What Is Deferred Maintenance?
Deferred maintenance or “DM” refers to any upgrade or
major renovation that is postponed or delayed due to
budget or resource limitations.
Deferred maintenance is not just routine upkeep—it involves
major capital work that protects, upgrades, and prepares
our historic campus buildings for the future.
The Ģý's Deferred Maintenance Philosophy
Our DM philosophy, which includes principles for prioritization, is currently being used to inform DM plans and is being augmented by a holistic approach to building system renewal and to ensure alignment with long-term asset management and the Campus Master Plan.
Strategy
The University’s deferred maintenance strategy revolves around three phases: Audit, Planning and Implementation. These phases operate together in a 3 year rolling cycle.
Implementation
A principle-based methodology for developing future deferred maintenance plans was developed and is currently being used to inform DM plans. Some key principles are listed below:
- Systems known to be broken or needing immediate repair are to be prioritized and addressed immediately;
- Academic buildings and research spaces are prioritized over other buildings;
- All safety elements and regulatory compliance issues are addressed as a priority;
- Higher risk building elements that have the capacity to disrupt campus operations (roofing, windows, main electrical infrastructure, HVAC) are prioritized;
- If feasible, allocate dedicated annual DM funding to upgrade washrooms (including more gender-neutral single-use options) and improve accessibility by replacing outdated elevators and enhancing building access.
The DM Three Phase Cycle
Audit
20% of university facilities are audited each year by external consultants to assess their age and condition. The results are logged in a centralized, inflation-adjusted database, providing a complete view of campus infrastructure needs in the coming years.
Planning
Three-year building condition assessment data is downloaded and assessed based on a prioritization matrix, expert knowledge and a principle-based methodology is used to develop a multi-year plan by a multidisciplinary team.
Implementation
Throughout the implementation phase, the multi-disciplinary team meets to review progress on the deferred maintenance plan to ensure milestones are met, and to make decisions with respect to project scope and timing if issues arise.
Deferred Maintenance Reports
Annually, Ģý's Facilities complies a report of how deferred maintenance was managed that fiscal year. The report highlights key data points and showcases the procedure and philosophy in making DM decisions. Also included are insights into Facilities' plans for upcoming years.
Read the 2026 Deferred Maintenance Report: 2026 Deferred Maintenance Report
Photo: JDUC Panoramic View
Additional Info about Deferred Maintenance at Ģý's
Accessibility and Sustainability
Our goal is to create an accessible and sustainable campus for all individuals at Ģý's.
Deferred maintenance planning is guided by the Campus Master Plan. Chapter 3 of the Campus Master Plan lays out visions for accessibility and sustainability at Ģý's. As our buildings age and components start to fail the maintenance of these items also gives us a unique opportunity to improve them in various way, with one being accessibility and another sustainability.
Funding
Deferred maintenance is funded internally with additional provincial support in the Facilities Renewal Program Grant. Deferred maintenance is also indirectly supported during capital projects in the renewal of a building.
Facilities Condition Index
The facilities condition index (FCI) is a cross-industry ratio that compares a building’s deferred maintenance costs to its current replacement value. FCI reflects the relative condition of a building, a low FCI signals good condition (as the building has a low deferred maintenance cost compared to its replacement value). This allows the university to gather additional insights on the condition of the campus and compare with peers using an industry standard.