Evidence of meeting #46 for Transport, Infrastructure and Communities in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was cities.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Scholarly Director, Dalhousie University, MacEachen Institute for Public Policy and Governance, As an Individual
I think there's a great opportunity for infrastructure sharing. I'm originally from Toronto, and Toronto has to co-operate beyond the 416 area to work. I think other cities could learn from that too.
Scholarly Director, Dalhousie University, MacEachen Institute for Public Policy and Governance, As an Individual
Having a conversation city to city I don't think gets to that issue about the suburbs, the bedroom communities, and the rural communities that depend on these increasing urban areas—
Conservative
Luc Berthold Conservative Mégantic—L'Érable, QC
Thank you very much, Madam Chair.
First of all, to review, based on what I've been hearing all morning, we are working on a strategy to harmonize government strategies intended to harmonize strategic actions on strategic development plans in Canada. In short, we are in the strategies and in many things.
Currently, we are being made to act concretely, but meanwhile, the train is going through other countries and other communities. The train passes through the major centres. Small municipalities expect concrete actions and more than a strategy. They are waiting for a plan that will take them somewhere in 20 years. So my question is this.
In the remarks each of you made, in terms of the investments in the municipal sector in infrastructure and relations with the citizens that Mr. Mellouli mentioned, none of you mentioned the participation of the government, an entity that, at the moment, is making the most money with the digital sector, that is, private companies and service providers. All of these stakeholders were completely ignored in your remarks this morning.
Ms. Heron, Mr. Quigley, and Mr. Mellouli, do you think private business has a role to play in smart cities, or should we just use public money to quickly deploy these digital infrastructures?
Ms. Heron, perhaps you could be the first one to answer the question.
Councillor, City of St. Albert, and Co-Founder, Alberta Smart City Alliance
I'd love to.
When I think of private industry, I know there are companies like IBM and Cisco, but there are also the telecommunication companies. I think that's what you're getting at. We haven't really spoken about the telecommunication companies.
In my opening arguments, I talked about how, quite often, the priorities of the telcos and the municipalities don't quite align. I think the national overarching strategy and policy development will help that alignment. I think there's a lack of recognition by the telcos of the advantages to bridging that last mile of fibre, etc.
One of the advantages of our Smart City Alliance is the fact that we went into this alliance with private industry right beside us, right from the beginning, as well as academia, but IBM and Cisco have been invaluable in providing their insights on how to get the telecommunication companies aligned. We're seeing results through that. That does take investment: either federal money or the incentivization of the telecommunication companies to reach out to the smaller communities, etc., to improve that connectivity. Incentives don't always have to be financial.
Conservative
Luc Berthold Conservative Mégantic—L'Érable, QC
I'm glad to hear that. Basically, it isn't always up to the government to pay for private businesses to make profits, if there are any profits to be made. When all these people are connected, they will pay for Internet access and all kinds of services.
I'll now turn to Mr. Mellouli.
What is the role of private businesses in this digital divide? Currently, 20% of people aren't connected because they can't afford a cellphone to access all the municipal services we have been praising since the beginning of the meeting.
Full Professor, Université Laval, Faculty of Business Administration, As an Individual
Before I answer your question, I would add one clarification.
The small and medium-sized businesses we have here in Canada can develop expertise that is unique in the world if the cities also become their research laboratory. I could give examples of projects we have undertaken with SMEs here in Quebec City, with Laval University, and whose solutions have been exported abroad.
Regarding the role of private businesses with these 20% of people who are not connected, I believe that, by virtue of their social role, businesses should give back to society, that is, help cities connect these people. So I think the role that these businesses can play in connectivity, namely, the big players in telecommunications, is to work closely with the cities. I know that the City of Quebec and IBM are working together to bridge the digital divide.
Conservative
Luc Berthold Conservative Mégantic—L'Érable, QC
I think it's an option we absolutely have to look at. It may not be a question of forcing private businesses to develop access but, at least, making it increasingly feasible to have accessible services at a more affordable price for certain classes of citizens who don't have access to them or are unable to access them.
Mr. Quigley, do you have anything to add?
Scholarly Director, Dalhousie University, MacEachen Institute for Public Policy and Governance, As an Individual
Yes, I have a few thoughts on this.
First of all, I welcome your question. I agree with you: I think the private sector plays a huge role. Most of the critical infrastructure in the country is owned and developed by the private sector, of course, so I certainly agree. In fact, a lot of the discussion on infrastructure right now is about maybe developing some sort of public bureaucracy around infrastructure, and I would caution you that this in fact could be an innovation killer. If we're talking about this being urgent, this could really slow it down, so I would say to be careful.
However, when you talk to a lot of industry about what makes for a successful infrastructure project, they will often say that they need the details a bit more specifically on a project basis, and the government needs to get out of the way at a certain point so they can get the project done without a lot of interference in order for them to meet their timelines.
I think the government can play a role in terms of bringing different players together and having that visionary piece and the regional approach. That's very hard for private industry to do: to bring all the required players together to have the big conversation.
There is a role for both here, I think, but the innovation side, I think, should really tip towards the industry on this.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Judy Sgro
Thank you very much. That finishes this first hour.
Thank you, witnesses, for sharing your thoughts and ideas with us. We very much appreciate it.
I'm going to suspend for a moment so we can bring in our other witnesses.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Judy Sgro
We're going to call the meeting back to order and ask the witnesses to take their seats.
So we don't lose any time, we're going to start now in advance of the teleconferencing, which is in the process of being set up
Kevin Miller is the director of public policy at ChargePoint.
Thank you very much for being here today. We'll give you the floor for about five minutes of opening comments.
Kevin Miller Director of Public Policy, ChargePoint
Thank you, Madam Chair, and, through you, to the members of the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities.
As director of public policy in Canada for ChargePoint, I appreciate the opportunity to address the committee on the need to include transportation electrification as a pillar of any smart city initiative.
ChargePoint is the world's largest and most open network of electric vehicle—or EV—charging stations, with more than 32,000 charging spots throughout our network. While we are based in Silicon Valley, California, we are committed to increasing access to clean transportation wherever and however people travel.
Here in Canada, ChargePoint's dedicated sales and support staff have deployed more than 1,200 charging spots across virtually all of the provinces. That is increasing weekly through partnerships with public and private charging station site hosts. A recent example of this is the deployment of over 20 charging spots at Toronto's Pearson airport, in conjunction with the EV chargers Ontario provincial grant program.
ChargePoint does not own the majority of the charging stations in our network. Instead, our business model is similar to that of Uber, which operates a network of independently owned vehicles, or that of Airbnb, which does not own any of its properties. We sell equipment to charging station site hosts, as well as the software that supports the management, pricing, and customer interface of our stations.
Site hosts can include individuals and families in personal charging, multi-unit dwellings, workplaces, parking lots and garages, and a wide range of commercial locations, as well as federal, provincial, and municipal governments. We are proud to note that ChargePoint was recognized by the United Nations with a Momentum for Change award at the COP21 conference in Paris. We were selected for our innovative and scalable approach to tackling climate change.
All of ChargePoint's charging stations are “smart”—or networked—stations. Smart charging is beneficial and creates significant value to drivers, site hosts, fleet operators, the electricity grid, and other stakeholders, which I'll address in a moment.
It's important for the committee members to know that research into charging behaviour has found that nearly all charging takes place at home and at work, which is supplemented by a very small amount of public charging. EV charging largely takes place when you arrive at, not on your way to, a destination. Around 60% or more of all EV charging takes place at home, and that charging profile can be influenced through residential time-of-use electricity rates. Price structures that drive charging behaviour to take place at times that are beneficial for the electricity grid can create a downward pressure on electricity rates for all ratepayers, not just for EV drivers.
The workplace is a critical section of the market. A study conducted by the United States Department of Energy found that workers are 6 to 20 times more likely to purchase an electric vehicle if workplace charging is available.
Private businesses can maximize the utilization of a given charging station in a way that aligns with and bolsters their business model. For example, a retail location could offer free charging for an hour or two to bring in new customers, and then charge a fee to incentivize behaviour such as turning over the asset. Along highways, faster charging on EV corridors is a range booster, which reduces range anxiety and allows for longer-distance travel.
Transportation electrification is a key pillar that supports the sustainable and scalable implementation of municipal planning efforts. It can attract top talent to spur the growth of new businesses and jobs. It can decrease transportation costs, which will increase citizens' disposable income and reduce stress on municipal budgets by decreasing fuel, operation, and maintenance costs. It can also lead to reductions in travel time and increase the ease of getting around town.
Smart, clean, and cost-effective mobility goes hand in hand with smart infrastructure. Smart mobility and smart charging are inextricably tied. In terms of how the Government of Canada can implement smart mobility initiatives, collaboration between the public and private sectors should ensure that private site hosts have skin in the game and should encourage a healthy and competitive market that incentivizes the outcomes, rather than one single approach to overcoming challenges. A range of policy initiatives can be implemented, such as updating regulations at Measurement Canada to allow for smart networked stations to be used for measuring and incentivizing charging use without the unnecessary costs of installing redundant electricity meters.
Residential and commercial building codes should be future-proofed to make them EV-ready, which will reduce barriers for future tenants to deploy EV charging infrastructure without appreciably increasing construction costs. One of the primary barriers to deploying transportation electrification charging stations is the cost of the installation, which often outpaces the cost of the equipment itself. Taking steps today to allow for future transportation electrification decisions to be made will avoid the unnecessary costs of retrofitting sites that are not EV-ready.
Experimentation with new technologies such as autonomous vehicles should be encouraged, as should revisiting data-sharing, privacy, and protection policies to meet our evolving needs. Some of these policy changes can be implemented directly, and some could be identified through establishing a range of smart city policy options through a model system.
Every Canadian city is going to have its own approach. There isn't a one-size-fits-all method for getting to a smarter city. However, for cities implementing smart mobility, it's imperative that the technologies that are selected today are future-proof and will last for the next 10 years.
Thank you for the opportunity to testify today. ChargePoint firmly believes that any smart city initiative should include transportation electrification as a key pillar to address multiple intersecting policy issue areas. We look forward to serving as a resource to the committee as you continue to investigate and expand on the range of ways in which municipalities can create a smarter city infrastructure.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Judy Sgro
Thank you very much, Mr. Miller.
We now have Mayor Vicki-May Hamm, from the Ville de Magog, by telephone. We'll check our technology to see how well everybody is connecting.
Conservative
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Judy Sgro
Yes, we'll see how smart we all are.
Mr. Hutchison, the president of i-Canada, is stuck in traffic in Toronto and will join us by teleconference as soon as he can. Somehow that just seems ideal for the kind of work we're doing.
Madam Hamm.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Judy Sgro
Welcome to our committee. We're very glad that you've taken a few minutes to be with us today. We'll give you five minutes to give us your opening comments, and then you'll be available for questions.
Go ahead, Mayor Hamm.
Mayor, Ville de Magog
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. I'd like to thank the committee for this invitation.
First of all, I have to tell you that there's an echo in the sound, a kind of feedback. I don't know if you can hear me well. I missed the start of the discussions because I had no sound.
My name is Vicki-May Hamm. I'm the mayor of Magog and the acting reeve of the MRC of Memphrémagog. I'm addressing you today as the chair of the smart cities committee of the Union of Municipalities of Quebec. I am also on the board of directors and the executive committee of the Union of Municipalities of Quebec.
Quebec recently talked about deploying a digital strategy. For us, tomorrow's digital society will affect businesses, schools and departments alike. There is a major transformation happening, and it obviously affects municipalities as well.
The smart city is not an infrastructure issue, although the infrastructure is also important—I will talk about it later. There are still several regions in Quebec that do not have high-speed Internet, which remains a concern. The smart city is not about infrastructure.
It is about providing better service to citizens, being closer to citizens, being more transparent and sharing governance with citizens through information technology. A smart city improves services and contributes to the economic development of the regions. We are great believers in that. I have experienced this personally in Magog. All aspects of a smart city, be it economic development, applications and new equipment to improve services to citizens, have also enabled us to be a more attractive city for businesses in the regions and to encourage them to set up in our region.
The smart cities committee of the Union of Municipalities of Quebec has already done a good job in conducting a comparative assessment of 35 cities around the world in partnership with the CEFRIO. We are currently developing a self-diagnostic tool to allow all municipalities that wish to do so to become smarter in this digital transformation.
This tool will be a web-based application that will enable us to make a diagnosis in each of our municipalities on the six facets of the smart city: people, economy, environment, governance, lifestyle and mobility, a topic that is of concern to this committee.
We are going to draw inspiration from what other cities are doing. We started the initiative with three training sessions through web conferences, which began last week. This will allow us to present the self-diagnostic tool at the next annual meeting.
The municipal community wants the other two levels of government—the provincial and federal—to do their part to support the development of smart cities. In terms of concrete action, there is digital coverage, which is vital to the economy of the regions. All municipalities must have access to high-speed Internet worthy of the name. Still, it would be necessary to define what high speed is, because experts contradict themselves on this. There is much talk about opening up access to data. Several countries of the European Union, notably France, are making a lot of innovations thanks to this aspect. It is a model that could be followed here.
Approximately one in two provincial governments and one in three government agencies have begun to take action in this regard, and municipalities are following suit. This data allow us to be more transparent, to offer better services to citizens, but above all to contribute to economic development and innovation in our regions.
A CROP poll conducted this week indicates that 68% of Quebeckers want their city to be smarter. They consider that we are the smartest when it comes to public transit. All the first smart city initiatives were initially aimed at tackling a problem of mobility in urban areas. Now we are taking a much broader view, and we are including security, water supply, infrastructure and proximity to citizens. All these digital tools will allow us to have a prosperous economy, especially in the regions.
I know you have access to simultaneous interpretation. I may have spoken too quickly but, basically, that was our point of view.
In terms of open data, we can follow suit in many areas. This may be socio-economic or in the areas of public health, employment or transport. There are many possibilities in this regard.
I would be pleased to answer your questions.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Judy Sgro
Thank you very much, Mayor Hamm. We appreciate your comments.
The next presenter is Bill Hutchison, the president of i-Canada.
Welcome. It's ironic that you were stuck in traffic while you were coming to talk to us about smart cities, so I'm sure you will have added comments for us this morning. Please take about five minutes for your opening remarks and then be available for questions from committee members, Mr. Hutchison.
I'll turn the floor over to you for five minutes.
Bill Hutchison Co-Founder and Chair, i-Canada
Thank you, Madam Chair, and I have to tell you that I think I took the wrong turn and I'm in your riding near Richmond Hill.
It's my pleasure to be here today. Thank you.
This is my 23rd year of direct involvement in digitally driven urban transformation, commonly called “smart cities”. I'm here today as the co-founder and chair of i-Canada, a national not-for-profit consortium of cities, towns, and rural districts in Canada, all striving and sharing information on becoming some of the world's leading smart or intelligent cities. Our council of governors has 68 members who are mayors or CEOs of institutions in business.
It was in 1994 that Singapore was an intelligent island, we had Smart Valley in Silicon Valley, and I was the co-founder and vice-chair of Smart Toronto. I had just completed four years as chair of the steering committee and then board chair of CANARIE, which at the time was Canada's very new, very high-speed national communications infrastructure connecting our universities, education, and research communities. Today, CANARIE continues as one of the world's most advanced high-performance national broadband systems.
I say all that just to say that I've been in broadband communications pioneering for many years.
I'd like to make four points today.
First, I'm using “smart cities” as a generic term to include smart, intelligent, sustainable, and resilient, to use just a few of the many words that are being spread around in describing tomorrow's transformed communities.
My second point is that smart cities are not just an engineering program or project. I say this as an experienced engineer from McGill. They are equally a social project, including culture, entertainment, social and digital inclusion, community collaboration, and citizen convenience. This is also a major export opportunity, in which the U.K. government believes they can capture $100 billion in exports. We haven't even addressed this nationally yet.
If I may suggest this, communications need to be included every time any of you say the word “infrastructure”, as most Canadians, including many politicians, think only of roads, bridges, transit, etc., when talking about infrastructure. We in Canada are woefully behind the world in our communications, and I hate to tell you, but in order to do it right and become a leader, the bill is $60 billion of capital costs. I don't say this easily, but a billion or two billion here and there is not going to make us a world leader.
The good news is that this capital cost can be recovered in five years, because this would produce an annual saving of $15 billion in our national health care costs alone with world-class communications. By the way, the global standard now, the new standard for broadband in many cities—these are large cities—is a billion bits per second, or what commonly called a gigabit per second. This is at a time when our CRTC has just raised our standard from 5 million—not a billion—to 25 million bits per second. They've been talking more about rural, and that's okay, but we have to get with the program.
My third point is that at the federal level our government is becoming interested in smart cities five years after the U.K. and the European Economic Community, and four years after the U.S. national government. The good news is that we can learn from other countries while creating our own innovative initiatives, but this transformation is a long journey in the whole smart city thing, and we can still win many benefits because we have many pearls of excellence in Canada in the smart city world. We just had two announced as finalists—out of seven—in the annual Intelligent Community Forum's Intelligent Community of the Year selection. Now we need to string them together to create a necklace of excellence and place Canada in our deserved place among the world leaders in our future communities.
Merci.
Liberal
Conservative
Alain Rayes Conservative Richmond—Arthabaska, QC
Thank you, Madam Chair.
I would like to thank the witnesses for appearing before us.
My first question is for you, Ms. Hamm.
I want to point out to the people here that I know Ms. Hamm very well, since I worked with her for a long time at the Union of Municipalities of Quebec.
Ms. Hamm, could you please mention a few concrete actions that are being taken in municipalities the same size as yours, which is considered a medium-sized municipality, and which are in line with the development of a smart city?
Mayor, Ville de Magog
Right. Thank you for the question.
There are several examples of this. Using a medium-sized municipality as an example is relevant because, as I said, unlike large municipalities where there are often transportation problems, this is not what matters to the medium-sized municipalities.
For example, in our region, we have announced the deployment of smart weather stations in the area so we can know the real-time status of our roads and intervene better. That is one concrete example. This information exists, but we will now get it more precisely, in layman's terms and translated into a platform that will give people on the ground—our employees—the right tools in real time so they can do their jobs better.
There are examples like this everywhere. There was a smart lighting pilot project in Shawinigan. Obviously, Mr. Angers would be in a better position to tell you about it. Initiatives like these are pretty much everywhere. There are citizen platforms and different ways of consulting citizens. For example, in my region, we have also developed an application to encourage buying locally. We really want to encourage the municipalities to proceed on the basis of what they are, their strategic planning and their DNA, if I can put it that way. The idea is not to copy or buy the neighbour's recipe. From there, we want to use innovation and technology to keep moving forward.
Conservative
Alain Rayes Conservative Richmond—Arthabaska, QC
Okay. Thank you.
Before I forget, I want to add, before asking my other question, that you mentioned a study on 35 communities around the world. Can this study be found in a report? Is there a document that includes everything you analyzed?
