The Construction Record Podcast™ – Episode 359: Economist Jack Mintz on Canada’s infrastructure

On this episode of The Construction Record Podcast™, digital media editor Warren Frey speaks with economist and President’s Fellow at the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy Jack Mintz about Canada’s reinvigorating and expanding ageing infrastructure.

Mintz said privatization is one possible route to increasing infrastructure across Canada, and pointed to the telecommunications industry as an example of infrastructure that works reliably and upgrades at a regular cadence. Pension funds investing in infrastructure is another possibility, along with public-private partnerships (P3).

Housing affordability is another factor and Mintz said a big issue is that installing new infrastructure can lead to a rise in housing prices. Green infrastructure can also be more expensive initially with benefits that aren’t immediately apparent leading to sticker-shock. He advocated for honesty from government in letting consumers and investors know what the costs are of green infrastructure up front.

You can listen to our recent podcast with BCIT Centre for Welding Technologies and Metallurgy director Mathew Smith here and our episodes are available at the Daily Commercial News and Journal of Commerce websites, on Libsyn and at Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music’s podcast section. Thanks for listening.

DCN-JOC News Services