We must foster collaboration to build back better
How can we emerge from this pandemic stronger and more resilient? This is a question Canadians in all sectors, including business, are asking. Today, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce will discuss how to re-ignite the economy at its annual general meeting. And at the Research Money conference last week, the private, public and academic sectors agreed on the […]
Innovation Policy Briefing
It’s time to step up investments to achieve a net-zero economy
In the months to come, various levels of government will be seeking to stimulate Canada’s economic recovery and create jobs. Whenever Canada is ready to begin investing in recovery, those investments need to create the green infrastructure we need to accelerate Canada’s transition to a net-zero economy: a national electrical energy grid, and digital, Indigenous, […]
Digital infrastructure is the new frontier
Generations ago, Canada was built through major investments in critical infrastructure that improved the quality of life and created opportunities to grow. The Canadian Pacific Railway, Canadian National Railway, Trans-Canada Highway, TransCanada Pipeline, and St. Lawrence Seaway are examples of historic, impactful infrastructure investments that were designed with Canada’s future in mind. More recently, governments […]
Harnessing the power of technology to manage the public infrastructure gap
Canada’s infrastructure gap is in the hundreds of billions of dollars and the reprioritization likely to occur following the current public health crisis will widen this gap. Routinely, we are reminded of this gap; a burst water main flooding the basement, or a bridge collapse, or simply driving over a pothole. Federal stimulus funding can […]
Climate change is here to stay: let’s build forward better and safely sail the storm
Earlier this month, it was announced that $10-billion of the Canada Infrastructure Bank’s (CIB) $35-billion budget would be assigned to create jobs and grow the economy. The six featured measures include $2-billion set aside to invest in large-scale building retrofits to increase energy efficiency and help make communities more sustainable. This is a welcomed focus […]
Infrastructure bank’s $10-billion growth plan raises hope of green bond push in Canada
The Canada Infrastructure Bank’s new growth plan, a $10-billion dollar strategy announced on Oct. 1 to invest in five priority areas related to greening Canada’s infrastructure, could be a step towards boosting the green bond market in Canada, experts say. “There’s a great opportunity for us here,” said Karen Clarke-Whistler, principal at ESG Global Advisors […]
Rural residents deserve a better approach to broadband infrastructure
Autumn is a college student whose family lives in a rural area in Northwest B.C. COVID-19 means she is now taking her classes from home, using a slow, unreliable internet connection. Midway through one of her online exams, her internet died altogether. She couldn’t finish the exam and was barely given a passing grade for […]
Creating opportunity in the pandemic recovery through digital infrastructure
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about major change for a vast majority of knowledge workers. COVID has accelerated the underlying technological transformations shaping how Canadians work, and emphasized the inequalities across regions in our ability to access digital infrastructure. Increased reliance on digital connections has also increased the risk to cyber attacks. Successfully addressing this […]
The Canada Infrastructure Bank’s growth plan: taking action to invest in new infrastructure
More than ever, Canada needs growth to create jobs, generate economic opportunities, and ensure a sustainable transition to a low-carbon, digital economy. The Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB) recently announced its $10-billion growth plan to invest in major infrastructure initiatives to help achieve these goals. Over the next 36 months, the CIB will invest in projects […]
