OTTAWA — The federal government is expanding a program that will allow Canadian cities and towns to spend more on infrastructure, signalling an acknowledgement by Ottawa that its $190-billion spending program has been slow to reach municipalities. The proposed spending hike effectively functions like a shortcut to get infrastructure dollars directly to Canadian cities, just as Ottawa’s sprawling spending program faces criticism for delays in breaking ground on new projects. ”Officials in the federal infrastructure ministry, meanwhile, have said the program has gradually caught up with its scheduled rollout. Unlike previous budgets, the government on Tuesday did not push any planned infrastructure spending to future years. At least part of that lag has been blamed on reporting gaps from several federal departments, according to officials at the federal infrastructure ministry.

Source: National Post March 19, 2019 21:00 UTC