A group that represents Canadian cities says daily commutes across the country are too long and need to be the focus of a renewed and long-term infrastructure plan.
The Federation of Canadian Municipalities was scheduled to appear in front of the House of Commons finance committee on Tuesday to outline the importance of a sustainable plan that improves the country's infrastructure.
Commute times in Toronto and Montreal are longer than in some of the world's largest cities, including New York and London, the FCM says.
Statistics Canada recently reported that the average Canadian commute was 26 minutes in each direction last year, significantly longer in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. For transit riders, one-way commutes reached as high as 44 minutes in Toronto.
Pre-budget hearings are being held as parliament prepared to return to work. The federal government has hinted that the 2012 budget would move away from stimulus spending after several years of launching infrastructure projects through the Economic Action Plan.
The FCM says the action plan helped Canada weather the last recession and the country can not afford to lose the momentum on infrastructure repairs.
"In Budget 2012, the federal government must build on the intergovernmental partnership that has breathed new life into our aging infrastructure and pulled us through the darkest days of the global recession," the FCM said in a letter submitted to the finance committee.
"The new plan will give Canada the opportunity to end the long decline in its municipal infrastructure, improve public transit, and fight traffic gridlock," the FCM wrote.
The NDP has already promised to make traffic congestion an issue in the House of Commons by introducing a bill calling on the government to adopt a national transit strategy.
NDP MP Jamie Nicholls, deputy critic for transport, has previously described the matter as a "quality-of-life" issue as well as an economic one.
The FCM said that municipalities have been forced to raise property taxes, cut core services and put off infrastructure repairs just to make ends meet.
It added that the government committed to work with municipalities, provinces, territories and the private sector to build a long-term infrastructure plan under the previous budget.
"The danger signs are all around us: traffic gridlock, crumbling roads and bridges; rising policing costs; and a housing shortage that puts new jobs out of workers' reach," the FCM letter read.
"From St. John's to Montréal to Victoria, the symptoms vary, but the cause is the same: a tax system that has taken too much out of our communities and put too little back in."
According to the FCM, Ottawa's long-term infrastructure plan should address the following issues:
Policing and community safety
The FCM says policing costs have been shifted to municipalities over the past 30 years. Municipal property taxpayers currently pay close to 60 per cent of the country's policing bill, leaving infrastructure repair short changed.
Canada's housing system
Rising house prices and rental shortages make it difficult for municipalities to attract new workers. Homelessness also puts an unsustainable burden on taxpayer-funded police forces and social services.
Better planning and partnership
The government must work smarter to create jobs, protect core services and balance its budget deficit.
