October 19, 2017 – The Municipal District of Bonnyville was awarded a $50,000 Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) grant to fund two Asset Management Initiatives.
The FCM Municipal Asset Management Program is a new five-year, $50-million program designed to help municipalities make informed decisions about infrastructure investment. The program is delivered by the FCM and funded by the Government of Canada. The M.D. project is one of many funded initiatives in communities across Canada.
The M.D. of Bonnyville Asset Management Initiatives Project consists of two initiatives, says Administrative Officer Esther Quiambao. The first is the enhancement of senior management staff’s knowledge in Asset Management through external training. The second initiative is the collection of valuable data on the municipality’s largest capital asset – the road system – through a Rural Roads Study. It will be an update to the Roads Study done in 2001. The study will include a traffic analysis, a road inventory, road condition assessments and some preliminary engineering.
The total budget for the project is $80,000, with $30,000 taken from the 2017 Operating Budget. Quiambao says a consultant will be hired to complete the road study and to provide training for the senior management team.
Improving Canada’s infrastructure – in large part – has become the responsibility of municipalities. Communities want to be sure they are investing their infrastructure money wisely. The M.D.’s Asset Management Initiatives will provide the data to make informed, long-term decisions regarding its 2,600 km road system and to maximize infrastructure dollars.