Videos

The hat said it all: Canada is Not For Sale. With turmoil on the federal stage and a U.S. president intent on punitive tariff action across allies and foes alike, Ontario Premier Doug Ford has emerged since January as one of the most steady and passionate promoters of Canada’s independence and the Buy Canada movement. In his keynote address, Premier Ford discusses the rapid and unsettling pace of change we’re facing, the steps his government is taking to weather the storm and the important role infrastructure development is playing to make our economy more resilient, more diverse and more robust.

Keynote Speaker Introduction: James Scongack, Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President, Bruce Power

Dawn Desjardins, chief economist at Deloitte Canada and one of this country’s most respected economic prognosticators, walks us through the most up-to-date information, from labour productivity and trade policy to inflation, government debt and recession risks, to help us identify opportunities, spot emerging challenges and alleviate risk with a special focus on the infrastructure sector as a key driver of national economic growth. 

She also joins Mac Bell, Managing Director, Infrastructure Investments, Fengate Asset Management, in a fireside chat.

Our panel responds to the federal government’s infrastructure agenda by probing how Canada’s private sector can influence and deliver on a pipeline of nation-building mega projects. 

Moderator: Jessica Foster, Partner, Gowling WLG

Panellists: Clint Davis, CEO, Cedar Leaf Capital; Jay Khosla, Executive Director, Economic and Energy Policy, Public Policy Forum; and Tim Murphy, Executive Vice President & Chief Strategic Affairs Officer, Aecon

The emergence of big data and AI has ushered in a new form of built infrastructure for communities across the country: data centres. In addition to the usual requirements to construct buildings, these centres demand incredibly high and stable volumes of energy, water resources for cooling, telecommunications resources and heightened security measures to protect the vital data inside. In this session, we explore the policy and regulatory frameworks required to create the right environment for the successful development of this vital new class of infrastructure assets. 

Moderator:
Janet Oh, Chief Legal Officer, WSP in Canada

Panellists:
Zita Astravas, Vice President, Federal, Wellington Advocacy Jazz Pabla, Chief Innovation Officer, WSP in Canada John Weigelt, National Technology Officer, Microsoft Canada

Private investors are crucial for infrastructure plans to succeed. But what regulatory and policy barriers are standing in the way? How much money can Canada attract in a competitive global market? What asset classes and infrastructure models are of greatest interest? Are private infrastructure projects more attractive than public? What role should the Maple 8 play? Most importantly, our panel discussed how to get government and public buy-in to private investment in our infrastructure of the future.


Moderator:

• Theo Argitis, Senior Vice President, Policy, Business Council of Canada, and former journalist with Bloomberg News

Panellists:

• Philippe Adam, President & CEO, Pomerleau
• Andrew Alley, Managing Director, Head of Infrastructure, North America & Australasia, CPP Investments
• Duncan Ball, CEO, BBGI Global Infrastructure

For the past 20 years, Infrastructure Ontario has been central to Ontario’s public infrastructure program. Since its creation, the provincial Crown agency has grown into one of the most influential government procuring agencies in Canada, with a globally watched project pipeline and project documents that have set standards across the country, contributing to what has become known as the “made-in-Canada” P3 model.

In a fireside chat with Angela Clayton, IO’s fifth President & CEO, we’ll discuss how the agency (and the P3 model) have evolved, from the delivery of Hôpital Montfort — the agency’s first P3 project in 2006 — to the rise of megaprojects, the embracing of new models, adapting new technology and working with stakeholders that demand ever more of our most critical assets.