Feds short hundreds of million in repair, maintenance of defence infrastructure
OTTAWA — The federal government has been chronically underspending on the repair and maintenance of Canada’s defence infrastructure for years, leaving officials to play catch-up on maintaining aging roads, runways, jetties and thousands of buildings across the country.
The Defence Department official responsible for infrastructure says efforts are underway to better manage the portfolio, and that his priority is ensuring the health and safety of service members and that military training and operations are not disrupted.
“We’re not accepting risk that’s going to put health and safety in danger,” said Rob Chambers, assistant deputy minister of infrastructure and environment.
“So we’re constantly adjusting as we go. It’s an ongoing discussion right now about how to address the overall portfolio.”