The objective of CAE Programs is to give Fellows of the Academy the opportunity to explore issues of importance to Canada and to Canadians by sharing their own expertise and experience and that of other thought leaders. This is achieved through a series of events and activities united by a common theme. Programs result in roadmaps and reports that reflect a broad engineering perspective on the issues in question. The CAE Future-of-Engineering Committee manages the portfolio of Programs.
Megaprojects
Canada’s pathway to net zero GHG emissions by 2050 will require an energy transformation along with changes to transportation, building, industry, information and computing technologies, and agriculture. An estimate of the cost of this effort made by the RBC is $2 trillion. Many of the projected initiatives, including carbon capture and storage facilities, pipelines, transmission lines, hydroelectric projects, nuclear projects, and grid scale storage and renewables, can be classified as megaprojects.
Canadian engineering and construction firms have a lot of experience with megaprojects. Well-known examples are the Alberta oil sands, the Ontario nuclear plants, Québec’s hydroelectric system and many more. Each of these projects created many jobs and resulted in labour mobility on a national scale.
What makes the net zero by 2050 challenge different is that it will require many concurrent megaprojects in all regions of the country over and above the current baseline of megaprojects for transportation, hospitals, etc., that are straining the resources of our firms.
The CAE Megaproject Program is seeking to address the question of whether Canada has the capacity to deliver $2 trillion of projects by 2050, on-time, on-budget, and to specification.
On March 6, 2024, the CAE hosted the Megaproject Leadership Forum. On June 3 and 4, 2024, the CAE partnered with the NAE (US), RAEng (UK) and ATSE (Australia) to hold an inter-academy workshop on large projects.
Links to outputs from these events are listed here:
Future Networks
Telecommunications networks underpin practically all aspects of daily life. This has been clearly demonstrated during the current pandemic. From news and information to e-commerce, e-health, entertainment, education and even on-line dating. With the advent of more advanced automation, increasingly connected vehicles and the emerging virtual reality of the Multiverse, our reliance on networks, and our need to trust them, is becoming increasingly important.
In the 1980’s and 1990’s advances in semiconductors, photonics, real-time operating systems and object oriented computer languages such as Java, were rapidly integrated into telecommunications Networks. 40 years later, important advances in AI/ML, quantum technologies, block chain and satellite constellations, promise to usher in a radically new version of the Internet and the associated telecommunications networks.
While advances in telecommunications and information technologies have brought many benefits, there are major challengs due to cybersecurity breaches, loss of privacy and risks to national security.
What challenges and opportunities will Future Networks bring? Will the next decade be as transformative as those we have just been through? Will Canada continue to be a global leader in the sector?
CAE International Workshop on Sustainable, Intelligent Next G Systems (SINGS) – March 15, 2022
The Internet and the underlying telecommunication network are evolving under the influence of emerging technologies such as AI, quantum, block chain and new wireless, photonic and satellite technologies. Taken together, the CAE refers to the associated computation, communication and control requirements generically as “Next G Systems”.
The Internet and the underlying telecommunication network are evolving under the influence of emerging technologies such as AI, quantum, block chain and new wireless, photonic and satellite technologies. Taken together, the CAE refers to the associated computation, communication and control requirements generically as “Next G Systems”.
This workshop will feature Canadian and International speakers and panelists from industry, academia and government, who will share their perspectives on future directions for Next G Systems and the investments and collaborations in research and innovation required to achieve them.
General Chairs:
- Dr. Robert Crawhall, FCAE, Executive Director, CAE
- Dr. Mallik Tatipamula, FCAE, CTO, Ericsson (Silicon Valley)
Organizing Committee:
- Professor Alberto Leon Garcia, FCAE, University of Toronto
- Professor Mohamed Cheriet, FCAE, École de Technologie Supérieure (ÉTS)
- Professor Charles Despins, École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS)
- David Tennenhouse, Independent Industry Executive, Strategic Advisor
- Dr. Anne-Marie Huynh, Senior Director, Strategic Projects, CAE
- Emmanuel Nkwo, CAE Learning Program
AGENDA
Welcome, Opening Remarks and Opening Keynotes
Objective: Speakers will set the stage from the perspective of policy, research, industryand international collaboration
Welcome
- Professor Yves Beauchamp, President, Canadian Academy of Engineering
- Professor Rafik Goubran, VP, Research and International, Carleton University
Workshop Objectives and Agenda
- Professor Alberto Leon-Garcia, University of Toronto
- Dr. Mallik Tatipamula, CTO, Ericsson, Silicon Valley
Introductory Remarks
- Dr. Mark Schaan, A/Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategy and Innovation Policy Sector, ISED, Government of Canada
- Dr. Alejandro Adem, President, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC)
- Ibrahim Gedeon, CTO, TELUS
- Dr. Mike Short, Chief Scientific Advisor, International Trade Division, UK Government
Session I: Industry Executive Panel
Objective: Bring Industry thought leaders to discuss “the set of attributes necessary forsuccessful industry-academia-government partnerships in NextG Systems
- David Tennenhouse, Independent Technology Executive (Moderator)
- Paul Baptista, Head of ENCQOR and Site Leader, Ericsson Montreal
- Victor Bahl, Technical Fellow & Chief Technology Officer, Azure for Operators, Microsoft
- Utpal Mangla, General Manager, Industry EDGE Cloud, IBM, Canada
- Sylvie LaPerriere, Google Global Networking Infrastructure
- Dr. John Smee, Sr. VP Engineering, Global Head of Wireless Research, Qualcomm
Session II: International Research Panel
Objective: Panelists highlight areas of international focus and opportunities forcollaboration
- Pierre Boucher, General Manager, Innovation ENCQOR (Moderator)
- Dr. Gurdip Singh, Deputy Division Director, National Science Foundation (NSF) (USA)
- Bernard Barani, Deputy Head of Unit, European Commission DG Connect, Future Connectivity Systems (EU)
- Regius Professor Rahim Tafazolli, University of Surrey (UK)
- Dr. Sungho Choi, Ministry of ICT, Government of S. Korea (South Korea)
- Professor Octavia Dobre, Memorial University (Canada)
Session III: Academic Leader Panel
Objective: Academic leaders from across Canada discuss areas of research, opportunitiesfor innovation and skills development
- Professor Alberto Leon-Garcia, University of Toronto (Moderator)
- Professor Raouf Boutaba, University of Waterloo
- Professor Tho Le-Ngoc, McGill University
- Professor Nur Zincir-Heywook, Dalhousie University
- Professor Hausi A Müller, FCAE, University of Victoria
Session IV: Next Steps
Objective: Policy and program leaders reflect on panel discussions and consider implications for future collaborations
- Professor Charles Despins, École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS) (Moderator)
- Professor Mike Short, Chief Scientific Advisor, International Trade Division, UK Government
- Luc Sirois, Chief Innovation Officer, Ministry of Economy and Innovation, Government of Québec
- Dr. Ketaki Desai, VP Business Development, Ontario Centre of Innovation (OCI)
- Robert Gordon, Strategic Advisor, Canadian Cyber Threat Exchange (CCTX)
- Professor Al Pisano, Dean, Jacobs School of Engineering, University of California, San Diego; Chair, National Academy of Engineering, Engineering Deans Roundtable
- David Willis, President, Communications Research Centre, Ministry of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED)
Final Words – 14h45 – 15h00
Objective: Summary of the Day. A thank you to participants
- Professor Mohamed Cheriet, École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS)
- Dr. Robert Crawhall, Executive Director, Canadian Academy of Engineering
Resilient Building
This project is co-chaired by Andreas Athienitis and Andrew Pape-Salmon, and informed by a scientific and policy advisory panel. In March 2019, the CAE assembled Thought Leaders from the professional community, construction industry, academia and three levels of government to begin to work on a national “Roadmap to Resilient, Ultra-Low Energy Megaprojects with Deep Integration of Renewables in 2050”, with an aim to achieve at least an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in new and existing buildings and associated community infrastructure.
The key project deliverable will be the release of a “Roadmap” document with technical and policy options for five-levels of government (i.e., federal, provincial/territorial, Indigenous, regional, local) and the professional community to achieve the harmonious goals of decarbonization and resilience of buildings and community infrastructure by 2040.
The following links highlight initiatives that are planned or have been undertaken:
- 2024 Roadmap – CAE Roadmap to Resilient Ultra-Low-Energy Buildings
- 2023 Final Consultation – Roadmap to Resilient, Ultra-Low Energy Buildings, with Deep Integration of Renewables (Link Needed)
- 2023 Webinar – Roadmap to Resilient, Ultra-Low Energy Buildings, with Deep Integration of Renewables (Link Needed)
- 2022 Panel Discussion at PNWER Summit – Bridging Silos to Catalyze Decarbonization and Resilience of Buildings (Link Needed)
- 2021 Workshop – Low-Carbon, Positive Energy Resilient Communities (Link Needed)
- 2020 Symposium – Symposium resources available at CAE Roadmap to Resilient Ultra-Low Energy Megaprojects with Deep Integration of Renewables in 2050 (Link Needed)
- 2019 Symposium: Canadian Roadmap for Resilient Buildings (Link Needed)
For more information on the project, please see the resources below. To be added to the contact list for future events and/or to volunteer to be considered for the advisory panel, please contact us.
In recognition of the importance of engineering for the future of Canada, the Canadian Academy of Engineering (CAE) is pleased to highlight the exciting opportunities open to students who have chosen to pursue a career in engineering. These scholarships are intended to provide recognition and to reward students who exemplify the values of leadership and integrity that the Academy espouses.
Endowed Scholarships
The Canadian Academy of Engineering has partnered with the SAE Foundation Canada to offer one undergraduate scholarship in transportation and mobility engineering and one award for university students’ outstanding aerospace design.
- CAE Bruce Aubin SAE Aerospace Design Award ($2,000) ($3,000 for 2026)
- CAE William G. Belfry Memorial SAE Scholarship ($2,000)
Nation-building Scholarships
The Nation Building Scholarships Series has been established by the Canadian Academy of Engineering in recognition of the important role played by engineers in the building of our nation given the social and technical challenges created by the geographical extent of the country, its low population density and its northern climate. This scholarship series is sponsored by the CAE, through the generous support from the CAE members and the CAE Board.
- Net-Zero / Climate Change ($2,000)
- Northern Infrastructure ($2,000)
- Oceans ($2,000)
Access the submission form here.
Please note the April 15, 2026 application deadline.
Please contact us if you’d like to initiate a project.