Infrastructure Deficit or Infrastructure Liability – Our WORD choice says it all, according to Wally Wells of Asset Management BC
Note to Reader:
Choice of words is important, and selecting the right word is especially important. Presented below are two examples contributed by provocative thinkers in British Columbia who are immersed in the world of local government and infrastructure asset management.
INFRASTRUCTURE DEFICIT?
“Industry terms are profit and loss. Government and non-profit group use surplus and deficit. So we incur a deficit when we spend more than we have or OVERSPEND. But 
our problem with our infrastructure is we spend less than we should or we UNDERSPEND. So we are really creating a negative legacy or Infrastructure LIABILITY. It is not a deficit,” states Wally Wells, Coordinator for Asset Management BC.
“People ‘hear’ the word ‘deficit’ and assume the accountants will fix it all. But people ‘listen’ to the word ‘liability’ and often ask questions or realize some action is necessary. Similar to what is often stated as a future environmental legacy or liability, if we do not take action now, so do we continue to grow an infrastructure legacy or liability that requires action.”
“So let’s start getting it right and drop the term ‘deficit’. What we really continue to create is an infrastructure LIABILITY. Let’s start using the write language and tell our politicians and our tax payers about our infrastructure liability. We in our industry can equally do ourselves a favour by switching to meaningful story telling terms.”
About Asset Management BC
British Columbia’s Local Government Asset Management Working Group provides leadership and support for the management of community infrastructure. The group is comprised of associations and communities, brought together to recognize and integrate the political, administrative, technical, operational, financial and planning aspects of asset management.
Acknowledgment:
Reproduced from the Winter 2011 issue of the Asset Management BC Newsletter.
The Way We See the World
Click on “The way we see the world is shaped by our vocabulary,” observes Metro Vancouver’s Robert Hicks, “Other languages like French and German often use more exact terms than English for ‘stormwater’ and ‘wastewater’, and this changes how relationships and worth are perceived.”
Robert Hicks is a Senior Engineer in the Policy & Planning Division at Metro Vancouver.
Posted January 2011