On September 16, we sent a letter to all Conservative, Green, Liberal and NDP federal candidates in Ontario, asking them:

“How much federal infrastructure money would your party invest in repairing and rebuilding Canadian public school buildings – a critical part of our country’s infrastructure?”

As of October 19, we’ve heard back from seventeen Green Party candidates and most responses included elements of the following from the Green Party platform:

“The gap between the infrastructure funding our cities and towns need, and the funding they receive, is reaching crisis levels. Canada’s infrastructure deficit is estimated to be upwards of $350-billion. We will work to close this gap by committing $6.4 billion per year, one point of the GST, to municipal infrastructure, providing stable, long-term funding to Canadian municipalities, creating good local jobs, and building vibrant, safe, and livable Canadian towns and cities. We will unleash an army of carpenters, electricians and contractors to take outdated and leaky public buildings, especially schools, universities and hospitals.

In light of the enormous and growing infrastructure deficit, the Green Party also proposes the creation of an Infrastructure Bank  – an iBank owned by Canadians – that leverages the ability of the federal government to provide provinces and municipalities with the funds they require at the lowest possible cost while offering private investors opportunities for profitable long-term investments. This would certainly be a potential source of funding for repairing and rebuilding schools.”