Estimates of the value of infrastructure in Canada provide a good sense as to the enormous cost involved in replacing public assets. In its most recent survey, Statistics Canada pegs the value of the nation's total public capital stock at $227.5 billion, or about 20 per cent of GDP. Of that amount, $ 157.3 billion is what the government statistical agency deems to be public infrastructure.1 Among the broad categories of public infrastructure, transportation facilities make up the largest share of the total, at 60 per cent, while environmental infrastructure, which includes sewers, sewage treatment and water supply, stands at about 30 per cent. Other assets - which range widely from outdoor recreational facilities to historic sites - comprise the remaining 10 per cent.
Since infrastructure is not defined in any one way, it is open to debate whether Statistic Canada's notion of infrastructure is the "right" one. For one, the measure only includes engineering works of public administrations, which means that buildings, land and assets of government enterprises are all excluded from the count. Hence, the $157-billion figure can be considered a conservative one. Although other nation-wide estimates of the value of public infrastructure are hard to track down, the Ontario government - applying a much broader definition - has estimated the replacement worth of public assets in the province to be $240 billion, which would imply a national value in the $500-$600 billion range.2