The buzz around infrastructure

Posted by Laura

Infrastructure was big news in Guelph yesterday. First, the province announced $8 million for the U of G to fix up its aging buildings. Then, council learned last night that the city's infrastructure gap is estimated at $25 million.

The funding for the U of G comes on the heels of the provincial auditor general's report that found universities have been drowning in a sea of deferred maintenance costs.

U of G was one of three universities audited for the annual report. Site visits were also conducted at McMaster and Carleton universities.

The auditor general's office found the three institutions had a combined deferred maintenance backlog estimated at $409 million. Across Ontario universities, that figure rises to $1.6 billion.

Check out the auditor general's report here.

When I asked Guelph MPP Liz Sandals about the report in December, she said aging infrastructure was an issue across many sectors.

"The auditor general's report always gets a lot of attention from the government. In many cases, the auditor's report will identify issues that weren't necessarily widely recognized. In the particular case of public infrastructure renewal, it is an issue that is already recognized," she said at the time.

Based on yesterday's announcement, it appears the province has decided to respond in a timely way to the auditor general's findings.

It's good news for the U of G and for the university sector in general.