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This paper focuses on the role of investments in infrastructure in Canada. The size of infrastructure investments relative to other capital stock sets this country apart from most other Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries. The paper reviews the approaches taken by other researchers to define infrastructure. It then outlines a taxonomy to define those assets that should be considered as infrastructure and that can be used to assess the importance of different types of capital investments. It briefly considers how to define the portion of infrastructure that should be considered 'public'. The final two parts of the paper apply the proposed classification system to data on Canada's capital stock, and ask the following questions: how much infrastructure does Canada have and in which sectors of the economy is this infrastructure located? Finally, the paper investigates how Canada's infrastructure has evolved over the last four decades, both in the commercial and non-commercial sectors, and compares these trends with the pattern that can be found in the United States.

Trends in average age of public infrastructure in Canada and the provinces are examined for five key assets from 1961 to 2007. Average ages of assets are compared with their estimated useful service life and are presented along with their corresponding gross capital stock.

The overall growth of government-owned infrastructure has been very similar across most regions over the past 44 years. With the exception of the Atlantic Provinces, the range of average annual capital growth from one region to the next has been very narrow, falling between 1.8% and 2.2% since 1961, according to a new study released in September 2007 in the Canadian Economic Observer.

Since 2000, governments have increased their infrastructure capital more than at any time since the 1960s and 1970s. However, the growth has not been strong enough to prevent more and more signs of wear in our infrastructure (the data are net of depreciation and in constant 1997 dollars). This is due to cuts in the 1990s when governments were grappling with significant budgetary deficits, as well as many of the assets built in the post-war infrastructure boom reaching the end of their life span.

This study analyses, from 1961 to 2005, government investment in infrastructure by different levels of government and type of asset by region.

This article finds that the volume of infrastructure capital has rebounded since 2000 after two decades of neglect. While infrastructure growth has been similar across regions, there are sharp differences in the type of asset targeted by the regions, especially when spending slowed after 1980.

This study looks at the average age of the four main components of public infrastructure in Canada: roads and highways, sewer systems, wastewater treatment facilities, and bridges. This study covers the 1963 to 2003 period for the three levels of government.

Productivity growth in Canada (PGC), is the reference publication on productivity in Canada. The objective of this publication is twofold: a) to illustrate the importance of productivity trends on the changes in living standards in Canada and, b) to measure the productivity performance of the Canadian economy in comparison with the United States, in particular. PGC includes articles on productivity and related issues and serves as a vehicle to understanding the sources underlying economic growth in Canada.

The publication presents data on establishments, employment, payroll, material, supplies, fuel and electricity used, product shipments and consumption. Data are presented by province. It includes a list of establishments, definitions and a bibliography.

Productivity analysis is one of the major foundations of the analysis of long-term economic growth. It is important to study productivity in order to identify the factors that contribute to it and to explore the relationship that exists between productivity, growth and international competitiveness.

Statistics Canada produces partial productivity indexes for some 30 industries and the business sector of the economy on an annual basis. However, little is known about the real output, productivity, and price trends in the construction industry. Four opportunities for productivity research in the construction industry are evident, (a) investigation of the available productivity measures, (b) alternative approaches to the implicit methods currently used in the compilation of output price indexes, (c) estimation of productivity within particular sectors of the construction industry, and (d) comparison of productivity on an interprovincial or international basis.

In this paper we will focus on the first two of the four alternatives and will give examples of the last two. In particular, by formalizing the adjustments that are made to the input factors used in the development of output indexes, we contend that the result will be more impartial and enduring. Generally, our goal is to investigate and promote measures that will be available and attractive to the construction industry as it begins to demand more electronic information. The purpose is to derive, eventually, some new productivity estimates based upon the best available statistics.

The publication presents data on establishments, employment, payroll, material, supplies, fuel and electricity used, product shipments and consumption. Data are presented by province. It includes a list of establishments, definitions and a bibliography.

Trends in average age of public infrastructure in Canada and the provinces are examined for five key assets from 1961 to 2007. Average ages of assets are compared with their estimated useful service life and are presented along with their corresponding gross capital stock.

The overall growth of government-owned infrastructure has been very similar across most regions over the past 44 years. With the exception of the Atlantic Provinces, the range of average annual capital growth from one region to the next has been very narrow, falling between 1.8% and 2.2% since 1961, according to a new study released in September 2007 in the Canadian Economic Observer.

Since 2000, governments have increased their infrastructure capital more than at any time since the 1960s and 1970s. However, the growth has not been strong enough to prevent more and more signs of wear in our infrastructure (the data are net of depreciation and in constant 1997 dollars). This is due to cuts in the 1990s when governments were grappling with significant budgetary deficits, as well as many of the assets built in the post-war infrastructure boom reaching the end of their life span.

This study analyses, from 1961 to 2005, government investment in infrastructure by different levels of government and type of asset by region.

This article finds that the volume of infrastructure capital has rebounded since 2000 after two decades of neglect. While infrastructure growth has been similar across regions, there are sharp differences in the type of asset targeted by the regions, especially when spending slowed after 1980.

This study looks at the average age of the four main components of public infrastructure in Canada: roads and highways, sewer systems, wastewater treatment facilities, and bridges. This study covers the 1963 to 2003 period for the three levels of government.

Productivity growth in Canada (PGC), is the reference publication on productivity in Canada. The objective of this publication is twofold: a) to illustrate the importance of productivity trends on the changes in living standards in Canada and, b) to measure the productivity performance of the Canadian economy in comparison with the United States, in particular. PGC includes articles on productivity and related issues and serves as a vehicle to understanding the sources underlying economic growth in Canada.

Productivity analysis is one of the major foundations of the analysis of long-term economic growth. It is important to study productivity in order to identify the factors that contribute to it and to explore the relationship that exists between productivity, growth and international competitiveness.

Statistics Canada produces partial productivity indexes for some 30 industries and the business sector of the economy on an annual basis. However, little is known about the real output, productivity, and price trends in the construction industry. Four opportunities for productivity research in the construction industry are evident, (a) investigation of the available productivity measures, (b) alternative approaches to the implicit methods currently used in the compilation of output price indexes, (c) estimation of productivity within particular sectors of the construction industry, and (d) comparison of productivity on an interprovincial or international basis.

In this paper we will focus on the first two of the four alternatives and will give examples of the last two. In particular, by formalizing the adjustments that are made to the input factors used in the development of output indexes, we contend that the result will be more impartial and enduring. Generally, our goal is to investigate and promote measures that will be available and attractive to the construction industry as it begins to demand more electronic information. The purpose is to derive, eventually, some new productivity estimates based upon the best available statistics.

This paper focuses on the role of investments in infrastructure in Canada. The size of infrastructure investments relative to other capital stock sets this country apart from most other Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries. The paper reviews the approaches taken by other researchers to define infrastructure. It then outlines a taxonomy to define those assets that should be considered as infrastructure and that can be used to assess the importance of different types of capital investments. It briefly considers how to define the portion of infrastructure that should be considered 'public'. The final two parts of the paper apply the proposed classification system to data on Canada's capital stock, and ask the following questions: how much infrastructure does Canada have and in which sectors of the economy is this infrastructure located? Finally, the paper investigates how Canada's infrastructure has evolved over the last four decades, both in the commercial and non-commercial sectors, and compares these trends with the pattern that can be found in the United States.