Urban Transit Infrastructure National Symposium

How to Pivot Services in a Global Pandemic & Finding Efficiencies for Better Transit Operations

Pre-Conference Meet-n-Greet in the Speakers Lounge

Enjoy a unique face-to-face virtual meet and greet with some of the speakers you’ll be hearing from during the conference. This is your chance to gain exclusive access to the expert faculty and get to know one another in a more casual format before the event gets underway!

Opening Remarks from the Co-Chairs

KEYNOTE

Ministry of Infrastructure’s Funding Forecast in Aftermath of COVID-19

Catherine McKenna
Minister of Infrastructure and Communities
Government of Canada

The federal government is investing billions of dollars in transit and infrastructure investments across Canada to grow the economy, create good jobs, attract investment, and create cleaner and more inclusive communities. Hear from the Hon. Catherine McKenna, Canada’s Minister of Infrastructure and Communities about the government’s plans to deliver public transit that is faster, cleaner and cheaper and build up Canada towards a net-zero emissions future.

FOCUS GROUP ROUNDTABLE

Identifying Creative Solutions for Rising out of a Pandemic and Transitioning to a New Era of Transit Planning and Delivery

Doug McCallum
Mayor
City of Surrey

Dave Reage
Executive Director
Halifax Transit

Mary-Frances Turner
President
York Region Rapid Transit Corporation

Moderator:

Mark Romoff
President and CEO
The Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships

Hear from a broad cross-section of municipalities and transit agencies across Canada on how they are adjusting to changes brought on by the global pandemic and seizing opportunities to come back stronger than ever.

• Assessing the impacts of COVID-19 from enhanced safety measures (social distancing, mask requirements, etc.) to reduced ridership, scheduling delays and cost overruns
• What types of communications and marketing strategies are in place to get people back on trains and buses? Has the market fundamentally shifted, or can we expect a rebound in ridership?
• How has COVID changed the way contractual agreements are negotiated and drafted and what are owners doing to mitigate against delays?
• What are the short and long-term implications for transit projects currently underway and those in the pipeline?
• Build your way out: how the City of Surrey ramped up construction efforts during the pandemic to keep up with its rapidly accelerating growth
• Evaluating the impact of remote working including the potential benefits of reduced capacity from a maintenance and operations perspective
• Is the funding still there for projects 5-10 years down the road or are companies re-scoping their projects?

1:1 Networking

Make new connections, face-to-face. Troubleshoot top pain points and share breakthrough strategies using an interactive virtual feature that will introduce you to fellow industry leaders for a quick conversation.

Refreshment Break

Keynote

Kinga Surma
Associate Minister
Ontario Ministry of Transportation

The Ontario government has allocated major funding toward new transit for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton area. Receive a first-hand update on the province’s commitment to delivering the largest rapid transit expansion in the region’s history.

Staying on Track to Provide an Essential Service: How Ontario is Laying the Groundwork for Future Redevelopment and Growth

Joel Wardinger
Associate Legal Counsel
Crosslinx Transit Solutions Constructors

This session will unpack lessons learned in Ontario since the emergence of Covid-19 pandemic, and the integral role upcoming transit projects will play in economic recovery efforts.

• Plotting the progress on key projects such as the Ontario Line and Eglinton Crosstown LRT
• Overcoming obstacles to deliver a massive project within a dense urban environment
• Prioritizing projects and analyzing the risks associated with market capacity

Unlocking Public and Private Sector Funding for Infrastructure Transit Projects

Mark Johnson
Partner
Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP

Meghan Wong
Vice President, TOC
Metrolinx

Shariq Alvi
Managing Director, Global Infrastructure & Power
CIBC Capital Markets

With many transit projects already under construction, how will municipalities secure financing for the next wave of proposed projects? Explore how financing comes together with government-supported programs and initiatives, private financing procurement and public procurement. Gain insight on financing structures with an in-depth analysis of the following topics:

• Analyzing financing practice in various jurisdictions with completion and availability payments
• Financing with the use of transit-oriented development
• Leveraging the use of public financing to attract new private financing
• Financing tools and mechanisms used globally and opportunities at home

Calculating the Escalating Costs of Building Transit Infrastructure in Canada to Pave a Better Way Forward

Stephen Wickens
Transportation Researcher, Journalist and Author of Station to Station, Why Subway-building Costs Have Soared in the Toronto Region

Michael Roschlau
Strategic Adviser, Public Transit and Urban Mobility and Former President & CEO (retired)
Canadian Urban Transit Association

Jonathan English
Director of Policy for Transportation, Infrastructure and Trade
Toronto Region Board of Trade

Construction costs associated with building transit systems, especially subways and LRTs in Canada, are soaring above market rates around the world. This session will feature a discussion on reasons behind the escalating costs and recommendations for building more cost-efficiently to ensure a higher return on investment for projects.

• Benchmarking domestic infrastructure costs against international projects
• How to reduce the costs without reducing the value
• Finding efficiencies to assist owners and contractors at the project outset
• Deciphering when the P3 model is appropriate or whether other methods should be considered
• Exploring how the Covid-19 pandemic is contributing to an increase or a decrease in costs of development

Closing Remarks, Conference Adjourns to Day 2

Key Solutions for Effective Project Planning & Updates on Major Projects from East to West

Remarks from the Co-Chairs and Recap

KEYNOTE

Livelihoods on the Line: Transit and Economic Recovery

Ric McIver
Minister of Transportation
Alberta Ministry of Transportation

Alberta’s economic recovery depends on creating jobs now and supporting them in the future with a safe and efficient transportation system. Minister McIver will speak about key transit investments and new approaches to governance.

Keep Rolling: Overcoming Obstacles and Forging Ahead to Deliver an LRT System in Western Canada

Asif Kurji
Senior Executive Advisor – Green Line
City of Calgary

Brad Smid
Director, Valley Line
City of Edmonton

The Green Line in Calgary and Valley Line in Edmonton represent significant investments in Alberta’s transportation network, communities, and future of both cities. With changes to the Alberta government’s funding schedule for the Green Line, explore the challenges that exist for this project and how they can be overcome, as well as lessons learned from the Edmonton experience in expansion and renewal projects.

LIVE POLLING

How to Effectively Manage and Prevent the Top Risks in Transit Projects: Revisiting the Risk Allocation Model

Patrick Dolan
Counsel
Borden Ladner Gervais LLP

Paul Jachymek
Partner
Aird & Berlis LLP

This panel will discuss and debate the suitability of various P3 (e.g. DBF, DBFM) and non-P3 (e.g. DB, DBB, IPD) model types for a variety of transit projects.

• Ensuring that a contractual agreement is successfully negotiated, structured and drafted
• Assessing the types of risk that could occur through the lens of procurement or delivery approaches
• Understanding alternative dispute resolution models and what role they play in transit delivery
• Environmental Risks: Common pitfalls to avoid when it comes to transit projects
• How to establish and maintain constructive working relationships between the public and private sector
• Investigating the differences between the experience of alliance contracts in markets such as Australia and UK, and how it might be relevant to Canadian market:
• When would the benefits to alliancing be applied and will it replace P3?
• Has the experience elsewhere been all positive and if not, are there ways to iron out the kinks?

1:1 Networking

Make new connections, face-to-face. Troubleshoot top pain points and share breakthrough strategies using an interactive virtual feature that will introduce you to fellow industry leaders for a quick conversation.

Refreshment Break

Streamlining Transit Project Delivery through Effective Utility Coordination: Adopting the Building Transit Faster Act

Paul Collins
Director, Third Parties, Capital Projects Group
Metrolinx

In July of 2020 the Government of Ontario passed Bill 171, the Building Transit Faster Act (“BTFA”) to streamline the delivery of the province’s four priority transit projects. This has been expanded with Bill 222, the Rebuilding and Recovery Act, to apply the same provisions to other named linear transit projects in Ontario. This session will highlight features of the province’s Utility Coordination Program, including:

• Identifying and responding to challenges associated with relocating existing utilities, including power, gas and water infrastructure
• Managing environmental issues and unforeseen risk in utility clearance and coordination
• Steering clear of common challenges by implementing new processes and enhancing visibility into utility infrastructure data
• Exploring the program team’s progress thus far and setting the stage for future milestones

Multimodal Considerations in Transit Priority and Street Design

David Kuperman
Senior Project Manager, Transit Planning
HDR

Daniel Freeman
Senior Manager, Bus Priority Programs
TransLink

Cities frequently have policies supporting multimodal transportation networks, in order to build safe, healthy, and sustainable communities that provide options other than the car. How do they make specific decisions, though, on how to accommodate or prioritize modes on each street, including pedestrians, cyclists, and transit users? What are some examples of streets that have been transformed, and how were those decisions supported? This panel discussion, with a focus on providing surface transit priority while supporting other modes, will go beyond Official Plan policies and Complete Streets policies into concepts such as Multimodal Level of Service, and building a framework that guides street design and space allocation decisions in a way that recognizes context and ensures that each street design project has a starting point with clear objectives.

Analyzing TOD Principles and Determining Best Practices for Strategic Urban Planning

Adam Cohen
Senior Research Manager, Innovative Mobility Research Group, Transportation Sustainability Research Center
University of California, Berkeley

Christina Napoli
Senior Planner, Project Implementation
York Region Rapid Transit Corporation

Rick Schippling
Vice President TOC
Metrolinx

Lorraine Huinink
Director, Rapid Transit & Transit Oriented Development
Regional Municipality of Durham

Moderator:

Georg Josi
Principal, Structural Engineering
Dialog

• How does the municipal policy and planning review fit into the process of building transit-oriented communities at the private sector?
• Do we expect transit-oriented development to continue at the pace it was pre-pandemic?
• Addressing the fears surrounding higher densities and how the prevalence of working from home will shape the viability of current residential spaces
• Success Story: York Region Rapid Transit Corporation’s Vaughan Metropolitan Centre with lessons learned in delivering a rapid transit system from procurement to facilities with a focus on development and community transformation.

Closing Remarks, Conference Adjourns to Day 3

Deep Dive into the Technology of Transit Planning & Outside-the-Box Thinking

Remarks from the Co-Chairs and Recap

KEYNOTE

How Electrification and Autonomy are Reshaping Transit in Canada Today

Josipa Petrunić
CEO and Executive Director
Canadian Urban Transit Research and Innovation Consortium (CUTRIC)

Hear an overview of some of the biggest developments in Canada in E-bus and Fuel Cell Bus innovations, as well as autonomous vehicle shuttle pilot projects in the country and what the future in this space might bring.

Destination 2050: Rerouting Transportation Planning through Climate Emergency Initiatives

Dale Bracewell
Manager, Transportation Planning
City of Vancouver

The City of Vancouver’s Climate Emergency Action Plan is a response to the global climate crisis. The scale of transportation changes required to be successful in a major urban city needs to be bigger, bolder and faster than ever, all while being mindful of equity as part of mobility recovery planning. Hear how the city is aligning its vision with TransLink’s regional Transport 2050 process and the city-wide Vancouver Plan, a multiyear process that will shape the future of the city. Specific topics include the city’s climate emergency mobility game changers, including advancing transport pricing in the metro core.

1:1 Networking

Make new connections, face-to-face. Troubleshoot top pain points and share breakthrough strategies using an interactive virtual feature that will introduce you to fellow industry leaders for a quick conversation.

Refreshment Break

CASE STUDY

Los Angeles’ Micro-Transit Approach to Maximizing Mobility Options for the Next Generation of Transit Users

Rani Narula-Woods
Senior Director, Special Projects
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority

Prem Gururajan
Co-Founder & CEO
RideCo.

In November 2020, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro) awarded RideCo a $28-million, three-year contract to provide technology and services for the launch and operation of on-demand transit in six designated service zones. The new micro service allows users to use their cell phones to order, pay for and monitor the status of their pick-up and drop-off in Metro vehicles. Hear from the transit agency about how the system is functioning thus far and how it can be adopted in other communities.

Partnering Early to Accelerate Project Development – the UBC SkyTrain Extension Story

Steve Brown
Manager, Rapid Transit Office
City of Vancouver

Adam Hyslop
Manager, Transportation Planning
UBC Campus + Community Planning

Brennan Cook
VP Acquisitions and Development
MST Devlopment Corp

Learn how and why a unique partnership between three First Nations, a city and western Canada’s largest university aims to accelerate completion of the Millennium Line UBC Extension (“UBCX”) in Metro Vancouver and maximize its benefits to surrounding communities. This session will:

• Provide an overview of the UBCX project and its relationship to other regional projects and municipal land use planning processes
• Explore how the project responds to the unique transportation challenges facing the Point Grey peninsula and how UBC will integrate SkyTrain into the heart of its rapidly growing 400-hectare campus
• Highlight the goals and vision for development of the Jericho Lands, a 90-hectare site being developed by the MST (Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh) Development Corporation along the alignment.

Discover Cyber Security Threats Facing Transit: What You Need to Know to Ensure Your System is Secure

Michael Godfrey
Director Systems Engineering
WGD Consulting

Cybersecurity is a growing concern in the transit industry with increased reliance on information technology. However, many legacy transit systems are not compatible with the latest tools and technologies being used to prevent cyber-attacks. This session will provide analysis the complexities and requirements for cyber security systems integration.

• Hacking, malware, ransomware: lessons learned from recent events in Montreal and what types of vulnerabilities exist in transit IT infrastructure
• Ensuring the safety of transit users’ and employees’ personal data, privacy, etc. and operational technology
• Exploring the risks around a potential system hacking and how to protect your organization from a cyber attack
• Sharing information across multiple platforms and organizations and examining issues surrounding confidentiality
• Keeping with evolving technologies and the budgets required to maintain those systems
• Assessing your system’s cyber security preparedness for a proactive approach to safety and security

Closing Remarks, Conference Concludes