ICBA urges immediate attention to Alberta infrastructure gap

CALGARY – Alberta’s core infrastructure is aging rapidly, with the province’s municipal infrastructure deficit now pegged at $30 billion. It’s a situation that requires urgent attention, argues an industry contractors association.

The Independent Contractors and Businesses Association – Alberta (ICBA) reported in its August Construction Monitor, the province’s population is projected to reach 6.8 million people by 2045, a nearly 40-per-cent growth rate over the next two decades, exceeding the projected national growth rate of 22 per cent.

That means hundreds of thousands of new homes will be required along with increased infrastructure needs, the monitor asserted.

“The urgency to act is getting greater by the day,” wrote ICBA Alberta president Mike Martens in his introduction to The Construction Monitor. “Solutions include speeding up approvals and permitting, more skilled trades training in high schools, and attracting more immigrants with construction trades. All of this will help us build more and build faster.”