Understanding the NS Infrastructure Budget Process
There are two primary sources of infrastructure funding. The first is money allocated by the province via through their budget process. (It is important to note that there is a distinction between Capital Funding and Operational Funding.) Information about the provincial budget process and money currently allocated via that funding stream is included below. Information about funding allocated by the Federal Government can be found here.
Nova Scotia Legislature – How does the Budget become Law?
https://nslegislature.ca/legislative-business/budget/budget-process
Important notes:
- Legislation in effect retroactively to April 1st of the current fiscal year
- On February 25, 2020 the current ‘Better Together’ budget was tabled by the Minister of Finance and Treasury Board and concludes March 31, 2021.
- The budget document includes the following comments in the ‘Investing in Modern Infrastructure’:
- After decades of neglect this government will invest $1 billion in much needed infrastructure. This is the largest single investment in the history of the province and will better support health care and education in the future. Early in 2020, The Scotiabank Forecast noted public investments in highway twinning and hospitals, as well as shipbuilding and an airport expansion, are helping to support a healthy domestic economy in the coming year. Modern health care delivery, state-of-the-art schools, safe and efficient highways and waterfront developments will stimulate employment for this generation and serve Nova Scotians for generations to come.
- We want all motorists to be safe on our highways. That is why we are investing $85.3 million more to twin the 100-series highways and to repair and maintain roads, highways and bridges. Construction on highways 101, 103 and 104 and the Sackville-Bedford-Burnside Connector are either underway or about to start. We know how important the 104-twinning project between New Glasgow and Antigonish is for all motorists.
Capital Plan 2020-21 also includes $385.3 million in investments outlined in the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal’s Five-year Highway Improvement Plan (and is subject to the approval of the 2020-21 budget in the legislature).
Excerpts from the March 5, 2020 Hansard records (Committees of the Whole House - Supply)
Nova Scotia Legislature - Hansard Transcript (nslegislature.ca)
We do all of this with an overall operating budget of $535.8 million in 2021. The operating portion of our budget is used for the day-to-day operations of the department such as snow and ice control, highway and bridge maintenance, field operations, fleet amortization, ferry operations, vehicle compliance, engineering and construction services, administration, professional services, employee benefits, RIM work, and smaller highway and building projects.
Our $400 million investment includes more than $210 million for major construction. This includes the new highways and bridges; $136 million for asphalt, resurfacing, and bridges; and $20 million for the gravel road program. I’m particularly proud of the gravel road program. I think this is an accumulation of $70 million in the gravel road program which is aimed at our rural communities since it was introduced, and it has been very successful. I think it is providing a great service for the residents of our communities, but also for the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal, too, to be fair, because having better roads means less maintenance for us.
There’s another $20 million for the Gravel Road Capital Program this year; $17.3 million for equipment, machinery, and ferries; and $7 million for land purchases. Major construction on new highways and bridges account for $100 million of the overall increase from last year with much of the additional funding focused on twinning portions of Highway Nos. 101, 103, 104, and 107 - the Sackville-Bedford-Burnside Connector.
Nova Scotia Plate Fee for Commercial Motor Vehicles can be found at ans-heavy-commercial-fee-chart-2015.pdf (novascotia.ca)