The summer heat in Saskatoon provided more than just physical warmth yesterday as Canada’s premiers gathered with federal Infrastructure Minister Mark Carney for what insiders are calling the most consequential infrastructure summit in recent memory.
I watched from the press gallery as Premier Scott Moe welcomed his provincial counterparts to the Delta Bessborough Hotel, where behind closed doors, they would debate which mega-projects deserve priority in an era of tightening budgets and growing climate concerns.
“We’re not just building roads and bridges anymore,” Moe told reporters before the meeting began. “We’re deciding what kind of Canada we want to live in twenty years from now.”
The backdrop to these talks couldn’t be more challenging. The Parliamentary Budget Office recently projected that provincial infrastructure deficits collectively exceed $570 billion, while federal funding commitments through existing programs cover barely a third of identified needs.
Quebec Premier Catherine Fournier arrived with a clear mandate, having campaigned successfully on modernizing her province’s aging hydroelectric network. “Quebec is ready to help power North America’s green transition, but we need federal partnership that respects our jurisdiction,” she said, referencing the ongoing tension between provincial autonomy and national strategic interests.
Ontario’s Adilah Singh brought her trademark direct approach, pushing for accelerated transit funding for the Greater Toronto Hamilton Area. “Every day my constituents sit in gridlock costs our economy millions. We have the plans ready – what we need is the federal government to match our commitment.”
The morning session focused on climate adaptation infrastructure, with British Columbia’s Premier detailing the $11.6 billion price tag from recent flood and wildfire damage across the province. According to documents obtained through access to information requests, Environment Canada now estimates climate-related infrastructure requirements will double by 2030 if warming trends continue.
“We’re playing catch-up on decades of deferred maintenance while simultaneously trying to build for climate realities we’re just beginning to understand,” explained Dr. Rosanne McKnight, infrastructure economist at Carleton University. “It’s like renovating your house while it’s still being designed.”
Minister Carney, six months into his role after a cabinet shuffle, brought both his banker’s precision and political acumen to the table. The former Bank of England governor has been tasked with implementing the government’s “Build Forward” strategy, which aims to balance immediate economic stimulus with long-term resilience planning.
“I’m not here to dictate priorities,” Carney told me during a brief hallway exchange. “I’m here to find the intersection between provincial needs and national objectives. Every dollar must do triple duty – create jobs, strengthen communities, and prepare for climate impacts.”
Inside the meeting room, according to three officials granted anonymity to discuss the private talks, the atmosphere oscillated between collaboration and confrontation. Alberta’s premier reportedly challenged Carney on the federal government’s commitment to resource development infrastructure, while Maritime premiers presented a united front on coastal protection funding.
Saskatchewan’s own priority list heavily featured agricultural water management systems and rural broadband expansion. Premier Moe emphasized that food security infrastructure deserves equal consideration alongside urban transit projects.
The afternoon sessions introduced a new element – private sector participation. Representatives from Canada’s pension funds and institutional investors joined remotely to discuss public-private partnerships. With over $2 trillion in assets under management, these funds represent a potential solution to the infrastructure funding gap.
“Canadian pension funds are investing in infrastructure worldwide,” noted Jane Blackwell, infrastructure finance specialist with the Canadian Construction Association. “The challenge is creating domestic projects with the scale and return profile they need.”
By day’s end, no formal priority list had emerged, but sources indicate agreement was reached on several principles that will guide project selection. These include regional balance, climate resilience requirements, and indigenous consultation standards.
The most concrete outcome was the establishment of a new Federal-Provincial Infrastructure Coordination Office that will streamline approval processes – a persistent complaint from provinces who cite regulatory delays as major project obstacles.
For communities across the country waiting on everything from hospital expansions to water treatment upgrades, the technical discussions in Saskatoon will eventually translate to construction fences and hard hats – or continued deterioration of critical services.
In Regina’s Harbour Landing neighbourhood, resident Amelia Christensen watches her children navigate around potholes on their bikes. “They talk about billion-dollar projects, but sometimes we just need the basics fixed,” she told me last week. “Infrastructure isn’t abstract when your basement floods every spring.”
As premiers departed for their respective provinces, the real work begins. Technical teams will spend the summer scoring projects against the newly agreed criteria before reconvening in Ottawa this September.
Minister Carney has promised a “transparent and defensible” process, though regional tensions inevitably remain. As one premier’s chief of staff remarked while waiting for their departure flight: “Infrastructure might be made of concrete and steel, but the decisions about it are pure politics.”
What seems certain is that not everyone will get what they want. With climate adaptation needs alone exceeding available funding, difficult choices lie ahead.
For communities across Canada – from coastal towns facing rising seas to northern communities with thawing permafrost – these high-level meetings will eventually determine whether their futures include new opportunities or ongoing challenges.
The infrastructure decisions made this year will shape Canada’s economy, environment, and quality of life for generations. As I’ve seen covering politics for nearly two decades, the buildings and networks we construct ultimately construct us as a nation.
Daniel Reyes reporting from Saskatoon for Mediawall.news
