The results of this project are based on a survey of 85 municipalities, ranging in size from less than 10,000 to more than one million, representing 46 per cent of Canada's population.
The infrastructure expenditure records maintained by municipalities across Canada vary considerably, which created some difficulties in developing their responses to this survey. In future it would be useful to modify the survey categories to be consistent with the record format used by most municipalities.
The 1996 FCM-McGill survey showed that many Canadian municipalities did not have an inventory of the assets within their jurisdiction, but this situation has improved considerably over the past decade. It would be useful to develop a computerized GIS-based inventory of the assets in each municipality, along with a historical record of construction (materials and construction techniques used), maintenance and any rehabilitation and replacement. This would be consistent with the recommendations of the Technology Road Map.27 An estimate of the need to upgrade existing infrastructure and acquire or build new infrastructure would be more scientific and accurate than any of the surveys undertaken previously. Based on such a record, each municipality can update these estimates on a regular basis with much greater ease.
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27 CSCE, CCPE, CPWA and National Research Council Canada, Technology Roadmap: 2003-2013, 2003.