Building Canada's Infrastructure

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BUILDING CANADA'S INFRASTRUCTURE

Rising to the Challenge: Canada Has the Will and Talent to Build More Resilient, Innovative Infrastructure

I Andrew Koolsbergen Vice President, Strategy & Stakeholder Engagement, The Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships

Andrew Koolsbergen

nvesting in well-designed, constructed, and maintained infrastructure that meets the needs of today — and is resilient enough to meet the challenges of tomorrow — has never been of greater importance.

The events of the past 18 months, from the devastation of the pandemic to the extreme heat, wildfires, and flooding caused by climate change, have amply demonstrated that waiting to repair, upgrade, or build new infrastructure is a recipe for disaster, causing greater economic and social hardships for governments and citizens alike over the long term.

Investing in infrastructure is also a proven way to quickly jumpstart economic activity and to enable greater opportunities for job and economic growth in the future to ensure our communities thrive.

Across Canada, governments at all levels have responded to this crisis with commitments to invest tens of billions of dollars in critical infrastructure projects, from new hospitals and long-term care homes, to transformative urban transit, innovative energy, and high-speed internet access for Canadians in communities large and small.

But beyond helping governments achieve

their ambitious goals to get shovels in the of public funds. Research has also shown ground quickly, we also need to examine how that, when used for the appropriate projects, we can better harness cutting-edge technology, they're less likely to suffer cost and schedule embed inclusiveness and diversity, and think overruns because of increased accountability sustainably in our projects. and oversight.

A big part of this is considering how Approaching infrastructure with a mindto stretch taxpayer dollars further given set open to innovation, like in a P3 project, mounting government deficits and a lack can also lead to amazing results that beneof public appetite for increased taxes, and fit the public. This includes such things as how to install more rigour in understanding, innovative financing, using drones and planning, and budgeting robotics, different buildfor life cycle maintenance ing materials, and greener of our infrastructure so it technology. Already as a can reliably function for result of the pandemic, Investing in decades to come. infrastructure experts infrastructure is also The public-private partare looking at how to intea proven way to quickly nership (P3) approach is grate new solutions and jumpstart economic particularly well-positioned flexibility into building to rise to the challenge. A hospitals, for example, to activity and to enable significant portion of the make the Canadian health greater opportunities for infrastructure built in care system more resilient job and economic growth Canada over the past 30 and adaptable in future in the future to ensure years has been through pandemics. The investour communities thrive. the country’s globally-recments — and innovations ognized P3 model. These — we make now will have partnerships, which most often involve longa profound impact on enabling the future of term private investment, fuel government Canadian communities from coast to coast procurement efficiency, enabling better use to coast to thrive and prosper.

This article was sponsored by The Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships (CCPPP).

The CCPPP will hold its annual conference virtually from November 16 to 18. For program, speakers and registration information, visit p3-2021.ca.

Project Manager: Greg Blackmore Business Development Manager: Julia Colavecchia Strategic Account Manager: Anna Sibiga Country Manager: Nina Theodorlis Content and Production Manager: Raymond Fan Designer: Lauren Livingston Web Editor: Karthik Talwar All images are from Getty Images unless otherwise credited. This section was created by Mediaplanet and did not involve National Post or its editorial departments. Send all inquiries to ca.editorial@mediaplanet.com.

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Transform for good We combine engineering, architecture, environmental and construction expertise with innovative thinking and digital technologies. Working with you, we can build lasting change, together.

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Innovating from Within to Deliver Canada’s Infrastructure Building Canada’s infrastructure requires innovation in construction techniques and an integrated approach to project management and execution.

Janice Tober

Where collaboration meets innovation Founded in 1926, Graham Construction is one of Canada’s most experienced construction companies and a leader in innovative infrastructure development. “Innovation and collaboration are at the centre of how we operate — we have a true partner culture,” says Cecil Dawe, Graham’s Executive Vice President of Industrial and Infrastructure. “We recruit, train, and develop our people to foster a collaborative environment. This results in more successful project outcomes for Graham and our clients, and for all stakeholders.”

Graham invests in its people through purpose-built learning and development programs that strengthen employees’ commitment to Graham’s culture and core values. These internally-developed programs ensure the business has highly qualified and progressive project teams and is part of Graham’s long-term devotion to innovation, collaboration, and future industry leaders.

This approach generates innovative solutions to complex challenges. During the recent Groat Road Bridge Rehabilitation project in Edmonton, Graham worked closely with its engineering partner to develop a unique overhead gantry crane system to revitalize the 70-year-old bridge.

This enabled the structure to remain open to traffic throughout construction, while

protecting the marine habitat in the river below. Despite its aggressive schedule, the project was successfully delivered on time.

“Innovation is not new to Graham, it’s something we do daily,” says Tom Cole, Graham’s Vice President of Infrastructure in Western Canada. “Our clients recognize and appreciate our abilities to collaborate and innovate, to meet the needs of demanding projects.”

Collaborative contract models are reshaping the industry Graham is an advocate for more collaborative contracting models. These efforts have included discussions with national and provincial construction associations and meetings with capital project staff at over 80 provincial and municipal governments.

Graham provides clients with suggestions for improved public procurement of infrastructure projects, from a constructor’s point of view. This includes recommendations for optimizing Canada’s standard model for P3 (public-private partnership) projects.

“Innovation should never be an afterthought,” says Cole. “We believe collaboration is essential in the early stages of a project because that’s when we discover where everyone’s strengths are, and therefore able to develop innovative solutions together.”

Graham endorses early contractor involvement because it allows for optimal designs to emerge, and early planning to de-risk the construction phase before building commences. Putting these project partners together early in a project’s lifecycle, allows that fusion of knowledge and experience to generate impressive results.

Graham’s track record of collaborative project delivery is extensive. In 2013, the company began working on the first project

in Canada to leverage the integrated project delivery model — the Dr. F.H. Wigmore Regional Hospital in Saskatchewan — and is currently working on the first progressive design-build contracts in Canada at the Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Plant also in Saskatchewan and the Stuart Lake Hospital Redevelopment (BC). Graham partners closely with its clients, designers, sub-contractors, suppliers, Indigenous communities, and all other stakeholders involved in a project.

Ongoing innovation in technology “In addition to hiring and developing our people to be collaborators and innovators, we also invest in technology to give our people great tools and systems to help them manage projects,” says Matt Gramblicka, Vice President of Information Technology and Enterprise Applications at Graham.

Graham is currently investing $20 million to integrate industry-leading software into its existing project management system, ensuring project stakeholders have the most recent iteration of technology at their disposal.

This continual investment in improving on-site technology, in combination with its recruitment and training programs, true partner approach, and leadership in emerging contracting models, has positioned Graham as the contractor of choice for clients across Canada. Graham is delivering the solutions to successfully build and replace Canada’s infrastructure.

To stay up to date on Graham news, follow the company on LinkedIn. This article was sponsored by Graham.

A Leading Canadian Engineering Practice Helps Forward Thinking Clients Drive Green Solutions Employee-owned, solution-oriented and ambitious, Morrison Hershfield has been engineering communities for over 75 years. Sustainability, community resilience, innovative technology and highly collaborative, forward-thinking clients are the driving force behind their many successful projects.

Ken Donohue

Start with green thinking Morrison Hershfield believes that creative green design at the outset of a project is good for the environment and can create significant operational efficiencies for owners and operators. Edmonton Transit Service's (ETS) Centennial Garage, for example, is a LEED Silver-certified state-of-the-art transit facility that delivered on ambitious energy efficiency goals, showcasing the firm’s sustainable design capabilities and resulting in streamlined operations and energy savings for their client.

The energy efficient building envelope minimizes thermal loss and capitalizes on alternate power sources, such as a solar wall to preheat make-up air. The design and engineering features lean heavily on the use of natural light and high-tech systems, which has led to increased productivity and a reduction in reported absenteeism. In short, employees want to work here.

Designing with the community in mind It's good business to support the communities in which organizations, such as transit providers, operate. Transit facilities are industrial in nature, operate 24/7 and occupy significant acreage. Due to their potential impact on surrounding communities and the environment, early and active community engagement is needed to address concerns related to new transit facility infrastructure investments.

Morrison Hershfield worked with the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) on the design and build of the McNicoll Bus Garage.

This facility was built to Toronto Green Standard requirements and has set a benchmark for future TTC facilities. The primary goals of the project were to develop a community-sensitive and energy-efficient design.

Community input impacted the facility’s striking design and site landscaping and contributed to alleviating additional concerns like traffic, air quality, noise and vibration.

An underground stormwater retention system was built on-site to retain up to three million litres of water, reducing the strain on local municipal infrastructure.

The building boasts the largest green roof in Toronto, and the low-maintenance landscaping includes over 350 planted trees and a preserved, historically significant Vimy Oak. The facility’s strategic location reduces the distance buses travel for maintenance and storage, resulting in operational efficiencies and reduced emissions.

The future of transportation is now Governments and transit authorities across Canada are committed to zero-emission strategies and the electrification of bus fleets.

The Edmonton Transit Service’s 40 electric buses were one of the largest purchases of electric buses in Canada. Electrification of our transportation system will reap significant benefits. Each traditional bus replaced with an electric bus produces 40 percent less greenhouse gas emissions and reduces maintenance costs by 30 percent.

To accommodate the future of public transit, Morrison Hersh-

field worked with ETS to develop innovative in-depot overhead charging stations, the largest of its kind in Canada. These stations provide a quicker charge, which, combined with the buses’ larger charge storage capacity, means customers can enjoy a better experience with fewer stops to recharge.

The move to the electrification of transportation fleets is an ever-present reality in the world of public transportation — with forward-thinking solutions and expert advice, the transition from diesel to electric is an attainable and realistic next step for transportation systems in Canada.

As a leader in the transportation industry, Morrison Hershfield seeks to advance public transportation. Don’t miss an opportunity to learn, connect and share ideas with other transit industry professionals during Morrison Hershfield’s interactive Transit Facilities Webinar series.

Visit http://info. morrisonhershfield. com/en/transit-facilities-webinar-series to learn more.

This article was sponsored by Morrison Hershfield.

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Building Back a Better Canada Will Take Green Industries

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With the federal government investing in major infrastructure projects to enhance Canada’s global competitiveness, workers with environmental competencies are in high demand.

nvironmental workers are already prominent members of Canada’s workforce.

According to t he latest Labour Market Outlook to 2025 (March 2021) prepared by ECO Canada, environmental workers are present in every Canadian region, and industry, and in nearly every occupation. The report also notes that about 1 in 26 workers in Canada (or 689,000 workers) was in a green job in 2020.

Job openings in the environmental sector are expected to grow. Job growth and retirements are expected to account for 173,000 net environmental job openings by 2025.

The construction industry, in particular, will see one of the highest hiring requirements by 2025, for high-demand occupations like designers, builders, and energy managers and energy specialists.

Andrew Peel Principal, Peel Passive House Consulting

Skilled workers needed in building sector The building sector represents a unique opportunity for Canada to achieve its target of net-zero emissions by 2050.

However, the sector needs a skilled, productive, and sustainable workforce to meet the energy efficiency demands within new and existing commercial, institutional,

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and multi-unit residential buildings.

Right now, this sector faces several challenges in attracting skilled talent. One is that it’s perceived as low-tech and therefore not attractive to youth and diverse audiences. Another challenge is that the soft and technical skills needed for these jobs aren't integrated into the current foundational training. “The education hasn’t caught up with the times in terms of where construction is going and so many of these young workers don’t have some fundamental skills that we look for in our industry,” says Andrew Peel, Principal, Peel Passive House Consulting, a Toronto-based company that specializes in energy-efficient passive house buildings. Finally, a significant portion of the building sector comprises smaller businesses like Peel’s, which are additionally challenged when it comes to hiring because of tighter margins, funding difficulties, and lack of HR. Employment programs can help. ECO Canada offers several wage subsidy programs to help employers attract new talent and give young workers exposure to what the industry is looking for. Employers save on initial wage and training costs, while young professionals can kickstart their career journey through meaningful work

experience. The programs are funded by the Government of Canada’s Youth Employment and Skills Strategy.

Over the past seven years, Peel has hired several interns through the program. “It’s been a great bridge to help train them up and, in each case, it has led to a full-time job with our company. Without such a program, it would be much more difficult for a small business like ours to make such a financial investment in young talent that doesn’t yet have the necessary skills,” says Peel.

EP Employer designation can help with employee attraction and retention Being recognized as a credible green brand can help companies in the building sector attract and retain employees with the knowledge and skills to move business operations forward and thrive as the industry focuses on sustainability.

ECO Canada’s EP Employer designation is designed to do just that. When businesses become an EP-certified employer, they receive the EP Employer Seal, discounts on custom training and coaching, access to webinars and local events, an entire suite of HR tools, and more to showcase their brand’s environmental commitment.

To learn more about ECO Canada and EP Employer, and to apply for funding, visit eco.ca.

ECO Canada would like to thank their funders for making these programs possible.

This article was sponsored by ECO Canada.

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Our 1+1=3 Approach to Construction Engineering and Permanent Structure Design Entuitive’s work begins with design and continues through construction, maintenance, and renewal. We work with contractors and owners to ensure the best balance of constructability, cost, and performance requirements. By integrating temporary works into permanent structure design, a host of efficiencies can be unlocked that otherwise wouldn’t have been possible.

Stephen Brown Principal, Entuitive

Jennifer McKay

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ntegrating construction engineering with permanent structure design exemplifies our philosophy of continuously seeking to provide additional value to our clients. By integrating the temporary works into the permanent structure, we can find efficiencies in the lengthy construction process, eliminate the need to do things twice, reduce materials, and ensure the design is constructible.

The value in integrating construction engineering with permanent structure design Depending on the delivery model, such as

design-build or public-private partnership, it's often possible to integrate temporary works into permanent structure design, thereby saving time and money and creating a safer construction sequence.

By engaging our team early in the project process, contractors and owners gain the benefit of having their construction sequence accommodated in the structural design. When we know how contractors intend to construct a structure, we can collaborate with them to identify opportunities for efficiencies that will enable them to complete their work on time and on budget. We don’t believe in “setting it and forgetting it.” We work with contractors throughout the process, collaborating with them every step of the way, asking questions, and listening to the answers.

What does this approach look like?

An example would be designing a base structure to account for temporary loading, such as construction traffic or equipment. By understanding how the contractor is going to complete their work, we can build that capacity into the base design, eliminating

the need for and cost of temporarily shoring the slab if that's the cost-effective option.

Similarly, if we know that the contractor is going to use a tower crane or material hoist restraint, we can design space in the base build to accommodate this connection, ultimately saving time and money.

Both Calgary’s new Central Library and Platform Innovation Centre and Parkade, for example, were constructed directly overtop an active light rail transit line. The design of the building required innovative sequence of construction considerations to enable the installation of very heavy long-span structural elements across the corridor. Both projects had their unique challenges, but one thing in common was the constructability sequencing and temporary bracing elements that were incorporated in the building design. Other examples of this work include New York’s Manhattan West Platform and the Finch LRT in Toronto. If you’re interested in learning more about our projects, or how Entuitive can support contractors, reach out to Stephen Brown or David Fox.

David Fox Principal, Entuitive

View more of Entuitive’s transportation and infrastructure work by visiting entuitive. com/sector/ transportation.

This article was sponsored by Entuitive.

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Transforming Infrastructure Development Through Digital Technologies Over the next decade, hundreds of billions of dollars will be spent on infrastructure across Canada. Research shows that three-quarters of infrastructure projects are beset by scheduling delays or cost overruns. The often-complicated divide between finance and delivery, compounded by a significant number of projects relying on public funding, can mean serious operational and financial implications.

G

Ken Donohue

lobal professional services company GHD believes that these issues can be reduced by using robust digital solutions and data analytics at the outset of a project.

people and the necessary equipment, well before shovels are even put in the ground.

Digital technology offers a framework that infrastructure owners can adopt to minimize delays and cost — we owe it to our communities to take that approach.”

A growing demand for digital transformation

Thinking digitally to inform decision making

With rising costs, disrupted supply chains, Cities need to think digitally and think big increased customer expectations and the about resolving issues like climate change, impact of climate change, digital transurbanization and aligning growth with existformation is front of mind for today’s ing and future infrastructure. Taking urban infrastructure leaders. planning into a truly digital environment offers Clients come to GHD to harness the city planners, urban designers, and architects a full potential of existing and potential collaborative, visual platform to better respond infrastructure. Developing and assessing to critical change in real-world environments. well-planned and integrated strategies to For example, how to visualize the future of our minimize risk, GHD helps them to maximize landfills, energy use, and water supply. returns, efficiency and productivity over Recently, GHD Digital worked with a large the life of assets. At the same time, GHD is pharmaceutical manufacturer to model how acutely aware of how building a digital infrapolicy changes can affect infrastructure over structure can better connect clients with a 50-year time frame. Combining digital their customers, save money and ultimately twin technology, a virtual replica of a buildbe more effective in their business. ing, site, or other physical object, alongside GHD has taken its 90-year history of advanced analytical techniques, they helped engineering know-how and integrated it with understand potential community impacts an in-house team of digital solution experts of a new facility. By using spatial data points to create GHD Digital. and leveraging its data Blend i n g t r a d it ion a l warehouse, GHD Digital engineering mindsets f ir st modeled ever ywith the latest technolthing from topography, Digital technology ogies, the team can offer density of community, offers a framework that solutions that normally access to energy supply, wouldn't be possible. and surrounding road infrastructure owners can “Our aim is to fully and transportation infraadopt to minimize delays understand our clients’ structure. The team then and cost — we owe it to needs, show available layered additional data our communities to take technologies, all while points, such as population that approach. guiding them through and potential workforce the digital transformation demographics to gain a process that will help achieve their goals,” complete picture of the project at the outset. says Steven Karan, Vice President, Canada, Traditionally, it would be expensive and GHD Digital. “Through analytics and data time consuming to gather this kind of intelscience, clients can use predictive models ligence. Now, access to these advanced tools and machine learning to understand their allow companies to be proactive with infrainfrastructure assets. Through augmented structure investments. “The advantage is reality, clients can visualize a building and understanding where things will go before anythe surrounding area and study the flow of thing moves forward,” says Vishen Maharaj,

Digital Infrastructure Leader, Canada, GHD Digital. “There are different circumstances facing each business, with nuances between private- and public-sector clients. We need to understand both. If we don't take a digital by default approach, the implication can be billions of dollars.”

Innovation grows in the digital lab Collaboration unlocks innovation. This is the motivation behind D-Lab, GHD Digital’s innovator and strategizer. Supporting clients through their innovation lifecycle, D-Lab builds immersive and interactive environments to unleash new ways of thinking about infrastructure.

“To meet today’s challenges, we need to reimagine how infrastructure can be built in an agile and adaptive way, increasing the efficiency of a project,” says Karan. “By looking through the lens of digital technologies, we find the outcome of a project is much more focused, in terms of building, sequencing, and targeting. Sometimes, we have clients who don't know what's available to them. D-Lab is about illuminating the art of the possible.”

GHD Digital is bullish on this sentiment, which it's using globally. In Australia, for example, the company has helped improve level (railway) crossing safety, often predominant in residential areas. Bringing together subject matter experts and looking through the lens of digital technologies, the D-Lab experience increased the overall fluency of digital innovation.

No longer are clients saying, I didn’t know this was possible. Instead, they realize how new technologies can contribute to a successful project. It’s like a snowball effect as organizations execute their first projects. They need to build the muscle memory when adapting digital solutions into an infrastructure project.

“Once you start executing, it’s not like there is a reserve of capital to correct mistakes,” says Karan. “Many infrastructure projects, specifically publicly funded, come from taxpayer dollars. Governments need to ensure they are maximizing available resources.”

Steven Karan Vice President, GHD Digital

Vishen Maharaj Digital Infrastructure Leader, GHD Digital

How Data-Driven Strategies Are Pushing Innovation Data is often the key in making smart and effective decisions for projects. But understanding all the data available can be difficult for many organizations. It’s about knowing the right data points to make the most effective decisions.

Ken Donohue

Nipa Basu Global Practice Director, Digital Intelligence, GHD Digital

Alison Carden North American Practice Director, Digital Citizen Experience, GHD Digital

“Clients need actionable insights from their data. Recent advances in data science and digital technology enable us to draw accurate and relevant conclusions,” says Nipa Basu, Global Practice Director, Digital Intelligence, GHD Digital. “We can collect and digitize data, potentially build or customize an existing platform to optimize resource allocation, track and mitigate cost overruns, and even calculate and predict ROI accurately. It’s about insight-based decision making and benefiting from the correct decisions.”

Through business and location intelligence, for example, GHD Digital can create city-wide visualizations, conceptualize zoning and land use updates, and assess the impact of new infrastructure projects.

Using scenario analyses or predictive cost

modeling, budgets can be built with fewer uncertainties. Project teams might also be able to construct their assets digitally using Building Information Modelling (BIM) and other tools to understand specific components. With each data-driven insight, infrastructure cost prediction improves throughout the entire lifecycle.

Finally, communicating with impacted communities is a crucial part of any infrastructure project but is often overlooked.

Citizens expect the same level of service they receive from other industries and infrastructure project owners need to find new ways to connect with their communities.

GHD Digital’s Digital Citizen Experience team works with municipalities, police and private sector clients to build digital communication channels and help connect them

with their stakeholders, save money, and ultimately be more effective in their operations. GHD Digital recently worked with a large Southeastern Ontario municipality to completely rethink how they make city services available to citizens. Through a customer service portal, they can now offer all their services online while also understanding how citizens engage and interact with municipal-led projects on a completely new scale.

“Adopting a digital-first mindset, leveraging data to provide actionable insights and putting the citizen experience first will make a huge difference to Canada’s infrastructure,” says Ali Carden, North American Practice Director, Digital Citizen Experience, GHD Digital. “We can use digital technologies to completely reinvent how we understand important projects, big or small.”

GHD Digital can reduce costs, enhance customer experience and future-proof your business. Learn how at ghd.com/en-ca/ expertise/digital. aspx.

This page was sponsored by GHD Digital.