British Columbia's infrastructure deficit is real. So too are the economic benefits to a robust public infrastructure spending program.
In new research undertaken by statistician Robin Somerville at the Centre for Spatial Economics, this report examines the economic benefits of three possible public infrastructure spending plans for British Columbia. It looks at $5, $7 and $10 billion cumulative spending plans over the next five years and finds this kind of public investment could generate a return on investment to British Columbians over the long term as high as $2.09 per dollar spent, trigger significant private sector investment, and stimulate wage increases — all without significant long-term fiscal consequences to the provincial government.
