A Digital Twin: Canada’s Path to Enhanced Resilience Amidst Rising Challenges

As Canada grapples with escalating wildfires, increasing flood risks, and worsening traffic congestion, the federal government’s ambitious infrastructure plan, which earmarks at least $180 billion over the next 12 years, faces significant challenges. Despite these sizable investments, insured disaster losses reached a record $8.5 billion in 2024, underscoring critical inefficiencies in our approach to infrastructure planning and management.

The Need for Advanced Planning Solutions

Historically, many infrastructure issues arise only after construction has begun, resulting in costly delays and inefficiencies. To proactively manage risks and impacts before they manifest, one promising solution emerges: the development of a digital twin. This innovative technology enables the creation of a live virtual model that mirrors real systems—roads, transit, energy, water, and public buildings—allowing policymakers and planners to test ideas and evaluate risks in a simulated environment.

Digital twins integrate maps, 3D models, and both real-time and regularly updated data to run "what-if" scenarios. With this technology, urban planners could assess the consequences of a lane closure or a new bus route before implementing changes.

Learning from Global Leaders

Countries like Singapore have already harnessed the power of digital twins to enhance urban planning and emergency response capabilities, yielding demonstrable efficiency gains. Following in their footsteps could help Canada effectively manage its urban development challenges.

Benefit #1: Safer Wildfire Evacuations

The unfortunate reality of Canada’s recent wildfire seasons—marked by unprecedented devastation that claimed over 18 million hectares in 2023 alone—highlights the critical need for enhanced emergency response systems. During crises like the Fort McMurray and Yellowknife evacuations, poor communication and traffic congestion exacerbated chaos and confusion.

A national digital twin would enable emergency teams to rehearse evacuation strategies in a controlled environment. By testing various traffic control measures and identifying effective routes in real time, the system could streamline evacuations, ensuring that first responders can also maintain service access while minimizing public distress.

Benefit #2: Faster, More Reliable Commuting

Traffic congestion and transit delays are a persistent sore point for Canadian commuters, costing Ontario a staggering $56.4 billion in economic and social impacts in 2024 alone. Digital twins present a way to reduce these burdens by allowing transit agencies to simulate various scenarios—such as the introduction of bus-only lanes or changes in signal timing—before actual deployment.

Already, Vancouver’s International Airport has successfully implemented a real-time digital twin to optimize passenger flow, demonstrating how similar technology could enhance urban transit systems by identifying potential bottlenecks before they occur.

Benefit #3: Improved Fiscal Responsibility

Infrastructure projects frequently face cost overruns, draining public resources and eroding public trust. The Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, initially estimated at $5.3 billion, ballooned to nearly $34 billion, while Montréal’s light-rail project climbed from $6.3 billion to over $7.9 billion.

Digital twins can drastically mitigate these issues by flagging design conflicts early in project development, helping project managers assess options side-by-side and maintain transparency with stakeholders. Research indicates that utilizing digital design tools can save around 20% of a project’s contract value, providing a strong incentive for their adoption.

From Fragmented Endeavors to a National Framework

Canada possesses a robust foundation for establishing a national digital twin. Many cities already publish detailed spatial data, while Canadian universities are pioneering research in this field. For instance, Carleton University has made strides toward modeling a national-scale digital twin, aspiring to release their findings as open-source to ensure widespread accessibility.

Collaboration is Key: To create a unified framework, stakeholders must coordinate on shared standards, formats, and privacy protections to ensure compatibility among various initiatives. This collaborative approach will not only streamline future development but also inspire confidence among citizens as they witness the tangible benefits of such technology.

Conclusion: The Road Ahead

Canada stands on the precipice of a transformative opportunity. By leveraging the lessons learned from countries that have successfully implemented digital twin technology, Canada can foster a resilient infrastructure framework that enhances public safety while optimizing resource allocation.

Through strategic investments in digital twin systems, Canada can ensure safer evacuations during wildfires, alleviate traffic congestion, and safeguard taxpayer dollars. If our leaders prioritize these developments, the nation could shift toward a more sustainable and efficient future for all Canadians.