About Us

The Academy was founded in 1987 and was one of the highlights of the celebration of the Centennial of engineering as an organized profession in Canada. Following discussions with existing professional and technical engineering societies and associations it was generally agreed that the establishment of a completely independent Academy of Engineering was essential – to constitute a forum for discussion and a vehicle for action, relative to national issues in which engineers may provide a unique point of view based on their training and experience.

A group of 44 prominent Canadian engineers were invited to become founding fellows of the Academy and the first meeting was held in Montreal on May 20, 1987, on the occasion of the Centennial Congress of Engineering when some 3000 Canadian engineers representing 25 Canadian engineering societies from all disciplines and regions were in attendance. The late Dr. Robert Legget was elected as the first President and the late Dr. Leopold M. Nadeau agreed to act as Secretary / Treasurer of the newly formed organization.

Subsequently, a charter and by-laws were approved, and letters patent obtained, federally incorporating the Academy as a not for profit corporation on February 16, 1988.

Four years later, a formal Coat of Arms was granted and presented by the Governor General at its June 7, 1992 annual meeting. A logo designed from parts of the Coat of Arms was then officially adopted.

In 1991, the Canadian Academy became a full member of the International Council of Academies of Engineering and Technological Sciences, which is an international federation of 26 such academies throughout the world, thereby achieving the international status reserved to a limited number of well-established engineering academies having accomplished a number of major projects.

More information on the History of the Academy and of engineering in Canada can be found here:

• The First Fifteen Years
• Our 25th Anniversary
• CAE History 1987 – 2018
• Canadian Engineering History: A Thumbnail Sketch – Andrew H. (Drew) Wilson

President’s Message

November 2024

Dear Fellows of the Academy,

I am delighted to be writing this message as the president and board chair of the Academy. I am honoured to have been confirmed by the Fellows of the Academy at the AGM in May 2024 and feel extremely fortunate to be able to serve my profession and industry through the Academy. The Academy was established in 1987 and has over 900 Fellows who have made outstanding contributions to engineering in Canada and around the world.

Canada and indeed and the planet is facing key and urgent challenges on many fronts. This is where CAE’s mandate is directly relevant by providing an engineering perspective through the benefit of our collective expertise and experience to policy makers, regulators and others to ensure that important engineering perspectives are understood and integrated into the decision-making process when addressing these challenges. I am proud of what CAE has accomplished over the past year and we will continue to expand our positive impact in the upcoming year for the benefit of Canada and beyond.

Since joining the board of the Academy, I have been impressed with all those I have had the privilege of working and interacting with during my term including past presidents, fellow board members, CAE’s Chief Executive Officer Dr. Robert Crawhall, the CAE staff team and the many Fellows I have met. I would also like to express my gratitude to all the dedicated Fellows who have served this organization over the many years. Their commitment and passion have laid a strong foundation and are an inspiration to me.

Below are some of CAE’s recent accomplishments. The CAE staff, board members, committee members and all Fellows who have contributed to these initiatives deserve much praise and appreciation. This year CAE’s strategic plan comes to an end so a new 2025 to 2030 plan will be developed that builds on the excellent work and partnerships that have been formed.

In May 2024 the CAE hosted the 37th Annual CAE Conference & Induction Ceremony of New Fellows at Western University in London, Ontario. The Conference was a huge success and was very well attended. We were fortunate to have outstanding Keynote Speakers and panel members at this year’s event including Nobel Laureate and Honorary CAE Fellow Dr. Donna Strickland, a Fellow’s Showcase Workshop, and site visits to a sustainable community and Western’s WindEE, one of the world’s top wind research facilities. We also welcomed fifty-four new Fellows into the Academy. Next year’s conference and Induction Ceremony will be held in Montreal in May 2025.

A report titled the ‘CAE Roadmap to Resilient Ultra-Low-Energy Buildings’ was issued in May 2024. This roadmap provides strategic recommendations for the energy transition of buildings toward net-zero operating emissions.

The CAE has identified the successful design, planning and execution of many large, concurrent engineering projects as a key element of our strategy to meet net zero carbon emissions by 2050. The CAE Megaproject Leadership Forum was held on March 6 supported by NRCan and the CCA, and a report was produced that can be found on the website. Following the Forum, an inter-academy workshop on the Design and Delivery of Large Engineering Projects was held with the CAE, the NAE (US), the RAEng (UK) and the ATSE (Australia).

The first draft of the CAETS Energy Community SEQUEL Report “Towards Low-GHG Emissions from Energy Use in Selected Sectors”, was submitted at the CAETS Annual Conference in Helsinki in July. This document provides an interesting foundation for a deeper dive into lowering GHG emissions in 7 industrial sectors by 2040 and beyond.

Members of the CAE Future Networks Program helped organize and presented at the Inter-Academy International Workshop on “Future Communications and 6G” hosted by the Royal Academy of Engineering (UK) and the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland.

I look forward to the coming year which I know will see CAE expanding on the success of our initiatives and collaborative partnerships to provide the collective wisdom that we need to help positively address the challenges we face as a country.

I am grateful for this opportunity to serve such a wonderful organization and profession.

Respectfully,

Catherine Karakatsanis

President

History of The Academy

The Canadian Academy of Engineering comprises over 800 Fellows who have made outstanding contributions to engineering in Canada and around the world. They have demonstrated their dedication to the application of science and engineering principles to advance social, environmental, economic and technical solutions.

The Academy is an independent, self-governing and non-profit organization established in 1987 to serve the nation in matters of engineering concern. It is a registered charity.

The Academy is an active member of the International Council of Academies of Engineering and Technological Sciences (CAETS) and the Partnership Group for Science and Engineering (PAGSE).

Fellows of the Academy are nominated and elected by their peers, in view of their distinguished achievements and career-long service. Fellows work closely with, and are generally members of, other national and provincial engineering associations.