The sustainability of core service delivery is a concern for local governments across Canada. The 2016 Union of BC Municipalities report titled The Status of Asset Management in British Columbia1 identified that local governments are not investing in infrastructure rehabilitation and renewal at recommended levels2 , and local governments struggle to implement levels of preventative maintenance required to manage risk and extend the life of assets. Climate change is introducing new stresses on assets, typically decreasing lifespan, and making it more difficult to deliver levels of service. Rather than continuing to attempt to do more with less, local governments have an opportunity to do things differently—and achieve better results. Two critical things local governments can do to improve their asset management (AM) and the sustainability of their services are to:
Fully integrate asset management principles into land use planning
Properly consider land use within asset management processes