Large-scale infrastructure spending in Canada is five times more what it was a decade ago. Infrastructure, in the broadest sense, whether public or private, is the facilities and structures that support society. Investing in infrastructure helps address current needs, capture new opportunities and solve persistent challenges. We profile seven of Canada’s biggest infrastructure projects and their significance to the country’s future.

1. Big infrastructure is building Canada’s future

2. They’re not bragging, but infrastructure is sort of a big deal in Canada. At least, if you go by The Top 100, an annual report on the country’s biggest infrastructure projects by Canada’s infrastructure magazine, ReNew Canada.
Vancouver, British Columbia

3. 61.0
Infrastructure spending in Canada
(In billions, C$)
26.6
2007
2009
2014
96.0
Investment in Canada’s large-scale infrastructure is growing, according to the magazine. In 2007, when the first Top 100 was published, the combined projects were worth C$26.6 billion in construction value. This year, that figure is more than C$140.5 billion.
140.5
2011

5. 24
AECOM is playing a role in 31 projects in the Top 100, providing a range of engineering, design, planning and environmental services, collaborating with our clients, and delivering innovative solutions and expertise.
We take a closer look at seven of these projects to understand why investing in major infrastructure projects matters to Canada.
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Lions Gate Secondary Wastewater Treatment Plant
Restoring water quality
Interior to Lower Mainland Transmission Project
Expanding system capacity
Edmonton Valley Line LRT
Increasing urban mobility
17
Northeast Anthony Henday Drive
Delivering more efficiently
Spadina Subway Extension
Enhancing integrated mobility
Romaine Complex
Creating renewable energy
Southeast Collector Trunk Sewer
Improving network performance

6. If combined, Canada’s longest transmission lines under way would stretch more than 3,700 kilometres in length and have more than 9,600 towers.
On-peak power
To help meet the increasing demand for power in British Columbia’s fastest growing places, BC Hydro is increasing the provincial grid’s capacity. The Interior to Lower Mainland Transmission Project will deliver more electricity to cities like Surrey, Port Moody, Kelowna and Langford.
AECOM’s role: Engineer Location: Merritt to Coquitlam, British Columbia

7. Let connections connect
Downsview Park Station, one of two stations designed by AECOM on the Spadina Subway Extension, is based on a multi-modal concept. The station will be a connecting point for commuters between separate subway and commuter rail networks.
AECOM’s role: Station architect and engineer Location: Toronto, Ontario
By 2016 a rider from Toronto’s Union Station will be able to get to downtown Vaughan — a more than 40 kilometre trip — without having to transfer trains.

8. Quebec has the potential to double its hydro power capacity, adding 44,000 megawatts to the grid — that’s enough electricity to power 40 million homes for a year.
Catching the current
The Romaine Hydroelectric Complex is the biggest step in this direction. Each of the complex’s four generating stations required the construction of an associated dam, generating units and a spillway. The complex is being built across a 150 kilometre-wide site.
AECOM’s role: Engineer
Location: Havre-Saint-Pierre, Quebec

9. A roundabout way to travel
Edmonton’s Northeast Anthony Henday Drive is one of these projects. This 26 kilometre, six- and eight-lane portion of the city’s ring road will help manage traffic flow and improve the commuting time of residents when completed in 2016.
AECOM role: Engineer Location: Edmonton, Alberta
Total investment in major transportation public-private partnership projects under way in Canada now exceeds C$16.5 billion, a threefold increase since 2009.

10. Odour omitted
The Southeast Collector Trunk Sewer is a joint project by two of Ontario’s largest regional municipalities, York and Durham. The 15-kilometre sewer includes an innovative odour management system that conveys air counter current to liquid flow, ensuring air doesn’t enter the residential areas.
AECOM’s role: Engineer Location: York and Durham Regions, Ontario
Canada has nearly 110,000 kilometres of sewers, of which nearly 40% are located in Ontario, and are used by 8.3 million of the province’s residents.

11. Adding more than 140 kilometres of new routes, eight new LRT lines under way will double the footprint of Canada’s existing LRT networks by 2020.
Stopping power
The longest of these, Edmonton’s Valley Line LRT, will stretch 27 kilometres in length. The line’s 25 stops will be spaced closer together than those on the city’s original line, providing better links to a greater number of destinations for riders.
AECOM’s role: Engineer Location: Edmonton, Alberta

12. Cleaned water?
Operations can be upgraded to significantly improve the quality of Canada’s surface water. Metro Vancouver’s new Lions Gate Secondary Wastewater Treatment Plant will be able to remove more than 90% of materials from its treated wastewater.
AECOM’s role: Engineer Location: North Vancouver, British Columbia
More than 3,500 municipal wastewater treatment plants operate across Canada. But they are also recognized as one of the largest sources of pollution, by volume, to surface water.

13. Rank
Project
1
Calgary International Airport Developments
2
CHUM (Centre hospitalier de l’université de Montréal) Redevelopment
3
Darlington Refurbishment Project
4
Deep Geological Repository
5
Detroit River International Crossing
6
East Side Transportation Initiative
7
Edmonton North LRT
8
Edmonton Valley Line LRT
9
Eglinton Crosstown LRT
10
Georgetown South Track Layout and Grading Design Assignment
11
Hanlan Water Project
12
Highway 407 East Extension – Phase 1
13
Interior to Lower Mainland Transmission Project
14
Keeyask Hydroelectric Project
15
Lions Gate Secondary Wastewater Treatment Plant
16
Lower Mattagami Hydroelectric Complex
17
Northeast Anthony Henday Drive
18
Port Hope Area Initiative
19
Romaine Complex
20
Route 185 Widening
21
Route 389 Improvement Program
22
Rt. Hon. Herb Gray Parkway
23
Sainte-Justine University Hospital Centre Modernization
24
Southeast Collector Trunk Sewer
25
Spadina Subway Extension
26
Turcot Interchange
27
Waterloo LRT
28
Western Commuter Train Line
39
Wilson Facility Enhancement and Yard Expansion
30
Woodward Avenue Wastewater Treatment Plant Expansion and Upgrades
31
York Viva Bus Rapid Transit (vivaNext)
AECOM is involved in 31 projects included in the 2014 Top 100. To see their full profiles visit top100projects.ca.
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14. About AECOM
Ranked as the #1 engineering design firm by revenue in Engineering News-Record magazine’s annual industry rankings, AECOM is a premier, fully integrated infrastructure and support services firm, with a broad range of markets, including transportation, facilities, environmental, energy, water and government. The recent incorporation of URS furthers AECOM’s standing as a leader in all of the key markets that it serves. With nearly 100,000 employees — including architects, engineers, designers, planners, scientists and management and construction services professionals — the company serves clients in more than 150 countries around the world. AECOM provides a blend of global reach, local knowledge, innovation and technical excellence in delivering solutions that create, enhance and sustain the world’s built, natural and social environments. A Fortune 500 company, AECOM has annual revenue of approximately US$20 billion.
Follow us on Twitter: @aecom and @URSCorp
Figures provided based on data collected by ReNew Canada and from additional sources.