Toronto's budget chair is looking to Tuesday's federal budget for money for the city's ailing infrastructure, despite indications from Ottawa that decaying infrastructure is not their responsibility.

Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty is set to unveil Canada's budget on Tuesday.
(Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press)

Don Valley East councillor Shelley Carroll said the federal Conservatives must start paying attention to the demands of local business and social groups that call for more money for infrastructure, affordable housing and a transit plan for the GTA.

"We're a city that is the economic engine of this nation and needs a partnership with the federal government to maintain its infrastructure and keep the economy of this nation moving," Carroll said Tuesday morning.

Federal finance minister Jim Flaherty is poised to unveil Canada's budget on Tuesday. Although the budget is not expected to offer any major new tax cuts or spending plans, there is speculation Flaherty will announce a surplus at least $1 billion higher than expected.

A government official with information about the budget told the Canadian Press on Monday that some money could go into job-creating projects such as rebuilding infrastructure, including roads and bridges.

Don't ignore Toronto, experts warn

But during a recent visit to Toronto, Flaherty downplayed the federal government's role in maintaining Toronto's infrastructure, saying Ottawa is not in the business of building roads, fixing bridges or repairing decaying sewer systems.

David Docherty, a political scientist at Wilfred Laurier University in Waterloo, Ont., said Flaherty's position makes little sense for a party that holds no seats in Toronto.

"In writing off Toronto, the implicit message to people who perhaps live in Milton and work in Toronto is that this entire area is not important to him and that's probably the wrong message to get out," Docherty said.

Speaking to reporters before Tuesday's budget announcement, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty reiterated his call for money for Ontario's ailing manufacturing sector, which is Canada's second largest.

In particular, he cited the hefty federal surplus as a possible source of financial aid.

"Let's use some of that revenue, some of that new-found wealth, and help Ontario transition through a difficult period of time," he said.