OUTCOMES REPORT On the federal gas tax & public transit funds. Prepared by New Deal Secretariat Saskatchewan Municipal Affairs Fall 2009

Transcription

1 OUTCOMES REPORT On the federal gas tax & public transit funds Prepared by New Deal Secretariat Saskatchewan Municipal Affairs Fall

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.4 2. INTRODUCTION REPORTING FRAMEWORK GAS TAX FUND Program Overview Environmental Results Project Results Local Roads and Bridges Water Community Energy Solid Waste Waste Water General Results Program Results Financial Results Regional Results PUBLIC TRANSIT FUNDS Program Overview Environmental Results Project Results General Results Program Results Financial Results CONCLUSION APPENDIX A Reporting Framework APPENDIX B Significant Incomplete Projects APPENDIX C Large Scale Regional Projects 35 2

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4 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Established in 2005, the Gas Tax Fund (GTF) will provide approximately $147.7 million to Saskatchewan municipalities over five years ( to ) to help build communities in Saskatchewan. Funding is allocated to municipalities on a per capita basis for environmentally sustainable municipal infrastructure projects and for projects that increase the capacities of communities in areas such as long term planning. These federal funds support the environmental outcomes of cleaner air, cleaner water and reduced greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). The federal and provincial governments also established the Public Transit Fund (PTF) to support investment in public transit infrastructure in cities. The $12.46 million Public Transit Fund (PTF) was allocated to the municipalities based primarily on 2004 ridership figures of existing public transit systems. These funds are intended to result in the environmental outcomes of cleaner air and lower GHGs. As part of the reporting requirements of the PTF and GTF, Saskatchewan completed an outcomes report to identify the ways approved projects have contributed to cleaner air, cleaner water and reduced GHGs. As of December 31, 2008, Saskatchewan municipalities completed 501 GTF and 15 PTF projects, with the majority of projects falling under the local roads and bridges, water and community energy project categories. The GTF approved projects had a $70.37 million total project cost, with $38.42 million of funding coming from the GTF. The PTF projects had a total project cost of approximately $19.20 million, using $12.31 million from the PTF. The GTF and PTF have resulted in substantial investments into municipal infrastructure. For every dollar of GTF invested, municipalities invested an additional $0.83 into the project from both own and other sources. These aggregated results of the GTF and PTF show that significant investments have been made into projects that contribute to the national environmental indicators. Under the GTF, 56% of projects contributed to reduced GHGs, 33% to cleaner water, and 7% to cleaner air. All completed projects under the PTF contributed to both cleaner air and reduced GHGs. Within each of the project category results identified in this report, outputs suggest that significant work has been done to: reduce GHGs through smoother roads, new transit buses, and energy efficient building retrofits; create cleaner water through pipe replacement, upgraded treatment systems and higher capacity pumps; and create cleaner air through regional landfill development, recycling and landfill reclamation. 4

5 Completed projects under the GTF and PTF have resulted in: 80,500 L annual fuel savings; 59,000 km of smoother roads driven daily; 190,000 m 3 of water conserved annually; 50,000 m 3 in annual energy savings; 152 metric tonnes (MT) of waste diverted from landfills annually; 26,000 m of new and upgraded water and wastewater pipes; and 56 transit buses replaced. These projects have also had a significant impact on the wellbeing of both communities and citizens. Outside the three national outcomes, many supplementary benefits were realized such as increased pedestrian safety, better working environments, more efficient use of municipal buildings, regional cooperation, citizen participation, and citizen awareness. 5

6 2. Introduction The GTF will allocate approximately $147.7 million to Saskatchewan municipalities over the first five years ( to ) of the Canada-Saskatchewan Agreement on the Transfer Of Federal Gas Tax Revenues Under the New Deal for Cities and Communities (GTF Agreement) to help build communities in Saskatchewan. As of August 31, 2009, Saskatchewan municipalities had received $114.5 million. A final payment to municipalities of approximately $30 million will be distributed in early The GTF is an outcomes-based program which requires projects to contribute to the national outcomes of cleaner water, cleaner air and reduced greenhouse gases (GHG). This report provides an analysis of how completed projects have contributed to these three outcomes. Under the GTF Agreement, Saskatchewan is required to provide an environmental outcomes report on all projects completed by December 31, Working in consultation with Canada and the other Provincial-Territorial signatories, a performance measurement framework (PMF) was drafted to measure these three main outcome goals of the GTF cleaner air, cleaner water and reduced GHGs. The PMF was used to guide the data collection process and reporting of outcomes. This report also provides the outcomes results of the PTF, a federal program providing funds for public transit infrastructure. The PTF provided $12.46 million to cities with existing public transit systems. Under the Canada-Saskatchewan Agreement on the Transfer of Funds for Public Transit (PTF Agreement), Saskatchewan is required to report on the outcomes of the projects funded through the PTF, as they result in the national environmental outcomes of cleaner air and reduced GHGs. The aggregated outcomes of PTF projects are provided separate from GTF results and can be found in section (5) Public Transit Funds. This Outcomes Report on the Federal Gas Tax and Public Transit Funds is prepared by the New Deal Secretariat (Secretariat), as required under the respective agreements. It reports on all completed projects for the period of April 1, 2005 to December 31, The purpose of this report is to provide a provincial summary of the results of the GTF and PTF in Saskatchewan as they pertain to the three environmental outcomes. The results are presented in a way that will allow for national aggregation of outcomes results. Municipalities were asked to report the outcomes of their respective projects to the Secretariat as they pertain to the three national outcomes. That information was then aggregated to produce the results found in this report. The report provides both an overall summary of the results as well as by project category. Environmental results for both the GTF and PTF are highlighted first because the focus of the report is on the three environmental outcomes. Project results are reported by project category, providing detailed environmental results such as reduction in kilowatt hours and annual volume of water conserved. Program and financial results are also provided, giving overall context and high level results of both the GTF and PTF. 6

7 3. REPORTING FRAMEWORK In order to assist the provinces and territories (PT) in the development of an outcomes report, the federal government worked with the PTs to establish a Performance Measurement Framework (PMF). The PMF provides PTs with a recommended methodology for performance measurement, recommended overarching principles, and guidelines for report development. It also provides a table of indicators for each project category. While not an exhaustive list, the indicators developed in the PMF allow for provincial and national aggregation of results. The Secretariat used the PMF as the basis for establishing indicators, a reporting framework, and core principles which have guided the data collection, report development processes and ensured the integrity of the results. While the program seeks to measure these three main outcomes, it is not always feasible to directly attribute the project being funded to the outcome(s). As a result, the PMF is based on causal relation between outputs and outcomes. Projects are measured in relation to outputs achieved, combined with a rationale for the project. This provides evidence of achievement of intermediate outcomes, which in turn can be linked to progress towards the three main environmental outcomes intended under the GTF and PTF Agreements. The PMF establishes a set of project level core indicators to be used to measure project outcomes, however these indicators will be complimented by additional indicators identified by the Secretariat as necessary for reporting. This report includes projects completed at December 31, 2008, by municipalities that also had a signed Funding Agreement (FA) at December 31, This report will focus only on projects identified as complete by municipalities through submission of the Municipal Annual Expenditure Report (MAER). For inclusion in this report, MAERs had to be received by August 15, Each project was counted only once, based on the primary intent of each project and reports both the GTF dollars used for each project and total project costs. To the extent possible, the indicators used in this report are quantifiable to provide immediate results and allow for aggregated province-wide totals. Appendix A provides a list of the principles and processes established by the Secretariat to guide the report development process. Although 501 projects were complete as of December 31, 2008, these projects represent only about one quarter of Saskatchewan s five-year GTF allocation. The Secretariat felt that it was important to also provide some information on some of the large multi-million dollar projects that were still in progress at the end of Appendix B provides the expected project outcomes and status of completion of four significant projects of Regina and Saskatoon which were in varying stages of progress at December 31, These four projects account for $59.90 million of the GTF. Including information on these projects allows for reporting on $98.32 million (out of the total $147.7 million) of the GTF to provide a more complete picture of how funds are being spent. 7

8 4. GAS TAX FUND 4.1. PROGRAM Overview On August 23, 2005, Saskatchewan Government Relations, now the Saskatchewan Ministry of Municipal Affairs ( Saskatchewan ) and Infrastructure and Communities Canada ( Canada ) executed the Canada-Saskatchewan Agreement on the Transfer of Federal Gas Tax Revenues under the New Deal for Cities and Communities The GTF Agreement provides a joint framework for the transfer of funds from Canada to Saskatchewan for administration and subsequent allocation to municipalities. All Saskatchewan municipalities are eligible to receive funding on a per capita basis for environmentally sustainable municipal infrastructure projects and for projects that increase the capacities of communities in areas such as long term planning. The total federal funding to Saskatchewan over the first nine years of the program is $372 million, with Saskatchewan s total allocation over the first five years at $147.7 million. In 2008, Saskatchewan signed an extension to the bilateral agreement with the federal government. Saskatchewan s four year total funding for years six to nine is $224 million based on the 2006 Census figures. Municipalities will receive their funds based on 2006 Census figures for years six and seven, and then on 2011 Census figures for years eight and nine. The federal government s emphasis on environmental sustainability requires municipalities to demonstrate how environmental outcome criteria are met. Municipalities are also required to demonstrate how twenty percent of spending satisfies criteria to provide regional benefits and cooperation. In order to access funding, municipalities were required to submit an Infrastructure Investment Plan (IIP) by March 31, 2008, to ensure projects are eligible. A total of 762 municipalities (96.6%) met that March 31, 2008 deadline. An IIP is required for each project a municipality intends to undertake using GTF. Once the IIP is approved, the province and the municipality entered into a FA. Municipalities are also required to submit additional IIPs for any other projects they would like to use their GTF allocation towards. The Secretariat estimates that approximately 1,700 IIPs will be approved and 6,900 payments will be made over the first five years. As of December 31, 2008, 501 projects were completed, representing $38.42 million of Saskatchewan s portion of the GTF. 8

9 4.2. ENVIRONMENTAL RESULTS As previously mentioned, all projects funded through the GTF are required to result in at least one of three environmental outcomes including cleaner air, cleaner water or reduced GHGs. Of the completed projects, 281 (56%) contributed to reducing GHGs, 187 (37%) to cleaner water, and 33 (7%) to cleaner air. Projects that contribute to reduce GHGs will in turn lead to cleaner air; however, the measurement taken for the purposes of this report identifies the immediate primary environmental outcome only, counting each project only once. Number of Projects by Environmental Outcome Number of Projects Cleaner Air Cleaner Water Reduced GHG Environmental Outcome Value of Projects by Environmental Outcome (in millions) Reduced GHG $28.5 $48.2 Cleaner Water $8.4 $19.7 Cleaner Air $2.4 $1.5 $0.0 $10.0 $20.0 $30.0 $40.0 $50.0 Gas Tax Funds Total Project Costs Although projects were only required to meet one of the three above mentioned environmental outcomes, there were numerous ancillary benefits as a result of each project. All projects funded by GTF led to at least one additional social, health, economic, environmental or public safety benefit. This report will address these ancillary benefits by providing the reader with a review of the major ancillary benefits identified in each project category in section (4)(3). 9

10 4.3. PROJECT RESULTS The following section provides more detailed results by project category. Overall, the local roads and bridges, community energy and water project categories account for a significant portion of the completed projects (418 of 501). This table represents, by project category and subcategory, the 501 completed projects and the total GTF used. It also identifies the number of projects for which an outcomes report was not completed and submitted to the Secretariat by September 25, 2009 (non-reporting). GasTaxFunds CompletedProjects ProjectCategory NumberofProjects GasTaxFunds LocalRoadsandBridges 165 $25.37M Roads 135 $22.34M Bridges 14 $0.65M ActiveTransportation 4 $0.18M ShortlineRail M Nonreporting 8 $1.88M CommunityEnergy 116 $3.17M Conservation(buildingretrofits) 92 $2.15M StreetLighting 1 $0.38M Nonreporting 23 $0.64M Water 137 $5.37M Supply/Distribution 57 $2.71M Treatment 34 $1.43M DemandManagement 18 $0.30M Nonreporting 28 $0.93M WasteWater 50 $3.01M Collection 29 $1.63M Treatment 4 $0.25M Pumping 6 $0.09M StormWaterManagement 5 $.23M Nonreporting 6 $.81M SolidWaste 33 $1.51M WasteDiversion 4 $0.05M LandfillExpansion/Creation 17 $0.81M LandfillRemediation/Reclamation 2 $0.08M Othersolidwastemanagement 6 $0.27M Nonreporting 5 $0.30M TOTAL 501 $38.42M 10

11 Local Roads and Bridges In the Local Roads and Bridges project category, 165 projects were completed by December 31, This project category is the largest with four subcategories: local roads; bridges; active transportation; and shortline rail. This category also accounts for the most significant portion of spending of the GTF ($25.37M) on completed projects. These projects provided a number of ancillary benefits including increased travel safety, increased road capacity, reduced travel time, and providing more direct travel routes. Saskatchewan boasts over 26,000 km of road in the province. Municipal roads, highways, bridges and shortline rail are all an integral part of the transportation system in the province making this project category not only important, but also the most popular. The local roads and bridges project category has resulted in an annual savings of 55,000 L of fuel and 59,000 km of smoother road being driven daily. Local roads used the most GTF and had the largest number of projects ranging from road resurfacing to traffic flow improvements, new road structures, new roads to reduce travel time and major transportation management projects. As a result of the local roads projects, 541 km of Saskatchewan roads, the approximate distance across the southern portion of the province, received surface improvements, providing a smoother ride for vehicles. Based on annual average daily traffic counts, 59,000 km of smoother road is being driven daily m of new culverts were constructed, also leading to cleaner water through better storm water drainage and runoff. The busiest intersection in Saskatoon received a major upgrade with funding from the GTF to construct an interchange. This major transportation improvement project has resulted in reduced travel and idling time by ten and five minutes respectively. The project has improved traffic flow and helped to reduce travel delays. The R.M. of Mervin No. 499 used their GTF to improve the driving conditions on primary grid #794, the main grain transport road in the area. With a curved approach to a steep coulee, this road had significant safety concerns including numerous semi trucks jack-knifing. R.M. Administrator Ryan Domotor recalls getting more than one phone call from local residents saying, You have to do something about that road! As a result of the road reconstruction, which included cutting down the coulee hill and widening the right-of-way, local truck traffic is maintained, ensuring the nearby elevator remains viable. This route has also now become more popular with heavy oil truckers which use this road to haul oil to nearby Turtleford to be processed for pipelining. 11

12 LocalRoads CompletedProjects 142 TotalGasTaxFunds $25,123, TotalProjectCosts $28,412, Output Data ProjectsReportingData ImprovedRoads(km) Totalannualaveragedailytraffic 13, Improvedroaddrivendaily(km) 59, Changeinweightrestrictions(km) Capacityforhighervolumesoftraffic(km) Newroadstoreducetraveltime(km) Distanceoftravelreduced(km) CulvertsConstructed(m) Intersectionimprovements 1 1 Turninglaneimprovements 4 1 Changeintraveltimebyinterchange(min) Trafficcapacityofinterchange 25% 1 Averageidlingtimeatinterchange(min) With more than 3,000 bridges in Saskatchewan, bridges make up an important part of the transportation infrastructure in the Province. Also contributing to the provincial infrastructure deficit, many municipal bridges are reaching their engineered life cycles. Through the GTF, 345 m of bridges were replaced or resurfaced. The GTF investment towards bridge upgrading resulted in a total of km of travel distance being saved (distance saved equals the shortest alternate route, less the bridged route). It allowed drivers to take a more direct route than the alternative route which would have resulted in 347 km being driven. The R.M. of Big Arm No. 251 used the GTF allocation to complete upgrades to a nine meter bridge. The bridge was becoming impassible so the improvement provides a safer route for agricultural, local and recreational traffic. A shorter route also improved access for lakeshore development which has increased, says administrator Yvonne Carrick. Without the bridge improvements, 80 vehicles per day would have had to drive an additional 40 km, the distance of the shortest alternate route. Although only nine meters in length, maintaining this small bridge means that 1,139,200 km of travel are saved per year by not having to use the alternate route. 12

13 Bridges CompletedProjects 15 TotalGasTaxFunds $701, TotalProjectCosts $1,479, Output Data ProjectsReportingData Lengthofbridgesreplaced/resurfaced(m) Shortestalternateroute(km) Distancesavedasaresultofbridges(km) Totalannualaveragedailytraffic Averageincreaseincapacity 65% 2 Changetoprimaryweightrestrictions 2 2 Active transportation projects include walking trails, paths and sidewalks. The four completed projects resulted in nine kilometers of new walking trails and upgrades to one kilometer of sidewalk. Over 6,000 people living in the surrounding areas have access to these new paths. These projects provide numerous health and social benefits to both the communities and citizens who use the paths. The Town of Canora invested their GTF into 8.6 km of walking paths in the town. The project links all areas of the community with an easily accessible walking path that provides residents with an alternative to driving and a safe recreational facility for walking and cycling, says Town Administrator, Michael Mykytyshyn. ActiveTransportation CompletedProjects 4 TotalGasTaxFunds $179, TotalProjectCosts $226, Output Data ProjectsReportingData Newwalkingpaths/trails(km) Populationwithreadyaccesstopaths/trails 6,576 2 Newsidewalks(km) 1 2 Citizenswithaccesstosidewalks 1,636 2 Changeinsidewalkusers 20%* 1 Changeinvehicleuseasaresultofsidewalk 10%* 1 *These percentages have been provided by the municipality as an estimate. 13

14 Shortline rail projects are unique to Saskatchewan s GTF enabling municipalities to purchase rail lines, an integral part of grain movement in Saskatchewan. Four municipalities have completed two shortline rail projects that have resulted in 178 km of rail line being purchased, which would have otherwise been shut down. As a result of using rail versus truck (which can cause significant damage to roads) to transport grain and other commodities, almost 3,000 trucks are being kept off nearby roads annually. With approximately 87,500 MT transported on these lines annually, 50,000 L of fuel have been saved and GHGs have been reduced by over 150 MT per year by using rail lines instead of trucks. When it became know that Canadian Pacific (CP) Railway was willing to sell the Fife Lake Subdivision of its railway, seven municipalities in the area got together to purchase that portion (97 km) of rail from CP. Now known as the Fife Lake Railway (FLR), the R.M.s of Poplar Valley No. 12, Happy Valley No. 10, and Hart Butte No. 11 used their GTF allocation to cover a portion of their share of the costs. Vern Palmer, Corporate Secretary for FLR and Administrator for the R.M. of Hart Butte, noted that in the three and a half years of operation the total amount of rail cars moved on the FLR since January 2006 is 2,609, for a total tonnage of 234,810 MT. This translates into over 7,000 truck loads of grain that have been kept on the rails (and off the roads). Not only has this project resulted in these quantifiable benefits but it has also helped to ensure that farmers have easy access to an economical and efficient transportation method for their grains. ShortlineRail CompletedProjects 4 TotalGasTaxFunds $319, TotalProjectCosts $700, Output Data ProjectsReportingData Linespurchased(km) Averagetripsperyear 13 4 Averagecarspertrip 32 4 Tonnagetransportedperyear(Metric TonnesMT) 87,500 4 Numberofbtraintrucksremovedfrom roadperyear 2, Fuelsavedperyearusingrailvs.truck(L) 55, GHGReductionusingrailvs.truck(MT/yr)

15 Water Saskatchewan had 137 water projects completed under the GTF between 2005 and Project categories include: supply and distribution component replacement or extension to new users (pipes); pump upgrades; water treatment upgrades; water metering; and source water protection. Additional benefits of these water projects include safer and higher quality water, increases in both supply and capacity to provide water, and more efficient ways of providing water. This project category leveraged a significant amount of additional investment from the municipality through multiple sources. For every dollar of GTF invested, $1.72 was invested by the municipality through its own pocket or other sources. 14 projects led to an annual savings of approximately 190,000 m 3 of water. These projects have resulted in over 11,000 m of water pipes being replaced, reducing the average age of the pipes by over 42 years and reducing incidents of leaky pipes. With almost 1,000 additional households being serviced, water is safer, cleaner and more efficiently distributed. Water treatment plant upgrades and expansion, including 30 filtration upgrades, has increased the ability to treat the water (2,164 m 3 /day) and to treat water to a higher standard (6,970 m 3 /day). As a result of these projects, 189,844 m 3 of water is being conserved annually, enough to fill over 75 Olympic-size pools. To meet growing water demands, the Town of Birch Hills undertook a water treatment plant expansion project using their GTF allocation, funding from the Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund (MRIF) and money from their own pockets. The town acts as a regional water supply centre for four neighbouring R.M.s and its own major developments (health centre, golf course, new condominium complex and a new subdivision). Instead of incurring the costs of a brand new plant, the town purchased a used water treatment plant and attached it to the existing plant. The plant now boasts integrated water line feeds, new pumps for larger capacity, upgraded computerized equipment and technology and a new cistern. Councillor Stewart Adams summarized the benefits best, The town is now able to meet the legislated water standards and supply a region that has a lot going for it and is continuing to grow. 15

16 Water CompletedProjects 137 TotalGasTaxFunds $5,373, TotalProjectCosts $14,606, Output Data ProjectsReporting Data NewConnections Pipereplacement(m) 11, Waterpumpsreplaced/upgraded Additionalhouseholdsserviced Increaseinhouseholdswithwatermeters Supply/distributioncomponentreplacement/repair Increaseinpopulationserved Averageageofpipes(yrs) Waterassessments 9 9 Newwells/reservoirs Filtrationupgrades Changeindailyconsumption(m 3 /day) 1,090 3 Annualvolumeconserved(m 3 ) 189, Increasedpumpcapacity(m 3 /day) Increasedwaterstoragecapacity(m 3 ) 1,561 5 Increasedvolumetreated(m 3 /day) 2,164 8 Increasedvolumetreatedtomeetsafetystandards (m 3 /day) 82 5 Increasedvolumetreatedtohigherstandard (m 3 /day) 6,

17 Community Energy Completed projects in the community energy project category are almost exclusively building retrofits relating to lighting and heating/cooling systems. It includes costs for higher efficiency furnace replacement, insulation, roofing, and window and door upgrades to result in a more efficient use of energy. This project category also leveraged a significant amount of additional investment by municipalities. For ever dollar of GTF invested, municipalities invested $1.32, either from their own pockets or from other sources. Annual energy savings as a result of 19 projects were significant with over 50,000 m 3 of energy (fuel) saved each year. Investment in community energy projects has resulted in 569 lights replaced with energy efficient lights, 25 high efficiency furnaces and 229 solar panels installed to heat community pools. These projects have resulted in over 50,000 m 3 in energy savings and 93,574 kilowatt hour savings. Improved air, safety and reduced costs were all added benefits of the projects. The Town of Eston installed 47 solar panels to provide more efficient pool heating. As a result of the costs savings, the municipality now keeps the pool open an extra two weeks per year. As well, in some instances, building retrofits allowed communities to use the facility more extensively and keep it open longer and later. In these cases the increased building use means fuel and energy use actually increased, providing a skewed result of savings but a more efficient use of the building. The Village of Perdue used their GTF allocation to complete upgrades on their town shop. Previously without heat or light, 22 LED lights and a new efficient heating/cooling system was installed. Although our project shows an increase in power and natural gas use it has created a safer and healthier environment for our outside staff and has allowed us to further utilize our shop, says Administrator Pam McMahon. CommunityEnergy CompletedProjects 116 TotalGasTaxFunds $3,170, TotalProjectCosts $7,369, Output Data ProjectsReportingData Energyefficientlightsinstalled Averageefficiencyofnewfurnaces(%) Solarpoolpanelsinstalled Otherbuildingretrofitprojects(doors, windows,roofing,insulation) Buildingswithheating/coolingupgrades Annualgas/fuelsavedwithbuildings upgrades(m 3 /yr) 16, Energysavings(heat,fueland electricity)(m 3 /yr) 50, KilowatthoursSaved(kWh/yr) 93,

18 Solid Waste The solid waste project category has 33 completed projects, including three large regional landfills. Projects in this category include: landfill expansion/creation; waste diversion (recycling); and landfill reclamation. Many of the solid waste projects also identified ancillary benefits including extending the life of a landfill, better waste management practices, reduced costs, fewer pests, and increased safety for users and operators. Five waste diversion/recycling projects have resulted in 152 MT of waste being removed from landfills annually. Nine landfill projects have resulted in an increased capacity to hold waste by almost 40,000 MT and increased the number of users by approximately 15,000. There has been a 43% increase in the amount of residential waste being recycled with almost full participation of the residential and business community participating. The province has also benefited from 23,000 m 3 of land being reclaimed. In partnership with a neighbouring R.M., the Village of Conquest used their GTF allocation to build a new trailer for hauling all their recycling bins to a nearby recycling depot. The new trailer reduced the number of weekly trips from three to one. As a result of this project, residents are doing more recycling, helping to extend the life of the landfill. As well, by only having to make one trip per week to the recycling depot, there has been a reduction of 80 km driven per week by waste management operators which also reduced GHGs. Administrator L. Jean Jones is very proud of the great recycling by residents of the village and R.M. SolidWaste CompletedProjects 33 TotalGasTaxFunds $1,504, TotalProjectCosts $2,354, Output Data ProjectsReportingData Changeincapacityoflandfillsites(MT) 39, Changeinnumberofusersoflandfillsites 15, Wastedivertedfromlandfill(MT/yr) Increaseinresidentialwasterecycled 43.3% 3 Householdsparticipatinginrecycling 89% 5 Businessesparticipatinginrecycling 95% 5 Areaoflandfillsreclaimed(m 2 ) 23,

19 Waste Water In the wastewater project category, 50 projects were completed by December 31, Projects in this category include: collection and treatment system upgrades or expansion; pumping; and storm water management. In this project category, over 15,000 m of pipes were added or replaced. Collection and treatment system upgrades were the most popular with 23 municipalities completing upgrades including almost 15,000 m of new and upgraded pipes and 38 new connections to the system. 505 m of culvert were dug to help manage stormwater, and to help prevent erosion and flooding. By expanding their lagoon, the Village of Leroy was able to reduce the amount of sewage discharged into the environment by 500 m 3 annually. These wastewater projects also had a number of ancillary benefits including extending lagoon life, reduced pooling water, increased cost-effectiveness, and reduced contamination and back-ups. The Village of Glenavon completed a wastewater system upgrading project which included replacing the lift pump and completing line improvements. Administrator James Hoff said, The village undertook this project to create a safer, more efficient and reliable sewer system for residents. The upgrades resulted in a 30% increase in capacity to pump wastewater and a 20% saving in kilowatt hours by installing a more efficient pump. Not only have these upgrades been cost-effective by reducing power use, they have also provided greater protection against flooding. 19

20 Wastewater CompletedProjects 50 TotalGasTaxFunds $3,006, TotalProjectCosts $5,129, Output Data Projects ReportingData Municipalitieswithupgradedwastewatersystems Pumpupgrades 9 8 Newwastewaterpipes(m) 12,600 4 Rehabilitatedwastewaterpipes(m) 2,276 4 Newconnectionstothesystem 38 2 Newculvertstomanagestormwater(m) Changeincapacitytocollectwastewater(m 3 /day) 45 2 Changeincapacitytotreatwastewater(m 3 /day) Changeincapacitytopumpwastewater(m 3 /day) 22,800 1 Householdconnectionsasaresultofpumpingfacility upgrades/expansion Energyusefromnewpumps 20% 1 Changeincapacitytomanagestormwater(m 3 /yr) 20,000 1 Sewagedischargedintoenvironment(m 3 /yr)

21 4.4. GENERAL RESULTS Program results As of December 31, 2008, the Secretariat has approved 922 projects with 54% (501) completed. Municipalities may use GTF allocations for infrastructure projects in a variety of categories as long as they contribute to cleaner air, cleaner water or reduced GHGs. In Saskatchewan, municipalities may submit projects for approval in seven different project categories. The local roads and bridges and water project categories are the most popular, accounting for 534 (58%) of the 922 approved projects. Project categories include: Local Roads and Bridges (R&B) Water (W) Community Energy (CE) Waste Water (WW) Solid Waste (SW) Public Transit (PT) Capacity Building (CB) Complete and Incomplete Projects by Project Category Number of Projects R&B W CE WW SW PT CB Incomplete Complete Project Category 21

22 Financial results As of December 31, 2008, the Secretariat had signed FAs with 619 municipalities. Of those 619 municipalities, 449 (73%) had completed at least one project as of December 31, Municipalities used a total of $38.42 million in GTF for the 501 completed projects. Municipalities by Project Completion Status Complete $38.42M Incomplete $31.94M* *The dollar amount for the incomplete projects does not account for future GTF allocations. Municipalities are able to allocate future allocations to a project even though the funds have not been distributed. The total GTF that will be used for incomplete projects is approximately $77 million when taking into account future allocations. Out of 501 completed projects, local roads and bridges consumes the largest portion of GTF with $25.37 million out of the $38.42 million completed project total. The local roads and bridges category includes road, bridge, active transportation and shortline rail projects. Gas Tax Funding by Project Category R&B - $25.37M 165 W - $5.37M CE - $3.17M WW - $3.01M SW - $1.50M

23 The total project value of the 501 completed projects is $70.37 million. Of that $70.37 million, 55% ($38.42M) of the project value is being funded with GTF. This means that municipalities invested $31.95 million into these projects either through their own means or by accessing funds from other sources. For every $1 invested from the GTF, municipalities have invested an additional average of $0.83. Spending Leveraged (for every $1 in GTF) $1.80 $1.60 $1.40 $1.20 $1.00 $0.80 $0.60 $0.40 $0.20 $0.00 $1.72 $1.32 $0.71 $0.61 $0.56 R&B W CE WW SW 23

24 Regional results One of the program requirements for municipalities is to allocate twenty percent of their total municipal allocation to projects that provide a regional benefit. A regional benefit means the environmental, economic, social, cultural or recreational benefits provided to neighbouring municipalities. 67% of the 501 completed projects have been identified as providing a regional benefit. Out of the $38.42 million GTF used on completed projects, $32.29 million was used for projects identified as providing a regional benefit. $5.90 Regional Projects by Dollar Value (in millions) Regional Non-Regional - 165* $32.29 *Some projects not identified as regional could have been classed as regional. Some municipalities chose not to identify additional project as regional if they had already met the 20% requirement. Completed Regional Projects by Project Category CE - $2.19M RB - $24.25M SW - $1.48M WW - $1.75M W - $2.62M Some municipalities took their regional requirement to the next level and engaged with a number of neighbouring municipalities for large-scale regional projects such as landfills, water systems and community energy projects for hospitals and health facilities. In all, 10 large regional projects have been approved for funding under the GTF with six completed as of December 31, 2008 including three regional hospital/health centre and three regional landfill projects. 24

25 The hospital/heath centre projects received funds to increase the energy efficiency. These funds allowed for the buildings to be built to higher energy standards than the normal building standards. Municipalities contributing to the regional landfill projects were able to close and/or decommission their individual landfills. Many of these landfills were close to capacity, more than years old and no longer met Saskatchewan Environment regulations. Instead of each municipality building their own new landfills, joining with partners to create regional landfills was more efficient and economical. See Appendix C for more information on these regional projects. 25

26 5. Public Transit Funds 5.1. Program overview On March 31, 2006, Saskatchewan and Transport, Infrastructure and Communities Canada ( Canada ) executed the Canada-Saskatchewan Agreement on the Transfer of Funds for Public Transit (PTF Agreement). The PTF Agreement provides a joint framework for the transfer of funds from Canada to Saskatchewan for investment in public transit infrastructure. Funding in the amount of $12.46 million was allocated to cities based primarily on 2004 ridership figures for existing public transit systems and does not require the province or municipalities to provide any matching funds. The cities can use the funds for capital investment in their public transit systems in a manner consistent with the federal operating principles. This includes investments in buses, transit related infrastructure and Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS), such as transit priority signaling. Similar to the GTF, PTF supports the environmental objectives of reduced green house gas emissions and cleaner air. Cities are required to spend funds on public transit infrastructure capital investments, similar to those identified in the GTF Agreement. The reporting requirements for the PTF are also similar to the GTF reporting requirements. 26

27 5.2. Environmental results Similar to the GTF, all projects funded through the PTF are required to contribute to the environmental outcomes of cleaner air and reduced GHGs. All of the public transit projects completed as of December 31, 2008, contribute to both cleaner air and reduced GHGs. Value of Projects by Environmental Outcome (in millions) Reduced GHGs $12.3 $19.2 Cleaner Air $12.3 $19.2 $0.0 $5.0 $10.0 $15.0 $20.0 Public Transit Fund Total Project Costs 27

28 5.3. Project results The following section provides more detailed results by project category. Overall, the bus replacement and refurbishment projects account for over 75% of the completed projects (11 of 15). This table represents the 15 completed projects and total PTF used for those projects. These aggregated results show that significant investments have been made into projects and are contributing to the environmental outcomes. As well, the output data suggests that significant work has been done to reduce GHGs by providing more efficient transit services. With 56 old model buses replaced, annual fuel consumption decreased by 30,400 L. All projects funded by PTF led to at least one additional social, health, economic, environmental or public safety benefit. The main ancillary benefits realized by these projects include decreased maintenance requirements and costs, improved accessibility, improved travel time, increased efficiency, increased service reliability and improved availability. Although it appears that transit capacity has been reduced, the cities are using buses that are more reliable, cost effective and more fuel efficient. The average age of the fleets has decreased by almost five years. Para-transit services receive significant improvements with 14 old buses replaced and eight new ones added to the fleets to expand services. Two new computerized dispatch and planning ITS were installed which has increased efficiency and made schedule planning much simpler and cost effective. PublicTransitFund CompletedProjects 15 TotalPublicTransitFunds $12,306, TotalProjectCosts $19,198, Output Data ProjectsReporting Data Changeintransitpassengercapacity 9.5% 9 Averageageoftransitfleet(yrs) Busesreplaced 56 8 Refurbishedbuses 6 1 Newbuses 8 2 Reductioninfuelconsumption(L/yr) 30,456 3 IntelligentTransportationSystems 2 2 TransitServicePlanImplementation 1 1 Changeinridership 23% 1 Transitreviews

29 5.4. General results Program results As of December 31, 2008, seven cities received funding through the PTF. Of those seven, six (86%) had completed at least one project as of December 31, Overall, 15 out of 17 projects were completed by December 31, Cities may use PTF for infrastructure projects in a variety of categories as long as they contribute to cleaner air and reduced GHGs. Eligible projects under the public transit fund include: rapid transit infrastructure; transit buses; intelligent transportation systems; related capital infrastructure; and infrastructure or tangible assets associated with transit for persons with disabilities. The majority of projects undertaken by Saskatchewan cities and completed by December 31, 2008, were for the purchase of new, replacement or refurbished of transit and Paratransit buses. Complete Projects by Project Category Number of Projects Rapid Transit 2 Buses ITS Capital Paratransit 1 1 Other Project Category 29

30 Financial results Municipalities used a total of $12.31 million in PTF for the 15 completed projects. Out of the 15 completed projects, replacement, refurbishment or new purchase of buses consumes the largest portion of PTF with just over $9.67 million out of the $12.31 million completed project total. Gas Tax Funding by Project Category Rapid Transit - $0.00M Buses - $9.67M ITS - $0.75M Capital - $0.56M Para-transit - $1.26M 1 2 Other - $0.06M The total project value of the 15 completed projects is $19.20 million. Of that $19.20 million, 67% ($12.31 million) of the project value is being funded with PTF. As a result of the PTF, cities invested an additional $6.89 million into public transit projects.. 30

31 6. Conclusion The results of this report show that Saskatchewan municipalities are completing infrastructure projects that meet local need and contribute to the national outcomes of cleaner air, cleaner water and reduced GHGs. The GTF has provided a great opportunity to invest in 501 environmentally sustainable infrastructure projects, with another 421 approved projects still in the process of completion. The PTF provided $12.31 million in support to cities for 15 completed public transit infrastructure projects and two still in the process of completion. Investments of $38.42 million through the GTF and $12.31 million through the PTF have resulted in total investments of $70.37 million and $19.20 million, respectively, in projects that improve road and bridge surfaces, energy efficiency, water and wastewater systems, solid waste management, and public transit services. With significant infrastructure deficits across the province, the PTF, and more specifically the GTF, ensure a sustainable and predicable source of funding to help address this deficit. The federal government responded to the ongoing request for longterm funding in the 2008 Budget, announcing the GTF would be extended at two billion a year ($224 million per year for Saskatchewan), over the next four years and beyond that become a permanent measure. This will further assist Saskatchewan municipalities in continuing to plan and finance long-term local infrastructure needs while ensuring that projects also provide environmentally sustainable benefits leading to the three national outcomes. This report has shown that environmentally sustainable infrastructure can also provide supplementary benefits including improved health, safety, efficiency, quality and reliability. These projects have, and will, continue to improve the wellbeing of the citizens of Saskatchewan. The GTF and PTF have, and will, continue to successfully meet the national objectives of cleaner air, cleaner water and reduced GHGs while also providing flexibility so municipalities are able to meet local needs. The extension and permanency of funding will enable municipalities to continue to improve critical local infrastructure, improving community sustainability, while meeting long-term national objectives. 31

32 Appendix a Reporting Framework In the development of the data gathering and report writing processes, the New Deal Secretariat established a number of guiding principles to direct the processes. Guiding Principles: o This report focuses only on projects completed by December 31, 2008; o Municipalities with completed projects that did not submit a MAER report by August 15, 2009 are not included in the report; o Municipalities that did not submit an outcomes report for their completed projects by September 25, 2009, are classed as non-reporting for the purposes of this report; however, they will still be required to provide this information to the Secretariat; o For each project, this report identifies both the Gas Tax funds used on the project and the total project costs. Providing information on total project costs is intended to provide context for the scale of the projects and the portion supported by the Gas Tax Fund; o When reporting the amount of Gas Tax funding for projects, the dollar value reported is either the municipality s requested amount to be allocated to the project (on their IIP) or the actual costs, whichever is lower; o The work completed is not prorated based on the amount of Gas Tax used for the project. (I.e. GTF covered 50% of a $5M, 10km road project. The report will reflect $2.5M GTF and 10km); o Each project is counted once in a project category and sub-category based on the primary intent of the project; o Information on immeasurable general project benefits is summarized in each project category section; o Mandatory indicators are quantifiable to the extent possible and provide results that are immediately measurable; o The same unit of measure for each indicator is used in reporting for ease of aggregation; o Mandatory indicators are aggregated to provide a province-wide total and facilitate reporting at a national level; and o Attribution issues, risks and assumptions will be clearly stated including nonreporting municipalities and significant incomplete projects (eg. Regina and Saskatoon have approximately one third of the gas tax money with one complete project and several projects in progress). 32

33 The process in which the Secretariat undertook to complete the report was as follows: o o o o o o o o The Secretariat began by reviewing the Performance Measurement Framework (PMF) document and completing a comparative analysis of other jurisdictions to establish a list of mandatory federal and provincial indicator questions for each project category. The PMF, created by Infrastructure Canada, is the base information source guiding the creation of the indicators, reporting principles and the report itself. Each project category has identified mandatory and additional indicators those that must be reported and those that may be reported depending on availability of data and capacity of recipient to report. For each project category an indicator table was created. Each table identifies a list of project sub-categories and corresponding local mandatory and additional indicators, allowing the Secretariat to aggregate information to provide province-wide results. For each completed project, a municipality is required to provide information for each of the local mandatory indicators based on the results of their respective project(s). If data is available and there is local capacity, additional indicators will also be encouraged to be completed. Municipalities were sent questionnaires for each project category that they reported a completed project (based on 2008 MAER). Municipalities were required to fill out one questionnaire for each completed project, even if there were two completed projects in the same category. Once the Secretariat received the completed questionnaires, the data was compiled into a spreadsheet for aggregation. Based on the data provided, results were disseminated and provided in the outcomes report by: environmental results, project results, output results, program results, financial results, and regional results. 33