy’ projects across the province that are just awaiting recognition, financial commitments, and the political will to make them happen.”
“They need to fund more than just public transit,” said Stein. “This is the time to double down with infrastructure projects for cycling and walking.”