Backgrounder - First Nations Infrastructure

The Government of Canada’s investments in community infrastructure for First Nations help to stimulate economic growth and improve the quality of life on reserves. The federal government invests approximately $1 billion annually in community infrastructure which includes housing, water and wastewater systems, education facilities and other infrastructure (eg. roads and bridges, fire protection, electrification, and community facilities).

Canada’s Economic Action Plan committed additional investments of $515 million over two years to accelerate “ready-to-go” First Nations projects in three priority areas: schools, water and critical community services. In addition, the government also announced $400 million over the next two years to support on-reserve housing, dedicated to new social housing projects, remediation of existing social housing stock and to complementary housing activities.

Federal investments to support infrastructure in First Nation communities focus on: mitigating health and safety risks; maximizing the life span of a physical asset; ensuring infrastructure meets applicable codes and standards; and ensuring community infrastructure is managed in a cost-effective and efficient manner.

Through federal investments in community infrastructure, the government is helping to improve learning environments for First Nation students through new or upgraded education facilities; increasing access to clean, safe drinking water by supporting new or improved water treatment systems and improvements to the management of water systems by First Nation communities; improving the quality of life on reserve by investing in new housing projects, and; investing in projects that will provide lasting, sustainable benefits for First Nation communities.

The Government has been making on-going investments in community infrastructure on reserve which will complement the recent investment announced in Canada’s Economic Action Plan including:

Education Facilities

The federal government continues to make major investments to support a wide range of school infrastructure projects including operation and maintenance, study and design, renovations, minor repairs and new construction. Planned expenditures for 2008-09 are $236 million.

Of the $515 million announced in the Economic Action Plan, it identified an investment of $200 million over two years for 10 new schools on-reserve and three major school renovations.

Since April 2006, 30 school projects have been completed, such as the new, state-of-the-art high school at Kahnawake in Quebec, which opened its doors for the 2008-09 school year. There are now 70 ongoing school projects receiving funding from the federal government. They include: nine schools that are at the study or design stage; 51 schools that are undergoing renovations, additions or minor repairs, and; 10 new schools in the construction stage.

Water and Wastewater Systems

For 2008-09 the federal government is spending $328 million for the design, construction and operation and maintenance of water and wastewater systems for First Nation communities.

Housing

The federal government invests approximately $276 million annually for on-reserve housing needs, including $142 million through Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC). A portion of this annual investment provides an average of 2,300 new housing units and 3,300 renovations in First Nation communities across the country.

Other Infrastructure Needs

Approximately $422 million is being spent annually to support ongoing projects such as roads and bridges, electrification and infrastructure in First Nation communities across the country. Since 2006, for example, approximately $5 million has been invested to improve winter roads in Ontario. These investments have assisted remote northern First Nation communities which are only accessible by winter road, in maintaining, expanding and realigning winter roads, providing a safer and more reliable network.

First Nations Infrastructure Fund (FNIF)

In 2007 the federal government announced an approach to access infrastructure funds that would increase efficiency and streamline the process for obtaining available funds. The First Nations Infrastructure Fund (FNIF) totals $127 million over five years and includes a portion of the government’s existing infrastructure funding for First Nation communities. Since 2007 more than $94 million from the Fund has been committed for 263 infrastructure projects ranging from planning and skills, roads and bridges, solid waste and energy-related projects across the country. Connectivity has been added to the eligible funding categories under the FNIF this year.