�ȵ����

OTTAWA – Tasked with figuring out just where Canada’s housing enabling infrastructure stands, the Canadian Infrastructure Council has published the country’s first National Infrastructure Assessment (NIA) report and the findings show there’s significant room for improvement.

Entitled , the council was specifically directed to examine three public infrastructure sectors: water and wastewater; solid waste management; and public transit and active transportation.

The assessment shows overall more than $126 billion of infrastructure is in “poor or very poor condition,” with 11 per cent of water and wastewater assets and more than 13 per cent of public transit assets listed as in the same boat.

“This first NIA report makes it clear that we can’t build more homes without the essential infrastructure to support them – including water and wastewater systems, waste management, and public transit and active transportation – and that strengthening the resilience of these systems is key to supporting healthy, livable communities,” the council notes in a release.

“Meeting Canada’s housing and infrastructure demands over the next 25 years will require a transformative shift in how infrastructure is planned, maintained, financed and delivered across the country. This report is intended to serve as a resource for governments and infrastructure owners, operators and investors to support informed and strategic infrastructure planning and decision-making.”

The Canadian Infrastructure Council is an expert advisory body that was  on Dec. 3, 2024, to deliver Canada’s first NIA.

The council held 13 bilateral meetings, eight cross-sectoral roundtables and five focused discussions with more than 150 experts and interest holders across the country. An additional 46 written submissions were received in response to a public survey that was held from March 11 to April 14, 2025. 

For Canadian Construction Association (CCA) president Rodrigue Gilbert, the assessment reinforces a message the industry has long emphasized.

“We are pleased to see the NIA clearly recognize that housing cannot accelerate without major improvements to water and wastewater capacity, solid waste management and public transit access,” he said in a statement. “These are the foundational systems that determine whether communities can grow.”

Key findings of the report include the following:

• Infrastructure must be tailored to regional realities: Regions across Canada face unique needs shaped by varying climate and population pressures – needs that can be met only with planning, data and investment that’s specific to those realities.
• Building new infrastructure faces significant constraints: Building new infrastructure faces barriers including workforce shortages, supply chain disruptions, uncertain investment and regulatory burdens that often delay and/or increase the cost of needed development.
• Significant opportunities exist to meet future needs with existing assets: Improved planning, asset management and operational funding, combined with technological advances and the use of natural assets, are cost-effective solutions to many infrastructure challenges.

As a result, the authors make three recommendations: Making the most of existing built and natural infrastructure before building new; strengthening co-ordination across all partners, which also means streamlining regulations, seeding innovation and establishing a pan-Canadian project pipeline; and building for the future with resilience and data at the forefront, which includes adopting standardized data and tools, transparent risk assessments and climate-resilient designs to avoid costly future retrofits or repairs.

“The assessment provides a clear national vision, but delivery depends on coherent policy frameworks that support it,” said Gilbert. “To turn these findings into action, we need a workforce strategy that reflects real labour-market needs, fair, open, and transparent procurement policies, supply chains that remain resilient under new domestic sourcing rules, and internal trade policies that break down barriers between provinces. Without these elements, even the strongest infrastructure plan risks stalling on implementation.”

The Association of Consulting Engineering Companies-Canada (ACEC) stated it was pleased to see one of its key advocacy items come to fruition.

“ACEC has been championing the need for a data-driven, long-term infrastructure strategy for years and was one of the key stakeholders at the table as the council worked to deliver this first report,” a statement reads.

“This NIA is an important foundation to guide federal infrastructure policies and programs.

“These are sound and timely recommendations to address the infrastructure challenges of many Canadian communities. We look forward to subsequent reports with more detail and additional infrastructure assets that are vital for Canada’s growth and prosperity.”

Read the report’s “” section for a summary of several key insights.