2026 Capital Budget Approved
City Council voted to approve the capital budget for 2026, totaling $34,179,203, at the March 10, 2026, Regular Council Meeting.
Capital projects cover a wide range of services including transportation improvements, street/sidewalk repair/rehabilitation, water system projects, housing projects, capital grants to community groups, snow clearing equipment, recreational facilities and playground infrastructure.
“The City remains committed to investing in its key priority areas for 2026," said Deputy Mayor Ron Ellsworth, Council lead for Finance. "From enhancing our sidewalk snow clearing operations to replacing vital infrastructure, we remain unwavering in our focus on making St. John's a more sustainable and vibrant community."
The full list of approved capital projects for 2026 can be found in the backgrounder below. Highlights include investing:
- $11.6 M in fleet acquisition and asset management plan support
- $10.6M in construction and development projects, including the annual grind and patch program to repair city streets; sidewalk, curb and gutter repairs; and culvert and storm sewer replacements. This also includes the City’s portion of cost-shared projects under the Canada Community-Building Fund
- $5.8M to maintain water system infrastructure
- $1.6M in parks and open spaces projects
- $1.2M for transportation projects, including design work for new traffic control infrastructure and expansion of the shared-use path network
- $950K for sustainability projects, such as tree planting initiatives, Urban Forest Master Plan, EV charging stations and retrofit projects
- $700k for repairs and security upgrades to City facilities
- $500K in capital grants for community groups
- $250K in information technology projects
- $100K in unallocated funds for contingencies that arise throughout the year.
The City’s Capital Budget is determined annually and funded primarily from an allocation from the City’s annual operating budget, as well as other sources. This program is different from the City’s larger cost-shared capital arrangements with the Federal and Provincial Governments, for which the City borrows its share of the cost.
Many of the projects outlined for 2026 support the strategic directions identified in the 2019-2029 Our City, Our Future Strategic Plan.
Backgrounder: 2026 Capital Budget
| 2026 Capital Projects | Amount |
|---|---|
Fleet Acquisition | $11,539,724 |
Water Tax Funded Projects | $5,791,635 |
2026 Canada Community-Building Fund Allocation | $5,225,636 |
Grind and Patch Asphalt Rehabilitation | $1,800,000 |
Storm Sewer System Replacement - Barrows Road / Stones Rd | $1,700,000 |
Kelly’s Brook Shared Use Path – Phase 3 | $850,000 |
Rotary Park Accessible Washroom | $700,000 |
Sidewalk, Curb and Gutter Repair | $650,000 |
City Building Repair and Maintenance | $600,000 |
Design - Paul Reynolds Community Centre Mechanical Retrofit | $600,000 |
Design - Long Pond Flood Control Structure | $500,000 |
Capital Grants Community Groups | $500,000 |
Watermain Upgrades - Southlands Boulevard | $400,000 |
Large Diameter Culvert Replacement | $400,000 |
2026 Brier | $300,000 |
IT Projects | $250,000 |
Quidi Vidi Slipway Replacement | $250,000 |
Design - Goldstone St. and Traffic Control Upgrades | $200,000 |
Bridge Rehabilitation - Bowring Park Duck Pond | $200,000 |
Bleacher Replacement Program | $200,000 |
Playground Replacement Program | $200,000 |
Annual Infill Sidewalk Program | $190,697 |
Asset Management Program Support Services | $150,000 |
Design - Signalized Intersection at Military Rd and Bonaventure Ave. | $150,000 |
Bowring Park Facilities Heating System Retrofits | $141,511 |
Waste Receptacles - Downtown | $130,000 |
EV Chargers | $110,000 |
Installation of CCTV & Access Controls at Riverhead Towers | $100,000 |
Preliminary Site Decommissioning Work | $100,000 |
Urban Forest Master Plan | $80,000 |
Design of Signalized Intersection at O’Leary Avenue and Pippy Place | $45,000 |
Residential Tree Planting Initiative | $25,000 |
2026 Unallocated Balance (uncommitted) | $100,000 |
Grand Total | $34,179,203 |
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