Transportation is a critical component of the Canadian economic infrastructure, at the national and local level. An early nation-building tool, it has become essential to the well-being of Canadians and their standard of living. However, it is getting harder for the transportation system to deliver what Canada needs as a trading nation due to the effects of climate change, global conflicts, economic uncertainty, and accelerating change in the nature of urban mobility needs.
There is a dearth in Canada of institutionally-delivered education in transportation policy. The subject has been largely invisible over much of the past decades. Not surprisingly, capacity in planning and executing transportation policy at all government levels has declined. We have seen the results all over the country: faltering supply chains, inadequate oversight of spending on infrastructure, more challenging urban mobility, and regulations that have negative consequences.
The vision at the core of the Transportation Policy Innovation Centre (TPIC), housed in the School of Public Policy and Administration, is to improve Canada’s transportation performance by educating a new generation of highly-effective transportation analysts and senior officials. The TPIC delivers two Master’s-level courses (Aviation Policy and Canadian Transportation Policy) that have earned glowing reviews from the students.
The funds raised will contribute to the development of future transportation policy leaders through the purchase of vital teaching tools, help pay the cost of student participation in the Model ICAO event (simulations in the International Civil Aviation Organization), support the research projects of graduate students, the organization of industry engagement events, and associated program delivery costs.
The cause of the present campaign is to increase the number of knowledgeable Carleton graduate students who will join the ranks of professionals to manage and oversee a more reliable, efficient, safe, and sustainable Canadian transportation system. Your support will help bring talented Carleton graduate students to a high level of transportation policy knowledge and will motivate them to start successful careers in this sector.