Better planning means better services for Ontarians. In every sector, the government is improving planning by using data and better information to make decisions based on evidence. It will make the most of its existing infrastructure, and ensure it has new infrastructure where needed to support a high quality of service for Ontarians. Across the province, the government is investing in infrastructure to transform the way it delivers public services and ensures that it is prepared for the future. The government is also working to better co-ordinate its planning with land-use planning to connect people to the services they need in their communities.
How infrastructure supports Ontarians throughout their lives
Every day, people across the province depend on publicly funded infrastructure to go about their lives. Ontario’s current commitment to invest about $190-billion in vital public infrastructure over 13 years, starting in 2014-15, is improving the lives of Ontarians of all ages — whether they’re taking transit to work, attending college or university or enjoying Ontario’s rich cultural heritage.
Infrastructure touches Ontarians lives every day. It’s so seamless that it can be easy to overlook the services that Ontarians depend on, from clean water and energy to high-speed Internet, to roads and public transit. Ontario families benefit from good schools, high-quality health care and community services. Infrastructure investments improve the quality of life every day across the province.
Managing congestion and offering choice in transportation
Transportation infrastructure is a cornerstone of Ontario's prosperity. Much of what Ontarians value — jobs, leisure time, access to health care and education and trade with other provinces, the United States and other nations — depends on the provincial transportation system. The Province strives to be a world leader in moving people and goods safely, efficiently and sustainably to support a globally competitive economy and a high quality of life — and enabling people and businesses to thrive, now and in the future.
Challenges in Ontario’s transportation sector
Across the province, the transportation sector is currently the largest source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The Government of Ontario is working hard to reduce GHG emissions caused by transportation.
Population trends, such as urbanization, will impact transportation systems heavily. Over the next 20 years, the population in Ontario’s major urban centres is expected to increase by 25 per cent. The aging population will require creative, accessible and innovative approaches to ensure that all users can move about the province.
Investments in disruptive technologies, such as automated vehicles, will change the transportation system dramatically, and the government needs to be prepared.
In Southern Ontario, commuters face tremendous congestion problems. Today, the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) has one of the longest commute times in North America. The Toronto Board of Trade reports that, collectively, the economic cost of this congestion to the region is valued at over $6 billion per year, and is projected to grow to $15 billion by 2031.footnote 22[22]
Northern Ontario, with its long distances between communities and urban centres, requires a multimodal transportation system. The North is also especially vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, particularly in communities that rely on seasonal winter roads. The region’s geography, harsh winter weather conditions and changing weather patterns complicate construction efforts and general planning for the various modes of transportation. The draft Northern Ontario Multimodal Transportation Strategy was released that outlines the needs and requirements for transportation in Northern Ontario, highlighting services provided by the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission (ONTC).footnote 23[23] The ONTC, as a provincial agency, is an important public provider of intercommunity bus services and rail services in Northern Ontario with linkages to other areas of the province. The final transportation strategy is expected by early 2018.
How Ontario is building better transportation infrastructure
The Province is taking important actions to address these challenges by:
investing heavily in transportation infrastructure, including through the Moving Ontario Forward plan to support public transit, transportation and other priority infrastructures
investing in strategic infrastructure to make the transportation system more resilient, support highway expansion and integrate the use of High Occupancy Vehicles (HOV) and High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes
pursuing transit-supportive expansion on GTHA highways, with the ultimate goal of building a network of HOV and HOT lanes across the region, when and where it makes sense to do so
supporting and investing in less-carbon-intensive travel options — including supporting electric vehicles and low-carbon trucks and buses through the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Account
supporting commuter cycling infrastructure and public-transit infrastructure
continuing to deliver priority regional rapid-transit initiatives, including a plan to provide faster and more frequent service on the GO network through the GO Regional Express Rail (RER) plan, with electrification on core segments of the network, including the Union-Pearson Express (GO RER is one of the largest transit infrastructure investments in North America)
using technology, such as connected/automated vehicles (CV/AV), intelligent transportation systems and real-time traveller information (e.g., 511 services), to improve safety, manage congestion, enhance the traveller experience, support improved accessibility and mobility for people and goods and minimize the environmental impacts of transportation. Support for automated vehicles will come from Ontario’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Account
reducing GHGs in transportation fuels by encouraging cleaner fuel technologies
continuing to support the implementation of municipal rapid-transit systems
using lower GHG-intensive building materials and construction techniques
Providing the right health care, when and where it’s needed
Health care facilities are some of the most critical infrastructure assets in the province. Having the right infrastructure directly enables better health care outcomes — at both the individual and community levels.
Challenges in Ontario’s health care sector
Ontario’s population is growing and aging. As people age, they depend more on the province’s health care system. The government expects that by 2041 seniors will make up 25 per cent of the province’s population. Seniors are already heavier users of hospital services and have longer hospital stays. For example, on average, a senior is in acute in-patient care roughly one and a half times longer than a non-senior adult.
Health care facilities are getting older, too. For example, Ontario’s hospitals have an average age of 47 years. They need repairs, renovations and, in some cases, replacement.
As the population of Ontario continues to grow and age, and public facilities continue to age and deteriorate, there is a demonstrable need for capital investments for both new capital projects and the maintenance and repair of existing facilities. The combination of the aging population and aging facilities will put a strain on Ontario’s health care system in the future. To put “Patients First,” the Province’s aging health care infrastructure will require significant levels of investment over the next 10 years.
Hospitals have often been considered the foundation of the government’s health care system, but many services can be provided just as well and at a lower cost in community facilities outside hospitals. The Province is working to establish the infrastructure to provide community-based care effectively and where appropriate.
How Ontario is building better health care infrastructure
The Province has developed a balanced plan to address growth and renewal needs and ensure that Ontarians have access to the care they need. These investments provide opportunities to improve care delivery and to improve hospital operational efficiency and sustainability. They also provide appropriate service levels that take into account community growth and changing demographics. These investments protect and sustain the health care infrastructure, now and for generations to come.
To meet the needs of Ontario’s growing and aging population, the government must ensure that health care is being provided in modern facilities. Over the next 10 years, the Province plans to provide more than $20 billion in capital grants to hospitals. This includes a new commitment of approximately $9 billion to support the construction of new major hospital projects across the province. These transformational investments will support timely access to the right care, in the right place, at the right time.
Investing in health care infrastructure also makes good sense environmentally. That is why the Province’s funding of hospital retrofits and renewal is consistent with Ontario’s Climate Change Action Plan. In support of the Action Plan, the government has launched an evidence-based Hospital Energy Efficiency Program (HEEP) for 2017–18 to improve the energy efficiency of Ontario’s public hospitals by reducing GHG emissions and redirecting energy-related cost savings back into direct patient care. In addition, new builds and retrofits provide opportunities to increase the accessibility of hospitals and other facilities, consistent with Ontario’s Building Code and accessibility standards for public spaces.
The Province is investing more than ever in innovative technologies and treatments to reduce the length and cost of hospital stays. With this shift in care, patients may need to access care in settings outside a hospital, such as through home care, at a community health centre or in a long-term care home. Focusing on community care will help the Province find the right balance between caring for patients in hospital and in the community. Transitioning services into the community will free up capacity in hospitals for acute cases that do require hospital care.
The investments Ontario is making in the province’s health care infrastructure will provide Ontarians with health care services across the continuum of care, supported by modern technology, now and in the future.
To make the best use of infrastructure investments in the health care sector, the Province will continue to work with Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs) and with community partners to better understand regional needs across the health care sector, including for example, regional emergency services.
Transforming education: Supporting families and students
Ontario wants every child to get a great start in life. More than any other public asset, schools define who we are — and who our children will become. It is critically important to educate Ontario’s children to be confident, capable and caring citizens, who are equipped for the future.
Investing in education infrastructure supports the Province’s policy goals of job creation, growth and skills development and creates a space for families to come together throughout the province. Ontarians can have confidence that their publicly funded education system supports students from junior kindergarten through to high school and beyond.
Challenges in Ontario’s education sector
Ontario’s population distribution and demographics are changing. In some parts of the province, school spaces are not being fully used. In others, schools are over capacity. The government needs to plan for the future, so that Ontario has accessible spaces for students where and when they need them. Where there is excess space that is not being used for educational purposes, Ontario must continue to work with community partners to find alternative uses for the space, such as child care or community hubs.
There are also particular challenges in small or remote communities that have small or declining student populations.
Finally, schools do not exist in isolation. In addition to the challenges outlined above, there are many factors that will impact the way school boards make infrastructure decisions, such as evolving accessibility requirements.
How Ontario is building better education infrastructure
The Province’s education infrastructure investments will help more families give their kids a great start in their early years and help communities thrive.
The Government of Ontario has invested nearly $17.5 billion in capital funding to support more than 820 new schools and more than 800 additions and renovations since 2003. These investments are needed to address enrolment growth, support full-day kindergarten, replace schools in poor condition and support the reduction of unused space.
The government is also providing $1.4 billion annually to support the renewal of existing school space. This is in addition to $2.7 billion that was provided in the 2015–16 and 2016–17 school years. These investments will result in improvements to key building components that ensure student safety and improve energy efficiency.
The Province is taking action in a number of important areas to support families and students by:
improving access to licensed child-care spaces for children aged 0 to 4
investing in full-day kindergarten to give all children a great start to their school years
building and maintaining modern, resilient education infrastructure that will help improve student health and fight climate change
funding school-board capital-planning initiatives to invest in priority projects and improve school conditions to support the well-being of students and staff
facilitating and funding initiatives to support the development of community hubs in surplus school property to make the most of school space
supporting school boards in addressing local needs in rural and Northern communities
Training Ontarians to be the workforce of the future
In today’s economic climate, postsecondary education is more important to Ontario’s future than ever before. Fierce competition in a global knowledge-based economy means that the Province’s workforce must have the education it needs to be competitive. Colleges, universities and skilled trades programs each play a critical role in equipping people for success by providing them with the skills to succeed. High-calibre teaching facilities and advanced technological infrastructure keep the Province’s colleges and universities at the forefront of advancement. These institutions also support the vibrancy of their local economies in and around colleges and universities.
The apprenticeship system is vital to Ontario’s success. Currently, 24 colleges and 44 union- or employer-sponsored centres are providing training. There are more than 150 apprenticeship trades in four sectors across Ontario, including construction, industrial/manufacturing, motive power and services. Investing in a modern apprenticeship system that provides people with the skills and training they need to succeed is part of the Province’s plan to create jobs, grow the economy and help people in their everyday lives.
Challenges in Ontario’s postsecondary education sector
To offer students modern and innovative learning environments, the government must keep up with the pace of technology. This means renewing existing postsecondary space and planning facilities to be adaptable to changes.
The Province also recognizes the important economic role that postsecondary institutions play in their local communities. They are employers and provide opportunities for students. They also attract investment. The Province plans to expand access to postsecondary education throughout the province, whether that is through new campuses or through virtual education.
How Ontario is building better postsecondary infrastructure
The government is making a range of investments to improve the access to and the quality of postsecondary education, such as:
working to ensure that postsecondary education facilities have the necessary advanced technology to meet the needs of a changing, knowledge-based economy
expanding access to postsecondary education, both in the classroom and through virtual learning to support colleges and universities across the province in developing new and innovative approaches to online and technology-enabled learning that meets the needs of Ontario students
addressing facility-renewal priorities across colleges and universities to ensure that students have safe and high-quality learning environments
transforming and modernizing research spaces to help ensure the postsecondary sector continues to drive Ontario’s competitive advantage in research and innovation
modernizing Ontario’s apprenticeship system by increasing participation and completion rates for under-represented groups, while creating clearer pathways for all apprentices and developing an approach to enhance apprenticeship opportunities through major public infrastructure projects in Ontario
Ensuring a strong and modern justice system
A strong justice system must reflect Ontario’s values and attitudes, protect Ontarians’ rights, be accessible to all Ontarians and allow for effective ways of resolving challenging issues. Through its justice system, the Province:
makes Ontarians safer in their communities, through strong law enforcement, crime prevention and effective rehabilitation
prosecutes crime, administers criminal, family, civil and small-claims courts, protects victims and vulnerable people and provides expert legal services and Legal Aid
The provincial justice system should be modern, accessible and sustainable, and should promote overall community well-being, while preserving public safety. It must respond to the diverse needs of Ontario’s communities, promote public safety and support improved outcomes for people in, or at risk of, engagement with the justice system. Access to justice should be improved through opportunities for online self-service and remote appearances for some court procedures, reducing time and costs.
Challenges in Ontario’s justice system
The provincial justice sector’s assets can be found everywhere, from remote fly-in locations in the North to large urban centres. Ontario’s size and its large number of justice-sector facilities create challenges in delivering consistent services, both in person and digitally — there are bandwidth issues in the North and capacity constraints in urban centres. Justice-sector infrastructure assets are costly, and they take many years to plan, build, commission and bring into service.
Decision making in the justice system is decentralized, crosses three orders of government and engages independent partners and participants, including the judiciary, police, Crown attorneys and defense lawyers. In particular, federal government policy changes can have huge impacts on the Province’s justice sector. Recent examples include mandatory minimum sentences and the legalization of cannabis. New legal requirements, such as updating camera systems, have also created new demands on the system.
Due to the sensitive nature of the information gathered by the justice system, initiatives to share and integrate data across the criminal-justice sector require IT solutions that cross orders of government and stakeholders, while ensuring appropriate security and privacy of information. These systems are often complex and costly, and require time to design and implement. At the same time, rapid technology changes (for example, body-worn cameras for police) continually challenge the capacity of existing resources.
How Ontario is building better justice infrastructure
The Province is transforming the justice system to make it more modern, client-centred, community-based and focused on prevention. The Province also needs to work closely with its partners, both inside and outside government, to ensure that its goals are aligned.
The Province is leveraging technology to transform how the courts and tribunals operate. Ontario is working to make access to justice easier and faster. Electronic filing of documents, online dispute resolution (to resolve matters earlier) and increased use of remote video technology will become an integral part of the justice system. Increasing opportunities for online self-service and the ability to appear remotely for some types of events is another way to support modern service delivery.
Ontario’s blueprint for reconciliation with Indigenous communities calls for Ontario to create a culturally relevant and responsive justice system. It will include Indigenous legal principles and systems that were disrupted because of colonization, such as restorative justice. Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples also includes expansion of Indigenous bail verification and supervision and access to Indigenous court workers.
The Province is modernizing the corrections system, including an update of the policies on the use of segregation and an improvement of bail and remand. It is also modernizing Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) facilities to meet current and future requirements.
Managing natural resources and the environment sustainably
It is essential that the Province manage its natural resources responsibly and sustainably to ensure the prosperity of both current and future generations. In addition to managing provincial parks and natural resources, the Province also provides important services, such as forest-fire management and the provision of necessary aviation services that ensure public safety and respond to natural-hazard emergencies.
Challenges in Ontario’s natural resources sector
As the climate changes, various natural environmental hazards are anticipated to increase. Improvements to Fire Management Headquarters facilities in Thunder Bay, North Bay and Dryden will help mitigate potential loss of life and/or environmental damage resulting from the anticipated increases in forest fires. Further, increases in extreme weather events, such as storms, floods and droughts are also anticipated. Provincial water-control dams play a key role in controlling water flows and potentially mitigating loss of life and environmental damage resulting from these extreme weather events. Additionally, capital expenditures are being directed to building and maintaining non-forest access roads, bridges, and rail and water crossings that help mitigate impacts to transportation routes, which may be required for emergency preparedness, response and support. Ultimately, this will protect the public and the environment, including fish and wildlife.
How Ontario is building better natural resources infrastructure
The government will continue to work toward its mandate to manage the province’s natural resources and green infrastructure in an ecologically sustainable way to ensure that they are available for the enjoyment and use of current and future generations. This includes key activities such as:
managing biodiversity of wildlife and plants
managing natural heritage and protected areas
promoting green infrastructure to complement physical, social and cultural infrastructure
managing Crown land, water and non-renewable resources
providing leadership and oversight to support the sustainable use of forests for a healthy forest-products sector and thriving forest-dependent communities
supporting the provincial commitment to renewable energy and facilitating the availability of Crown land for renewable energy projects, including water, wind, solar and bio-energy
To make the best use of infrastructure funds in the natural resources and mining sectors, the Province will continue to:
make important linear infrastructure investments, such as transportation, to support mineral development in the Ring of Fire (see Transportation section for more information)
invest in expanding or renewing fire-management headquarters and centres in Thunder Bay ($25 million), Dryden ($28 million) and North Bay ($8 million)
maintain its $5-million long-term annual transfer-payment program to the Province’s Conservation Authorities for water and erosion-control infrastructure
The Province is undertaking an important multi-year program to create and implement an efficient, standardized system to support more accurate financial accounting and reporting and risk-prioritized capital spending for infrastructure assets related to natural resources management. The state-of-the-art system will align with these government directions and use evidence-based decision making to enable more effective management of highly diverse asset classes across widely-varying program areas. This will result in more strategic delivery of programs and services, supporting more effective and efficient management of Ontario’s natural resources, and thus providing greater benefits to Ontarians.
Supporting fair and affordable housing
Housing infrastructure plays a significant role in enhancing quality of life for the people of Ontario. It impacts all aspects of daily activity, whether it is employment, education or health care. Significant public investments have been made by past generations in building and maintaining Ontario’s social and affordable housing stock.
Ontario has a responsibility to strengthen its communities by promoting a housing market that serves the full range of housing needs, protects tenants, prevents homelessness and encourages private-sector building, while supporting the creation of affordable housing and market housing for working families and Ontario’s most vulnerable households.
Provincial housing assistance is multi-faceted. It includes investment in housing infrastructure and accessibility, financial assistance to help households manage housing costs, support services to enable the most vulnerable Ontarians to stay housed, as well as assistance to help people find and maintain stable housing.
Although Ontario does not own or directly manage housing infrastructure, the Province works closely with its 47 service managers, comprised of upper and single-tier municipalities, and District Social Services Administration Boards (DSSABs) to administer social housing and manage local housing and homelessness-prevention systems. Two Indigenous Program Administrators, Ontario Aboriginal Housing Services (OAHS) and Miziwe Biik Development Corporation, also play a pivotal role in delivering off-reserve housing programs for the Indigenous community.
Traditionally, Ontario’s investments in housing infrastructure have concentrated on social housing, affordable-housing programs and homelessness supports. This focus has more recently expanded to address broader concerns about housing affordability.
How Ontario is building better social housing
Social-housing buildings provide units in which rents are based on the income of eligible tenants, referred to as rent-geared-to-income or RGI units. Some social-housing buildings are comprised of 100 per cent RGI units, while others contain a mix of RGI units and low-end-of-market rent units.
A major concern is the aging of the social-housing stock in Ontario. Even the newest of pre-1995 buildings are reaching the age where major renovations, including redevelopments, are required to maintain the physical viability of the buildings. Service Managers have responsibility for maintaining the physical and functional viability of the stock, but may face challenges in doing so.
This is why the Province announced new funding for repairs and retrofits in social-housing buildings. This investment is part of Ontario's Climate Change Action Plan, and will provide up to $657 million for repairs and retrofits to social-housing apartment buildings over five years, subject to carbon market proceeds.
How Ontario is building better affordable housing
Ontario also supports housing infrastructure by delivering capital funding through housing programs, such as the Investment in Affordable Housing (IAH), the Investment in Affordable Housing Extension (IAH-E) and Phase One of the federal Social Infrastructure Fund (SIF).
The IAH and IAH-E are federal/provincial cost-shared programs that are providing over $1.28 billion up to March 31, 2020, for the construction and repair of affordable housing units and the provision of rental and down-payment assistance to households in need. Phase One of the federal SIF represents an immediate infrastructure investment over two years (2016–17 and 2017–18). It includes a doubling of the funding of the IAH program over two years, which will result in over $336 million in additional federal and provincial money to build, renovate, and make available affordable housing. The provincial share of the cost-matching is being made available over three years.
The Indigenous Program Administrators, OAHS and Miziwe Biik Development Corporation, are responsible for delivery of the Off-Reserve Aboriginal Housing component, which is largely based on the IAH-E capital components. Indigenous Program Administrators were allocated $26.4 million under the IAH and $44.1 million under the IAH (2014 Extension), and will receive approximately $17.5M under the SIF IAH.
How Ontario is supporting better market housing
To help make housing more affordable for buyers and renters, Ontario is implementing the Fair Housing Plan. The plan consists of 16 comprehensive measures to help more people find an affordable place to call home, while bringing stability to the real-estate market and protecting the investments of homeowners.
To increase the housing supply, one action the government has taken under the plan is to establish the new Provincial Affordable Housing Lands program. The program leverages surplus provincial land across the province to develop a mix of market housing and new, sustainable, affordable housing. Earlier this year, the Province announced the launch of marketing for the first three sites selected as pilot sites under the program — 26 Grenville/27 Grosvenor Street and two sites in the West Don Lands in Toronto. Approximately 2,000 new purpose-built rental housing units, including much needed affordable and family-sized rental housing, will be created on the three sites.
Providing effective social services to support all Ontarians
All Ontarians should have the opportunity to realize their potential and participate fully in an inclusive society. Our social services infrastructure assets are the foundation for providing:
safe and comfortable environments for the children and families who rely on youth justice, child and youth mental health, special needs, Indigenous and child-protection programs and services. For example, Children’s Treatment Centres provide supports for children and youth that have a variety of developmental, physical and communication challenges
services that support Indigenous people, women fleeing domestic violence, people who are Deaf or deafblind, and people with developmental disabilities
services that support newcomers and immigrants, who may be in a vulnerable position and in particular need of improved social infrastructure
services that are accessible to people with disabilities. For example, the government has been remodelling Ontario Disability Support Program offices to improve their accessibility and enhance the customer-service experience through a more open, client-friendly environment that includes desk-side interviewing, fully accessible reception areas and waiting rooms, accessible and confidential interview rooms and barrier-free access to public washrooms
Challenges in Ontario’s social sector
Ontario’s population is changing and becoming more diverse. That means the needs of the government’s clients are changing, and it must adapt to keep up. The Province recognizes a need to expand programs, meet changing needs, increase access to services and make the most of what it already has. Ontario continues to strive to be a leader in supporting accessibility. The government can also consider locating these services in the same place, through community hubs, to better meet Ontarians’ needs and make the best use of public property.
How Ontario is building better social infrastructure
Social infrastructure will continue to enable service delivery and capacity building, now and in the future. Sustained investment in infrastructure is critical to support the delivery of programs across the province and ensure accessibility of services.
The Province is making strategic investments in social services and social infrastructure. These investments will address those challenges that have been identified to achieve better outcomes for clients. It will also make sure it is getting the most out of Ontario’s existing assets and find more innovative ways to use them.
Many community hubs use surplus space or space not needed for direct program delivery for community use, enhancing integration of education, health care and social services. Ontario will use opportunities to create hubs to enhance access to social services across the province.
Ontario’s planned Social Purpose Real Estate strategy will help ensure that the Province reviews current and future assets from a community-needs perspective. It can also consider such factors as the need for funding or other barriers to co-locating or integrating social services.
Enhancing tourism and sport while promoting Ontario’s culture and heritage
Accessible and diverse culture, tourism and sport infrastructure is necessary to provide quality services both to visitors and Ontarians. These sectors are essential to building a creative and prosperous economy in Ontario. As Ontario’s economy shifts from manufacturing to services, the economic and job-creation potential of these sectors increase in importance.
In addition to contributing to the economy, the province’s tourism, culture, and sport and recreation sectors enhance the quality of life for Ontarians. They strengthen communities, promote cultural engagement and inclusion, and provide a variety of social and health benefits.
Ontario has a diverse collection of tourism, culture and heritage sites. It includes museums, art galleries, science centres, convention centres, historical parks, land-based attractions and public libraries, including First Nations public libraries on reserves. In addition to their monetary value, many attractions have social and historical value to the communities and regions in which they are located. For example, Sainte-Marie among the Hurons at Huronia Historical Parks is a designated Canadian National Historic Site and Fort Henry, managed by the St. Lawrence Parks Commission, is a designated National Historic Site of Canada and also part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Ontario is a centre for the arts and cultural industries, such as film and television production, interactive digital media, music and publishing.
Infrastructure investment in the arts and cultural industries contributes directly to many of the goals of the IJPA. This includes promoting global economic competitiveness, productivity, community benefits and job creation and training opportunities. The government supports commercialization and training centres in the arts and cultural industries, performance spaces, affordable workspaces and cultural-collaboration centres, including community hubs and digital infrastructure for media production and distribution.
The government’s tourism, culture and heritage assets also contribute significantly to the economy through job creation and events that bring tourism dollars to local communities. Examples include:
In 2015, there was $25.4 billion in visitor spending. That year, tourism contributed $30.9 billion to Ontario’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Ontario welcomed 12.7-million visitors who participated in cultural activities in Ontario and collectively spent $7.1 billion.
The province also welcomed 8.5-million visitors who participated in sports in Ontario and collectively spent $2.6 billion.
In 2014, sport contributed $2.5 billion to Ontario’s GDP.
The culture sector contributes approximately $25 billion to Ontario’s economy, representing nearly 4 per cent of Ontario’s GDP.
Over $666 million in new and upgraded community sport and recreation infrastructure was created as a result of the 2015 Pan Am and Parapan American Games held in Toronto and the Greater Golden Horseshoe region. These facilities were built for post-games community use, ensuring a lasting legacy from the games. For example, the Toronto Pan Am Sport Centre (TPASC) was built to host Games events. Today, it is a training venue for high-performance athletes, a home for major international sporting events, such as the recent 2017 Invictus Games and 2017 North American Indigenous Games, and is used by the community for recreational purposes.
Challenges in Ontario’s culture, tourism and sport sectors
Many of Ontario’s cultural assets are aging. The Province must upgrade them to repair and improve buildings, address accessibility issues and include new technologies. It must also maintain them to ensure that they are available for the benefit of future generations.
The Ontario Heritage Act requires the province and certain listed bodies to identify, protect and care for the provincial heritage properties they own and manage. Many provincial heritage properties are icons in the Ontario landscape, and they are important to the social, economic and cultural well-being of Ontario communities. Examples of provincial heritage properties include many of Ontario’s courthouses, correctional facilities, bridges and provincial parks.
The range of tourism, culture and sport assets across the province is as varied as the communities they serve. The diversity of these assets results in some challenges. In addition to maintenance, these institutions and properties need new infrastructure investments as well. For example, many infrastructure assets are in rural, remote and First Nations communities, and may need upgrades so they have adequate broadband connectivity to offer the best services.
Indigenous communities and organizations (both on- and off-reserve) have unique cultural infrastructure needs, such as: museum-quality repositories for archaeological artifacts, community spaces for cultural/artistic activities (especially for youth), and funding for culture-related activities on the land, such as bush camps.
How Ontario is building better culture, tourism and sport infrastructure
The Province is advancing its commitment to Indigenous reconciliation by supporting the restoration of the former Mohawk Institute Indian Residential School in Brantford and the redevelopment of an interpretive centre.
To expand and support tourism activities, the Province is undertaking vital research in the areas of marketing, product development and investment to aid business decisions by both governments and industry. The Province also encourages private-sector investment and new-product development to expand Ontario's tourism sector and promote the economic development of regional tourism.
Ontario will continue to support the Strategic Framework for Tourism by continuing to implement the government’s Investment Attraction Strategy, aimed at encouraging international investment in Ontario’s tourism industry, and by supporting new investors with a one-window business-advisory approach.
Ontario Place is a unique waterfront asset located in Toronto. The Province is embarking on a bold transformation of this site, which began with the opening of a new urban park and trail in June 2017. Formerly a staff parking lot, the 7.5-acre Trillium Park and William G. Davis Trail has restored access for residents and visitors to a spectacular part of Toronto’s waterfront. Improvements to site features like the Cinesphere and the pods build on this progress and help welcome people back to the site. Revitalization and transformation continue to be key priorities as the Province moves forward on its vision by taking new steps to integrate the West Island as a culture and innovation hub and transform the East Island as a celebration common.
Through Ontario’s Culture Strategy, the Province is promoting cultural engagement and inclusion, strengthening culture in communities, fuelling the creative economy and promoting the value of the arts throughout government. It is also continuing to work with cultural institutions, such as libraries, museums and heritage organizations, to continue promoting cultural activities across the province. Ontario is also working with government partners and culture stakeholders to maximize the use of public libraries, museums, galleries and other culture facilities as community hubs and to explore opportunities to integrate arts and culture activities and spaces into schools and other community facilities.
To support sport across the province, Ontario will continue to champion participation in sport and recreation activities. The government is aware of the need for investment in sport and recreation infrastructure in communities across the province, and a conversation with all levels of government is required to identify the gaps and next steps.
Creating a sustainable and affordable electricity system
A clean, reliable and affordable supply of electricity is key to creating sustainable jobs, fighting climate change and growing the economy. Energy planning does not fall within the IJPA, and energy assets are not included in the provincial asset inventory. Nevertheless, energy assets are still crucial parts of the Province’s infrastructure. In addition to Ontario’s infrastructure commitment of about $190 billion over 13 years, the Province is making significant investments in energy. Ontario has:
invested nearly $70 billion in the electricity system since 2003, including generation, transmission and distribution assets to ensure that the province has a clean and reliable electricity system
eliminated Ontario's use of coal for electricity generation, resulting in cleaner electricity
expanded the use of clean, renewable power
launched a new $100-million natural-gas grant program in 2017 to support the building of natural-gas infrastructure to expand services to homes and businesses
made important investments in nuclear generation — Ontario’s nuclear industry generates $2.5 billion in direct and indirect activity in the province annually
provided support to lower electricity bills through Ontario’s Fair Hydro Plan
capped rate increases to inflation for the next four years, and provided extra support for low-income families and those living in rural or remote communities or on-reserve First Nations communities
How Ontario is building better energy infrastructure
This fall, the government released a new Long-Term Energy Plan (LTEP), Delivering Fairness and Choice, to provide a road map of the Province’s energy system over the next 20 years.
The 2017 LTEP focuses on the affordability and reliability of a clean energy supply, giving consumers more choice in the way they use energy, while offering ways to conserve energy and introducing new regulatory protections.
Key initiatives in the 2017 LTEP include:
maximizing the use of Ontario's existing energy assets, only securing new power when it is needed
enhancing consumer protection by giving the Ontario Energy Board (OEB) increased regulatory authority over the 326,000 individually-metered condo and apartment units in the province
working with the OEB to provide people with greater choice in their electricity price plans, by piloting alternatives to the current approach to time-of-use pricing in select communities across the province
enhancing net metering by allowing more people the opportunity to produce clean energy and use it to power their homes and lower their electricity bills.
allowing utilities to intelligently and cost-effectively integrate electric vehicles into the grid, including smart charging in homes
It has been projected that Ontario’s consumers and businesses stand to gain $6.3 billion in economic, environmental and reliability benefits if Ontario utilities invest in smart-grid technologies that will modernize distribution.
However, there are barriers standing in the way of modernization, and these barriers inhibit the domestic uptake of smart-grid technologies. The government will address these barriers as it implements the Long-Term Energy Plan, with a focus on creating the right environment for utilities to make investments in the smart grid where it makes sense. The goal is for utilities to modernize their systems and businesses in a way that improves efficiency and performance, lowers costs and gives customers more choice in how they participate in the energy system.
Where feasible, Ontario is supporting the expansion of the transmission grid to remote First Nations communities in northwestern Ontario, to reduce their reliance on diesel-powered generation. This initiative will support social and economic development for remote communities by increasing their access to clean and reliable power. Communities will be free from electrical load restrictions that limit housing and economic development and will reap environmental benefits (such as a reduction in GHG emissions and diesel spills). The Province has selected Wataynikaneyap Power L.P. as the transmitter for connecting 16 of these communities to the electricity grid, and has designated this project a priority. The Wataynikaneyap Power project is undergoing environmental assessments and will be submitting a Leave to Construct application to the Ontario Energy Board for regulatory approval to commence construction.
