The Canadian Network of Asset Managers (CNAM) is the leading national association dedicated to advancing public infrastructure asset management across Canada.
Formed in 2009 as a not-for-profit organization, CNAM was created by municipalities, for municipalities. Today, CNAM’s scope has expanded to include all aspects of public infrastructure asset management, engaging professionals from both the public and private sectors across every province and territory. Our members develop policy, tools and technologies which improve the level of service for Canadian public infrastructure assets.
What We Do
CNAM fosters collaboration, innovation, and leadership in asset management by developing policy, tools, and technologies that help communities deliver sustainable, reliable, and high-quality services through their public infrastructure.
We support the asset management community through a wide range of knowledge-sharing initiatives and professional development opportunities, including:
- Annual in-person conferences
- Annual Fall Virtual Summit
- Webinars and Knowledge Pods
- Working groups and committees
Through these platforms, CNAM members, joined by non-members, exchange best practices, address emerging challenges, and work together to elevate the practice of asset management across Canada.
Asset Management Defined
Municipal infrastructure is the foundation for a healthy and vibrant city. Many municipalities define assets to include all physical infrastructure that is necessary to support the social, economic and environmental services provided by the corporation. These asset types include, but are not solely limited to, tangible assets such as buildings, engineering structures, roads, parks, transit, IT networks, water and wastewater systems and intangible assets such as land, software, data and intellectual property.
Examples of municipal assets include:
Tangible assets: roads, bridges, buildings, transit systems, parks, water and wastewater networks, IT infrastructure
Intangible assets: land, software, data, and intellectual property
Municipal Infrastructure Asset Management (MIAM) refers to the coordinated practices, principles, and strategies used to manage these assets effectively over their lifecycle. It is a multidisciplinary approach that combines:
Engineering
Finance
Risk management
Economics
Information management
Asset management professionals are often considered strategic generalists—they draw from a wide range of specialties to make informed, long-term decisions that optimize performance, reduce risk, and ensure sustainability.
CNAM Founding Municipalities
CNAM was founded by a coalition of forward-thinking Canadian municipalities committed to improving infrastructure asset management. These founding members helped establish a national platform to champion innovation, knowledge sharing, and excellence in municipal asset management: