Throughout Canada’s history, connective infrastructure has brought our communities together and linked people from across the country. Despite the strong foundations of these investments, in the last few decades Canada has fallen behind towards ensuring a consistent flow of core infrastructure. As we continue to battle the COVID-19 pandemic, this unique moment offers us an opportunity to fundamentally shift our perspective, priorities and how we look towards the future. How we envision the future of our infrastructure, and the Canada we want to build in 2050, must be a part of this shift.
The federal government’s development of Canada’s first-ever National Infrastructure Assessment a timely, critical and laudable initiative. As the national voice of consulting engineering firms in Canada, the Association of Consulting Engineering Companies – Canada (ACEC) has provided feedback on the initial development of the National Infrastructure Assessment. Consulting engineering companies are directly involved on the ground in the delivery of infrastructure projects and know that these projects, along with a long-term vision for the environment and the economy through the National Infrastructure Assessment, are essential to Canada’s prosperity and economic stability.
As the government looks to best position the National Infrastructure Assessment for success, ACEC has focused our feedback on developing an economic and environmental vision to guide the Assessment and considerations related to its governance, mandate, scope and stakeholder engagement. ACEC believes that a vision for Canada’s environment and the economy go hand in hand. Launching the National Infrastructure Assessment within this vision will establish the Assessment as a central tool for improving infrastructure and improving the social, environmental, and economic quality of life of all Canadians. Part of achieving this vision from the outset will be developing an Assessment with the proper governance structure.
