Introduction

Infrastructure is the backbone of our province. It connects people to jobs, communities and services. Infrastructure makes it easier to open a business, get goods to market, and compete in a global economy. It allows us to drink clean water, communicate with our loved ones, and get where we need to go safely and quickly.

Infrastructure is one of the most important investments this government can make for the long-term wellbeing and prosperity of all the people of Ontario. In doing so, we respect the taxpayers, whose hard-earned dollars help build and maintain the quality of services we demand from our infrastructure.

Ontario is facing new challenges such as a growing and aging population, increased urbanization and more severe weather conditions (such as flooding), which together place significant strain on our infrastructure and services. New technologies are also changing the way people live their lives, creating new opportunities in a digital economy and finding new ways to deliver services.

Whether you live in a big city or small town, in a rural, Northern, or Indigenous community, effective infrastructure is fundamental to day-to-day life. The people of Ontario should have confidence their infrastructure will keep pace in a rapidly changing world. They should be able to trust that their government will make smart decisions about when and where new investments are required.

This is why Ontario has an Infrastructure Plan, Rebuilding Ontario.

Our Plan identifies specific actions under four themes that the government will aggressively pursue in the coming years. Taken together, these actions will help accelerate the delivery of transit and transportation projects to get people moving, channel investments to priority areas, and extend the life and performance of our existing infrastructure to deliver quality services. Under our Plan, the private sector will play a greater role in infrastructure development and ensure any new investments support economic growth and promote transparency.

Vision and principles

Our guiding principles

Strategic pillars

Our four strategic pillars

To achieve this vision, we will take specific action under four priority areas:

• Moving people and goods: Accelerate the delivery of transit and transportation projects.
• Making the most of our assets: Improve how we plan, procure, and manage infrastructure to maximize the life, performance, resilience, and value of our investments.
• Unlocking our economic potential: Facilitate private sector participation, foster greater innovation, and help grow our communities.
• Open data and transparency: Improve the collection and analysis of project data to facilitate better decision-making and expand reporting on the status of projects to restore trust and show respect for taxpayer dollars.

Infrastructure snapshot

Ontario owns more than $230 billion worth of infrastructure assets spread across the province.

• North: $52 billion of existing infrastructure, $65,000 infrastructure per capita
• West: $23 billion of existing infrastructure, $14,000 infrastructure per capita
• Greater Toronto Area: $81 billion of existing infrastructure, $12,000 infrastructure per capita
• Central: $48 billion of existing infrastructure, $16,000 infrastructure per capita
• East: $30 billion of existing infrastructure, $16,000 infrastructure per capita

Notes: Replacement values are derived from MOI’s 2018 Provincial Asset Inventory, additional ministry data or modelled where necessary. Values are subject to change as data sources are continuously validated. Replacement value excludes the value of land. Replacement value does not include universities ($24.3 billion) as universities are not owned or consolidated by the Province.

Reliable services

Ontario’s public infrastructure supports services that touch all aspects of our lives, including:

• 16,900+ centreline kilometres of highway
• 2,800+ bridges
• 3,200+ GO Transit kilometres
• 140+ hospitals
• 45 colleges and universities
• 5,000+ schools
• 150+ courthouses
• 25 correctional facilities
• 160+ OPP detachments

Projects underway in our communities

There are more than 3,600 infrastructure projects underway in Ontario with a total capital cost of more than $50 billion (as of September 2019)^{footnote 2[2]}.

• 1,410+ education projects
• 580+ transit projects
• 280+ child care projects
• 700+ Northern projects^{footnote 3[3]}
• 60+ health care projects
• 210+ road and bridge projects
• 980+ community projects

The government is committed to making smart, targeted infrastructure investments that will benefit everyone, from our biggest cities to our smallest towns and communities. We are making strategic infrastructure investments in transit, highways, schools, hospitals, and communities that will make a difference in people’s daily lives — creating good-paying jobs, boosting the economy, protecting our environment and making Ontario open for business.