This article is part of the Bright Leaders of Calgary series, which features prominent corporate leaders from our Team Calgary program and their insights on the local business community and vision for the future.
Calgary’s identity as a resilient, fast-growing and business-minded city is something Amélie Thibault sees every day. As Alberta Market Lead at WSP in Canada (WSP) — a leading engineering, design and professional services firms — she works across major projects that shape how Calgary adapts to growth, strengthens its infrastructure and plans for a future defined by sustainability.
From flood mitigation to transit expansion to the transformation of Calgary’s downtown, she has seen firsthand how the city turns big challenges into practical action — and why its collaborative culture continues to attract people and investment. These themes align closely with Uplook: An Action Plan for Our Economy, Calgary’s roadmap for long-term resilience and prosperity.
We sat down with Amelie to talk about Calgary’s strengths, its momentum and why the city’s proactive mindset continues to set it apart.
WSP has a hand in shaping the cities of the future. From your perspective, how is Calgary positioning itself as a leader in sustainable and resilient urban development?
Calgarians and the City of Calgary are resilient. For many public or private entities, they like to use that big word, but it's empty of meaning. That’s not the case with Calgary — we truly feel it, and we show it.
The flood that happened in 2013 is an example. The city and its citizens really showed their resiliency during the situation and everything that happened after — and we’ve built on this resiliency now through flood mitigation projects.
Another more recent example is the downtown office conversion program. It's very smart; it's adapting to new realities and how to make the best with what we have. That’s how we work in Calgary, and the city is extremely active about it. It’s not just big words we use, it’s action and it works — we see the results from it.
Calgary’s skyline and streetscape are changing fast. What recent local projects stand out to you as examples of design excellence or innovative engineering?
The National Music Centre is a good example — it’s a masterpiece. It looks like an art piece, but it’s been engineered with WSP’s expertise. It's a modern look that fits so well with this city — kind of different but not too shocking at the same time. You notice it, but you’re not wondering why it’s here in Calgary.
The George C. King Bridge is another one. It’s a resilient structure that fits very well with the city. In the last 10 years, there have been so many great innovative engineering projects in the city. It’s growing and it’s booming.
WSP works across sectors — from transportation to energy to community infrastructure. What do you see as Calgary’s strongest advantage when it comes to collaboration and innovation?
Calgary is a very business-forward city with a welcoming spirit. Whether as a citizen or an entrepreneur, you’ll find a community eager to connect. Businesses looking at Calgary are interested in tapping into that mix and the buzz that is clearly happening. Having partners like Calgary Economic Development and the Calgary Chamber enhances that mix and networking is very attractive where people make meaningful connections. The innovation nodes that CED is creating (via Calgary’s Innovation Strategy) are essential to building our innovation environment.
Calgary’s growth story is also a story of talent. How is WSP attracting and developing the next generation of engineers, planners and sustainability professionals here in Calgary?
The city has excellent post-secondary institutions with SAIT, U of C, Mount Royal University and other colleges. WSP partners with them through internships, and it brings a lot of value in both ways. We want to stay connected with those institutions so we stay top of mind for students, and we can support their research or any projects. It’s a very good pool for us to recruit from.
We like to say we are future ready. We are not doing projects just for now; we are planning for the future. To be successful we need to innovate constantly and for that, we need talented, fresh out-of-school scientists and engineers. Working on cool and visible projects like the Green Line helps keep the next generation stimulated and challenged. If you live in Calgary and you work on a project like that, it’s very exciting to think you’ll have the opportunity to use it in the future.
What gives you optimism for Calgary’s future?
I love Calgary. This is my home, my city. The city has a business culture at the same time as a community culture. The community culture is so strong — you feel it at work and in your daily life. But at the same time, it’s open for business. You don’t feel like you have thousands of roadblocks trying to get started on something.
This is a vibrant city. It’s a young city and it’s growing — and people are ready for it. That makes it exciting and very convincing for companies to come and invest here.
About Team Calgary: The Team Calgary corporate partnership program engages our community’s visionary thought leaders to influence Calgary’s economic growth and create long-term prosperity and opportunities for all Calgarians.
Together, we advance the economic strategy, Uplook: An Action Plan For Our Economy, as the path to make Calgary the place where bright minds and big ideas come together with an unmatched spirit to help solve global challenges.