Manitoba Heavy Construction Association

wednesdaY march 23, 2016 5 A SUPPLEMENT TO THE WINNIPEG FREE PRESS ForyourSAFETY o ell Gas RECOGNIZEthesmell. s. Naturalgassmellslikerotteneggs nclude Otherwarningsignsofaleakmayi totheair, ahissingsound,dirtbeingblownint continual orpond. bubblingwaterinaditcho REACT atingthearea. immediatelybyevacua ouexit. Ifindoors,leavethedooropenasyo useany Avoidapotentialfirehazard.Donotu phones, electricalswitches,appliances, telep ofignition motorvehiclesoranyothersource suchaslightersormatches. REPORTthesmellof naturalgastoManitobaHydro. Call1-888-624-9376 24/7) (available toreporttheemergency. M anitoba Heavy Construction Association (MHCA) president Chris Lorenc doesn't want governments to spend money on infrastructure. He wants them to think of every dollar allocated to infrastructure as an investment. "Investment suggests a different level of cerebral consideration of what you're going to be doing with the funds," he says. "Any fool can spend. It takes thinking, it takes planning, it takes discipline to invest." According to a 2013 Canada West Foundation report, government investments in infrastructure fell from about 5% of GDP in the 1960s to 2% by 2000, resulting in an infrastructure deficit of billions of dollars. On a local level, municipalities are dealing with crumbling roadways, wastewater systems that are nearing the end of their life cycles and the need to develop new facilities. On a national level, improved trade routes are needed to facilitate the safe, efficient flow of goods to national and international markets. The MHCA encourages all three levels of government to adopt six fundamental principles to address the deficit and guide future investment: PERMANENT Programs should be permanent, not unlike our 'permanent' health care, education, and public safety programs. Infrastructure investment is our economic and social health care program. FOCUS ON ECONOMIC GROWTH Infrastructure plans should focus on economic growth investments as a matter of first priority, without ignoring key assets that already enable or support economic activity. EMBRACE INNOvATION Innovation in design, construction, maintenance and rehabilitation should become part of the design challenge (and opportunity) landscape, to stretch the service life and reduce life cycle infrastructure maintenance costs. HARNESS PARTNERSHIPS WITH THE PRIvATE SECTOR Infrastructure investment strategies should harness partnerships with the private sector — the engine of innovation, growth, jobs, prosperity, taxes and revenues to government. DEDICATE REvENUE STREAMS TRANSPARENTLY Infrastructure investment budgets should not rely on election cycles but should be sustainably funded through transparently dedicated revenue streams, including growth taxes, to these purposes. ANNUAL REvIEW FOR ADJUSTMENT AND CORRECTION Ensure legislated mandatory annual and transparent public reviews of infrastructure programs to account for expenditures, experience-based adjustment for the future, and ensuring discipline to investment purpose. A disciplined, principled and objectives- driven plan is in our collective economic and social well-being best interests. improve the flow of trade from B.C. port cities to Canadian and U.S. destinations, including CentrePort Canada Way. But so far, there hasn't been a formal federal strategy to support the Mid-Continent Trade and Transportation Corridor and an Arctic gateway linked to the Port of Churchill. "Products move through a variety of means whether it's over the road through trucking or by rail and a significant amount to international destinations also moves by ocean carrier so you need port development," Gray says. "But it also helps to support the northern distribution of goods and development within northern Canada as well as the potential at some date possibly to be part of a Northwest Passage connection to the Asian markets." Manitoba Heavy Construction Association (MHCA) president Chris Lorenc notes that the Port of Churchill is the shortest route to Russia/ Eurasia destinations. "It's a full nine days shorter turnaround than any other port and most people aren't aware of that. And when you consider that it costs somewhere in the vicinity of $50,000 each day to operate a container ship, if you're saving nine days in costs that's a half million dollars per round trip. That's not an insignificant benefit." The Manitoba Chambers of Commerce (MCC) is calling on the next provincial government to establish a northern commission to assess transportation and infrastructure needs, consider opportunities for new distribution networks in the far North and develop a long-term strategy for the Port of Churchill. Climate change has resulted in longer shipping seasons in recent years, but it also has negative impacts beyond environmental concerns. Winter roads are open for shorter periods, and the rail line from Gillam to Churchill is notoriously unstable, built on permafrost that shifts as it thaws. MCC president Chuck Davidson says trains have to reduce speeds to as little as 16 kilometres per hour to travel safely, but the line is still plagued by frequent derailments, making it slow and unreliable. Davidson and Lorenc say a business case still has to be made for development of the Port of Churchill, but it's time to make the effort. "The Golden Boy faces north because the theory was, the vision at the time was the economic opportunity for Manitoba is in northern Manitoba," Lorenc says. "It's been ignored for far too many decades." Gray says it is challenging to build infrastructure on tundra and permafrost, but Canada isn't the only country that has to deal with northern infrastructure issues, and we might be able to learn from Russia and other northern nations. "Does there need to be significant investment to support trade growth through the Arctic? Absolutely there would need to be, but we do have a real asset in the Port of Churchill. It is a national asset. It is the only inland deep-sea port in the Arctic and just because it's what I describe as under-infrastructured now it doesn't mean that that has to be its permanent sentence," she says. "There is an ability I believe for governments and the private sector with First Nations to work together to turn this into what is truly an asset for trade for our country." ❚ << continued making wise investments in infrastruCture

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