The federal government has announced the members of a new expert advisory body that will take a deep dive into the state of infrastructure assets across the country.

The eleven members of the Canadian Infrastructure Council will work toward delivering the country’s first-ever National Infrastructure Assessment (NIA).

The NIA will support long-term infrastructure planning and decision-making by compiling data and evidence and conducting research and analysis to help identify future infrastructure needs and priorities.

Once complete, the assessment will equip decision-makers at all levels of government, infrastructure owners and operators, and investors, with the tools needed to plan and make investment decisions.

The Canadian Infrastructure Council comprises experts from infrastructure-related fields from across the country. Each member will serve on a part-time basis until March 31, 2027.

The members are:

• Chair: Jennifer Angel, Chief Executive Officer, Evergreen Canada
• Vice-Chair: Peter Weltman, Director, Technomics Inc., Former Financial Accountability Officer of Ontario
• Sara Brown, Chief Executive Officer, Northwest Territories Association of Communities
• James Dunn, Associate Dean, Research, Faculty of Social Sciences, McMaster University, Director, Canadian Housing Evidence Collaborative
• Joanna Eyquem, Managing Director, Climate-Resilient Infrastructure, Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation
• Graham Gagnon, Dean, Faculty of Architecture and Planning, Director for the Centre for Water Resources Studies, Dalhousie University
• John McKendrick, Former Executive Vice President, Infrastructure Ontario
• Doug McNeil, Former Chief Administrative Officer, City of Winnipeg & Former Deputy Minister, Manitoba Infrastructure and Transportation
• Catherine Morency, Professor of Transportation, Polytechnique Montréal
• Ren Thomas, Associate Professor at the School of Planning, Dalhousie University
• Judy Whiteduck, Former Senior Director, Economic Development & Infrastructure and the Rights & Justice Branch, Assembly of First Nations

“Infrastructure shapes community. By harnessing data and evidence, the NIA will enable communities to plan and invest for the long-term so they can grow and thrive now and into the future,” said Angel. “I'm honoured to be working alongside the Council to deliver an NIA that will be a useful tool so that infrastructure operators, owners and investors can make decisions with confidence to contribute to strong and resilient infrastructure across Canada.”

Initially, the NIA’s focus will be on the core infrastructure communities need in place to support housing development over the long term – including water and wastewater, public transit, active transportation and waste management – as well as the impact of population growth and climate change on them.

The Canadian Construction Association says that, after four years of inactivity, the announcement of the council and the NIA is a good first step.

The initiative has been a cornerstone of the CCA’s advocacy work recently, with representatives recently raising awareness of the issue on Parliament Hill last month.

The association wants to see the mandate of the council and the assessment extended to include transportation and trade-enabling projects, which it says are vital to strengthening our economy and connecting communities.

“We are thrilled to see the federal government finally take leadership in addressing the need for a long-term plan for Canada’s infrastructure,” said CCA President Rodrigue Gilbert. “While the scope of the council is incomplete, we do appreciate the government finally listening to the industry responsible for building Canada’s infrastructure.”

CCA also says the council lacks a representative from the construction industry.

Failing to consult with those that build the infrastructure Canadians rely on, and those that finance it, it says, will create significant challenges.