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:
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.
Net-Zero / Climate Change
On December 12, 2015, at COP21 in Paris, 196 parties, including Canada, signed a legally binding international treaty on climate change to limit global warming to “well below 2° Celsius” – The Paris Agreement. One year later at COP22 in Marrakesh, Morocco, the parties came together to continue working towards the goals of the Paris Agreement. The Academy, in partnership with the Trottier Family Foundation and the Suzuki Foundation produced a report: The Trottier Energy Futures Project. This report analysed 11 different scenarios or pathways to reduce GHG emissions by 80% from 1990 levels by the year 2050.
Today, on the eve of COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, the goal has evolved to become the achievement of Net-zero greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by the year 2050. A key challenge is how to do this while maintaining economic growth and prosperity. To achieve this goal there will need to be a significant transformation of Canada’s energy, transportation, industrial and building sectors. Much of this change will require innovative approaches to engineering.
The Net-Zero / Climate Change program explores the various pathways to achieve Net-zero from the perspective of the engineering community that will be tasked with delivering it – on-time, on budget and to a required performance specification.
Climate change is a global challenge. It is not enough that countries like Canada achieve Net-zero. Other countries, many with less capacity for change, will require solutions for their economies providing a global market for innovative Net-zero solutions. The CAE is interested in exploring how Canada can be a global Cleantech leader.
Webinar #1 – Series on Net-Zero Emissions
Maintaining Canada’s Economic Prosperity while Achieving Net-Zero by 2050.
Hosted by the Canadian Academy for Engineering, the 1st webinar in a series dedicated to net-zero emissions was held on January 28th, 2021.
Governments around the world are under pressure to undertake urgent and bold actions to deliver huge greenhouse gas emissions reductions to avoid the catastrophic effects of a warming climate. Many countries have committed to transition to a net-zero economy by 2050. In November 2020, Canada also made a commitment to achieve net-zero. The Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act was tabled to set rolling five-year binding emissions-reduction targets and chart pathways to net-zero by 2050.
A review on the history of climate change agreements, including strategies to limit global temperature increase to 1.5°C, and technologies that are being promoted globally for displacing fossil fuels.
Panelists provided some alterative mitigation pathways for Canada towards achieving net-zero by 2050, while at the same time growing the economy and transforming Canada’s energy systems. This will include presentation of results of earlier studies, and potential impacts of recent promising Canadian technological developments and initiatives.
Panelists:
- Eddy Isaacs FCAE, former CEO of Alberta Innovates – Energy & Environment Solutions
- Oskar Sigvaldason FCAE, Director, Energy Council of Canada
Moderated by: Soheil Asgarpour FCAE, President, Petroleum Technology Alliance Canada (PTAC)
Webinar #2 – Series on Net-Zero Emissions
Achieving net-zero by 2050: challenges and opportunities of electrification and electric cars
Held on March 3rd, 2021 at 12:00 pm EST, the Canadian Academy of Engineering, in collaboration with National Engineering Month, hosted its second webinar dedicated to net-zero emissions. The focus of this seminar is to discuss the challenges and opportunities of electrification and electric cars.
The following are some of the topics which will be touched on in the webinar:
- Peter will discuss the role of electric and autonomous vehicles in achieving net-zero, and the future of the Canadian automotive industry;
- Christian will discuss the challenges and opportunities of electrification in the Quebec’s context.
Panelists:
- Peter Frise, Professor of Mechanical and Automotive Engineering, University of Windsor
- Christian Bélanger, Director Scientific Research, Hydro-Québec Research Institute
Moderator: Soheil Asgarpour, President, Petroleum Technology Alliance Canada (PTAC)
Webinar #3 – Series on Net-Zero Emissions
Nuclear Fission and Fusion: Widening the Path to Net-Zero
On Tuesday, June 15, 2021 the Canadian Academy of Engineering (CAE), in Collaboration with Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), and Petroleum Technology Alliance Canada (PTAC) hosted its 3rd Net-Zero webinar, titled Nuclear Fission and Fusion: Widening the Path to Net-Zero.
Presentations were heard by speakers Ali Siddiqui, Axel Meisen, and Philip Hildebrandt.
Axel will discuss the challenges and opportunities towards commercialization of fusion technologies, and applications in meeting the net-zero target by 2050. Philip will present his views on the application of existing and emerging nuclear technologies in meeting the net-zero target by 2050. Given the fact the SMR will have a higher per unit energy cost than the large nuclear reactors, Ali will discuss the application of SMR in meeting the net-zero target.
Panelists:
- Axel Meisen, C.M., Ph.D., P.Eng, EurIng., FCAE, FCIC, FIEI
- Philip HildebrandtAli Siddiqui
Moderator: Soheil Asgarpour, Ph.D, FCAE, FCIM, FCSSE, P.Eng.
Webinar: Role of Canada’s Forest Sector for Economic Development and Climate Change Mitigation
We are pleased to invite you to a Webinar on the Role of Canada’s Forest Sector for Economic Development and Climate Change Mitigation, to be held November 10, 2021 (from 1:00 – 2:15 EST or 10:00 – 11:15 PST). This webinar is organized by the Canadian Academy of Engineering (CAE) and the Canadian Forest Service of Natural Resources Canada (NRCan – CFS), with support from FPInnovations. The webinar builds on the CAE series of Net-Zero Webinars presented over the last year.
The webinar will feature presentations from three speakers with extensive forest sector experience and involvement:
- Diane Nicholls
- Assistant Deputy Minister and British Columbia Chief Forester; Diane is an award-winning Registered Professional Forester with the mission of “Caring for BC’s Forests“
- Werner Kurz
- NRCan – CFS Senior Research Scientist, and leader of Canada’s National Forest Carbon Monitoring, Accounting and Reporting System, and the Wildfire and Carbon Project of the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions; Werner has co-authored eight reports of the IPCC and published over 150 peer-reviewed scientific papers
- Warren Mabee
- Canada Research Chair in Renewable Energy Development and Implementation, Queen’s University, and Director of the Queen’s Institute for Energy and Environmental Policy; Warren’s specialty is in bioenergy technology and policy
Details about the program can be found here. (Link Needed)
Webinar #4 – Series on Net-Zero Emissions
Role of hydrogen and methane emissions reduction in achieving net-zero by 2050
On Tuesday, November 23, 2021 the Canadian Academy of Engineering (CAE) hosted its fourth Net-Zero webinar, titled the Role of hydrogen and methan emissions reduction in achieving net-zero by 2050.
The following are some of the topics that were touched on in the webinar:
Role of methane detection and mitigation technologies in achieving Net-Zero by 2050
- Reducing methane emissions is the most efficient and cost-effective approach to reducing GHG emissions and creating a clean Canadian oil and gas brand.
- PTAC’s consortia, have helped developed the collective methane detection and mitigation technology capacity to significantly reduce the overall sector’s methane emissions. PTAC’s long-term goal is to increase methane detection and mitigation technology capacity to 90% by 2030 at a cost of less than $5/tCO2e.
- Dr. Asgarpour will discuss challenges that Small & Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and technology providers have with respect to securing sites and funds to field test their technologies and how the formation and operations of major field and testing facilities, where 14 producers and 16 universities and research centers have dedicated over a billion dollars field testing facilities to PTAC, has addressed the challenges.
Hydrogen and the Transition to Net-Zero Emission Energy Systems
- Concerns about climate change has driven Canada and dozens of other nations to commit to net zero emission energy systems by 2050. This requires a transformational change away from traditional carbon-based energy carriers like gasoline, diesel and natural gas, to zero-emission energy carriers like electricity, hydrogen or ammonia made with minimal greenhouse gas emissions.
- Dr. Layzell talked about the challenge and opportunity that this provides to Canada, with a particular focus on the need to create a new hydrogen economy.
Soheil Asgarpour presentation (Link Needed)
David Layzell presentation (Link Needed)
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
Please contact us if you’d like to initiate a project.
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.