March/April 2015
Smart Asset
Management
Halifax
Plans Its
Renaissance
Power
Forward
Partnerships
Drive Big
Energy
Projects
Contents
march /april 2015
ENERGY
12 The Long Game Darlington uses a replicated mock-up
of its nuclear reactor to train for upcoming fuel channel
and feeder replacements. By Matthew Le Blanc
16 Power on Top Saul Chernos on how First Nations
hold the key to hydroelectric developments.
SMART INFRASTRUCTURE
24 Boost Your City’s IQ How will smart infrastructure
revolutionize the cities of the future? By John Jung
28 Seeing the Future Predictive analytics are able
8
to identify priorities for investment and calculate
the impact of deferrals. By David Caplan
30 Data for Cities A new made-in-Canada standard
provides cities with an opportunity for a standardized
approach to city metrics that enables global benchmarking.
By Patricia McCarney
URBAN PLANNING
32 Halifax’s Bold Move Cynthia Robertson and Stanley
Strug examine Halifax’s grand vision
for the redevelopment of its waterfront.
34 Cementing Our Future Ensuring industry and jobs
have a home on Toronto’s waterfront. By Michael Kraljevic
16
DEPARTMENTS
4 Editor’s Note André Voshart details how
the Top 100 will expand in the next year.
5 Front Canada still under-investing in cities,
and how transportation infrastructure needs
to prepare for automated vehicles.
8 Top 100 Projects A photo gallery inside ReNew
Canada’s Top 100 Key Players and Owners Dinner.
20 ReFinance La Caisse unveils an agreement with Quebec
to carry out infrastructure projects, identifying $5 billion
in developments as priorities. By André Voshart
12
32
22 Panorama Artists transform six industrial silos into
gigantic, 7,200-square-metre work of public art on
Vancouver’s Granville Island.
36 Re: The Law A look at the many legal considerations
organizations need to consider when adopting building
information modelling technologies. By Richard Shaban
and Richard Yehia
38 People & Events Appointments, OPWA’s Annual
Conference & Awards Luncheon, RCCAO panel
discussion, FCM Sustainable Communities Conference,
and Big City Mayors’ Caucus.
20
renewcanada.net
42 Closing Shot Todd Latham takes a break—
but not before getting a few things off his chest.
March /April 2015 ReNew Canada 3
Editor’s Note
Staying on Top
By André Voshart
F
or the past nine years, ReNew
Canada has published its
annual Top 100 Projects report,
tracking the key players involved in
the 100 biggest public infrastructure
developments across the country. And
since its inaugural edition in 2007, the
list has grown by leaps and bounds. This
year, the top projects in development
or under construction represent a total
investment of $157.9 billion, a 12-percent increase over 2014’s $140.5 billion.
(Visit top100projects.ca for the filterable
Top 100 project database)
This past February, ReNew Canada
hosted more than 120 key players and
owners involved in these projects at the
first annual Top 100 Key Players and
Owners Dinner (see page 8 for photos).
It was a smashing success, with great
food, influential guests, and even better
networking. We are looking to replicate
our success with the dinner in 2016,
so stay tuned for details on when and
where it will take place.
In addition, next year will be the 10th
anniversary of the Top 100 report—
and to celebrate, we’re thinking big. In
past years, we’ve complemented the
Top 100 with an article that touches on
projects of significance that didn’t quite
make the cut (see “Top 100 Spotlight”
at bit.ly/2015review). However, in
2016, we’re going beyond 100. The
next report’s precise shape depends on
the outcomes of our research. Projects
must be underway or with a reasonable
shot at progressing forward, whether
it’s undergoing an environmental
assessment, in procurement, or
under construction.
While the report will still be focused
on bringing you the most comprehensive
picture of the Top 100, we recognize that
the Top 100 doesn’t provide the whole
March/April 2015 Volume 11 Number 2
picture of Canada’s infrastructure.
Since rankings are determined by the
projects’ total costs, the list ends up
being dominated by high-profile energy,
transit, and hospital developments,
leaving others—such as smaller-scale
water, waste, renewable, and municipal
projects—in the proverbial dust. While
the largest project is close to $9 billion,
the smallest is still a hefty $400 million.
To better understand the scale, the Top
10 projects dwarf the list, representing
35 per cent of the report”; in fact, the
cost of No. 1 (Site C in British Columbia)
is comparable to the combined value of
the bottom 17.
We’re talking big numbers here, but
the vast majority of projects aren’t
towering behemoths like Site C or the
Eglinton Crosstown LRT in Toronto.
We want to include these others in a
more comprehensive guide, such as the
$230-million Safe Clean Drinking Water
Project in Saint John, New Brunswick;
the $109-million Swift Current longterm care centre in Saskatchewan; or
the $63-million biosolids management
facility in Sudbury, Ontario.
ReNew Canada prides itself on being
the voice of record when it comes to
public infrastructure, so get your voice
heard. We will be reaching out to key
players and owners soon, but there is
only one way we can make sure we don’t
leave you behind: send us your feedback.
We want to know what projects are
important to you.
EDITOR André Voshart
PUBLISHER Todd Latham
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Chris Tully
CONTRIBUTORS David Caplan, Saul Chernos,
Alec Hay, Paul Hillier,
John Jung, Michael Kraljevic,
Matthew Le Blanc, Patricia
McCarney, Ted McGrath, Cynthia
Robertson, Richard Shaban,
Stanley Strug, Richard Yehia
ART DIRECTOR/
Donna Endacott
DESIGNER
ASSOCIATE EDITOR Rachel Phan
Assistant Editor Clark Kingsbury
CIRCULATION James Watson, ADPIC
james@actualmedia.ca
ADVERTISING Chris Tully
chris@renewcanada.net
Todd Latham
todd@renewcanada.net
Lee Scarlett
lee@watercanada.net
ADVISOR James Sbrolla
ReNew Canada is published
six times a year by Actual Media Inc.
147 Spadina Avenue, Unit 208, Toronto, ON M5V 2L7
Phone: 416.444.5842
Subscription services: 416-444-5842, ext 117
ReNew Canada subscriptions are
available for $39.95/year or $64.95/two years
and include the annual Top 100 Projects.
©2015 Actual Media Inc. All rights reserved.
The contents of this publication may not be
reproduced by any means in whole or in part, without
prior written consent from the publisher.
Printed in Canada
"ReNew Canada" and "ReThink. ReBuild. ReNew"
are Trademarks of Actual Media Inc.
André Voshart is the editor
of ReNew Canada magazine.
andre@actualmedia.ca
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4 ReNew Canada March /April 2015
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ABOUT THE COVER
Collaboration is critical when it comes to energy
mega-projects. With the ongoing Darlington
refurbishment in Ontario, Aecon and SNCLavalin’s nuclear divisions came together in a
joint venture to develop a mock-up of a reactor
to train staff for upcoming fuel channel and
feeder replacements (see page 12). As well,
partnerships between First Nations and provincial
utilities are helping hydroelectric developments
get off the ground (see page 16).
St. Lawrence Seaway Infrastructure
A new study reveals that more than
$7 billion is being spent on asset renewal and
infrastructure improvements in the bi-national
Great Lakes–St. Lawrence shipping system.
For example, capital investments being made
in port and terminal facilities and waterway
infrastructure total almost $3 billion, with
$2.2 billion coming from Canada. The
regional breakdown is as follows:
Ontario
$996.3 million
Quebec
$1.186 billion
Total Canada
$2.182 billion
Illinois
$58.6 million
Indiana
$77.5 million
Michigan
$118.5 million
Minnesota
$124.0 million
New York
$186.2 million
Ohio
$134.3 million
Pennsylvania
$10.8 million
Wisconsin
$104.5 million
Total U.S.
$814.4 million
Total Waterway
Infrastructure $2.996 billion
Get the full report at bit.ly/seaway2015
Next Issue: May/June
• The Federal Election Issue
• Green Infrastructure and
Food Production
• Trends in Energy
Transmission Assets
Advertising Deadline: March 19, 2015
To reach our influential readers
in print and online, contact
chris@renewcanada.net
Front
Send your letters to the editor to andre@actualmedia.ca
Canada still
Under-Investing
in Cities By Glen Hodgson
F
or many years now, we have made a strong case that cities
play a critical role in regional and pan-Canadian economic
development. Yet most cities still suffer from under-investment
in infrastructure and public services by the federal and provincial
governments, and few have a modern system for capturing their own
share of tax revenues, in line with growth of the economy. So let’s
reinforce the message once again: strong cities help build a strong
national economy—investing in cities should be a top national priority.
How large is the urban infrastructure gap? The Federation of
Canadian Municipalities (FCM) has assessed the condition of
drinking water, wastewater, stormwater, and road infrastructure
across municipalities. Based on 2009 to ’10 data, the replacement
cost to bring these systems up to a “good” standard was estimated
at $172 billion. FCM is updating and expanding data on the state of
urban infrastructure including public transit, bridges, and recreation
facilities, which will provide a more complete picture of the gap.
The Conference Board recently analyzed the importance of
Montreal’s economy to Quebec, with the research led by l’Institut du
Québec. Not surprisingly, Montreal represents a significant share of
Quebec’s GDP, jobs, innovation and foreign investment—but all too
often it has not received an adequate share of provincial resources.
Montreal deserves to be treated as a top public policy priority since
the Quebec economy cannot succeed without Montreal succeeding.
How can the infrastructure-funding gap for Canada’s cities be
closed? Allocating a larger share of provincial and federal government
resources to cities is one part of the answer. Investment in urban
and municipal infrastructure—notably public transportation,
roads and bridges—should be a top national priority, to provide our
cities and their businesses with an operating platform that rivals
top cities globally. There is considerable room for innovation in
how infrastructure investment in cities is actually financed and
completed since the private sector is more than able to share the risks,
responsibilities, and opportunities.
Next, it’s time to give our cities greater capacity to generate their
own tax revenues rather than continuing to rely on commercial and
residential property taxes and service fees that are often regressive.
Since cities are the legal creation of the provinces, we have argued
previously that automatic access to a portion of provincial taxes, and
specifically sales taxes, would be a smart and practical way to proceed.
For its part, the federal government has already made permanent the
transfer of a portion of gas taxes as their contribution.
Moreover, new city-based revenue sources can be considered, with all
revenues invested back into the cities. Possible revenue sources include
improved and appropriate pricing of city services like water and sewage,
road congestion charges, and putting a price on the city’s GHG emissions.
Here, the recently announced Ecofiscal commission, of which I am a
member, will have more to say as our research program develops.
It’s time to invest in our cities if Canada is to continue having strong
economic success.
Glen Hodgson, Senior VP and Chief Economist,
Forecasting and Analysis, The Conference Board of Canada
renewcanada.net
March /April 2015 ReNew Canada 5
Front
Credit: Mercedes-Benz
Only Online
VIDEO: Infrastructure
Partnership
Mercedes-Benz announced its new autonomous F015 research vehicle in January 2015,
envisioning a future that more easily accommodates self-driving cars.
changing lanes
New vision for transportation infrastructure and
Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne called
for a Canadian Infrastructure Partnership,
a collaboration that would have an
explicit objective of investing five per
cent of GDP in infrastructure renewal.
bit.ly/infrapartner
investment is needed to prepare for automated vehicles.
A
s automated vehicles (AVs)
merge with traditional vehicles
and increase their visibility on
our roadways, motorists and government
officials need to prepare to integrate
AVs within our current infrastructure.
A new study from the Conference
Board of Canada, in collaboration with
the Van Horne Institute and Canadian
Automated Vehicles Centre of Excellence
(CAVCOE)—titled Automated Vehicles:
The Coming of the Next Disruptive
Technology—estimates that self-driving
cars could be on the roads by 2020-’25.
AVs will offer potential benefits, but
as with any transformative technology,
they may also bring disruptions in
their introduction and rollout. “Major
transportation infrastructure investments
are typically planned with 30-year time
horizons in mind,” said Vijay Gill, director
of policy research at the Conference
Board. “As AVs are to become part of our
lives well within that time frame, it makes
sense to begin anticipating their impacts
on those investment needs now.”
New laws and regulations need to be
passed. Governments in Canada need to
start thinking about the benefits of AVs
and how best to take advantage of them.
Governments will play a major role, not
only in permitting and regulating AVs but
also in helping to improve the impact AVs
may have on certain sectors and the public
who rely on driving to earn a living.
AV developers are focusing on making
AVs that can exist with our current
infrastructure rather than relying on the
development of new infrastructure to
accommodate them. The report shows
that AVs will force us to redefine our
infrastructure needs and adapt our
infrastructure investment to take full
advantage of the AVs capability.
With many of the new AVs being
powered by electricity, governments need
to address how to meet the new demand
for power. Private sector businesses like
those involved in freight and passenger
transportation and car-rental companies
need to also stay informed.
The Basement Flooding Protection
Program is a billion-dollar, multi-year
program to help reduce the risk of
future flooding by making improvements
to the city’s sewer system and
overland drainage routes.
bit.ly/torontoflood
—André Voshart
Image Credit Clarification
In the January/February 2015
edition of ReNew, the cover image of
the Spadina subway extension was
provided with the permission of the
Toronto Transit Commission.
6 ReNew Canada March /April 2015
TORONTO:
Flooding Prevention
WIND: Record Year
For the second consecutive year,
Canada has set a record for the
installation of new wind energy capacity.
bit.ly/2014wind
renewcanada.net
New report available online
Unlocking Ontario’s Advantages:
Building new infrastructure on the
foundation of existing public assets
WATER
ROADS &
BRIDGES
BUILDINGS
PUBLIC
TRANSIT
A More Aggressive Approach to
Infrastructure Investment in Ontario
Ontario is in desperate need of solutions to
fulfill its $130-billion pledge for infrastructure
over 10 years. That commitment requires strong
leadership, especially when the province faces a
current year deficit of more than $12 billion.
RCCAO’s latest report by Michael Fenn
recommends that a number of initiatives
should be advanced: greater use of publicprivate partnerships (or alternative financing
and procurement), public asset recycling where
proceeds are placed into a trust, the creation of
a national infrastructure bank, and measures
to facilitate tri-level government infrastructure
investment by reforming accounting rules.
Ontario taxpayers and consumers have spent
billions accumulating government business assets
over the years. These legacy assets may have made
sense being in government hands at one time but
for many that time has passed. The revenues from
selling an interest in these assets to the private
sector, or providing the opportunity to manage
these assets, could fund a large part of our
infrastructure deficit.
Governments have the ability to unlock
the wealth of public assets in order to build
infrastructure. Fortunately, the capital needed
to fuel a large-scale infrastructure investment
program is available by leveraging existing
public assets, by expanding the scope of welldesigned public-private partnerships, and by
attracting patient investment capital, notably
that of public sector pension plans.
RCCAO’s latest report helps to frame the
ongoing public discussion about investments
in Ontario’s infrastructure. Fenn assesses the
opportunities that we may be overlooking and
some of the obstacles to overcome.
Download the report
at rccao.com
RCCAO members include: Carpenters’ Union • Greater Toronto Sewer and Watermain Contractors Association • Heavy Construction Association of Toronto
• International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 793 • International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, District Council 46 • Joint Residential Construction
Council • LIUNA Local 183 • Ontario Formwork Association • Residential Carpentry Contractors Association • Toronto and Area Road Builders Association
Top 100 Projects
Credits: Paul Hillier
Chris Escott, VP, RTS Canada Sector, Parsons Canada
Paul Moorhouse, Senior Project Manager, Hatch Amanda Farrell, President and CEO, Partnerships BC
Travis Smith, Senior VP and GM, Hydro West, SNC-Lavalin
Charlie Rate, President, O&M, SNC-Lavalin
Tomas Gregor, Senior VP, Hatch Mott MacDonald
Kevin George, National VP, Transit & Rail Canada, WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff
Carl Bodimeade, Senior VP, Hatch Mott MacDonald
Jamie Witherspoon, Regional Director, South Central Ontario, WSP
Chris Tully, Associate Publisher, ReNew Canada
Chantal Sorel, Senior VP, Business Development, SNC-Lavalin
Tom Middlebrook, Senior VP, Buisness Development, Eastern Canada, Dragados
Vinvente Marana, Senior VP Project Development, ACS Infrastructure
On Top
Table sponsor: AECOM
Inside ReNew Canada’s Top 100
Key Players and Owners Dinner.
J
udging by the din in the networking lounge and how people moved from
table to table in the dining room, ReNew Canada’s Top 100 Key Players and
Owners Dinner on February 5 was a tremendous success.
More than 120 senior engineering, construction, and finance executives and
governmental officials from across Canada gathered at the TIFF Bell Lightbox
in downtown Toronto to network and celebrate their role in the 100 biggest
infrastructure projects currently in development in Canada.
Special thanks are extended to title sponsor ACS-Dragados and event sponsors
SNC-Lavalin and Golder Associates, as well as opening speaker Bert Clark of
Infrastructure Ontario and keynote speaker Amanda Farrell of Partnerships BC.
8 ReNew Canada March /April 2015
See the full Top 100 report at
top100projects.ca
renewcanada.net
Top 100 Projects
Todd Latham, President, Actual Media
Linda Latham, Deputy Registrar, Regulatory
Compliance, Professional Engineers of Ontario
Kent James, VP, Finance, FER-PAL Infrastructure
Cathy Campbell-Wilson, Business
Development Manager, Parsons Canada
Marie-Claude Dumas, Executive VP,
Hydro, SNC-Lavalin
Lyle McCoy, Infrastructure Capital
Markets, BMO Capital
Amanda Farrell, President and CEO,
Partnerships BC
Title sponsor: ACS-Dragados
Mark Johnson, Senior VP, Ledcor Jay McCarthy, Manager, Business Development, Ledcor Stephen Byberg, Cole Engineering Group Ltd.
Event sponsor: Golder Associates
Haffez Habib, VP, Plenary Group
Rueben Devlin, President and CEO, Humber River Hospital
Barbara Collins, COO, Humber River Hospital
Bill Bailey, VP, Redevelopment, Halton Healthcare
Doug Rolfe, VP, Development, Plenary Group
Event sponsor: SNC-Lavalin
Manuel Rivaya, Executive VP, Dragados
Michael Schatz, Executive VP, Hatch Mott MacDonald
Bert Clark, President & CEO, Infrastructure Ontario
renewcanada.net
March /April 2015 ReNew Canada 9
Top 100 Projects
Ramón Fiuza, Senior VP, Operations,
Western Canada, Dragados
Jamieson Robinson,
Business Development Manager, Graham Marie-Claude Dumas, Executive VP, Hydro, SNC-Lavalin
Troy Gaudet, Construction Manager, Graham Chantal Sorel, Senior VP, Business Development, SNC-Lavalin
André Voshart, Executive Editor, ReNew Canada
Amanda Farrell, President and CEO, Partnerships BC
Richard Terry, Principal, ARUP
Katie Wood, Principal, ARUP
Bert Clark, President and CEO, Infrastructure Ontario
Bill Mayer, Senior Counsel, Bechtel
George Theodoropoulos, Managing Director, Infrastructure, Fengate Capital
Gerry Grigoropoulos, Managing Director of Infrastructure Concessions, SNC-Lavalin
Anthony Karakatsanis, CEO, Morrison Hershfield
Steve Routledge, Facility and Operations Director, Fengate Capital
Mathew Kattapuram, Senior VP, Aecon
Title Sponsor
10 ReNew Canada March /April 2015
EVENT SponsorS
renewcanada.net
Energy
Credit: Aecon
Using the latest in laser scanning technology, also known as optical metrology, the inside
of the Unit 2 vault was scanned to produce a model that would assure all dimensions,
including structural steel and wall tolerances, were as accurate as possible.
The
Long
Game
Darlington uses a
replicated mock-up of its
nuclear reactor to train
for upcoming fuel channel
and feeder replacements.
By Matthew Le Blanc
W
hile it’s often said that no two
things are ever quite the same,
that doesn’t hold true for
the newly commissioned nuclear reactor
vault mock-up located at Ontario Power
Generation’s Darlington Energy Complex
in Clarington, Ontario. Here, everything
must be exactly the same. And it is here that
Aecon Nuclear, working with SNC-Lavalin
Nuclear in a joint venture, has ensured it is.
Since being awarded this prized engineer,
procure, and construct (EPC) contract in
2012, the team has already successfully
replicated a massive, fully functioning mock
reactor face equipped with a whopping
480 fuel channels. It has also replicated the
entire vault in which it’s housed—walls and
clearances included.
This was no small feat: the Darlington
Energy Complex reactor vault mock-up is a
first of its kind. Built in a newly constructed
28,800-square-metre building, the mock-up
will now help the team train and prepare
workers for a series of upcoming fuel channel
and feeder replacements to take place at the
real Darlington Nuclear Generating Station
(DNGS), located just down the road from the
mock facility. At the mid-point of its service
life, and given Darlington’s role as a key power
contributor, a major refurbishment is in
order to reach the station’s projected service
life in 2055. Since fuel channel components
are life-limiting factors of the reactor, critical
components on the reactor core are on the
docket for dismantling and replacing in a
12 ReNew Canada March /April 2015
renewcanada.net
Energy
Credit: Aecon
manner that calls for precision and targeted
expertise. Enter the SLN-Aecon project team.
Aecon Nuclear construction manager
Jeff Palmateer explained that a significant
portion of the larger EPC contract
awarded to SLN-Aecon in 2012 has been
the commitment to first build this fullscale mock-up in order for the team to
subsequently carry out Darlington’s fuel
channel and feeder replacement (also known
as an RFR) deliverables.
“This mock-up is an exact replica of a
CANDU nuclear reactor unit,” he explained
of the eight-metre-high reactor face, complete
with 480 perfectly aligned fuel channel slots,
feeder tubes, and fuel channel assemblies.
“It’s been invaluable in terms of planning the
as extensive workforce training on the mockup unit in order to be fully prepared for the
RFR replacement portion of the contract,
scheduled to begin in October 2016.
From start to finish
Replicating an entire facility, right down to
the exact bend in every pipe, requires strict
attention to detail. With OPG-provided
drawings in hand, the SLN-Aecon team set
to work in 2012, digitally reconstructing
an exact replica of Darlington’s Unit 2
vault. Using the latest in laser scanning
technology, also known as optical metrology,
the team scanned the inside of the Unit 2
vault to produce a model that would assure
all dimensions, including structural steel
“A project like this could definitely set an industry
standard for nuclear work going forward.”
—Jeff Palmateer, Construction Manager, Aecon Nuclear
operation and perfecting the procedures we
need to complete the replacement as efficiently
and safely as possible. It gives workers the
ultimate training tool to hone their skills before
we enter the actual nuclear facility to refurbish
OPG’s real CANDU units.”
The mock-up reached completion and was
officially commissioned for service earlier in
2014, ahead of schedule. For the SLN-Aecon
project team, the next two years are now all
about tool performance and testing, as well
renewcanada.net
and wall tolerances, were as accurate as
possible. The drawings were then overlaid
with the laser-scanned model to look for
any discrepancies among the thousands of
components.
Achieving an exact match in the design
phase, Aecon submitted its final design
for review to OPG in mid-December 2012.
After receiving approval, Aecon set forth
and mobilized on site in May 2013—roughly
nine weeks ahead of schedule—and began
standing steel in June.
Of course the main purpose of building
a full-scale mock-up of this magnitude is to
replicate the exact conditions the trained
workforce will encounter when it comes
time to perform at the live reactor face.
Each of the workers using the mock-up
will get a full taste of the clearances and
interferences found inside the Darlington
Nuclear Generation Station vault as they try
to perform tasks wearing full protective gear
while hooked to a supply of oxygen.
Palmateer said providing an authentic
experience also gives workers—many of
whom may not have been in a reactor
before—an opportunity to familiarize
themselves with the tools required to
complete the replacement. “Some of these
tools are more than six metres long and
extremely heavy, so you can just imagine
how difficult it would be trying to complete a
task without prior knowledge of the space.”
Workers will receive training on the mockup beginning in March 2015. Two crews
will “leap frog” as they alternate between
training for a crew-specific task on the
mock-up and actually performing it on site
at the DNGS. That is to say, once a crew’s
task is complete on site, they will return to
the mock-up for further training as the other
crew is swapped in.
During their training, workers will be
guided through the process and monitored by
operators in a replica of the Re-tube Control
Centre (RCC)—a room built to simulate the
March /April 2015 ReNew Canada 13
Energy
Leading up to Darlington’s Refurbishment
March
2012
March
2014
May
2014
Reactor Vault Mock-up
base of operations where remote-controlled
tools are used when removing reactor
components. The RCC will feature all the
required technology to monitor and control
the tools during training.
Since reaching completion earlier in 2014,
there’s been no shortage of daily visitors
wishing to take an in-depth tour of this
one-of-a-kind facility. “It really is a very
high profile project that’s garnering lots of
attention,” Palmateer noted, listing some of
the notable visitors, including OPG senior
executives and board members, media,
government officials, and industry suppliers.
“A project like this could definitely set an
industry standard for nuclear work going
forward. Aecon Nuclear really has gone
to great lengths to reproduce the level of
detailed work required for this mock-up to
ensure it was a high-fidelity facility.”
Having a mock-up of this size comes with
serious benefits. The reality of working in a
training area that doesn’t actually house any
nuclear material offers the SLN-Aecon joint
venture the unique advantage of building
expertise. Training workers on how to
properly complete inspections or how to
efficiently change the feeder pipes on the
mock-up without the radiation concerns is
invaluable, not unlike the intense training
Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield went
through in preparation for his space walk in
the vacuum of space. Having the opportunity
to work through the logistics of an issue
outside the plant allows workers to identify
and address a potentially threatening situation
in a non-radioactive mock-up environment.
One of the biggest benefits comes in the
form of time and budget reduction. When
an estimate is submitted to the client, it’s
a rough estimate of the time and money
required to complete a contract. Performing
practice runs on the mock-up gives a more
accurate estimate of what to expect when
performing the real thing.
Tests, tests, and more tests
Tool performance testing is a critically
important success factor for the RFR project.
Specialty tools designed to perform specific
tasks in the replacement process need to be
thoroughly tested before they’re deemed fit
14 ReNew Canada March /April 2015
Refurbishment
Start:
October
2016
March
2015
Tool Performance Testing
for service. Combining lessons learned from
previous projects with feedback from the
workers, the team would customize tools
and improve where necessary during the
yearlong tool performance-testing phase.
“If a tool were to breakdown in the past,
a critical path delay would occur, which is
difficult to recover from when performing
refurbishment work,” Palmateer said. “With
this facility, we have the unique opportunity
to rigorously test and improve the tools
to make sure they’re reliable before we’re
even conducting the actual replacement. It’s
really a hands-on approach that will enable
workers to familiarize themselves with the
tools and suggest improvements. This in turn
will increase the effectiveness of the tooling
and lead to or enhance worker engagement
and buy-in.”
The big day
All of the extensive tool testing and training
will finally pay off in October 2016 when,
according to plan, SLN-Aecon will begin the
refurbishment phase of the first reactor at
Darlington.
The first phase in the reactor face
replacement is the removal of target 30-yearold components. Any required temporary
and permanent modifications will be made
inside each of the reactor units based on
any interferences, such as staircases, that
may prevent work from being efficiently
completed. Shielding bulkheads will be
installed to seal off the two fuelling ducts on
either side of the reactor face and to protect
workers against radiation exposure. There
will be a series of fuel bundle removal and
drain/dry exercises where heavy water will
be drained from the feeder pipes that run
into the fuel channels. A platform, called
the Feeder Platform, will be installed to help
remove the feeder tubes. The feeder pipes
will be cut into small, manageable pieces and
lowered to the floor where they will be cut
up even further for transport.
Once the feeder tubes have been removed
using a large, elevating platform called the
Re-tube Tooling Platform (RTP), the fuel
channels will be cut in specific locations
so the components can be pulled out and
placed inside large shielded flasks, which
Training
help shield workers from the radioactive
material. One by one and in sequential order,
all 480 channels will be emptied of their
components as the work progresses up the
reactor face. After the removal, a series of
inspections will take place in the calandria,
a large cylindrical metal drum that normally
contains the heavy water and houses the 480
fuel channels running through it. Robotic
cameras will be used to inspect the various
components and key areas to confirm all of
the components are fit for continued service.
With the inspection complete, the
installation of the new reactor components
can finally begin. Beginning at the top of
the reactor face, new calandria tubes will
be inserted into position and rolled into the
calandria tube sheet. In a clean room, endfitting subassemblies are pre-rolled (one
pressure tube rolled into an end-fitting)
and transported to the vault where they are
installed into the calandria tube. The second
end-fitting is then mated to the pressure
tube and final sealing of the fuel channel
is completed. Workers will once again
strategically work their way through each
fuel channel, repeating the process 480 times
per reactor unit.
With the channel components replaced,
new feeder tubes will systematically be
weaved into the reactor face, welded to the
feeder headers, and bolted to the end-fittings.
Once the reactor core and face is completely
replaced and refuelled, heavy water will
be reintroduced into the moderator and
primary heat transport system. With
everything back in order, the reactor will
be on its way to return to service and will
continue to provide the residents of Ontario
with reliable electricity.
The fuel channel and feeder tube
replacement portion of the SLN-Aecon
contract is due to wrap-up in 2023. To date,
the team is well aligned with the overall
project schedule and anticipates successfully
delivering on its commitment.
Matthew Le Blanc is the features editor
for Aecon Construction’s One Magazine.
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Energy
Credit: Nalcor
Nalcor says a legacy of flooding was a key consideration in developing
the Lower Churchill Project in Labrador (pictured). Concerns were
resolved in part through an agreement to provide redress.
Power on Top
First Nations hold the key to hydroelectric developments.
W
ith a projected $8.775-billion
price tag, the Site C
hydroelectric project—the
biggest public infrastructure project in
Canada—on the Peace River in northeastern
British Columbia would seem destined for
powerhouse status. Approved in December
2014, plans call for a 1,050-metre-long earthfill dam, a 9,330-hectare reservoir, and a
1,100-megawatt generating station capable of
producing 5,100 gigawatt-hours of electricity
a year—enough to service 450,000 homes.
With nuclear and coal generation under
fire worldwide, proponents are touting Site
C as a major source of clean, reliable power
needed to serve a population forecast to grow
40 per cent over the next 20 years.
“Affordable, reliable, clean electricity is the
backbone of British Columbia’s economy,”
British Columbia Premier Christy Clark said
in the December announcement. “Site C
will support our quality of life for decades to
come and will enable continued investment
and a growing economy.” Susan Yurkovich,
executive VP responsible for Site C, said
construction is slated to begin this summer
16 ReNew Canada March /April 2015
and will provide approximately 10,000 direct
construction jobs. Calling the approval “a
historic milestone,” she pledged the utility
“will continue to work with First Nations,
communities, and landowners to ensure that
we deliver on our commitments and realize
the many benefits of this project.”
One might expect a project of this stature
to be welcome news. However, even as
By Saul Chernos
the province issued its approval, Union of
British Columbia Indian Chiefs Grand Chief
Stewart Phillip called the project “ill-advised
and incredibly stupid” and criticized the
government for moving forward in violation
of First Nations’ rights to free, prior, and
informed consent as recognized by the
United Nations Declarations on the Rights
of Indigenous Peoples.
Even when governments approve their hydroelectric
projects, proponents across Canada are finding their
plans depend on acceptance by local First Nations.
the province positions its shovels, Site C
could be heading for trouble. This past
September, three months prior to the
project’s approval, a delegation of Treaty 8
signatories who stand to be affected travelled
to Ottawa to remind federal politicians
that the dam and associated structures and
right-of-ways would gravely impact their
constitutional right to hunt, fish, trap, and
harvest on their lands. In December, when
“There’s enormous, widespread
opposition,” Phillip told ReNew Canada.
“The Treaty 8 First Nations are in the
process of filing lawsuits and a significant
number of non-Native residents in the Peace
River Valley are also opposed.” Particularly
contentious is the reservoir, which would
flood an 83-kilometre stretch of land Treaty
8 members have relied on for generations.
“These lands are an important winter
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Energy
habitat for wildlife such as moose,” he said.
Opponents received a major boost last spring
when a joint review panel conducted as
part of the regulatory assessment process—
without explicitly saying yes or no to the
proposal—called for further independent
review of BC Hydro’s cost estimates, energy
demand forecasts, and conservation plan.
“I’m convinced it’s never going to happen,”
Phillip said. “There’s already two dams on
the Peace that have greatly compromised
the integrity of the river. That’s why there’s
such a groundswell of opposition to having
yet a third one. When push comes to shove,
I think you’ll see a lot of people out on the
land standing in front of bulldozers.”
Site C community relations manager David
Conway declined an interview, but wrote in
an email that BC Hydro has been consulting
and engaging with Aboriginal groups about
Site C since 2007 and will continue to do so.
“We are committed to working hard with
Aboriginal groups to address their concerns
and identify opportunities for them to
benefit from the project,” he wrote. “These
benefits may include payment streams, the
implementation of land protection measures,
the transfer of Crown lands, and significant
work and contract opportunities.”
renewcanada.net
Lower Mattagami
Hydroelectric Project Wraps Up
Northern
Ontario’s
largest
hydroelectric project in 50 years is now
fully in service thanks to a partnership
between the Moose Cree First Nation and
Ontario Power Generation (OPG). Six
new units on the Lower Mattagami River
will add 438 megawatts of greenhouse gasfree electricity.
The $2.6-billion project involved
redeveloping four of OPG’s existing hydro
stations on the Mattagami River. The
stations are located about 70 kilometres
north of Kapuskasing. The Smoky Falls
station went into service in 1931, Little
Long in 1963, Harmon in 1965, and
Kipling in 1966. Smoky Falls was replaced
with a new three-unit station built
alongside the old station. A third unit was
added to each of the other plants.
Kiewit Alarie Partnership is the primary
contractor—a partnership between two of
the largest construction firms operating
in Canada: Peter Kiewit & Sons Co, a
North American company with offices
in Milton, Ontario, and Leo Alarie and
Sons Construction Ltd. of Timmins, a
subsidiary of Aecon.
“The project has helped rejuvenate the
Moose Cree community and given our
economy a much-needed boost,” Moose
Cree First Nation chief Norm Hardisty Jr.
said. “Many of our members will be able
to use the training and new skills they
developed to work on other infrastructure
projects.” As part of the of the Amisk-ooSkow agreement, the Moose Cree will own
a 25-per-cent equity stake in the project.
Moose Cree businesses have also been
awarded more than $300 million worth of
sub-contracts since the project began four
years ago, and at peak construction, 1,800
people worked on the project, including
more than 250 First Nation and Métis
—Staff
workers.
March /April 2015 ReNew Canada 17
Energy
Credit: Emma Gilchrist DeSmog Canada
Time will tell if Site C
can gain full acceptance,
though the affected First
Nations and even some
non-Aboriginal residents
are putting up a fight.
Credit: Manitoba Hydro
The Keeyask Hydroelectric
Project is a 695-megawatt
generating station under
construction on the Nelson
River in northern Manitoba.
The
Canadian
Hydropower
Association is developing a
compendium of stories from its
members with plans to publish these
as a document later this spring.
“We’re trying to demonstrate that
there’s been progress and that
there’s cause for optimism amongst
hydropower developers and Aboriginal
communities,” president Jacob Irving
said. “It’s not to do anything other than
say these stories are often well known
locally, sometimes provincially. We want
to reflect back to everyone that there’s
some positive trends happening not just
at a local or provincial level but truly at a
—Saul Chernos
national level.”
18 ReNew Canada March /April 2015
Time will tell if Site C can gain full
acceptance, though the affected First Nations
and even some non-Aboriginal residents
seem to be having none of it. Still, BC
Hydro and Site C aren’t completely alone.
Even when governments approve their
hydroelectric projects, proponents across
Canada are finding their plans depend on
acceptance by local First Nations. Nalcor
Energy, the utility developing the Lower
Churchill Project in Labrador, has had to
make peace with the Innu, whose territory
encompasses much of the area. Just as the
two initial dams on the Peace left a legacy of
flooding for Treaty 8 members, damming of
the Churchill in Labrador during the 1960s
destroyed a large swath of ancestral Innu
land, leaving a legacy of tension.
The Lower Churchill Project follows on the
earlier Churchill Falls Generating Station,
adding stations at Muskrat Falls and Gull
Island in separate phases. The two stations
would have a combined capacity of more
than 3,000 megawatts, and transmission
lines would link Muskrat Falls to the Avalon
Peninsula south of St. John’s, and western
Newfoundland to Cape Breton. Whereas
Treaty 8 nations continue to oppose Site C
in British Columbia, the province and the
Innu of Labrador signed an impacts and
benefits agreement (IBA) in 2011. “We can
see a future now where Innu once again
will control our lives and our communities,”
then-Mushuau Innu Deputy Chief Simon
Pokue said in a statement issued at the time.
Gilbert Bennett, Nalcor’s VP of the Lower
Churchill Project, said the legacy of flooding
was a key consideration and was resolved
in part through an agreement to provide
redress. Also key was that the Innu had
never signed any treaties, so the proposed
development of the Lower Churchill helped
motivate land claims negotiations that were
already underway. “Those agreements
were the essential element to the work that
we completed with the Labrador Innu in
order to pave way for the work we’re doing
today,” he said, adding that the IBA provides
proponents with certainty and the Innu with
environmental management rights, royalties,
and training, employment, and business
opportunities.
Of course, further details need to be
worked out. The treaty language has yet
to be finalized, and support for the project
isn’t unanimous. One Innu elder, Elizabeth
Penashue, expressed measured dissent last
winter when she sought permission to walk
through the Muskrat Falls site as part of her
annual trek through the Mealy Mountains to
pay respect to the land and Innu traditions.
“I’m not forgetting about Muskrat Falls,”
she told CBC News when she learned project
proponents had denied her request. “It’s very
important […] to teach the children to not
[lose] our culture.” Furthermore, the Innu
aren’t the sole Aboriginal people in Labrador.
Members of the NunatuKavut Community
Council—Labrador’s Métis—have also
asserted land claims and have consistently
opposed the project. In December 2014, they
won a court injunction strengthening their
right to protest at Muskrat Falls.
The situation with the Keeyask
Hydroelectric Project, a 695-megawatt
generating station under construction on
the Nelson River in northern Manitoba, is
somewhat comparable. Manitoba Hydro
and four local Cree communities signed the
Joint Keeyask Development Agreement in
2009. It addresses training, employment,
and business opportunities, but also
offers equity provisions and effectively
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Energy
creates a partnership team, separate from
Manitoba Hydro, to build and manage
Keeyask. “Manitoba Hydro was starting
to consider some of the next options in
terms of hydroelectric development,”
explained Vicky Cole, the utility’s licensing
and relationship management director.
“Tataskweyak Cree Nation indicated that
if any further development was going to
take place in their traditional territory, they
wanted to be business partners. Through
the course of discussions it was agreed that
that was a good idea and that the other
three (Cree) communities should also be
engaged.” The agreement also provides
funding to enable families to hunt, trap,
and fish on their traditional lands, and
a separate agreement addresses adverse
effects. Cole went so far as to say that
the concept of an equal partnership was
fundamental and that Manitoba Hydro’s
position at the time was that the project
wouldn’t proceed without Cree support.
Still Keeyask isn’t all smooth sailing. The
Manitoba Métis Federation has consistently
opposed the project. “Our understanding
was that there were very few Métis people
who were actually actively using this area
of the province, and any effects to the Métis
were easily addressed within the mitigation
measures already proposed for the project,”
Cole said, explaining the decision to include
the Cree but not the Métis as partners.
Ultimately, no one-size-fits-all template
exists for building relationships. Jacob
Irving, president of the Canadian
H yd ro p owe r
Association,
said
hydroelectric projects tend to be unique,
and the dynamics between proponents
and Aboriginal communities also
vary from region to region. Still, he
recommends approaching communities
early on, listening carefully to information
and advice and remaining open to
conversations about benefits. “Each river
system is different, each ecosystem is
different, and a lot of planning needs to go
into custom-building the facility to meet
all the different needs—environmental,
social, and economic,” he said. “There are
many choices for generating electricity
in Canada, and if you don’t receive social
licence for your form of generation it
simply won’t get built.”
Saul Chernos is a Torontobased writer specializing
in environmental issues
and a regular contributor
to ReNew Canada.
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Download FULL ISSUES and
ARTICLES from past editions
of ReNew Canada magazine.
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March /April 2015 ReNew Canada 19
ReFinance
Credit: Government of Canada
A public transit system on
Montreal’s new Champlain
Bridge has been identified
as a priority of the new
business model.
A New Model
La Caisse unveils an agreement with Quebec to carry out infrastructure projects,
identifying $5 billion in developments as priorities.
L
a Caisse de dépôt et placement
du Québec has concluded an
agreement with the Quebec
government, establishing an innovative
business model for the execution of major
infrastructure projects. The model updates
the government’s business practices by
entrusting la Caisse with the execution of
infrastructure projects.
For la Caisse, the deal represents an
opportunity to grow Quebecers’ savings by
developing and operating assets that will
generate commercial returns. Under the
terms of the agreement, the government
will identify projects that may present
an interest for la Caisse. Assuming this
interest is confirmed, la Caisse will
become responsible for project planning,
financing, development, and operation.
The government retains responsibility
for setting broad project parameters and
approving solutions presented by la Caisse
on the basis of consultations with the
various stakeholders. The government
thus preserves its role as guardian of the
public interest, while entrusting la Caisse,
an independent public institution with
extensive expertise in infrastructure, with
project execution in accordance with global
best practices and the highest standards of
efficiency and transparency.
“Infrastructure has been central to our
investment strategy for several years,” la
Caisse president and CEO Michael Sabia
20 ReNew Canada March /April 2015
By André Voshart
said. “These investments will generate
returns that help to secure Quebecers’
retirement for the future. It’s a win-win
partnership that benefits everyone.”
The launch of this business model depends
upon the adoption of legislative amendments
According to preliminary studies
commissioned by the Quebec government,
these projects are expected to require
financing of approximately $5 billion. Based
on its international experience, la Caisse is
aiming to complete both projects by the end
By managing projects from start to finish, la Caisse
can enhance process efficiency, shorten delivery
times, and meet the highest industry standards.
allowing for, among other things, the
creation of a new infrastructure subsidiary
for la Caisse. The Quebec government has
committed to introducing these amendments
to the National Assembly as soon as possible.
Targeting projects
The model envisions the execution of
major public works according to global best
practices and the delivery of projects of the
highest quality, on time and on budget.
While the agreement announced today
does not limit the scope of projects that can
be carried out by la Caisse, two projects have
been identified as priorities:
•
a public transit system on Montréal’s new
Champlain Bridge; and
•
a public transit system linking downtown
Montreal to the Montreal-Trudeau
International Airport and the West Island.
of 2020 at the latest. In addition to the timely
adoption of legislative amendments allowing
for the creation of its new subsidiary,
achieving this objective will depend on
the efficient delivery of permits and other
required authorizations.
A new model
Assuming it is approved by the Quebec
National Assembly, this new business model
will see the government set broad guidelines,
select infrastructure projects that could be
executed by la Caisse, and make the final
decision to go ahead with projects on the
basis of options proposed by la Caisse.
It is understood that la Caisse will only
assume responsibility for projects that have
the potential to generate commercial returns
that serve the interests of its clients, that is,
all Quebecers who save for retirement. An
renewcanada.net
ReFinance
independent financial expert will certify that
la Caisse’s returns are in line with market
standards for comparable projects.
By managing projects from start to finish,
la Caisse can enhance process efficiency,
shorten delivery times, and meet the highest
industry standards. All infrastructure
projects covered by the agreement will be
financed by equity investment and long-term
debt. Insofar as la Caisse assumes ownership
and control of a project, the impact of such
infrastructure projects on public finances is
significantly reduced, because the project
is excluded from the government’s balance
sheet. Only the government’s financial
contribution, if any, would be included on
its balance sheet.
All projects executed under this agreement
will involve the following three stages:
•
•
•
planning and solution development;
review and approval; and
project execution.
For every project, la Caisse will coordinate
calls for tender. As controlling shareholder, la
Caisse will encourage vigorous competition
to control costs and access optimal solutions.
Bidders for contracts worth CA$5 million
renewcanada.net
or more will have to be qualified as such
by the Autorité des marchés financiers. An
independent auditor will also review the
integrity of the tendering process.
Infrastructure expertise
With more than 15 years of experience
in infrastructure investment in Canada,
Europe, the United States, and Australia, la
Caisse has developed extensive knowledge of
global best practices in infrastructure.
In the transportation sector, in 2005, la
Caisse participated as a lead investor in the
construction and operation of the Canada
Line, the rapid-rail service connecting
Vancouver Airport with downtown.
Completed on schedule and on budget, the
rail line covers more than 20 kilometres,
transports more than 120,000 passengers
daily, and is considered one of the most
successful greenfield infrastructure projects
in the country.
In the United Kingdom, la Caisse is a
shareholder in Heathrow Express, the
rail service linking Paddington Station
and Heathrow Airport, with more than
5.8 million passengers each year, and a
shareholder in Gatwick Express, the fast
train linking central London and Gatwick
Airport, with more than 4.7 million
passengers annually.
Around the world
Quebec is not the only government around
the world facing the need to develop or
renovate major infrastructure. That is why
la Caisse believes this business model could
offer other jurisdictions in North America
and beyond a promising solution to build and
operate important infrastructure projects
without burdening the public balance sheet.
Subject to the approval of amendments
by the National Assembly, la Caisse’s new
infrastructure subsidiary, to be called CDPQ
Infra, will actively explore these business
opportunities. Projects executed by la Caisse
in Quebec will serve as evidence of its knowhow in project development, management,
and operation. Once created, CDPQ Infra is
expected to become a central component of la
Caisse’s business strategy for years to come.
André Voshart is the editor of ReNew
Canada. With files from la Caisse de dépôt
et placement du Québec.
March /April 2015 ReNew Canada 21
Panorama
Standing Guard
The Vancouver Biennale has transformed an industrial
landmark into a gigantic work of public art. Artists
OSGEMEOS created a 360-degree, 23-metre-tall mural, the
biggest public mural of their career and their first in Canada.
Measuring a colourful 7,200 square metres, it was created on
six silos that are part of the Ocean Concrete manufacturing
and distribution plant on Vancouver’s Granville Island. —Staff
22 ReNew Canada March /April 2015
renewcanada.net
Credit: Ted McGrath via Flickr
renewcanada.net
March /April 2015 ReNew Canada 23
Smart Infrastructure
Credit: City of Surrey
Surrey, British Columbia was named one of the Top 7 Intelligent
Communities of 2015 by the Intelligent Community Forum.
Boost
Your City’s
IQ
Intelligent communities embrace technology to build their economies and
become better places to live. How will smart infrastructure revolutionize
the cities of the future?
C
ivilization was built one stone at a
time. Today, urban infrastructure
is the physical and organizational
foundation required to operate modern and
flourishing societies. The various elements
that make up integrated infrastructure include
the roads, railways, and waterways that allow
our surface- and water-based transportation
to move, as well as the development of
modern airports to transport goods and
people vast distances in short periods of time.
Our infrastructure has expanded to include
district heating and deep lake water-cooling
system, such as Enwave’s Lake Ontario deep
water-cooling system in Toronto, and other
innovations like Montreal’s underground
pneumatic vacuum waste collection
system. Combined with energy-from-waste
incineration, these vacuum systems in places
like Stockholm and Malmo, Sweden have
turned garbage into gold.
The modern supply chain would not be
possible without the efficient integration
of all elements of infrastructure to move
people, goods, and services. Add to this the
24 ReNew Canada March /April 2015
By John Jung
advancements made possible by information
technologies and telecommunications (ICT).
These advances as part of essential modern
infrastructure are now a key element in
what is being called “smart infrastructure.”
As urban regions are expected to grow to
absorb 70 per cent of the world’s population by
2050, urban regions are already experiencing
the impacts of this growth. Along with
this growth come urban problems like
congestion, pollution, the need to replace
aging infrastructure, and the realities of
increasingly limited resources to deal with
them. Accordingly, municipal governments
are seeking ways to do more with less—and
are looking to smart infrastructure to help
deliver more efficient and environmentally
effective services. Through monitoring
devices, significant amounts of information
are collected, called “big data.” When analyzed,
they are able to provide the basis for improved
planning, informed budgets, and evidencebased decision-making that is essential for
the smart management of road and rail traffic,
electric grids, air traffic, and waterways
(see “Seeing the Future” on page 28).
With enhanced predictive analytics and
visualization made possible with low-cost
sensors and innovative software, aging
infrastructure like crumbling bridges and
gaps in water pipes can be replaced as part
of systemic budgeting practices. Similarly,
traffic congestion and natural disasters can
be better managed, making for improved
crisis controls in urban regions. Additionally,
pollution can be monitored, and strategic
efforts can help to ensure a reduced carbon
footprint in every community. As a result,
many municipalities are seeing these benefits
and adopting an approach to transform
themselves into smart cities. Smart-city
infrastructure is a new horizon for city
planning and development, for municipal
asset managers, and for mayors and budget
chiefs looking to create more efficiently run
communities—but it is only the first step in
creating intelligent communities.
This intelligence is a natural evolution
for cities that have embraced technology,
innovation, and collaborative systems
renewcanada.net
Smart Infrastructure
renewcanada.net
Credit: Town of Stratford
to build their future communities and
societies and become better places to live.
With smart infrastructure as its physical
base, communities can focus their attention
toward enhancing their skills, innovation,
public policies, and philanthropy, creating
a civil society that will flourish. Without
it, cities will not be able to evolve into
intelligent communities. Accordingly, towns,
cities, and regions must first become smart
in order to become intelligent communities.
The intelligent-community movement began
with the World Trade Centers and World
Teleport Associations in the 1970s and ’80s,
which linked trading centers around the world
through satellites and teleports. In the ’90s,
the Internet combined with ICT advances
made it possible to begin to transform some
of our cities in new and exciting ways. The
emergence of smart infrastructure and its
associated broadband-based economic benefits
in the past two decades has culminated in a
global explosion of government-led smart-city
projects in places like India, China, and much
of the Western world.
The Intelligent Community Forum (ICF)
(intelligentcommunity.org) evolved from
these key science and trade associations
and has led the intelligent-community
Stratford, a town in Southern
Ontario, was first designated an
Intelligent Community for 2011 by
the Intelligent Community Forum.
movement since 1999. This created a global
movement—reflected in 134 communities on
every continent. As municipal governments
around the world are planning for hundreds
of new smart cities and regions to emerge,
ICF is educating them on expanding and
enhancing their planning and development
to include these broader goals.
ICF has identified five key criteria that
every community must address as they move
toward intelligent-community status:
1
Smart City Infrastructure
Broadband is the new essential utility, as vital
to economic growth as electricity, clean water,
and roads. Intelligent communities express a
clear vision of their sustainable broadband
future and develop plans and policies to
encourage deployment and adoption of these
strategies by all elements of its society.
March /April 2015 ReNew Canada 25
Smart Infrastructure
Nunavut
Moncton
Fredericton
Quebec City
Edmonton
Canada’s
Vancouver
Intelligent
Communities
2
Knowledge-based Talent
A knowledge workforce creates economic
value through the acquisition, processing, and
use of information. Intelligent communities
exhibit the determination and demonstrated
ability to develop a workforce qualified to
perform knowledge work. Universities and
other educational institutions have a central
role in the planning, development, and
implementation of prosperous, knowledge-
26 ReNew Canada March /April 2015
Calgary
Montreal
Winnipeg Kenora
Sudbury
Stratford
Windsor–Essex
St. John
Western Valley,
Nova Scotia
Ottawa–Gatineau
Kingston
Toronto
Burlington
Waterloo
centric intelligent communities. A key
differentiator is the ability to create, attract,
and retain this talent.
3
Innovation and Creativity
This is key in developing a prosperous
society where continuously new and
efficiently produced products and
services can be created for commercial
gain. Communities that collaborate and
provide the support to build an innovation
ecosystem to be able to create, attract, and
retain the talent and are able to generate the
domestic and foreign investment necessary
for them to thrive are among the most
successful intelligent communities.
4
Digital Inclusion
Participation by all citizens is vital in
intelligent communities. Accordingly,
policies and funding programs that provide
have-not members in the community with
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Smart Infrastructure
affordable access to digital broadband
technologies is important. Through selfimprovement and employment, these
citizens can improve their lives, their
health, and their self-esteem. It also creates
a community that is safer and more selfreliant. Talent and investment are attracted
to such caring and healthy communities.
5
Marketing and Advocacy
Like businesses facing greater global
competition, communities must work harder
than ever to communicate their advantages
and explain how they are maintaining or
improving their position as wonderful places
to live, work, and build a business. Effective
marketing shares their story with the world
while advocacy and public policies build a
new vision of the community from within.
There are currently 134 intelligent
communities around the world that have
met ICF’s criteria, and 22 are in Canada
alone. Canadian intelligent communities
have acted as models for many years from
small- and medium-sized municipalities like
Stratford, Ontario; Surrey, British Columbia;
and Waterloo, Ontario to larger centres like
Vancouver, Montreal, and Toronto. Many of
these communities tend to be early adopters
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of technology, enabling various aspects of their
industry sectors to thrive. What were early
trends, such as the development of gigabit
broadband environments in Waterfront
Toronto, are now being adopted in other cities.
As older business and industry activities
are replaced by new disruptive technologies,
intelligent communities like Waterloo have
been able to weather the storm of a major
industry downturn. Today, the community’s
newest innovations focus on robotics,
wearables, and even quantum computing
and nanotechnology applications. Montreal’s
Smart and Digital City strategy facilitates
the bottom-up emergence of individual
initiatives and supports multi-stakeholder
acceleration of these initiatives. Stratford
is a growing beta-testing community with
its many “living lab” projects, among them
LeoNovus, an Internet-video platform startup based in Silicon Valley and Ottawa, which
is testing its accelerated Internet and video
platform in more than 50 Stratford homes
and will consolidate idle CPU power as a
massively distributed computing cloud.
Waterfront Toronto boasts the highestperformance Internet services in Canada,
providing subscribers in its new waterfront
communities with 500-megabit-per-second
symmetrical Internet connections at
affordable rates.
ICF has been in the forefront to identify
and share best practices of these communities
with others around the world. Since 1999,
these intelligent communities have been
showcased through a unique awards program
that culminates in an annual summit in New
York City where the Intelligent Community
of the Year is announced. In2014, that title
went to Toronto. In addition to mayors, chief
administrative officers, chief information
officers, and planning and economic
development officers, the summit is also
an international gathering of university
and private sector business executives. In
celebration of the 20th anniversary of the
world’s first smart-city conference held in
Toronto in 1995, the 2015 summit will again
take place in Toronto from June 8 to 12 and
will include a visit to the Region of Waterloo,
2007’s Intelligent Community of the Year.
John Jung is chairman
and co-founder of the
New York-based Intelligent
Community Forum.
March /April 2015 ReNew Canada 27
Smart Infrastructure
Seeing the Future
By tracking data associated with assets, predictive analytics are able to identify
priorities for investment and calculate the impact of deferrals.
By David Caplan
O
ver the past 10 years, Canada
has seen a level of infrastructure
investment that is only surpassed
by the massive construction projects of
the Depression and post-war era. This
investment, spurred by recognition that
existing assets were approaching their end
of life cycle and the role infrastructure
development plays in boosting economic
activity, has resulted in new public assets
at the cost of many billions of dollars. If the
state-of-good-repair mistakes of the past are
to be avoided and the value of investments
maximized, an innovative and intelligent
approach to asset management is required.
Although many federal and provincial
projects have been completed utilizing some
sort of public-private partnership (P3) model,
where the private partner is responsible
for life-cycle management, a number of
new projects have been completed utilizing
traditional procurement. This is particularly
true for projects completed by municipal
governments. Governments whose power
to raise and finance capital are limited have
made significant investments in water
and wastewater, roads and bridges, and
recreational infrastructure. As such, although
asset life-cycle management is important for
all levels of government, it is keenly strategic
for Canada’s cities and towns.
Not too long ago, asset management
could be described as a guessing game.
The decision to repair or replace a piece of
infrastructure was based upon incomplete
information that consisted, in some
cases, solely of data related to the age of
the asset; often, the decision to repair or
replace an asset is impacted by political and
economic considerations (as it can be more
politically expedient in the short term to
defer a costly sewer program). One can add
another degree of complexity if the project
is politically unpopular or if there is an
election on the horizon.
Developing a holistic, multi-year asset
management plan can help governments
of all levels better manage their capital
28 ReNew Canada March /April 2015
expenditures and diffuse temptations of
political interference.
Various provincial jurisdictions
across Canada have developed strategies
mandating municipalities to develop
asset-management plans to guide their
infrastructure investments. In Ontario,
for example, this was done in 2012 under
former Infrastructure Minister Bob
Chiarelli. In order for a municipality to
qualify for many of the new provincial and
federal infrastructure funding programs,
comprehensive asset-management plans had
to be submitted as part of the application
process. Senior levels of government want
to know how municipalities plan for the
maintenance and sustainability of their
current portfolio assets, and they want to
know how a new project or partnership will
impact those plans.
has been an increase in asset management
capabilities and the advent of predictive
analytics tools. Private concessionaires are
utilizing sophisticated modelling technology
in order to better optimize asset life-cycle
performance. This technology allows for a
thorough examination of financial impacts
of decision-making in terms of short-,
medium-, and long-term modelling. Utilized
in P3s, this technology can be a strong ally
for a government looking to develop their
own asset-management plans
By tracking a range of data points
associated with a portfolio of assets,
predictive analytics technology is able
to identify priorities for investment and
calculate the impact of deferrals, providing
an analysis of where scarce investment
dollars might make the most impact. This
type of information can provide an edge not
Predictive analytics technology is able to identify
priorities for investment and calculate the impact
of deferrals, providing an analysis of where scarce
investment dollars might make the most impact.
Some municipalities and municipal
associations are ahead of the curve in terms
of the development of these plans. In fact,
some were undertaking these initiatives
before governments mandated them—but
current requirements exceed what even
the most progressive municipalities were
tracking. Provincial governments have
offered financial assistance to municipalities,
and municipal associations have offered
their expertise to smaller municipalities.
However, through the recent utilization of
P3s, a strong tool has been developed that can
be used by all levels of government to assist
in providing transparency and guidance in
the development of asset-management plans.
One of the derived benefits of a robust
provincial and federal infrastructure program
only in terms of controlling expenditures,
but it can assist governments as they prepare
their assets for increased pressures caused
by climate change. Flood and rain events like
those experienced in Calgary and Toronto in
2013 are examples of the extreme weather
all levels of government have to plan against.
Including predictive analytics in asset
management will allow governments to
identify and repair or replace weak links in
their infrastructure system, thus preventing
a cascade of failures.
In an era when governments at all levels
are striving to control expenditures while
still wanting to be seen to be investing
prudently for the public good, this type of
asset management is a key feature in smartinfrastructure design. If a plan is sufficiently
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Smart Infrastructure
Be an early adopter
strategic in its approach, it can allow for
effective data mining. The data mined can,
in turn, inform how assets are used:
Our industry-leading
• Are there peak periods of demand?
• Are certain users more likely to utilize
trenchless watermain
• Does
save time, money
lining helps municipalities
the asset than others?
the asset have capacity space
in the event that another part of
the infrastructure system becomes
overloaded?
and the environment.
before
• C an the asset be structured in a way that
it pays for itself—like a high-occupancy
toll lane, time-of-use electricity meter, or
digitized water meters?
Governments already utilize some form
of predictive analytics when it comes
to asset management. In Ontario, for
example, smart-grid technology informs
how the electricity system is utilized
including when and where demand spikes,
troughs occur, and failures take place.
Failure detection is critical in attempts to
localize problems and mitigate any impact
on the wider customer base. In Guelph,
Ontario, as identified in Richard Harvey’s
2014 paper for the University of Guelph,
municipal sewer systems were inspected
between 2008 to 2011 using closedcircuit television technology. The city is
using the information gathered through
these inspections to develop the type of
asset-management plan I am describing:
capturing information regarding material
used to form the pipe, material used for
mortar, where cracks exist, where tree
root infiltration has occurred, and where
corrosion is at its worst. Harvey estimated
$3 could be saved for every $1 spent on
proactive measures.
We have all seen it. Roads ripped up
and repaved only to be ripped up less
than a year later due to water or sewer
main replacements required due to an
unforeseen break, poor scheduling, or
political interference. Not only does this
represent tax dollars wasted, it represents
opportunities lost for the development
of systemic efficiencies. If designed
holistically, an asset-management plan
offers a real opportunity for governments
to optimize asset life cycle, harden against
extreme weather events, and in some cases,
get the asset to pay for itself.
after
Reduce
Costs by
30%
Minimize
Public
Intrusions
S t ay a
head
Engage
Communities in
the Process
of th
e curv
e
Lower
Greenhouse
Gases
w i t h F E R - PA L
p: 416-742-3713 e: info@ferpalinfrastructure.com
ferpalinfrastructure.com
View the Top 100 2015
David Caplan is the
vice-chair of Global
Public Affairs.
project details, funding and key players.
top100projects.ca
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March /April 2015 ReNew Canada 29
Smart Infrastructure
Helsinki
Toronto
Boston
London
Amsterdam
Rotterdam
Barcelona
Shanghai
Amman
Dubai
Minna
Guadalajara
Makkah
Haiphong
Makati
Bogota
In November 2014, the
following cities became
the first in the world to
be certified in accordance
with ISO 37120.
Johannesburg
São Paulo
Buenos Aires
Melbourne
Data for Cities
A new, made-in-Canada standard provides cities with an opportunity for a standardized
approach to metrics that enables global benchmarking.
T
he pressure on city leaders and
managers to make smart decisions
regarding infrastructure planning
and investment has never been greater.
A recent report from McKinsey estimates the
world will require $57 trillion in infrastructure
investment by 2030—more than the current
value of the worlds’ existing infrastructure
stock—with the majority of investment
needed in urban centres. This is a global
issue: advanced economies need to maintain
and replace aging infrastructure while fastgrowing cities in the developing world need
major investments just to provide basic levels
of services and keep pace with service demand
by rapidly growing populations. This is coming
at a time where financing capital investments
can be very difficult for city administrations,
particularly given constraints on public
budgets across all levels of government.
Infrastructure investment is also taking
place in an increasingly complex planning
environment, as cities are also seeking to
drive sustainability and improve resilience
to climate change and natural disasters.
Achieving ambitious sustainability and
resilience targets will often necessitate
major transformations in the design,
construction, and operation of a city’s
30 ReNew Canada March /April 2015
infrastructure systems—including buildings,
energy, mobility, telecommunications,
water, wastewater, sanitation, and wastemanagement services—and optimizing the
inter-linkages between these systems. Cities
are also likely to bear a major share of the
burden of the costs and risks associated with
climate change, as well as the responsibility
of greatly improving system resilience.
Not surprisingly, these complex
challenges are driving demand for globally
comparable data, strategic analytics, and
a more comprehensive knowledge of city
performance to inform decision-making. In
fact, comparable data and city indicators
are now increasingly considered critical
for making cities more liveable, inclusive,
sustainable, resilient, and prosperous.
Inside ISO 37120
This is what makes the publication of
a new international standard on city
indicators such an exciting development.
ISO 37120 – Sustainable Development of
Communities – Indicators for City Services
and Quality of Life was published in May
2014 by the International Organization for
Standardization (ISO). Now hosted by the
World Council on City Data (WCCD), ISO
By Patricia McCarney
31720 defines and establishes methodologies
for a comprehensive set of indicators that
will enable any-sized city in a developed or
developing economy to track and measure
its social, economic, and environmental
performance in relation to other cities.
This first ISO international standard on city
metrics has been developed by the Global City
Indicators Facility (GCIF) at the University of
Toronto in partnership with the Government
of Ontario. It is based on a set of indicators
and their corresponding definitions and
methodologies that was developed and tested
by the GCIF and the member cities (more
than 255 worldwide). ISO 37120 was also
developed using input from the ISO Technical
Committee on Sustainable Development of
Communities (ISO/TC 268). Members of
TC 268 included international organizations,
leading businesses, and international experts
from more than 20 countries including
Canada, which is leading the efforts on
standardized indicators for cities and
currently convenes the working group on city
indicators within TC268.
ISO 37120 includes 100 indicators, which are
structured around 17 themes that define city
services and aspects of quality of life in cities.
These include: education, transportation,
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Smart Infrastructure
safety, governance, water and sanitation,
solid waste, and recreation. Recognizing
the differences in resources and capabilities
between developed and developing world
cities, the overall set of city indicators has been
divided into core indicators, which all cities
adhering to the standard would be required
to report on, and supporting indicators. Cities
must report on the 46 core indicators for
conformity to ISO 37120.
The standard represents a critical paradigm
shift when it comes to city data. It provides
cities and stakeholders with an opportunity
for a standardized approach to city metrics,
and a global framework for third-party
verification of city data. A reliable foundation
of globally standardized data will assist cities
in building core knowledge for city decisionmaking and enable comparative insight and
global benchmarking. In addition to ISO
37120, a new series of standards on resilience
indicators for cities is now being developed.
Benefits to municipalities
Standardized indicators enable cities to assess
their performance and measure progress
over time and also to draw comparative
lessons from other cities locally and globally.
They also help to guide policy, planning, and
renewcanada.net
management across multiple sectors and
stakeholders. City leaders worldwide want
to know how their cities are doing relative
to their peers. Standardized indicators allow
city leaders to measure their performance and
compare with their peers to foster learning
and the sharing of best practices.
The new international standard will be
particularly useful in helping cities invest in
making their infrastructure more sustainable
and resilient. It will foster more informed
decision-making, enable local benchmarking
and planning while facilitating learning across
cities, and help cities to leverage funding
and recognition from international entities
and senior levels of government. Cities are
now working with the WCCD to also review
potential applications of cities adopting
the standard for other management tools,
including credit/bond ratings, risk assessment
for insurance, and other applications.
Looking forward
The WCCD, launched in May 2014 at the
Global Cities Summit in Toronto, has been
established to take this critical data agenda
forward. The WCCD coordinates all efforts
on city data to ensure a consistent and
comprehensive platform for standardized
urban metrics through ISO 37120 and future
standards under development.
In 2014, the WCCD worked with 20
foundation cities to pilot the implementation
of ISO 37120. In November 2014, the
following cities became the first in the world
to be certified in accordance with ISO 37120:
Amman, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Bogota,
Boston, Buenos Aires, Dubai, Guadalajara,
Haiphong, Helsinki, Johannesburg, London,
Makati, Makkah, Melbourne, Minna,
Rotterdam, Shanghai, and Toronto.
With this pilot complete, the WCCD has
opened the process to all cities globally
to adopt ISO 37120. There are now more
than 100 more cities signing expressions of
interest and filing applications with the goal
of adopting ISO 37120 in the early months
of 2015. The WCCD particularly encourages
Canadian cities and municipalities to become
a member of this made-in-Canada global
initiative (dataforcities.org).
Patricia McCarney is the
president and CEO of the
World Council on City
Data and a professor at the
University of Toronto.
March /April 2015 ReNew Canada 31
Urban Planning
Credit: Daniel Gorman
Halifax’s Bold Move
On Halifax’s waterfront, a tangled web of roads and ramps effectively
blocks the city’s north end from the downtown. We examine the city’s
grand vision for the redevelopment.
I
n the 1960s, Halifax was struck with
the same idea as Toronto: build a major
commuter highway through the lower
downtown core to enable cars to transverse
the city. In fact, the designers of the Cogswell
Street Interchange were the same engineers
who designed downtown Toronto’s Gardiner
Expressway—and we all know the outcome
of that experiment.
The Cogswell interchange currently
occupies more than 16 acres of land north
of and adjacent to the downtown core.
The current series of over and underpasses
effectively blocks the city’s north end from
the downtown. The interchange design
eliminated the old grid pattern of city blocks,
32 ReNew Canada March /April 2015
By Cynthia Robertson and Stanley Strug
reduced the ability to walk from one end of
the downtown to the other, and made the
auto king of the roadway.
Current Halifax city-planning protocols call
for the reintegration of the north end of the
city with the downtown, effectively turning
back the clock to earlier times when the
north end was a vital part of the cultural and
business heart of the city. The erection of the
Cogswell Interchange cut off these vital links,
and as a direct result, the north end of the city
skidded into a long-term decline.
The grand vision
The grand vision for the redevelopment
includes the complete removal of a tangled
web of roads and ramps, linking at least
four streets (including Barrington and
Lower Water streets and Rannie Drive)
and redeveloping the brownfield site with a
grand boulevard lined with walkable green
spaces, bike lanes, a major transit hub,
extension of the harbour district heating
system, commercial redevelopment, and a
mixture of apartment and condo buildings.
The design completed to date is merely
indicative; however, Paul Kent, the outgoing
CEO of the Greater Halifax Partnership, said
this opportunity was a profound change in a
city that has seen far too little growth in the
past 20 years.
The entire site, fortunately, falls outside
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Urban Planning
of the restrictive Halifax View planes
guidelines, a controversial plan that
protects the view of the city’s harbour. In an
interview, Halifax mayor Mike Savage called
this project “a unique opportunity to correct
a piece of infrastructure that is a remnant
of the 1960s and 1970s transportation plan
that separated north and south Halifax.
Imagine what could be there: a reconnection
of the city. This project makes a lot of things
possible including being the gateway to the
north end of the city.”
Savage also noted the location is a good
place for higher buildings. Without being
specific, however, he noted that the site is
outside of the view planes and therefore has
only city-planning restrictions as outlined in
HRM By Design , a detailed city-planning
document that was completed in 2012. He
said he’s in favour of densifying the area
and indicated he likes height to achieve
this goal rather than lower structures. He
methodical in its approach, letting both
factual and technical issues lead the projectplanning process. City council has agreed
on a set of goals, but want to let the design
come from the development community,
with the only proviso being that cityplanning guidelines be followed, without
council being overly proscriptive. Fraser
indicated the project should allow for the
renewed plan to allow for a “signature
gateway” linking the downtown core with
the north end, the Naval Dockyards, two
harbour bridges, and the Irving Shipyards.
(The Irving Shipyards have been awarded
a $25-billion, multi-decade federal contract
to build the Canadian Navy’s new frigate
fleet. This contract is expected to employ
thousands of skilled workers.)
The realignment will also open access to
the harbour walkways, Casino Nova Scotia,
the Purdy’s Wharf office complex, and the
Halifax Marriott Harbourfront Hotel, which
Realigning the road systems will drastically improve
accessibility [and] further re-engage the city with
the working waterfront, improving quality of life
for those living and working downtown.
wants the project to free ground space
for pedestrian access, but he also wants to
make it “interesting.” This would include
innovation in design, making the new space
accessible to a variety of people to live, work,
shop, and play.
Savage has identified that risks associated
with construction and final development
should be passed onto future private-sector
partners, who are better able to handle these
types of risks than the city.
In the initial phase, the Cogswell plan calls
for the complete demolition of the current
roadbeds, at an estimated cost of about
$45 million. The roads will be realigned
with the demolition and road realignment
expenses being in part recouped by the sale
of the developable portion of the lands and
associated development charges coupled
with future property-tax revenues.
Jane Fraser, director of operations
support with the City of Halifax, said she
is excited that city leaders, including the
mayor and councillors, are focusing on the
downtown core. She noted that Halifax
leaders are engaged in redefining Halifax as
the Atlantic leader in economic, industrial,
and cultural sectors.
She noted that council has been very
renewcanada.net
currently have difficult access and egress
roadways due to the blockages erected to
support the interchange. Realigning the road
systems will drastically improve accessibility
to these major buildings for business,
recreation, and tourism purposes. It will also
further re-engage the city with the working
waterfront, improving quality of life for
those living and working downtown.
Halifax renaissance
Currently, Halifax is in the midst of a
renaissance in the form of a building boom
in the downtown core. After 20 years of few
projects other than apartment and condo
developments, redevelopment is happening
in the commercial area at the Royal Bank
building, which is planned to be demolished,
and the CIBC and TD complexes. The face of
downtown Halifax is rapidly changing.
The recent opening of the new Halifax
Library on a former parking lot on Spring
Garden Road, which holds an award-winning
design with advanced environmentaldesign features, is helping to redefine the
city core. As well, the construction of the
estimated $500-million Nova Centre, which
is underway at the heart of the Argyle Street
entertainment and business district, is the
largest integrated development project in
Nova Scotia’s history.
Getting it done
Andy Fillmore, VP of planning and
development with the Waterfront
Development Corp., led the public
consultation process for the Cogswell
Street Interchange project. Formerly a city
planner—with experience in many large
projects, including stints as the project
manager for the development of HRM By
Design in Halifax and the Big Dig transit
mega-project in Boston—said this project “has
been a fascinating thing to be involved in.”
The vision and strategy includes collaboration
across both the private and public sectors,
which he believes is critical to success.
Ultimately, he wants to get people back on the
street enjoying a vibrant cityscape.
The total Cogswell project area encompasses
about 16 acres. Of this total, about six
are required for road realignment, publictransit facilities, bike paths, and pedestrian
walkways. The city has identified a desire for
parkland, which could encompass up to an
additional four acres, leaving a minimum of
six for private-sector development.
How this remaining land will be developed
is unknown, with the city wanting to allow
the private sector to play a major role in
determining the density and ultimate mix of
building types. However, the city would like
to see more people living in the downtown
core and recognizes this will require the
provision of services like schools and
recreation facilities. These supports have
largely disappeared over the past 40 years
due to declining population density in the
older parts of the city.
The city expects this project to build out
over the next six to 12 years, giving time
first to complete the roadway demolition,
realign the road network, and complete the
underground infrastructure improvements
required to support these ambitious plans.
But as is now clear, Halifax is in a building
renaissance—and it is now time for the city
to take its place amongst the major Canadian
urban centres.
Cynthia Robertson and Stanley
Strug are both with Halifax-based
Parkridge Consulting.
March /April 2015 ReNew Canada 33
Urban Planning
Credit: booledozer via Flickr
View of the old Essroc terminal
from the Keating Channel
Cementing Our Future
Ensuring industry and jobs have a home on Toronto’s waterfront.
M
any Torontonians are often
surprised to learn that the
Toronto Port Lands remain a
functioning port area and will continue to
house industrial tenants. Situated on the
northwest shore of Lake Ontario, the Port
Lands are an extensive industrial area of
988 acres (400 hectares) of reclaimed land
located south of Lake Shore Boulevard
and the Keating Channel/Don River. Its
largest landowner is the Toronto Port
Lands Company (TPLC), Toronto’s urban
development corporation.
This area—rich in development
opportunity—is bounded by the Toronto
Inner Harbour to the west, Ashbridges Bay
to the east, and Lake Ontario to the south.
Since 1917, these lands, reclaimed from Lake
Ontario, were used for a number of heavy
industrial activities, such as bulk aggregate,
storage, oil refining and blending, lumber,
and other manufacturing uses. The Port
Lands are designated as a Regeneration
Area and are part of Toronto’s long-term
vision for the area to become a broad mix
of commercial, residential, light industrial,
parks, and institutional uses.
Currently, TPLC manages more than 100
long-term leases in a prime area. Marquee
tenants include CORUS Entertainment,
34 ReNew Canada March /April 2015
Pinewood Toronto Studios, and Essroc
Cement Corp. Located minutes from the
downtown core and nearby transit and
highway access, the Port Lands make for
an ideal location for industrial, commercial,
and residential mixed-use development
opportunities.
The majority of Port Lands are considered
brownfields, which TPLC recognizes as a
parcel of underutilized land that is, or could
be, contaminated by industrial activities.
TPLC has partnered with the Ministry of
Environment (MOE) and the City of Toronto
to address the contaminated properties and
make them safe for future use. Although
TPLC is the environmental steward in the
Port Lands, all brownfield redevelopment
is regulated by the MOE. Consequently,
environmental stewardship is a key priority
for TPLC as it continues to redevelop the area
through its numerous reclamation activities.
In fact, the corporation has restored more
than 130 acres of brownfield lands back to
productive use since 2009. One key example
is East Port’s industrial area, aptly dubbed
the “Concrete Campus.”
Concrete Campus
In 2004, Toronto city council approved
a rezoning application at Commissioners
By Michael Kraljevic
Street and Unwin Avenue that would permit
concrete companies like Essroc, Lafarge,
Metrix, and St. Mary’s to consolidate their
operations. This strategy enables longerterm leases to be established with all similar
cement users in one clearly defined area.
Relocating heavy industry opens up prime
property of contaminated sites, allowing
TPLC to clean up and develop these
lands. These projects help to stimulate
economic development opportunities and
increased employment in the Port Lands
for the construction industry, which in turn
provides economic benefits to the City of
Toronto.
In its continuing effort to relocate and
move businesses as a means of retaining jobs
and creating economic efficiencies, TPLC
has recently completed a significant move
of long-time tenant Essroc’s main cement
terminal to the Eastern Port Lands. “TPLC
continues to generate much needed jobs in
the City Toronto and the Essroc relocation
is a prime example of how our City
corporations generate economic growth,”
noted Denzil Minnan-Wong, deputy mayor
of the City of Toronto.
Construction on this project started in
2013, and for more than three years, TPLC
worked closely with Essroc to assist with the
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Urban Planning
relocation of its terminal from its original site at Cherry Street to
its new location just north of the ship channel in the Eastern Port
Lands at 575 Commissioners Street. TPLC also worked closely with
the Toronto Port Authority and Waterfront Toronto to complete this
significant multi-million dollar project. This collaboration helped to
put into operation one of Essroc’s terminals in the fall of 2014.
“Essroc’s continued commitment to the City of Toronto and the
GTA is now fully realized with the opening of our new cement
terminal,” said Brian Costenbader, VP of logistics at Essroc. “The
Toronto Port Lands Company is a key partner in helping grow
our business.”
The decision to keep Essroc Canada in the port area, where it is
close to high-rise projects using concrete for construction, achieves
a number of city initiatives, such as minimizing commercial truck
traffic on roads, which reduces traffic congestion and road wear
and tear. The result is better overall service for the Greater Toronto
Area’s construction industry. Environmentally, a key benefit is the
reduction of greenhouse gases as truck traffic is decreased for more
efficient use.
The Essroc move is just one of many projects led by TPLC in the
urban-development strategy intended to generate economic growth
through a mix of industry, commercial, and residential expansions
along the Toronto Port Lands.
Michael Kraljevic is the president and
CEO of Toronto Port Lands Company.
renewcanada.net
TPLC Quick Facts
Number of Employees: 20
Property
Management
Land Assets
•
•
•
• Holds close to $0.5 billion
• Largest land owner; owns and manages
•
Economic
Impact
anages more than 80 tenants
M
Manages more than 100 longand short-term leases
Operates rail and manages
dock wall berthing
•
•
close to 988 acres in the Port Lands
Owns 23 properties in leasable buildings
upports more than 4,000 jobs
S
through its tenants
Provided $57.7 million in distributions to
city programs and agencies since 2009
Established in 1986, the Toronto Port Lands Company (TPLC)
is wholly owned by and works closely with the City of Toronto to
accelerate economic growth and job creation in association with a
number of public and private sector partners. Through its leasing,
development, brownfield reclamation, and land management activities,
TPLC finances its own operations while funding other operations and
is able to deliver a financial dividend back to the city. In 2012, TPLC
provided the City of Toronto with a $40-million special dividend.
March /April 2015 ReNew Canada 35
Re: The Law
BIM Risk
Legal considerations to
consider when adopting
building information
modelling technologies.
By Richard Shaban and Richard Yehia
O
ne of the most recent developments
in infrastructure delivery is
the increased use of building
information modelling, or BIM, in largescale infrastructure projects. BIM is often
misconceived of as a simple software system
used to develop infrastructure models, but
this perception undersells its complexity.
Rather, BIM is a robust system that
describes the activities and technology used
to model and relate information, as well
as the use and sharing of this information
by multiple stakeholders involved in the
construction of a building to streamline
infrastructure delivery.
Project owners are increasingly
requiring their contractors, subcontractors,
consultants, and facility managers to
leverage BIM techniques in an effort to
improve efficiency and cost savings. With
the advent of new infrastructure technology,
however, come corresponding legal issues
that project participants should consider.
Canada: A New Player
The adoption of BIM technology in Canada
is a relatively recent trend when compared
to the United States and United Kingdom.
For example, in the United Kingdom, the
AEC (UK), an architectural, engineering,
and construction industry committee,
was formed in 2000 and first published
a comprehensive BIM Protocol in 2009.
By comparison, in Canada, the first AEC
(Can) BIM Protocol was not published until
2012, and was modelled after the United
Kingdom’s.
The most recent Canadian BIM Protocol
was published in September 2014. From a
legal perspective, one of the more interesting
36 ReNew Canada March /April 2015
features of the new protocol is its provision
of sample language with respect to terms
of use, disclaimers, and model copyright.
Some of the sample language includes
the following:
“By executing this self-extracting file, the
user agrees that they will be bound by the
following conditions and disclaimers:
• The
information in the self-extracting
file does not form part of the Contract
Documents unless specifically designated
as such in the Project specifications.
• The
consultant makes no warranty or
guaranty that dimensions provided or
established from electronic drawing files
represent actual site conditions.
• The
information in the self-extracting
file is provided for the convenience of
the user. The user, and any third party to
which the user transmits the information,
agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the
Consultant to the fullest extent permitted
by law from any damage, liability or costs
(including, without limitation, special,
indirect or consequential damages) arising
from the information. The Consultant
is not liable for any unauthorized use
of information.
Any reproduction or distribution for any
purpose other than authorized by IBI Group
is forbidden. Written dimensions shall
have precedence over scaled dimensions.
Contractors shall verify and be responsible
for all dimensions and conditions on the
job and IBI Group shall be informed of
any variations from the dimensions and
conditions shown on the drawing. Shop
drawings shall be submitted to IBI Group
for approval before proceeding with
fabrication.”
Legal implications
As can be seen from the excerpts above, the
allocation of risk or liability with respect to
the use of BIM technology, and specifically
the sharing of information, is one that is
continuing to evolve among infrastructure
project participants. It is undoubtedly of
interest to parties adopting BIM technology
to have written agreements in place that
spell out the obligations and limitations of
liability of the various parties, so as to have
clear lines of responsibility.
The sample language provided in the
AEC (Can) Protocol attempts to address
the issue of liability through the use of
waivers, indemnities, and limitations
on use. The Institute for BIM in Canada
also provides, for a fee, contract language
packages. However, it must be noted that,
unlike the standard Canadian Construction
Documents Committee contracts, the sample
language described above has not been
tested and applied by Canadian courts. It
should also be noted that sample language
is not tailored to the specific intricacies
of the project in question, and must be
adjusted in consideration of the specific
project. Although the AEC (Can) Protocol
and commercial contract language packages
provide a useful starting point, they should
not be seen as a substitute for appropriate
contract review and project specific
allocation of risk.
The system of warranties, indemnities,
and limitations on use may also be
counterproductive to the objective of
using BIM, namely, the collaborative use
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Re: The Law
of technology to streamline infrastructure
delivery. Such a system is predicated on the
ability to rely on the information provided
by other project participants to coordinate
efforts, however, restrictions on liability
and use of electronic data may preclude
project participants from effectively relying
on information provided by others. Parties
should carefully consider the extent to which
such provisions are necessary to effect the
desired arrangement most conducive to the
specific project.
A means to mitigate potential problems
is to ensure that those administering the
project are adequately trained in the use of
BIM software and technology. The Canada
BIM Council offers four levels of certification
with respect to the use of BIM. The ability
to demonstrate sufficient competency in
the use of BIM technologies will be a focal
point of any potential claim with respect
to allegations of negligent and deficient
performance. Organizations leveraging BIM
technology would do well to ensure their
representatives are sufficiently trained and
certified, as necessary.
There are many other potential legal
considerations organizations need to
consider when adopting BIM technologies,
renewcanada.net
whether by choice or by way of imposition
through a contract. The below list, while by
no means exhaustive, provides some other
potential questions organizations should
consider:
• Does the language of the contract reflect
the agreement between the parties with
respect to any intellectual property rights?
• Are appropriate systems in place to store
detailed records and to ensure that any
information can be easily and accurately
retrieved?
• Is there insurance coverage or protection
project. However, BIM technology provides
a new tool for consideration to identify
issues for large-scale infrastructure projects
before the implementation of the work. The
level of confidence in this technology and
the extent to which the results are reliable
will need to be balanced with the allocation
of risk for legal liability for problems caused
by any technological failure. While we have
attempted to provide an overview of some of
the legal issues that may arise from the use of
BIM technology, it will be interesting to see
how these and other issues develop with the
increased use of BIM.
that extends to issues arising from the use
of BIM software?
• Is
the multiplicity of programs being
used to implement BIM compatible and
reliable?
• Does the information technology system
used protect against data corruption risk by
ever-changing and updating software tools?
As we have cautioned in our previous
article in November/December 2014 (see
“Shared Risk and Reward,” bit.ly/rc-risk),
no infrastructure delivery method addresses
every unpredictable and potential unforeseen
issue that may arise in an infrastructure
Richard Shaban is a senior partner
and past regional leader of the
construction and engineering group in
Borden Ladner Gervais LLP’s (BLG)
Toronto office. Richard Yehia practices
construction and surety law with BLG.
March /April 2015 ReNew Canada 37
People & Events
Appointed
Angus English has
joined MMM Group
Ltd. as regional manager
in its Vancouver office.
He brings with him
31 years of experience
Angus English in
infrastructure
revitalization, replacement, and upgrading
for public and private-sector clients in
Western Canada, South America, and
Asia for a wide range of asset portfolios
ranging from municipal utilities and
transportation schemes to materials
handling for heavy industry. His project
experience ranges from small assignments
to large multi-year, multi-contract projects.
Contact Terry Hardy at
Email: info@opwa.ca
Join us at the 2015 IT
Symposium on March 31.
“Technology Application in
Public Works: Proven Uses
and Emerging Trends”
38 ReNew Canada March /April 2015
Ian Rokeby has
joined as a partner
with
Va n c o u ve r based
Collings
Johnston, a technical
management company
Ian Rokeby
providing advisory
and management services to owners,
lenders, and contractors for major
transportation infrastructure projects.
He has more than 30 years of experience
in the management and execution of a
wide range of planning, feasibility, design,
and construction projects for transportation
infrastructure in British Columbia.
Scott Roux, former
VP of U.S. operations at
Buckland & Taylor, has
become president and
managing director of its
sister company, Jenny
Scott Roux
Engineering, a specialist
tunnelling company based in
Springfield, New Jersey. Both
Buckland and Taylor and
Jenny are part of the COWI
North America group. At
Buckland & Taylor in North
Joe Viola
Vancouver, Joe Viola and
Murray Johnson have both been appointed to
the position of VP and project director.
Entuitive has appointed
Brian Shedden to
associate in their Calgary
office. He has more than
30 years of experience in
the building construction
Brian Shedden and restoration industry,
providing enclosure consultation and design.
renewcanada.net
People & Events
events
Credit: FCM
L-R: Raymond Louie, first VP of FCM, chair of the Green Municipal Fund
(GMF) council, and City of Vancouver councillor; Peter Fenwick, mayor
of Cape St. George, Newfoundland and Labrador, waste program award
winner; and Brock Carlton, CEO, FCM.
L-R: Brock Carlton, CEO, FCM; sustainability manager Anna Mathewson
and councillor Bruce Hayne with the City of Surrey, Ontario, Energy Plan
award winner; and Raymond Louie, chair of GMF council.
Sustainable Communities Conference london, ON
Canadian municipalities are on the front
line of protecting the environment and
driving the green economy as they deliver
services and develop more sustainable
infrastructure. Municipal governments
are also the closest to citizens and can
most readily engage the community as
regulators, facilitators, partners, program
renewcanada.net
deliverers, educators, and business
partners.
The
Federation
of
Canadian
Municipalities’ (FCM) Sustainable
Communities Conference February 10 to
12 offered a unique three-day experience
that enabled participants to connect
with experts and peers, explore London,
Ontario’s leading facilities and projects, and
experience delegate-driven content.
FCM celebrated best practices in
sustainable community development
through its annual Sustainable Community
Awards, with nine award recipients in six
categories. Get full list of award winners at
bit.ly/fcmawards
March /April 2015 ReNew Canada 39
People & Events
Big Cities Summit toronto, ON
Nineteen mayors of Canada’s biggest
cities came together February 5 in
Toronto to hammer out solutions to
the country’s economic challenges.
With a federal election on the
horizon, the Big Cities Summit places
cities at the centre of the national
discussion about Canada’s future.
“At a time when Canada is
facing economic uncertainty, the
Big City Mayors’ Summit is an
exciting opportunity to envision
and highlight how our cities can
provide a path to stable, long-term
economic growth and prosperity,”
said Vancouver mayor Gregor
Robertson, chair of the Federation
of Canadian Municipalities’ Big City
Mayors’ Caucus.
The mayors called for a new era
of cooperation between all orders of
government, including municipal,
provincial and federal to focus on
Canada’s most pressing challenges:
jobs, the economy, and quality of life.
Mayors invited federal parties to
work with them to achieve specific
goals such as:
•a coordinated focus on
cutting commute times,
including hard targets;
•sustainable levels of
infrastructure investment across
all orders of government; and
•a long-term plan to make
housing more affordable
for all Canadians.
Ontario Economic Development, Employment and
Infrastructure Minister Brad Duguid (right), with RCCAO
executive director Andy Manahan, says Ontario will
continue to reduce unnecessary regulatory burden.
RCCAO Talks Infrastructure
toronto, ON
Economic Development, Employment and Infrastructure
Minister Brad Duguid encouraged members and guests of
the Residential and Civil Construction Alliance of Ontario
(RCCAO) to keep pressure on the federal government to
increase its investment in infrastructure, pointing out
that Ottawa’s 10-year, $70-billion commitment for all of
Canada pales in comparison to the province’s $130 billion
planned investment over the same time period. In addition, he pointed out Ontario is a global leader
in alternative financing and procurement (AFP) delivery,
and that significantly over-budget projects can greatly
benefit from taking a closer look at the AFP model
Duguid wants to continue reducing the unnecessary
regulatory burden, and cited potential improvements to
the municipal class environmental assessment process,
building permit approvals, and more timely utility locates
under One Call.
—Andy Manahan, RCCAO
Credits: Debbie Yea/OPWA
OPWA’s Annual
Conference &
Awards Luncheon
Mississauga, ON
The incoming 2015 OPWA board of directors
ReNew Canada publisher
Todd Latham
Former
Mississauga mayor
Hazel McCallion
40 ReNew Canada March /April 2015
Credit: Actual Media
Caucus chair and Vancouver
mayor Gregor Robertson
Credit: @VanMayorsOffice/Twitter
Credit: @MayorGregor/Twitter
L-R: Mayors Gregor Robertson (Vancouver),
Naheed Nenshi (Calgary), Brian Bowman
(Winnipeg), Bonnie Crombie (Mississauga), John
Tory (Toronto), and Denis Coderre (Montreal)
The Ontario Public Works Association’s Annual
Conference & Awards Luncheon took place on
January 29 at the Mississauga Grand Banquet
& Convention Centre. ReNew Canada publisher
Todd Latham moderated sessions and introduced
lunch speaker Hazel McCallion, who served as
the mayor of Mississauga from 1978 until 2014.
Project of the Year Award winners included
the Rumble Pond adaptive stormwater
project (Richmond Hill); Middleton water
supply system upgrades (Waterloo); Keswick
Wastewater Pollution Control Plant expansion;
Burlington–Oakville
interconnecting
watermain; North Oakville East Wastewater
Pumping Station; Durham/York Energy Centre;
Hannon Creek realignment and Dartnall
Road extension (Hamilton); Buttrey Street
sewer outfall (Niagara Falls); Ottawa WWTP
Raw Sewage Pump Station emergency bypass
pumping; and construction of the Kirkland
Lake Wastewater Treatment Plant.
renewcanada.net
Closing Shot
Five Things on my Mind
W
hen you ask a friend or colleague
how they’re doing, invariably
the answer is “busy.” We are
all busy, so I’ll skip the introduction and get
right to what’s on my mind.
1 Municipalities are no longer children
of the province. Cities have grown up and
don’t need their parents as much anymore.
They are where most Canadians live
and work. They own 60 per cent of the
infrastructure, but only get six per cent of
the federal/provincial tax revenues taken
from residents who use the assets. It’s
time to give municipalities more power to
generate revenues and a much larger portion
of gas taxes so they don’t have to beg for
desperately needed capital. We should carve
off one per cent of the GST for them, too.
2 Ontario’s auditor general has made
quite the mess. Bonnie Lysyk’s December
2014 report included a section on publicprivate partnerships (P3s) that lacked
credibility, seemed blatantly biased, and was
outrageously myopic and likely politically
motivated. In it, she demonstrates a
misunderstanding of project risk transfer,
public-sector contracting, maintenance and
operations costs, and the true value-formoney inherent in most P3s. As Municipal
42 ReNew Canada March /April 2015
Affairs Minister Ted McMeekin said about
the much-criticized report, she was “blowing
smoke.” Shame on her for listening to special
interest groups and conveniently ignoring
important facts—her MBA seemed to be
MIA for this one.
By Todd Latham
infrastructure, but they do very little of that
at home. It’s not their fault—we just aren’t
making it attractive enough. Governments
should provide tax incentives and clarity (read:
certainty) to reduce domestic investment risk
and open up the Canadian market for tolls,
concessions, P3s, O&M and EPC contracts,
and the like. Run Canada like a business and
we’ll all profit like one.
3 Gasoline and water are too cheap in
Canada. We’re spoiled and wasteful. Oil prices
are low now, so it’s a good time to increase the
cost of gas by 10 to 15 cents per litre and dedicate
the new revenue to a national infrastructure
bank or public-transit fund. Or just funnel it
directly to the municipalities on a per-capita
basis (see No. 1). In addition, water rates should
be increased in all jurisdictions by at least 10 per
cent. It is human nature to not value that which
has little cost associated to it, so let’s charge more
for this precious resource and use the money
for drinking water and sewer infrastructure. If
people don’t have a problem paying a buck (or
more) per litre for bottled water, they shouldn’t
object to a few pennies per litre for the stuff that
comes out of their tap.
5 After this issue, I’m stepping aside
from writing this column. For almost 10
years, I have spewed my opinions onto this
back page, and it has been a real privilege
to have your ear for my missives. But there
are other opinions I believe need to have
a “closing shot.” (And our editor, André
Voshart, is tired of having to constantly pin
me down to editorial deadlines.) I will still
contribute from time to time (when I have a
burning rant to share), but you will see other
infrastructure pundits here more regularly.
Maybe you can write an opinion for this
page next issue. Send us your best shot.
4 Corporations, banks, pension funds,
and other private equity in Canada should be
allowed to more freely invest in our nation’s
infrastructure. Our own Canada Pension Plan
Investment Board fund managers are investing
billions in foreign water, road, and energy
Todd is the founder of
this magazine and also the
president of Actual Media Inc.
His wife and mother will be
the two readers who miss his
columns the most.
renewcanada.net