Residents rely on the City's point and linear infrastructure assets (e.g., roads, bridges, sewers and watermains) on a daily basis and have an expectation that they will function as intended, meaning that they should fulfill or exceed established levels of service (LOS). These are basic municipal services that are often taken for granted. As with all assets, there is a requirement for some knowledge, planning and implementation of the most suitable intervention to keep them in useable condition, or in other words, to ensure they are sustainable. In addition to meeting LOS, it is crucial to properly maintain infrastructure so that excessive liabilities are not passed on to future residents.

Asset management is defined as the planned actions and coordinated activities of an organization to optimally and sustainable manage its assets that will enable the assets to provide the desired level of service in a sustainable way, while managing the risk at the lowest lifecycle cost. It encompasses all asset types, tangible or intangible, individual components or complex systems, and all activities involved in the asset’s lifecycle from acquisition/creation, through maintenance to renewal or disposition.

For many years, the City of Cornwall has practiced a form of asset management, although the term was not widely used. In 2006, it became more formalized with the production of an asset management report and subsequent critical infrastructure report. The City has spent considerable resources since that time identifying performance objectives, building databases integrated with our geographic information system (GIS), and obtaining condition information, particularly for the sewer network.

In January 2018, the Province of Ontario enacted O. Reg. 588/17: Asset Management Planning for Municipal Infrastructure (O.Reg. 588/17). The regulation consists of guidelines and minimum requirements for municipal asset management plans and policies in Ontario. The regulation includes a phasing in plan for municipalities to prepare a comprehensive asset management plan for all assets by July 1, 2024. In accordance with the regulation, an Asset Management Policy was approved by City of Cornwall Council in July 2019. The document outlines the City’s corporate commitment to the adoption of the asset management principles defined in the Infrastructure for Jobs and Prosperity Act, 2015. The Policy also illustrates how that in addition to the regulatory requirements, asset management is critical to supporting the City’s Mission, Vision and Values.

The phase-in schedule outlined in O. Reg 588/17 states that each municipality must have an approved asset management plan in place for core municipal infrastructure assets that analyzes asset performance and risks and includes lifecycle and financial management strategies required to maintain current levels of service by July 1, 2022

To further advance the maturity of its asset management program, the City of Cornwall has issued the 2022 Asset Management Plan for Core Infrastructure Assets (AMP), in alignment with O.Reg. 588/17. The AMP provides a plan for the City to responsibly manage a portfolio of $1.57 Billion in core assets that provide utilities (water, wastewater, and stormwater) and transportation services (road network and active transportation) to the community.

As per O.Reg. 588/17, the AMP must be published on the City of Cornwall website, so that interested citizens can be aware of infrastructure needs and plans. Compliance with these requirements is a condition to receiving funding under federal and provincial infrastructure programs.

A summary of AMP findings indicates that the City of Cornwall should be targeting annual capital expenditures in the range of $17.6M to meet established LOS and address backlogs over the 10-year or 25-year period, as recommended within the AMP. The table below provides a breakdown of the recommended capital expenditures and asset replacement values.

The 2022 Asset Management Plan was undertaken by GM BluePlan Engineering Ltd. and was endorsed by Council on October 11, 2022.

Asset Management Policy (June 24, 2019).

Please click here to email Emma Vanier, Manager, Infrastructure
1225 Ontario Street, Box 877, Cornwall ON, K6H 5T9
Phone: 613-930-2787 ext. 2209
Fax: 613-932-8891