Wednesday, April 16, 2025
Too Big to Fail
Large-scale infrastructure projects from procurement to completion are becoming increasingly complicated and risky in Canada. Local opposition, and the political response it inevitably generates, has…
Engaging Strategy
When Metro Vancouver began the indicative design process (IDP) for the new Lions Gate secondary wastewater treatment plant (No. 68 this year),one of the first…
Capturing Value
In October 2014, the world’s first commercial-scale carbon capture and storage plant began operating right here in Canada. Built by SaskPower, Saskatchewan’s public electricity utility,…
Engineered Against Flooding
In August 2005, Southern Ontario experienced one of the largest storms it had since Hurricane Hazel. More than 150 millimeters of rainfall in a two-hour…
On the SmartTrack
The recent election of John Tory as Toronto’s new mayor has been closely linked with a far-sighted transit plan branded as SmartTrack, a proposal to…
A Matter of Integrity
The Quebec government has lowered the threshold triggering the requirement for any company (and their subcontractors) responding to public calls for tender issued as of…
Top 100 Spotlight
ReNew Canada has produced the Top 100 Projects report for the past nine years. The listing of Canada’s 100 biggest projects (ranked by project value)…
Light at the End of the Tunnel
The United Kingdom has experienced significant challenges in the building of major infrastructure projects. Years of cost overruns and delays created a general fatigue in…
Fight the Future
According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), atmospheric concentrations of the primary long-lived greenhouses gases (GHGs) reached new heights in 2013, and CO2 levels grew…
Where Grey Meets Green
Walking into the Greater First Baptist Church of Escatawpa in southern Mississippi in early September 2014, it seemed as if Hurricane Katrina had delivered its…
Breaking Away
Intact Financial and the University of Waterloo announced a national initiative involving the implementation of 20 climate change adaptation projects designed to reduce the physical,…
The Revolutionary Community
Intelligent communities are cities and regions that use information and communications technologies (ICT) to build prosperous economies, solve social problems, and enrich cultures. Many people…
Canada’s Next Top Model?
Since the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) was first launched in 1992 by the United Kingdom’s Conservative government, the use of private-sector capacity and public resource…
Unlocking the Ring of Fire
In 2007, Noront Resources Ltd. announced the discovery of a massive deposit of chromite, nickel, copper, and other minerals in the James Bay Lowlands of…
Greening Transit
Electric commuter rail, long a staple of suburban passenger travel overseas, is finally coming ’round the bend in North America. Guided by overhead wires and…
Follow the Green
The Government of Ontario will soon launch its green bonds program, making the first issues available through its current dealer group to Canadian and international…
The Smart Energy Utility
Across Canada, a handful of energy utilities have been thinking outside the box. Rather than providing individual energy services—such as electricity, natural gas, and heating…
Shared Risk and Reward
For years after the infrastructure boom in the 1950s and ’60s, Canada’s public infrastructure may not have been a top-of-the-mind issue for many, and rightfully…
Nothing to Fear
Big data is all the rage these days. Many facilities managers, especially those in the public sector, may believe it has no relevance to them…
A Brave New Funding Source
Even in the depths of the 2008 financial crisis, Canada’s life and health insurers continued to be strong buyers of long-term assets in Canada and…
Mega Decisions
Enbridge Inc.’s Northern Gateway Project has been a hot topic for more than a decade now, and there still doesn’t seem to be any light…
New Saskatoon Police HQ Sets Standard in Canada
More than 650 members of the Saskatoon Police Service moved into their new home this summer, as the new Saskatoon Police Headquarters opened its doors.…
Freed Breeze
Wind—it’s powerful, plentiful, and now, predictable. Improvements in technologies for managing big data, like analytics, have enhanced the potential for utility companies to forecast and…
Trees as Infrastructure: Urban Forest Policy
Urban forests in Canada face a diversity of issues environmentally, socially, and economically. Research shows that issues include invasive insects, diverse cultural perspectives, and a…