Ottawa’s infrastructure deficit currently sits at $229 million, and it’s not just a singular sore thumb. It’s an issue that multiple Canadian cities are trying to grasp, from aging roads to city-owned buildings. Here at home, the idea of an infrastructure levy is being debated to help rectify today’s lingering problems, as a chunk of Ottawa’s aging recreation centres are in urgent need of a facelift. And if action is delayed even further, that repair bill is sure to get bigger with each passing year. Is that a road worth taking, or does a better solution exist? Matti Siemiatycki is a Professor of Geography and Planning at the University of Toronto, and also serves as the Director for the U-of-T’s Infrastructure Institute. He joins Andrew Pinsent on CFRA Weekends.

<p>Ottawa&rsquo;s infrastructure deficit currently sits at $229 million, and it&rsquo;s not just a singular sore thumb. It&rsquo;s an issue that multiple Canadian cities are trying to grasp, from aging roads to city-owned buildings. Here at home, the idea of an infrastructure levy is being debated to help rectify today&rsquo;s lingering problems, as a chunk of Ottawa&rsquo;s aging recreation centres are in urgent need of a facelift. And if action is delayed even further, that repair bill is sure to get bigger with each passing year. Is that a road worth taking, or does a better solution exist? Matti Siemiatycki is a Professor of Geography and Planning at the University of Toronto, and also serves as the Director for the U-of-T&rsquo;s Infrastructure Institute. He joins Andrew Pinsent on CFRA Weekends.</p>