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How many bumps would you like to go with your road?

In Newfoundland and Labrador, according to Statistics Canada, 30.1 per cent of local public roads are rated as “poor” or “very poor,” compared to a Canadian average of 16.3 per cent.

And this province is not even the worst in Canada.

Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia are slightly worse, each coming in at 30.7 per cent, followed by Quebec with 24.5 per cent, New Brunswick with 18.4 per cent, Ontario with 17 per cent, British Columbia with 13.3 per cent, Manitoba with 13 per cent, Alberta with 11.9 per cent and Saskatchewan with 7.5 per cent.

Statistics Canada took a look at Canada’s roads as part of a larger public infrastructure survey — Canada’s Core Public Infrastructure (CCPI) survey — a commitment the federal government made in Budget 2016 to support a more evidence- and results-based approach to public infrastructure policies, programs and spending decisions.

According to a news release, the CCPI survey is part of the Investing in Canada plan, which also includes funding for other data and research initiatives that will better inform how federal infrastructure funding programs are designed, implemented, tracked and reported. It aims to help all levels of government make public infrastructure expenditures that will deliver better roads and bridges, water systems, public transit options and community hubs that Canadians want and need.

The survey also found that in relation to what are termed “collector roads,” Newfoundland and Labrador’s percentage of “poor” and “very poor” was in the lower range at 10.4 per cent — well below the Canadian average of 20.7 per cent. For what are described as arteries, Newfoundland and Labrador’s percentage of “poor” and “very poor” was at 12.8 per cent, below the national average of 21.5 per cent. There was no Newfoundland and Labrador data for highways in the survey.

The survey found that more than two-thirds (68.3 per cent) of roads in the country are owned by municipalities. Municipalities also own 62 per cent of collector roads and 48.2 per cent of arterial roads, as well as virtually all lanes and alleys (99.8 per cent). Conversely, municipalities owned a small share of highways (2.7 per cent).

“Evidence-based infrastructure investments will deliver better results for our communities, help grow the middle class, and provide our small and medium businesses with new opportunities for growth and prosperity today and into the future,” Francois-Philippe Champagne, federal minister of Infrastructure and Communities, stated in a news release.

“The results of Canada’s Core Public Infrastructure survey will establish an important baseline for measuring the impact and progress from infrastructure investments over time and will provide valuable benchmarks to help communities assess and prioritize local infrastructure projects.”

The Federation of Municipalities (FCM) says public infrastructure is the foundation on which communities are built. FCM represents nearly 2,000 member municipalities representing more than 90 per cent of Canada’s population.

“Good roads, bridges and water systems are just some of the infrastructure that is essential to our quality of life,” the federation states on its website. “Across Canada, municipal governments own nearly two-thirds of the public infrastructure that builds our communities and drives the economy.

“Thanks to strong advocacy by FCM and local governments, the long-term federal Investing in Canada plan is helping to build visionary public transit, safe roads and green infrastructure. This is a huge opportunity for municipalities: $180 billion over 12 years, including $2 billion specifically available to rural communities.”

The Statistics Canada survey noted the pace of road construction in the country has been relatively steady since 1940, though there has been some variation.

“In general, the average pace of construction was relatively slow from 1940 to 1969, and then accelerated from 1970 to 1999 for every type of road except local roads, where the pace slowed,” the survey stated. “Almost two-fifths (39.8 per cent) of all publicly owned roads were constructed from 1970 to 1999. Following this period of general growth, the average rate of new roads constructed has accelerated for arterial and local roads since 2000, but slowed for highways, collector roads and lanes and alleys. Almost one-quarter (22.7 per cent) of the aggregate road length has been constructed since 2000.”

The CCPI survey is an Infrastructure Canada initiative administered through Statistics Canada. The survey was conducted in 2017, using 2016 as the reference year for responses.

Provincial, territorial and municipal infrastructure owners and operators completed the surveys and submitted them to Statistics Canada to be processed and analyzed. The results of the survey create a baseline, whereas future editions of the survey will highlight changes from that baseline.

The federal government plans — through the Investing in Canada infrastructure plan — to spend more than $180 billion over 12 years in public transit projects, green infrastructure, social infrastructure, trade and transportation routes, and Canada’s rural and northern communities.