Budget Sufficiency for First Nations Water and Wastewater Infrastructure

This report responds to a request of Mr. Charlie Angus, the member for Timmins-James Bay, to estimate the costs of upgrading water and wastewater infrastructure on First Nations reserves, in order to eliminate long-term boil water advisories, and to compare these estimates with the actual and planned spending included the announced funding in Budget 2016. PBO estimates the minimum capital investment required to meet actual and future W&WW needs until 2020 at $3.2 billion. PBO’s estimate of the annual operating and maintenance (O&M) needs is $361 million. PBO analysis indicates that the estimated capital and O&M costs are considerably more than the total actual and planned funding.