Inadequate infrastructure hurting national competitiveness.

A report from the Canadian Chamber of Commerce outlines much work must be done to move traffic in major cities, expand broadband, improve trade corridors, lay down pipelines, and unlock the North's potential.

The report's name - Stuck in Traffic for 10,000 Years: Canadian Problems that Infrastructure Investment Can Solve - comes from the estimated amount of time commuters in big cities spend stuck in traffic every year because of road congestion.

The report has corporate sponsors including Telus, Rogers, Ontario Power Generation, Suncor, and various B.C. port authorities and container shippers.

The chamber said the lack of proper infrastructure is wasting Canadians' time and leading to lost business opportunities.

The report identifies seven infrastructure challenges that must be targeted to keep Canada moving and competitive.

* Traffic congestion in major cities

* Facilitating trade along the Asia-Pacific Gateway and corridor

* Improving digital access and infrastructure

* Maximizing potential in Canada's North

* Enhancing the Ontario-Quebec trade corridor

* Getting Canadian oil and gas to markets

* Green electrification and transmission

For the Far North, the Canadian chamber is pushing Ottawa to spend more than the $2 billion over 11 years committed for rural and Northern infrastructure as part of Ottawa's $180-billion infrastructure plan.

The chamber said federal spending should target Northern projects that produce "the greatest economic and social impacts across the entire region," rather than funding "one-off" projects.

The chamber adds the Canada Infrastructure Bank should have a specific focus on facilitating public-private investment in strategic infrastructure to unlock the North's potential.

The Sault Ste. Marie Chamber said the report mirrors their earlier call for Queen's Park to commit funding to...