Department of Civil Engineering » University of Toronto

Sandford Fleming Forum

The Sandford Fleming Forum[1] is a programme that seeks to advance dialogue on infrastructure resilience in Canada. It is an open forum at which Government and industry representatives and leaders can discuss with academia the pertinent infrastructure resilience issues and thinking of the day. This typically involves themed central presentations that may be subsequently published on the RCI website[2]. The intent is that open and honest discussion can flow in an atmosphere of mutual trust and respect.

Three quarterly meetings will typically be held over an afternoon or evening in Autumn, Winter and Spring. The RCI will host and facilitate the meetings[3]. There are no commercial interests permitted and the direct costs will be covered by the attendees, though sponsors are welcomed. The inaugral meeting was held at the University of Toronto Faculty Club on the 15th of September, 2011.

April Meeting

With the theme 'Toronto Infrastructure in 2015', the next professional meeting of the Sandford Fleming Forum will be held at 5:30pm on Thursday the 12th of April, 2012, in the University of Toronto Faculty Club at 41 Wilcocks Street, Toronto. The speakers will represent both a Toronto 2015 and a City Hall perspective of the infrastructure demands of the 2015 Pan and paraPan-Am Games on the City. On this occasion, the format will be two 20-minute presentations followed by questions and open forum discussion. Our speakers are:

• Ian Troop, CEO of the Toronto 2015 Organising Committee.
• Jeffrey Climans, Director Major Capital Infrastructure Coordination Office at the City of Toronto.

Once again, this promises to be an excellent evening of engaging discussion. Please note that space is limited and you are encouraged to register at your earliest convenience if you wish to attend.

Registration is free and the buffet supper is included.

• Register Here

A very successful meeting of the Sandford Fleming Forum was held on the 15th of December, 2011, with the theme 'Risk and Infrastructure Resilience'. We enjoyed excellent presentations from three outstanding speakers: 

• Pat Neville, Vice President for Facilities at the Greater Toronto Airports Authority presenting on the planning of operational resilience at Toronto Pearson Airport.
• Michael D'Andrea, Director of Water Infrastructure Management, City of Toronto, presenting on the policy development work in addressing flooding issues in the City.
• Dr. Aurel Schwerzmann, Vice President Natural Hazard at SwissRe presenting "How the insurance industry contributes to a resilient infrastructure - A virtual journey from Vancouver to Toronto"

Papers and articles on or related to infrastructure resilience that are of potential interest include:

• "How Toronto Lost its Groove and why the rest of Canada should resist the temptation to cheer" by John Lorinc. The Walrus, Volume 8, Number 9, November 2011.
• Commentary on the Bundeswehr futures study and its findings on energy security
• Institution of Civil Engineers: Realising a strategic vision for infrastructure
• The Centre for National Policy: Perspectives on Infrastructure Resilience
• The Economist 26 Jun 08 The Cracks are Showing
• The Economist 21 Oct 10 False Expectations
• Public Safety Canada: Canada-United States Action Plan for Critical Infrastructure
• National Infrastructure Advisory Council 8 Sep 09 Critical Infrastructure Resilience Final Report and Recommendations
• Canadian Forces: The Future Security Environment