Infrastructure spending key to our well-being

The current bill making its way through Congress for infrastructure spending in the U.S. will amount to over $1 trillion in the next five years. The Americans have neglected this key priority for over a decade, so the authorization of infrastructure spending is arriving just in the nick of time.

Republicans had previously argued against this much money for infrastructure saying that it was, in many cases, extravagant. But they were finally persuaded to vote “yes” to avoid a Democrat advertising campaign painting their opponents as myopic, given the ever-mounting evidence of a rapidly deteriorating transportation system.

That bill on infrastructure spending will become law in September and serves to remind us all that spending by governments on public infrastructure is a key underlying foundation promoting the economic welfare of any country or region. Just consider the significant publicly-owned infrastructure in the Okanagan Valley.

In terms of transportation, the building of the bridge across Okanagan Lake (the original in 1958 and then the new William R. Bennett bridge completed in 2008) and the continued expansion of the Kelowna International Airport have been important to stimulating growth. The bridge alleviated a bottleneck that had acted as a retardant on new business investment in Kelowna. The steady growth and improvement in facilities at the airport has increased connections with distant markets and aided the growth of firms servicing aircraft. And it made Kelowna the central transportation hub for the Interior of the province.

That generated a large number of jobs.

The revolution in the storage and transfer of information and the development of new means of analyzing data has had a profound impact in the valley. The major public investments in plant and equipment and continued operations have served to underpin a rapidly growing high-tech sector. Two educational institutions, UBCO and Okanagan College, are training the labour force of the future while at the same time providing “business advice and research findings throughout the Valley. And the Agriculture Research Station in Summerland is actively engaged in improving both the variety of products grown as well as the efficiency of that production.

Another major public sector investment in infrastructure is Kelowna General Hospital. In the past ten years, the size of the operation has increased such that the hospital in now the major tertiary centre for healthcare in the Interior. Not only has this investment created jobs directly; it has also created an industry serving patients from many parts of the province.

Had all this infrastructure investment not been made, Kelowna would still be a small town of under 10,000 just as it was in the early 1950s.

While collectively these assets are impressive in magnitude, there are a number of areas where further infrastructure investment is urgently needed if the Central Okanagan is to continue to prosper. One I believe to be of prime importance is a replacement for the aging Kelowna Community Theater with its terrible acoustics and inadequate size. If we expect traveling shows to continue to come here, we must have a larger and better facility.

A second top priority need is intensive work on improving the transport system, initially both within the City and between Peachland on the south and Lake Country in the north and then extending to Vernon and Penticton. Continued reliance on private automobiles will soon clog urban streets and add unacceptable amounts of time to commutes between work and residence.

Finally, lower-cost housing (particularly rental) is absolutely essential to provide accommodation for a growing work force. Given the costs of land, construction materials and labour, detached homes may not be the answer. Thoughtful planning in developing communities that encourage essential services within walking distance of most residents will be key to retaining the pleasant features of the city.