Universites as Important as Roads and Bridges

Infrastructure More than Roads, Bridges

Although roads, bridges, and the like are salient aspects of our
environment, it is important to remember that they constitute only a
fraction of our infrastructure and that investments in other forms of
infrastructure could provide considerable benefit to Manitoba and its
citizens (*Feds hike infrastructure cash,* 23 December 2008).
Manitoba’s universities provide one example of infrastructure worthy
of greater support, at least given markedly higher levels of capital
spending on universities in other parts of Canada over many years.
Statistics Canada recently reported that universities spent
$13,448.9M for capital expenditures from 1999 to 2006 (in 2001 dollars).
Of this amount, Manitoba universities spent $340.8M, which represents
only 2.5% of the Canadian total, far below our 3.7% of Canada*s
population.

If Manitoba had spent 3.7% of the Canadian total on university
infrastructure, our provincial expenditures on capital funding would
have been $497.6M over the eight year period. This represents an
additional $156.8M, or almost $20M more per year for classrooms and
research facilities.

Given the value of university research and the desire to educate
more students in Manitoba, this marked shortfall and the threat of
falling even further behind other provinces should be considered in
deciding what Manitoba infrastructure projects to fund at the present
time.

Jim Clark
President
Manitoba Organization of Faculty Associations