Vancouver's mayor says Ottawa is committed to a long-term infrastructure plan, but the big question still remains, how much will the feds put on the table?
Gregor Robertson just returned from Ottawa where he pressed the feds on their infrastructure plan.
"I am hopeful we have a good strong committment. The question is the scale and whether the federal government will come through with additional dollars similar to the stimulus funding so that we can focus on some priority projects, get more people working, and catch up on some infrastructure that is way behind and that is frankly unsafe in many cities."
Robertson says the money is crucial for crumbling infrastructure, and it could be dangerous if Ottawa doesn't release billions of dollars.
"We are in trouble if we don't continue to keep up with infrastructure. There is a lot of anxiety around overpasses and bridges. In many cities, water is obviously essential to our lives everyday, so you have to maintain these and if the dollars aren't there from the federal government, we can't afford it locally. We can't put it all on property tax."
Robertson says he wants an additional $2.5 billion from Ottawa to tackle projects like waste water plant upgrades, the Broadway rapid transit line, and light rail in Surrey.