New executive program moves Canada’s project leaders beyond contract-first thinking

For much of the past two decades, Canada approached major projects with a simple idea: write the contract well enough, and the project would essentially look after itself. Each risk sat with a party ready to handle it, so when something went wrong, everyone knew who to turn to.

But it hasn’t worked out that way. Canada is one of the most expensive places in the world to build, and paying top dollar still doesn’t keep projects from running late (and over budget). That’s a problem at any time, but an even bigger one today, with the transportation, energy, water, military, natural resource and information technology projects currently being planned carrying multi-billion-dollar price tags — not to mention stakes in trade, sovereignty, national unity, and climate change.

“What we’ve learned, in the last five to 10 years in particular, is that the contract is not going to save everything,” says Matti Siemiatycki, Professor of Geography and Planning, and Director of the University of Toronto’s Infrastructure Institute at the School of Cities. “We’ve realized that contracting is really a relational business, and that the relational skills amongst the parties who are delivering the projects are central to their success.”

The reliance on contracts has roots. In the early 2000s, public-private partnerships, or P3s, became the default for major projects, and by Siemiatycki’s account, most jurisdictions set up dedicated P3 agencies (many required the model outright). He assures that P3s do have their place. They just don’t suit every project, but the industry tried to apply them to nearly everything.

This history leaves many of today’s senior project leaders in a challenging position. They came up during the P3 era with “excellent project management skills,” Siemiatycki says, “but they were trained in a world that was very adversarial.”

The Canadian Infrastructure Leadership Academy was built to help those leaders move from contract-first thinking to the relationship-driven work major projects now demand. Launched by U of T’s Infrastructure Institute at the School of Cities and the Rotman School of Management, it’s the only executive program built specifically for major project leaders in Canada. It’s designed for public and private sector leaders with 10 to 15 years of experience who are preparing to take on the largest projects in their organizations.

These industry players already know how to run a project, so the curriculum builds on that experience, with a heavy focus on leading one: building teams when several organizations share a project, understanding infrastructure as a system, rather than a linear Gantt chart, and recognizing the biases that lead projects to underestimate costs and overestimate benefits. Negotiation and conflict resolution get dedicated focus as well, “because so many of these projects end up in some form of litigation or conflict,” Siemiatycki says. Rotman’s Geoffrey Leonardelli, Professor of Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management, brings the school’s executive leadership expertise to the faculty.

Over six months, the hybrid program combines three three-day in-person modules at Rotman in Toronto with monthly live online sessions, mentorship, a capstone project, and the chance to work through a real issue from participants’ own professional contexts.

Graduates earn a certificate from the Rotman School of Management.

Applications are open now for the inaugural cohort, which launches April 13, 2027. Siemiatycki and his team are reviewing applications as they come in, with the goal of building an intentionally diverse cohort of leaders from civil infrastructure, energy, natural resources, and industrial projects.

The program’s model has a track record abroad; the United Kingdom and Australia both run similar academies. The Canadian version is distinct, though, in that it’s shaped to suit how projects actually get built here. “If you don’t understand our culture and you don’t understand how we collaborate, the projects ultimately end up in miscommunication, and things going wrong,” Siemiatycki says. “Having the program be by Canadians, for Canadians is really important.”

When that collaboration breaks down, the companies at the table feel it. “The risk is borne by the company, especially for construction,” Siemiatycki explains. “And if it goes badly, they’re going to wear it.”

Further, the academy puts public and private sector leaders in the same room on purpose. Over six months, each side learns how the other thinks about a project, and both leave with a network to call on, if and when something goes sideways.

“Ultimately we’ll build a cohort of people that can deliver for Canada,” Siemiatycki says.

The first cohort is where that network begins. Looking forward, the plan is to grow the academy into a national program delivered locally across the country, with each new cohort adding leaders who know how to work across the public and private sides of a project. Many of the organizations Siemiatycki has spoken with already see their participation as an investment in the sector, as well as in their own teams.

As that network grows, more of the country’s major projects can be led by people who already understand how their counterparts think, and who know who to call when things get difficult. It’s the relational side of delivery Siemiatycki says the contract was never going to cover on its own.

Applications for the inaugural cohort are open now, and organizations ready to add their people to that network can nominate a member of their team to apply. Applications submitted by November 30 receive 20% off tuition. 

To learn more and apply, click here.

This article was produced in partnership with the SiteMedia Content Studio.