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Wednesday, October 8, 2025

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Matti Siemiatycki

The promise and perils of nation-building projects

  • Getting swept up in political hype and hubris can lead to the wrong projects, poor priorities, and terrible outcomes.
Opinion | BY MATTI SIEMIATYCKI | October 8, 2025
The laudable goal of a Team Canada approach to accelerating nation-building infrastructure opens the risk that the federal government will buckle to unworthy pet projects, writes Matti Siemiatycki. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

The promise and perils of nation-building projects

Opinion | BY MATTI SIEMIATYCKI | October 8, 2025
  • Getting swept up in political hype and hubris can lead to the wrong projects, poor priorities, and terrible outcomes.

The promise and perils of nation-building projects

Opinion | BY MATTI SIEMIATYCKI | October 8, 2025
  • Getting swept up in political hype and hubris can lead to the wrong projects, poor priorities, and terrible outcomes.
The laudable goal of a Team Canada approach to accelerating nation-building infrastructure opens the risk that the federal government will buckle to unworthy pet projects, writes Matti Siemiatycki. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Focus on infrastructure maintenance needed amidst building boom

  • While building new infrastructure is politically attractive, maintenance and rehabilitation is an expensive chore. But it’s one that's critical to our future success.
Opinion | BY MATTI SIEMIATYCKI | April 8, 2024
All levels of government must plan and budget not only for new infrastructure, but also for the maintenance of the existing stock over its entire lifecycle, writes Matti Siemiatycki, professor of Geography and Planning, and director of the Infrastructure Institute at the University of Toronto. Photograph courtesy of PXHere

Focus on infrastructure maintenance needed amidst building boom

Opinion | BY MATTI SIEMIATYCKI | April 8, 2024
  • While building new infrastructure is politically attractive, maintenance and rehabilitation is an expensive chore. But it’s one that's critical to our future success.

Focus on infrastructure maintenance needed amidst building boom

Opinion | BY MATTI SIEMIATYCKI | April 8, 2024
  • While building new infrastructure is politically attractive, maintenance and rehabilitation is an expensive chore. But it’s one that's critical to our future success.
All levels of government must plan and budget not only for new infrastructure, but also for the maintenance of the existing stock over its entire lifecycle, writes Matti Siemiatycki, professor of Geography and Planning, and director of the Infrastructure Institute at the University of Toronto. Photograph courtesy of PXHere

Beyond transit infrastructure, think city building

  • Governments across Canada are gearing up for the largest wave of infrastructure investment in a generation, with urban transit top of the agenda. Multi-billion-dollar
Opinion | BY MATTI SIEMIATYCKI | April 14, 2021
To maximize the value of this massive public spending on transit infrastructure and assist communities in recovering from the pandemic, it is essential that the projects in the pipeline are used as a catalyst for effective city building, writes Matti Siemiatycki. Pixabay photograph by George Triay

Beyond transit infrastructure, think city building

Opinion | BY MATTI SIEMIATYCKI | April 14, 2021
  • Governments across Canada are gearing up for the largest wave of infrastructure investment in a generation, with urban transit top of the agenda. Multi-billion-dollar

Beyond transit infrastructure, think city building

Opinion | BY MATTI SIEMIATYCKI | April 14, 2021
  • Governments across Canada are gearing up for the largest wave of infrastructure investment in a generation, with urban transit top of the agenda. Multi-billion-dollar
To maximize the value of this massive public spending on transit infrastructure and assist communities in recovering from the pandemic, it is essential that the projects in the pipeline are used as a catalyst for effective city building, writes Matti Siemiatycki. Pixabay photograph by George Triay

Pandemic driving urban transportation transition

  • The COVID-19 pandemic has completely upended the way that people move around Canadian cities. The past 12 months have seen the most sudden and
Opinion | BY MATTI SIEMIATYCKI | February 22, 2021
With good planning, Canadian cities can emerge from the pandemic with transportation systems that create good-quality jobs, provide low carbon travel options, improve equity, and foster healthy communities. But this future is far from assured, writes Matti Siemiatycki. Photograph courtesy Andre Furtado/Pexels

Pandemic driving urban transportation transition

Opinion | BY MATTI SIEMIATYCKI | February 22, 2021
  • The COVID-19 pandemic has completely upended the way that people move around Canadian cities. The past 12 months have seen the most sudden and

Pandemic driving urban transportation transition

Opinion | BY MATTI SIEMIATYCKI | February 22, 2021
  • The COVID-19 pandemic has completely upended the way that people move around Canadian cities. The past 12 months have seen the most sudden and
With good planning, Canadian cities can emerge from the pandemic with transportation systems that create good-quality jobs, provide low carbon travel options, improve equity, and foster healthy communities. But this future is far from assured, writes Matti Siemiatycki. Photograph courtesy Andre Furtado/Pexels

The future belongs to collaborative infrastructure building

  • In recent months, Canada’s infrastructure has strained under the intense pressure caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Crises in long-term elderly care homes, unaffordable housing,
Opinion | BY MATTI SIEMIATYCKI | October 21, 2020
Brampton’s Mount Pleasant Village includes a co-located school, library, recreation centre, and town square, creating a vibrant place that attracts people of all ages. Queen's Printer for Ontario, photograph via Ontario Growth Secretariat, Ministry of Municipal Affairs

The future belongs to collaborative infrastructure building

Opinion | BY MATTI SIEMIATYCKI | October 21, 2020
  • In recent months, Canada’s infrastructure has strained under the intense pressure caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Crises in long-term elderly care homes, unaffordable housing,

The future belongs to collaborative infrastructure building

Opinion | BY MATTI SIEMIATYCKI | October 21, 2020
  • In recent months, Canada’s infrastructure has strained under the intense pressure caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Crises in long-term elderly care homes, unaffordable housing,
Brampton’s Mount Pleasant Village includes a co-located school, library, recreation centre, and town square, creating a vibrant place that attracts people of all ages. Queen's Printer for Ontario, photograph via Ontario Growth Secretariat, Ministry of Municipal Affairs
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