>

5. Summary

View the most recent version.

While Ontario reported a rate of increase in total infrastructure spending similar to the national average for the entire 1961-to-2005 period, it moved ahead considerably beginning in 2000. Its infrastructure expenditures rose in most areas, led by roads, water supply, recreational and office towers.

Quebec quickly moved from last place in terms of infrastructure capital per capita in 1961 to equal the Canadian average with the 1976 Olympic games, moving well ahead of Ontario during that decade due to roads and culture. While growth remained positive for culture, two decades of eroding investment in roads lowered infrastructure capital. Capital recovered in the 2000s, led by commercial construction and research laboratories, while spending on roads moved ahead of culture.

Given its slow population growth, the Atlantic Provinces were almost nose to nose with the Prairies for the lead in government-owned infrastructure per capita. Government-owned infrastructure in absolute terms continued to decrease in the 2000s in the Atlantic region, unlike the other parts of the country. These declines were mainly in marine construction, transportation equipment and communications, which offset gains in roads and institutional buildings.

The Prairies took the lead in per capita investment in infrastructure during the 1980s due, among other things, to the 1988 Olympic games in Calgary. They slowed in the 1990s, with the decrease in oil revenues, falling behind the Atlantic Provinces. Investment recently recovered as the price of oil rebounded.

Infrastructure capital per capita in British Columbia was close to the national average for a large portion of the period under study, from 1971 to 2005. Recent growth has been strong in sports facilities and engineering works, boosted by the upcoming Olympic games.