Adding Fire Halls to Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP)
Res #: 19-23M
Number: 19
Year: 2023
Midterm: Yes
Expired: No
Responses Received: Yes
Departments: Transport Canada, Infrastructure Canada
WHEREAS investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP) funding exists to help municipalities build strong, dynamic, and inclusive communities as well as ensuring Canadian families have access to modern, reliable services that improve their quality of life.
WHEREAS growing communities put increased demands on local fire departments who then require significant capital investments to ensure the safety of the growing community.
WHEREAS increased standards for construction and capital costs have drastically inflated the costs of new fire halls.
BE IT RESOLVED that SARM lobby the federal government to add fire halls to any and all future infrastructure fund programs.
Responses From: Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada
April 19, 2024
In regard to the resolution requesting that the federal government add fire halls to any and all future infrastructure funding programs, as you may be aware, fire halls have been an eligible category under the Canada Community-Building Fund (CCBF) since 2021. The CCBF is a permanent indexed transfer program that provides $2.4 billion per year for local infrastructure investments to communities across the country. Since 2015, the province has received over $686 million to support communities in the province, including over $68 million for 2023–2024.
Communities in Saskatchewan receive federal funding under the CCBF through the province’s Ministry of Government Relations. Saskatchewan’s CCBF funding is allocated on a per-capita basis with no base amounts. Through the administration of the program, I know that SARM and your colleagues in the Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association serve in an observer capacity on the oversight committee that governs the agreement between Canada and Saskatchewan for the CCBF.
We value your participation in this forum and appreciate the role you play in advocating for rural and urban municipalities in Saskatchewan.
I understand that in 2022, Infrastructure Canada officials engaged with SARM to identify priorities and build support around shared objectives for new federal infrastructure programs. These priorities will be taken into consideration, and we look forward to working together to ensure that infrastructure plays a vital role in promoting economic growth, job creation and improving our quality of life in the coming months and years.
Hon. Sean Fraser – Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities, Government of Canada
