Ottawa in line for sizeable chunk of federal infrastructure cash

There should be plenty of work for skilled tradespeople and refurbished digs for government employees in Ottawa, thanks to the budget's promise to upgrade federal buildings.

Budget 2016 promises to invest $2.1 billion over the next five years to revitalize federal assets and buildings across the country, and since the national capital region is home to about a third of all federal assets, that would equate to about $700 million spent locally.

Some of that money has been earmarked to help reduce the carbon footprint and energy consumption in federal buildings in the national capital region.

Many of those buildings are decades-old and in desperate need of new windows and doors, as well as upgrades to heating and cooling systems.

Public Services and Procurement Canada manages six heating and cooling plants, servicing 85 buildings in Ottawa and Gatineau.

The government has committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions from those plants by 45 per cent.

Some of the federal building infrastructure money will also also go towards improvements in military housing and upgrading border infrastructure.

The building fund is part of a $3.5-billion investment in federal infrastructure improvements over the next five years that is expected to include other big expenditures in the National Capital Region.

Those include:

• $281 million to modernize the National Arts Centre and the National Gallery as well as build a new collection and conservationcentre for the Canada Science and Technology Museum.
• $271 million for environmental remediation on contaminated federal sites.
• $139 million for federal laboratories and other federal assets that support science, research and innovation.
• $232 million for National Defence and the Canadian Coast Guard to improve safety and security.