peg september 2013 calgary flood cab can tf2 p62-64
TRANSCRIPT
SEPTEMBER 2013
The Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta | apega.ca
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FEATURES DEPARTMENTS
21 8948
54 Special Report: 2013 Alberta Flood
89 APEGA Salary Survey Highlights
100 A Chinook in Guatemala
4 President’s Notebook
6 CEO’s Message
8 AEF Campaign
13 Association
16 Readers’ Forum
20 Latitude
38 Careers
40 Professional Development
46 Readings
52 Ethics Corner
53 Compliance Comment
104 In Memoriam
107 Discipline
108 By the Numbers
SEPTEMBER 2013 PEG | 1
PEG
SEPTEMBER 2013 FEATURED PHOTOPAGE 82 ››
PRINTED IN CANADA
COVER PHOTO
By Corinne Lutter
Opinions published in The PEG do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policy of the association or its Council.
Editorial inquiries: [email protected]. Advertising inquiries: [email protected].
Contents
Salary Survey
2 | PEG SEPTEMBER 2013
VOLUME 4 | NUMBER 4 | SEPTEMBER 2013
(Print) ISSN 1923-0044(Online) ISSN 1923-0052
Editor George Lee [email protected]
Editorial Assistant Gillian Bennett [email protected]
APEGA CONTACT INFO
HEAD OFFICE
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2013–2014 COUNCIL
President Colin Yeo, P.Geo., FGC, FEC (Hon.) (Calgary)
President-Elect Dr. Jim Gilliland, P.Eng., FEC, FGC (Hon.) (Calgary)
Vice-President Connie Parenteau, P.Eng., FEC, FGC (Hon.) (St. Albert)
Councillors Dr. Brad Hayes, P.Geol. (Calgary)
Dr. Steve Hrudey, P.Eng. (Canmore)
Wenona Irving, P.Eng., FEC, FGC (Hon.) (Edmonton)
Dr. George Jergeas, P.Eng. (Calgary)
Chris Ketchum, P.Eng., FEC (Lloydminster)
Paul Knowles, P.Eng. (Calgary)
Craig McFarland, P.Eng. (Calgary)
Brian Pearse, P.Eng. (Sherwood Park)
Ginger Rogers, P.Geo., FGC, FEC (Hon.) (Lethbridge)
Terri Steeves, P.Eng. (Calgary)
John Van der Put, P.Eng., FEC, FGC (Hon.) (Calgary)
Heidi Yang, P.Eng., FEC, FGC (Hon.) (Grande Prairie)
Public Representatives Gary Campbell, QC
Mary Phillips-Rickey, CA
Engineers Canada President Jim Beckett, P.Eng., FEC, FGC (Hon.)
Engineers Canada Directors Larry Staples, P.Eng., FEC, FGC (Hon.)
Dick Walters, P.Eng., FEC, FGC (Hon.)
Geoscientists Canada Director George Eynon, P.Geo., FGC
BRANCH CHAIRS
Calgary Tina Hoops, P.Eng. [email protected]
Central Alberta Bill Thomas, P.Eng. [email protected]
Edmonton Bob Rundle, P.Eng. [email protected]
Fort McMurray Malcom Edirisinghe, P.Eng. [email protected]
Lakeland Caitlyn Kennedy, E.I.T. [email protected]
Lethbridge Ahmed Ali, P.Eng. [email protected]
Medicine Hat Spencer Torrie, P.Eng. [email protected]
Peace Region RaeAnne Leach, P.Eng. [email protected]
Vermilion River Justin McCrea, E.I.T. [email protected]
Yellowhead Vacant
MANAGEMENT STAFF
EXECUTIVE
Chief Executive Officer Mark Flint, P.Eng.
Director, Executive & Government Relations Pat Lobregt, FEC (Hon.)
REGULATORY
Registrar & Privacy Officer Al Schuld, P.Eng., FEC, FGC (Hon.)
Deputy Registrar Mark Tokarik, LL.B., P.Eng., FEC, FGC (Hon.)
Acting Director of Registration Michael Neth, P.Eng.
Assistant Director of Registration Park Powell, P.Eng.
Assistant Director of Registration Alan Dunn, P.Eng.
Assistant Director of Registration Jeannie Paterson, P.Eng.
Acting Registration Manager Dionne Diakow, PMP, CQA
IEG Integration & Liaison Manager Guillermo Barreiro, P.Eng.
Director of Corporate Affairs & Investigations Ross Plecash, P.Eng., M.Eng., FEC, FGC (Hon.)
Director of Professional Practice Ray Chopiuk, P.Eng., FEC, FGC (Hon.)
Assistant Director of Professional Practice Gavin Chan, P.Eng.
Director of Compliance James Hunting, P.Eng.
Director of Examinations Milt Petruk, P.Eng., PhD, FEC, FGC (Hon.)
MEMBER SERVICES
Senior Director, Member Services Len Shrimpton, P.Eng., FEC, FGC (Hon.)
Director of Geoscience & Outreach Tom Sneddon, P.Geol., FGC
Director of Outreach & Product Services Jessica Vandenberghe, P.Eng.
Event Planning & Member Recognition Manager Shirley Layne, CMP, PR Dipl.
Professional Development & Mentoring Manager
Nancy Toth, MA, DipEd., CHRP, FEC (Hon.), FGC (Hon.)
Calgary Office Manager Kara Hickman
CORPORATE SERVICES
Director, Corporate Services Malcolm Bruce, MSM
Human Resources Manager Kiran Dhesi, CPM, CHRP
Information Technology & General Services Manager Omid Fekri, B.Sc., PMP
Finance Manager Dirk Kuntscher, CMA
COMMUNICATIONS
Director, Communications Philip Mulder, APR, FEC (Hon.), FGC (Hon.)
Deputy Director of Communications Gisela Hippolt-Squair
Member & Internal Communications Manager George Lee, FEC (Hon.), FGC (Hon.)
Public Relations Manager Richard Liebrecht
US POSTMASTER: PEG (ISSN 1923-0044) is published five times per year, February,
April, June, September and December, by the Association of Professional Engineers and
Geoscientists of Alberta, c/o US Agent-Transborder Mail 4708 Caldwell Rd E, Edgewood,
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SEPTEMBER 2013 PEG | 3
Call for
Summit Awards® NominationsHelp take someone’s careerto greater heightsAlberta’s Professional Engineers and Geoscientists have built this province. Help them build their careers and be recognized for their fi ne work by nominating a deserving colleague, coworker, employee or project.
For nomination information, visit www.apega.ca and click on Awards under the Members tab.
Deadline for nominations is September 30, 2013.
4 | PEG SEPTEMBER 2013
President’s NotebookAPEGA
The 2013 Floods: What Professionals Did —
And What We Must Do NowBY COLIN YEO, P.GEO., FGC, FEC (HON.)
APEGA President
The great floods of 2013 that devastated parts of Fort McMurray
and southern Alberta will be remembered for a long, long time.
Even the recovery and rebuilding will be measured in years. Lives
were lost and thousands of people displaced from their homes
and businesses. Temporary subdivisions were quickly built for
those waiting for their homes to be refurbished. The cost of
reconstruction has been estimated at $5 billion.
APEGA Members and permit holders — many, we should not
forget, with their own challenges to face in the wake of the floods
— have been busy inspecting homes, buildings and infrastructure
to ensure they are safe to use or enter. In some cases, professional
fees have been substantially reduced and even waived, easing the
burden on homeowners at such a difficult time.
Your association established a website area to match agencies
needing specific engineering expertise to qualified Members.
APEGA also contacted the City of Calgary and made sure it was
aware of our willingness to help in whatever way we could. We
made it simple for members to donate to the Canadian Red Cross.
The Government of Alberta turned to APEGA and asked us to
second Malcolm Bruce, MSM, Director, Corporate Services, to its
flood recovery task force. Mr. Bruce, who has since returned to his
regular APEGA duties, received great accolades from Peter Watson,
P.Eng., Deputy Minister of the Alberta Executive Council.
Members and permit holders have been there for the victims in
the immediate aftermath of the floods. They will play a leading role
as the rebuilding begins.
These devastating events are a clear demonstration of the
sometimes uncontrollable and unpredictable power of nature. The
history of maximum discharge rates in the Bow River reveals that
the City of Calgary has enjoyed fluvial quiescence since the major
flood in 1932. But this may be changing. From 1879 to 1932, there
were eight events of the same magnitude as the 2005 floods. In
the following 72 years, there were none. Now, within an eight-year
span, two significant flooding events have occurred.
Are we returning to a period of more frequent and intense
storms? Perhaps we are. Historical data, after all, indicate that
floods and droughts before the 1930s were more extreme than the
ones we’ve experienced since.
As cities and towns begin the lengthy and expensive process of
rebuilding, the engineering and geoscience professions need to take
a leading role in the development of public policy on
• where we build
• how we build
• how, through flood mitigation infrastructure, we prepare our
cities for the floods that inevitably lie ahead.
A SMART AND FAST RESPONSE
Our Members and permit holders are acting already. A very impor-
tant first step has been taken by Alberta WaterSMART, a consulting
company committed to improving water management through better
technologies and practices.
On Aug. 2, WaterSMART’s final version of a report called The
2013 Great Alberta Flood: Actions to Mitigate, Manage and Control
Future Floods was released to the public. Based on the collaborative
work of a broad group of water practitioners, including input and
comments from the public, specific actions have been identified to
offset the impacts of severe weather.
This release was extraordinary in two ways. First, it was
released a mere six weeks after the flood began. Second, it was
made available directly to the public as well as government officials
and other scientists.
And the content is excellent. The report presents facts and
data, and draws conclusions that governments, other authorities,
APEGA, the general public — all of us — need to consider as recon-
struction begins.
As pointed out in the Alberta WaterSMART report, decisions
will have to be made by affected home and business owners,
as well as elected representatives at all levels of government.
Certainly, reconstruction must be based on a clear understanding
of what caused the floods, the likelihood of their recurrence, the
MORE INFO
albertawatersmart.com
Special Flood Coverage
Pages 54-88
SEPTEMBER 2013 PEG | 5
APEGAPresident’s Notebook
effectiveness of proposed mitigation
strategies, and the impact of these
strategies on other parts of the river basin.
By using good data and sound engineering
design principles, we will be better
positioned for future extreme events.
The recommendations and conclusions
of this report should be taken into account
as policies dealing with extreme weather
events are developed by authorities. I think
the recommendations are fairly straightfor-
ward. They call on authorities to
• anticipate and plan for more extreme
weather events
• plan for more extreme weather
scenarios through better data
management and modelling
• conduct a cost-benefit analysis of
physical infrastructure
• reframe municipal planning in light of
more extreme weather and strengthen
building codes
• evaluate overland flood insurance
• manage water resources across the
province collaboratively with appropriate
authority and funding.
I have reviewed the Alberta Water-
SMART report in some detail, and not only
because I am an interested professional
and Calgarian. The report ties directly to
what APEGA is trying to achieve in one
of its strategic priorities, on policy and
engagement. Alberta WaterSMART has
brought together leading experts and stake-
holders, including key members of APEGA,
to produce a document that provides trust-
worthy facts, information and sourcing.
This is clearly within the public interest.
This report is available to all. It will
form the basis for the intelligent discussion
of options and the creation of sound public
policy to benefit all Albertans.
I am proud to say that Alberta Water-
SMART is a permit holder and that many
of its employees are APEGA Members. In
my view, this report sets the standard for
consultation and dialogue with an informed
public. I congratulate Alberta WaterSMART
and its CEO, Kim Sturgess, P.Eng.
LIABILITY AND CLIMATE CHANGE
This extreme weather event serves to un-
derline an important issue for Professionals
in Engineering and Geoscience — namely,
the legal liability of those who own, plan,
design, develop and operate infrastructure
without due consideration of the effects of
a changing climate and the danger that lack
of consideration may pose to the public.
Patricia Koval, a partner with the law firm
Torys LLP, presented the implications to
our professions at a meeting of Engineers
Canada. She said that there is now a very
clear understanding that if infrastructure is
not adapted to increasing climate change
risks, property damage and personal injury
are almost certain to occur.
In short, professionals who do not
take climate change risks into account may
be held liable. APEGA has an obligation to
ensure building codes and standards are
appropriate for extreme weather events,
and individual members must take these
considerations into account in the design of
all projects. There exists a duty of care to
the owners of the infrastructure and a duty
to any third party that might suffer damages
or injury from negligent design or construc-
tion; this includes an act or an omission that
breaches a reasonable standard of care.
Incidentally, an omission includes fail-
ing to warn of a risk; simply complying with
Questions or [email protected]
building codes is not good enough. If the
code does not adequately deal with climate
change risks, and the design engineer
knows this, then the engineer has failed in
executing duty of care and is liable for any
consequences that may follow.
APEGA and our Members have
served the public well in the aftermath of
this disastrous flooding of 2013. We will
continue to serve during reconstruction
and policy redevelopment. The public
expects us to be at the forefront in this
process and help arrive at reasonable and
practical solutions to plan for and mitigate
future natural disasters.
Again, thank you to all the Members
and permit holders who have helped during
this crisis, either professionally or by
providing volunteer labour, and to Alberta
WaterSMART for its outstanding report.
The company is an example for us all.
6 | PEG SEPTEMBER 2013
CEO’s MessageAPEGA
Flooding Brings Questions to the Fore
About What APEGA’s Full Role IsBY MARK FLINT, P.ENG.
APEGA Chief Executive Officer
On the morning of Friday, June 21, I found myself com-
peting with many other travellers for a very limited supply
of taxicabs to take us out of a very wet downtown Calgary.
I left behind, in body at least, a massive amount of flooding
and hardship. As I flew back to Edmonton, I was gripped by
thoughts about what my fellow Albertans were facing and
about what APEGA’s role should be.
Obviously, this was a highly unusual circumstance — a
natural disaster affecting an area where about half of our
membership lives. Even before the major flooding of 2013,
however, APEGA had been examining our role in the context
of events involving the public, our membership and our
professions. The flooding made that examination all the more
immediate and personal.
Enforcing the Engineering and Geoscience Professions Act
is relatively straightforward, particularly when you look at
the letter of the law. But is that all there is to regulation? The
EGP Act is the legal mechanism by which APEGA regulates.
However, equally important to effective regulation are the way
the act is applied and interpreted, and the moral obligations
we feel.
Take the handling of oil and gas in Canada. The tragic
train derailment in Lac-Mégantic, Que., and oil seepage from
the ground in Cold Lake are recent examples of failures in this
area — one of them with tragic consequences.
APEGA Registrar Al Schuld, P.Eng., FEC, FGC (Hon.), and
I testified on June 11 before the Senate Standing Committee
on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources. We
answered questions the committee had regarding the safe
movement of energy. (The committee released its report on
the hearings last month, called Moving Energy Safely: A Study
of the Safe Transport of Hydrocarbons by Pipelines, Tankers and
Railcars in Canada.)
It is in instances like that one that I better understand
when and how APEGA can inform policy and decision-makers.
Although these contributions are sometimes subtle, simply
being asked to participate is a positive indication that the
opinions of our professions are indeed sought.
In the case of the floods, the Government of Alberta sought
one of our senior staff members to help out. On the Saturday
morning after I returned, the province requested that Malcolm
Bruce, MSM, Director, Corporate Services, assist directly by
working with its team to begin coordinating recovery efforts.
Mr. Bruce was seconded for 12 days as the acting Chief of
Staff for the recovery team as the government began to
develop its recovery strategy. In a moment when sitting in the
safety and comfort of Edmonton belied the ongoing strife in
southern Alberta, it was great to be able to directly assist in
some small way in the immediate aftermath of the flood.
The next issue arose as hundreds of disappointed
insurance policy holders became aware of the limitations of
their policies. The heartbreaking reality that overland flood
insurance is not part of any Canadian insurance policy is a
revelation to many of us, and it will forever resonate as a
major financial blow for many Members.
In the early days after the flood, APEGA’s affinity
insurance partner, TD Meloche Monnex, faced challenges
when it came to responding effectively to the needs of clients.
Some of our Members are still waiting to settle claims with the
company.
However, Meloche Monnex did change its position, decid-
ing to pay losses according to endorsement and limit, even if
premises were impacted by overland flooding from the event.
The company was very responsive to requests from APEGA
and others, and has made substantial efforts to ensure clients
are reimbursed. Meloche Monnex was slow off the mark. But
SEPTEMBER 2013 PEG | 7
CEO’s Message APEGA
Questions or [email protected]
I recognize both the company’s honesty and integrity in changing its
position.
Shortly after the flood crested, the intellectual horsepower of our
professions started to precipitate some great thoughts. Led by the
CEO of Alberta WaterSMART, Kim Sturgess, P.Eng., a group of APEGA
Members were asked to help develop ideas regarding what Alberta
could do to mitigate recurrence of some of the issues created by the
flood. WaterSMART and several of our Members are now working
with the Alberta Government to bring valuable data, research and
professional advice to help assist with the development of policies on
flood recovery and mitigation.
I acknowledge that none of these efforts have, strictly speaking,
been regulatory in nature. However, I simply wanted to illustrate
that APEGA’s role goes beyond that of pure regulation. While
regulation of the professions is our core business, our
Members have valuable insight to offer and are frequently
sought after to comment on policy development.
Furthermore, when APEGA professionals speak, people
listen to what they have to say. There is no doubt that
APEGA and its members are in the business of self-
regulation, but their influence extends into many other
areas.
As we at APEGA review our current legislation
and explore areas in which gaps possibly exist, we
continue to think about these events that shape our
history. From there, we try to extrapolate forward to
estimate how lessons learned from them can shape
our future.
As always, I enjoy getting feedback. I appreciate
the questions and thoughts you sent me from my
last article. I look forward to your input should you
be interested in contributing to the future of our
professions. I value all comments on our regulatory
future or thoughts on other things that you think we
should be doing.
8 | PEG SEPTEMBER 2013
AEF CAMPAIGN CONNECTION
Tales From a Land of Frogs,
Apps, Volcanos and RobotsMinds in Motion works its science and engineering magic on a summer full of student campers
BY CORINNE LUTTERMember & Internal Communications
Coordinator
When it comes to dissecting frogs, some
young campers were more eager than
others to pick up the scalpel and get down
to business. For the more squeamish types?
Well, turns out there’s an app for that.
“Some kids didn’t want to get within 20
feet of the frogs,” explains Keith Baker, an
instructor with Minds in Motion and also a
university student member of APEGA. “So
we downloaded iPad apps where you can
do a virtual dissection. That went over well
with both the kids and their parents.”
Dissections — including frogs and pig
hearts — were among the many science,
engineering and technology lessons at Minds
in Motion camps in July and August. The
camps were designed and led by University
of Calgary undergraduate students like Mr.
Baker, a third-year geophysics student.
Among other activities were building
video games and robots, extracting straw-
berry DNA and exploring the physics of
sound through beat boxing. Not to mention
building those classic rockets powered by
baking soda and vinegar.
As well as the regular ones, specialized
camps were offered for girls and Aboriginal
youth. In total, about 850 children in Grades
1 to 8 took part in the 2013 summer camps.
PUMP IT UP
Minds in Motion is a non-profit organization
run by the University of Calgary’s Faculty
of Science and Schulich School of Engi-
neering. In addition to the camps, it offers
hands-on, inquiry-based programs through-
out the year.
“We want to get kids pumped about
science and engineering and break down
the stereotypes — that it’s too difficult or
that only boys can do it,” says program
manager Erin Peddle, a science teacher by
profession. “Our programs help youth learn
how to problem solve and think outside the
box. No matter what career they go into,
those skills are going to be relevant.”
Annually, Minds in Motion reaches
about 3,200 kids and the number continues
to grow, thanks in part to support from
sponsors like the APEGA Education
Foundation, called AEF for short.
“In 2013, the foundation’s outreach
support to the University of Alberta, the
University of Calgary and other programs
totalled more than $72,000,” says AEF
President Gerald DeSorcy, P.Eng., FEC, FGC
(Hon.). “These programs do invaluable work
to attract young men and women into the
engineering and geoscience professions.”
Just ask Leigh Beaton.
NOT JUST FOR BOYS
Long before she enrolled in engineering
at the U of C, Ms. Beaton was a Minds in
Motion camper. Her experience attending
all-girls camps as an elementary student
inspired her and helped her develop career
aspirations in engineering.
“I think the instructors played a big
role. They were mostly female and really
helped me understand how much in our
lives is related to science. I learned that
science is not just for boys,” says Ms.
Beaton, who just started her second year at
the Schulich School of Engineering.
This summer, she became a role model
herself as a Minds in Motion instructor,
teaching science and technology camps to
girls in kindergarten to Grade 8. Activities
ran the gamut from wetland field trips to
building frog robots.
SEPTEMBER 2013 PEG | 9
MASTER
WHERE WILL YOUR IMAGINATION TAKE YOU?
Minds in Motion aims to get kids pumped about science
and engineering through activities like summer camps,
workshops and science clubs. In the case of these two
youngsters, it appears to be a resounding success.
-photo courtesy Minds in Motion/University of Calgary
QUICK FACT
Minds in Motion is a member of Actua, a national network of 34 organizations
offering science and technology education programs. The network provides
opportunities for the organizations to share resources and expertise.
SURFABLE
ucalgary.ca/mindsinmotion
10 | PEG SEPTEMBER 2013
AEF CAMPAIGN CONNECTION
“It’s an important role that we play as
instructors, to really spark that interest in
science and show the kids that science is
everywhere,” says Ms. Beaton.
75,000 YOUTH AND COUNTING
Since its launch in 1998, Minds in Motion has
reached more than 75,000 youth through
its summer camps, classroom workshops,
science clubs and community events.
“Besides the summer camps, we do
a lot of free workshops and outreach, and
that’s where we’ve expanded, because that’s
where we found the need,” says Ms. Peddle.
“We are pretty much booked every single
day from mid-May until the end of June.”
Many of the schools visited have
socioeconomic challenges. In Calgary,
Minds in Motions focuses on schools
with low performance rankings, often in
low-income neighbourhoods. The crews
also visit Aboriginal schools in the region,
including Morley and Tsuu T’ina.
“It’s the heart of our program,” says Ms.
Peddle. “These schools don’t necessarily
have the funding to bring in extracurricular
programs, so that’s where we come in.”
Through the fall, winter and spring,
in partnership with the Canadian Women’s
Foundation, a club program in science and
engineering for girls aged 12 to 15 is offered.
Last year about 40 volunteer mentors
signed up, mostly university students, and
professors and professionals in engineering,
biology, chemistry and education.
“The girls club has had phenomenal
feedback,” says Ms. Peddle. “When we
asked at the start of the club, not one girl
wanted to be an engineer. They thought that
engineers only build bridges or drive trains.
So this is a great opportunity to show them
the diversity of the profession.”
COSMIC PERSPECTIVE
For Keith Baker, being a Minds in Motion
camp instructor is an opportunity to
share his love of science with kids. “I just
want them to see that there’s a beauty to
science and to get them excited about it,”
says Mr. Baker.
As a child, he was inspired by his fa-
ther and grandfather, both engineers, and
by scientists like Carl Sagan and Bill Nye.
“I rushed home every day after school to
watch Bill Nye the Science Guy,” says Mr.
Baker.
This summer, he shared his interest
in planetary geology with young campers,
teaching them about astronomy and the
solar system. At one camp, kids learned
about different planets, then built their
own spacesuits.
“We had this big kit of Tyvek suits
and a million things you could tape to
them to customize them. The kids loved
that. At the end, we interviewed our
astronauts with a fake microphone and
they could explain their designs. They got
a taste of the astronaut celebrity life,”
says Mr. Baker.
CIRCLE OF SUPPORT
Minds in Motion reaches about 3,200 kids every year, and that number continues to grow — thanks in part to support
from the APEGA Education Foundation. In 2013, the foundation’s outreach support to the University of Alberta, the
University of Calgary and other programs totaled more than $72,000.
-photo courtesy Minds in Motion/University of Calgary
SEPTEMBER 2013 PEG | 11
AEF CAMPAIGN CONNECTION
AEF OUTREACH
With governments and industry predicting ongoing engineering and
geoscience labour shortages, the APEGA Education Foundation
aims to reach even more young people by increasing outreach
support to $150,000 annually.
“One of our objectives is to support outreach programs that
inform young men and women about the opportunities available
through an education in engineering or geoscience,” says founda-
tion president Mr. DeSorcy. “We can reach our goals with continued
help from APEGA Members, who have been very supportive of our
Building the Future, Today campaign.”
A key AEF priority for the past year has been to ask Members
to consider their professional responsibility to advance and sustain
the professions — and then to act by giving financial support to the
foundation.
Among ways members can support the campaign are
• cash gifts
• monthly giving
• matching gifts
• bequests.
MORE INFO
Like to help the foundation?
apega.ca/AEF or 1-800-661-7020
SURE BEATS SWIMMING LESSONS
Keith Baker helps a student with a pig eye dissection
at a Junior Natural Science Camp in July. Students
in Grades 3 to 4 also got to conduct chemical
experiments and make their own recycled paper.
-photo courtesy Minds in Motion/University of Calgary
The APEGA Education Foundation currently distributes more than $190,000 each year to the brightest students on track to becoming Engineering or Geoscience Professionals.
Corporations can help by matching donations made by their staff members.
Visit apega.ca/aef for more information.
A GOOD MATCH FOR YOUR COMPANY
SEPTEMBER 2013 PEG | 13
ASSOCIATION
Potential Council Candidates Needed Now
Are you an outstanding Professional Member with the time, energy
and dedication necessary for APEGA elected office? Do you bring
a balanced perspective and a problem-solving attitude to board
and management governance? Are you willing to give back to your
association by letting your name stand as a potential candidate for
the 2014 APEGA Election?
There are two ways to get your name on the election ballot this
spring.
• APEGA Nominating Committee — Each year, a nominating
committee made up of APEGA Members identifies qualified
candidates to run for Council. If you are interested in being
considered by the nominating committee, submit your
name and a brief resume by Sept. 27 to [email protected]. The
committee will review nominees, and a slate of candidates
will be announced in mid-November. The list will be
published in both the e-PEG and the December issue of The
PEG magazine.
• Write-in nominations — Any Professional Member in good
standing can self-nominate by submitting the Nomination
for Election to Council form. The form will be available on
APEGA’s website in mid-November and will also be published
in the December PEG. Write-in nominations must be received
before midnight on Jan. 26 and must include supporting
signatures from at least 10 registered APEGA Members.
Candidates can run for
• Councillor
• President (the person voted President-Elect in the previous
election will automatically become President)
• President-Elect/Vice-President (the candidate with the most
votes becomes President-Elect).
Note: To run for President-Elect/Vice-President, a candidate must first
serve at least one year on Council.
WHY DOES APEGA HOLD ELECTIONS?
APEGA has been holding annual Council elections since the
association was founded in 1920. An elected Council is one of the
privileges of professional self-governance, granted to APEGA under
the provincial Engineering and Geoscience Professions Act.
WHAT DO COUNCILLORS DO?
Councillors, who are elected for three-year terms, have many
duties and responsibilities, such as establishing policies and
providing guidance. They are expected to act in the best interest
of the association, honestly and in good faith. They should have
a good understanding of the principles and policies of legislation
governing Professional Engineers and Geoscientists in Alberta and
also understand APEGA’s mission, vision and strategic plan.
Being a Councillor requires a time commitment, but it’s also a
great opportunity for Members to get involved in their association
and make a positive impact.
Councillors are required to work on at least one subcommittee
of Council and attend various functions as APEGA representatives.
They spend about 20 work days each year preparing for and
attending
• Council meetings
• a strategic retreat
• Executive Committee meetings
• Council committees
• miscellaneous meetings, briefings and presentations.
In addition, Councillors may be asked to attend weekend social
events, such as dinners and receptions.
CHARACTERISTICS OF A GREAT COUNCILLOR
• experience in professional practice
• basic understanding of the principles behind professional
regulation
• familiarity with board and management governance
• balanced perspective and problem-solving attitude
• particular knowledge of important issues or under-
represented groups
• strong champion of professionalism and of APEGA
• track record as a contributor
• willing to commit time to APEGA.
SIDEBAR
SURFABLE
apega.ca
Click on About APEGA, Run for Council
14 | PEG SEPTEMBER 2013
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Stan Sterling. Graduate.Project Management Fundamentals Certificate
good thinking.
Moving Hydrocarbons SafelyReports call for clarity, consistency and safety culture audits in the way Alberta and the rest of Canada move oil and gas
Two major reports on the safety of transporting hydrocarbons in
Canada are now in the public realm, giving citizens, regulators and
governments across the country more data and new recommenda-
tions to consider. A report requested by the Alberta Government
and directed exclusively at pipeline safety holds up the province as
having “the most thorough overall regulatory regime” of all the
Canadian ones it assessed. Meanwhile, among the recommenda-
tions in a Senate committee report — which was not limited to
pipelines — are a call for audits of corporate safety cultures and
a call for the Government of Canada to conduct an arms-length
review of the country’s railway regulatory framework.
Two members of APEGA’s senior staff testified before
the Standing Senate Committee on Energy, the Environment
and Natural Resources, in advance of the committee’s release
of Moving Energy Safely: A Study of the Safe Transport of
Hydrocarbons by Pipelines, Tankers and Railcars in Canada. CEO
Mark Flint, P.Eng., and Registrar Al Schuld, P.Eng., FEC, FGC
(Hon.), both testified.
The committee report identifies an APEGA Member for his
testimony about corporate non-compliance with National Energy
Board standards and regulations. Evan Vokes, P.Eng., a metal-
lurgical engineer, along with others, “helped the NEB identify the
need for a 24-hour whistle blower hotline,” says the report.
Even when the horrific Lac-Mégantic rail disaster is
considered, railcars have a 99.9 per cent safety record for
delivery of dangerous goods, Moving Energy Safely notes. The
report recommends an arms-length review of railway regulation
“due to the scope of the disaster.” The safety record for moving
oil and gas by pipeline, meanwhile, is 99.9996 per cent, the
report says.
The Senate committee report concludes: “What is key is that
our transport companies foster a culture of safety throughout
their operations. There must be a preoccupation with continually
improving safety outcomes. This applies to operators as well as
the institutions that regulate them; this is what is necessary to
earn and maintain the trust of Canadians.”
SEPTEMBER 2013 PEG | 15
PUBLIC SAFETY
The Alberta Pipeline Safety Review, prepared by APEGA
permit holder Group 10 Engineering, said Alberta’s thoroughness
in the regulation of pipelines is “likely due to the fact that Alberta
has a very mature (well established) pipeline industry and the
largest number of pipelines; and the ERCB [now the Alberta
Energy Regulator, or AER], as a regulator, has evolved over time to
regulate and manage the industry as appropriate.” Still, the report
arrives at 17 recommendations in all for the regulator, under three
categories prescribed in its scope. The categories are
• public safety and response to pipeline incidents
• pipeline integrity management
• safety of pipelines near water bodies.
Released at the same time was the regulator’s response to
the Group 10 report. Still called the ERCB when it completed the
response in March, the regulator accepted the findings and recom-
mendations, among them that a one-size-fits-all approach to regu-
latory oversight in Canada is not practical because of the differing
needs of jurisdictions and amounts of pipeline serving them.
Nonetheless, the report says the Alberta regulator should
work towards harmonized regulatory requirements across Canada
and should “support a consistent regulatory basis.” It also recom-
mends that the regulator collaborate with stakeholders to “set
clear goals and objectives to focus and manage the reduction of
pipeline failures to a level as low as reasonably practicable.”
The ERCB response highlights progress already being
made in many of the areas identified by Group 10. It also noted
that some of the recommendations are national in scope or
otherwise fall out of its regulatory mandate and jurisdiction. The
regulator’s response states, however, that it will share those
recommendations with the appropriate bodies, as well as support
and assist them if required to. The regulator will give Alberta
Minister of Energy Ken Hughes a status report in March 2014.
Call Before You Dig is singled out as good public safety
system. Membership in Alberta is legislated as compulsory for
pipeline licensees, but that’s not the case everywhere in Canada.
A nationwide system should be considered, says the report.
A national program would benefit other jurisdictions where
membership in Call Before You Dig is not a requirement, and it
would also ensure that new Albertans are “consistently aware of
these requirements.”
MORE INFO
apega.ca
Click on Major Reports Released
Readers’ Forum
16 | PEG SEPTEMBER 2013
OPINION
Readers’ Forum submissions should be emailed to George Lee, PEG editor, at [email protected]. Please
limit them to 300 words or less. Longer letters are printed at the discretion of the editors. Letters may be
edited for brevity, taste, clarity and legality. Please note: Readers’ Forum items are treated as opinions
and therefore are NOT peer reviewed. They do no necessarily reflect the views of APEGA Council,
executive committee or staff.
CLIMATE CHANGEAND THE NEW NORMAL
Re: Go Deep, The PEG, June 2013.
The analysis described in the above story concerns the climate
change views of APEGA members. Yet as it’s represented in the
story, the work by researcher Lianne Lefsrud, P.Eng., makes no
reference to the broad consensus among climate scientists.
A link from ASHRAE , the largest engineering association
in the world, leads to a survey published in the journal Environ-
mental Research Letters on the work of 29,000 scientists and
11,994 academic papers. Over 4,000 papers took a position on
climate change causes, with only 0.7 per cent, or 83 papers,
disputing the scientific consensus that climate change is the
result of human activity, and 2.2 per cent calling it unclear. The
dissent was described as “vanishingly small.” Another survey,
this one from 2004 and released in Science by Naomi Oreskes,
found 97 per cent of scientists agreed on the causes of climate
change.
This PEG submission is written from ground zero in High
River, where we will be dealing with the results of an extreme
climate event for years to come. Contrary to the view that this
was just another flood, the estimated flow volumes were about
double what had been accepted as the one-in-100-year event and
the community was utterly unprepared.
As an engineer asked to assess damages to buildings, my
recommendations have been to consider what occurred as
the new normal, incorporate an additional safety factor, and
consider efficiency measures to reduce contributions to further
climate change. Is it not a professional responsibility to use
the best science available for the public good? The last report
of a federally appointed expert panel on the economy and the
environment, before it was dismissed, warned us to expect
over $5 billion per year in damages to the Canadian economy,
unless measures are taken to mitigate climate change. By the
province’s estimate, we’re burning through that in southern
Alberta alone.
It’s hard to miss the irony that a community the hardest hit
by a climate event earlier elected an MLA with a campaign plank
saying the science on climate change had not yet been settled.
As for the contention that the disaster is the result of clear
cutting, Google Earth shows no extensive blocks in the Highwood
watershed. Nor was I able to find a single pine cone or bit of
logging slash among the debris in our miles of destroyed fences.
A more likely cause is temperature, the steroid of storms.
A degree Celsius of temperature rise increases the ability of air
to hold moisture by seven per cent; 16 inches of rain fell in the
upper basins.
The lamest excuse is to do nothing to address climate
change because it’s too expensive.
The flood caught us in the middle of installing 5.5 kW of grid-
tied photovoltaics to our shop roof. For $10,000 in materials and
a couple days’ help from clever friends, our electricity use will be
carbon-neutral, saving about 4.5 tonnes a year of carbon emis-
sions. This is less cost than the options list on the average SUV,
which carries a single passenger at an overall efficiency of less
than one per cent
The return of our photovoltaic system is tax free and better
than any secure investment in the current market. It would
be great if the much-touted Alberta carbon tax went to those
actually doing something to reduce emissions. The energy input is
recovered after one year. Solar output peaks during peak demand
periods driven by air conditioning loads, helping stabilize the grid.
This is among the hundreds of things we could be doing,
efficiency measures being the most cost effective. Revising our
obsolete building codes would be a first step. ASHRAE has been
leading in this regard for years, and there’s a total absence of the
phony debate on climate change in its journals.
The next lamest excuse to do nothing is that the Asian
countries are not reducing their emissions.
It’s the sad reality that you cannot lift people out of poverty
with Stone Age tools, and they are industrializing the only way
they can afford — as we did. Western countries are already
there and have accounted for most of the cumulative emissions.
How dare we tell India, which produces 1/20th of our emissions
per capita, or China, 1/10th per capita and with millions living
without electricity or running water, that they have to cut back
before we do.
The long-term risk is that our economy will become
increasingly less efficient and less able to compete on the global
stage as the true cost of greenhouse gas emissions comes due.
As the rest of the world moves toward a carbon-free economy,
we will wallow in denial.
EMILE ROCHER, P.ENG.
High River
READING SUGGESTION OFFEREDON SOLAR CYCLES AND WARMING
Unstoppable Global Warming, by S. Fred Singer and Dennis T.
Avery, makes a compelling case for a global, solar-driven climate
Readers’ Forum
SEPTEMBER 2013 PEG | 17
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cycle of 1,500 years, plus or minus 500 years. This is a cycle
which has operated for at least the last one million years of the
Earth’s history, based on available published data.
The authors’ hypothesis is supported by literally hundreds of
research papers spanning a variety of climate proxies, including
isotope analyses of ancient tree rings, of glacier ice cores from
Greenland and Antarctica, and of seabed sediment cores from
the North and South Atlantic and the Sargasso Sea. The research
looks at stalagmites from Ireland, Germany, South Africa and New
Zealand, and fossilized pollen from North America. The proposed
1,500-year climate cycle also correlates with known advances
and retreats of glaciers in the Arctic, Europe, Asia, North
America, Latin America, New Zealand and Antarctica.
The cycle shows a variation of plus-or-minus 2-3 degrees C
around a long-term mean. It was first discovered by Dansgaard
and Oeschger in 1984, through oxygen isotope analyses of glacial
ice cores from Greenland covering the last 250,000 years of
Earth’s history. They expected to see evidence of ice ages and
interglacial stages (and they did), but unexpectedly they found
another cycle of about 1,500 years superimposed on these
variations.
The impact of the sunspot cycle on Earth’s climate is well
known. During low sunspot activity, cosmic rays bombard the
Earth, creating low, wet clouds that reflect the sun’s radiation
back into outer space, cooling the Earth. During high sunspot
activity, the solar wind prevents this bombardment by cosmic
rays, allowing the sun’s radiation to reach the Earth and thus
warm our planet.
The 1,500-year period is believed to be the product of two
shorter solar cycles, both longer than the 11-year sunspot cycle:
namely, the 87-year Gleissberg cycle and the 210-year Suess (de
Vries) cycle. In fact, the 1,500-year cycle correlates with known
historic cold and warm periods as far back as 600 BCE.
According to the 1500-year cycle, the Earth is now in the
middle of a modern warming period that began after the Little Ice
Age. We can thus expect another couple of centuries of pleasant
warm weather. Needless to say, so-called greenhouse gases have
nothing to do with this warming trend.
DR. JOHANNES C. DEN BOER, P.GEOL., P.GEOPH., FGC,
FEC (HON.)
Life Member
Calgary
LENNERT D. DEN BOER, P.GEOPH.
Calgary
CHOOSE A CAR, NOT A TRUCK
Re: APEGA Education Foundation Campaign Connection, Who You
Help, The PEG, April 2013.
One of the featured students, like many people going to
university, commutes through car/truck and train. He drives a
Readers’ Forum
18 | PEG SEPTEMBER 2013
truck. Imagine the price of gas and maintenance, driving back
and forth from Gibbons and his LRT connection.
If his aim is reducing costs, he should drive a car instead.
PUGAL NARAYANANExaminee
Red Deer
GREAT READING,GREAT MESSAGE —TWO ERRORS
Re: Let’s Educate the Public About All Those Geohazards, The Geo
Beat, by Tom Sneddon, P.Geol., The PEG, June 2013.
Thank you for publishing the excellent PEG! Down here in the
southern U.S., it’s wonderful to receive news about colleagues
and technology, along with other inspiring reports, from Alberta.
Mr. Sneddon’s insightful article is critically important,
especially in light of the recent manslaughter convictions of
the seven scientists, engineers and officials associated with
assessing seismic activity prior to the earthquake in L’Aquila,
Italy. (Their convictions are under appeal.)
There is a wee error in the date of the Frank Slide — it
happened on April 29, 1903, not six years later.
Also, as I understand it, Copernicus was not persecuted
during his lifetime (1473-1543) for his heliocentric theory of the
planets. In fact, his book On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres
(1543) was dedicated to Pope Paul III. Some years later in 1616,
the book was indeed banned. Galileo’s trials, however, were very
different.
DR. ROBERT R. STEWART, P.GEO.
Cullen Chair in Exploration Geophysics
Director, Allied Geophysical Lab
University of Houston
CORRECTIONS
The Readers’ Forum submission Climate Sensitivity May
Have Been Overestimated, in the June 2013 PEG, was
attributed to the wrong William Kerr of Calgary, The actual
author was William E. Kerr, P.Eng.
In the April 2013 PEG feature We Built this City on
Rocks and Oil, editing errors resulted in misspellings of
stromatoporoids, and in the misuse of descendant. Modern
scallops descended from Monotis subcircularis — not, of
course, vice versa.
SEPTEMBER 2013 PEG | 19
20 | PEG SEPTEMBER 2013
The
Buzz
EXPERTS ESTIMATETHE GREAT FLOOD’S ECONOMIC IMPACT
Economists expect that the most damaging floods in Alberta’s
history will affect not only the province’s economy but also the
rest of the country’s. Five days after the flooding, BMO Capital
Markets estimated that Canada’s GDP growth in June had been
reduced by $2 billion. TD Economics, meanwhile, estimated that
the disaster would erase up to $1.5 billion from the economy, or
about 0.3 per cent of Alberta’s GDP.
However, both were quick to point out that the Calgary and
Alberta economies would get a much-needed boost when millions
of dollars are spent on rebuilding projects.
-Jacqueline Louie
LESS WORK FOR SOME, MORE WORK FOR OTHERS
Work stopped for many Albertans when flood waters hit in
late June. Downtown Calgary was evacuated and thousands of
workers told to stay home after power outages left office towers
in the dark. Some downtown businesses were closed for a
week or more. Similar stories played out across the south as 29
communities declared states of emergency.
As a result, says Statistics Canada, 300,000 Albertans
— about 13.5 per cent of the total employed population in the
province — lost 7.5 million hours of work. On the flip side,
134,000 people, or six per cent of workers, put in an extra 2.4
million hours of work. The net loss: 5.1 million hours.
StatsCan says about 27 per cent of the missed time, or about
1.4 million hours, is attributable to professional, scientific and
technical workers. One quarter of Alberta’s natural resource
workers lost, in all, 1.4 million hours on the clock.
-Corinne Lutter
NEW HEIGHTS
Two proposed skyscrapers will come in first and third on the list of tallest buildings
in Western Canada. Brookfield Place Calgary (right) and the TELUS Sky Tower
(above) boast 56 and 58 storeys respectively.
-artist’s rendition (above) courtesy BIG
SEPTEMBER 2013 PEG | 21
The Buzz LATITUDE
CALGARY SKYLINE STRETCHES HIGHER
Look out, Bow tower. Calgary’s down-
town skyline is on the rise, with two new
mega-skyscrapers set to open in 2017.
The Bow is currently the tallest
building in Western Canada, with 58
storeys stretching 236 metres towards the
heavens. But it will soon be surpassed by
the 247-metre Brookfield Place Calgary.
The TELUS Sky tower, meanwhile, will
slot into third at 231 metres.
Brookfield Place Calgary is a
2.4-million-square-foot commercial
development encompassing a full city
block between First and Second Street
and Sixth and Seventh Avenue S.W.
Complementing its 56-storey highrise
will be another 42-storey office tower,
a glass pavilion, street-level retail shops
and a half-acre public plaza. Anchor
tenant Cenovus Energy will occupy one
million square feet of the highrise.
Brookfield Office Properties esti-
mates the project will cost more than $1
billion. The complex will be constructed
to the gold standard for core and shell
development, as set out by the certifying
body known as LEED, for Leadership
in Energy and Environmental Design. It
will include a bicycle parking area and
plug-in stations for electric cars.
Developers of TELUS Sky, at
100 Seventh Ave. S.W., are promising
a stylish blend of office, retail and
residential space across 750,000 square
feet. Vancouver developer Westbank
and real estate investment trust Allied
Properties are project partners.
At a cost of $400 million, the
58-storey project will include about 340
residential units. Envisioned as a LEED
platinum building, it will feature a rooftop
garden and a storm water management
system to recycle rainwater for toilets
and outdoor irrigation. It’s designed to
use about a third less energy than new
buildings of a similar size.
-artist’s rendition courtesy Brookfield
22 | PEG SEPTEMBER 2013
LATITUDE The BuzzAmong other new developments
going forward in downtown Calgary are
Eau Claire Tower, 3 Eau Claire, Eighth
Avenue Place West Tower, and Calgary
City Centre. Manulife Financial Corp
plans a 27-storey office tower with Brion
Energy as the main tenant.
-Jacqueline Louie
MIXED SIGNALSFROM RESIDENTIAL HOUSING MARKET
Construction season can make it seem
as if new builds are everywhere. But the
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corpora-
tion says residential builders in Western
Canada won’t be quite as busy in 2014 as
the organization predicted a few months
ago. In June, CMHC estimated around
188,900 new units in 2014; now, CMHC
estimates the number will fall to between
177,100 and 186,600.
If the most recent estimate is
accurate, residential development will
be significantly lower than the 214,827
housing starts in 2012.
The picture looks quite different
from the perspective of home sales. The
Canadian Real Estate Association says
national sales are increasing steadily.
Data released at the end of the summer
suggest that home sales across the
country have increased 9.4 per cent
from last year. Alberta continues to be
a hot market. Over the last year, sales
increased by 19 per cent in Calgary and
24 per cent in Edmonton.
-Caitlin Crawshaw
WHERE GREAT IDEAS ARE HATCHED
TEC Edmonton, an organization that helps
tech ideas become saleable products, has
received a major credibility boost. In July,
the non-profit, joint venture between
the University of Alberta and the City of
Edmonton was named the best incubator
in Canada — and 17th in the world — by
the University Business Incubator Index.
This may not come as a surprise
to tech insiders or anyone who’s been
following the organization over the last
nine years. TEC Edmonton has helped a
well-known in the U.S. but relatively new
to Canada. The Edmonton branch is the
fourth in the country. Founding partners
include Kellerdenali, Remington Develop-
ment Corporation, Edmonton Interna-
tional Airport and Camrock Capital.
The new branch says on its website:
“We connect our members so that they
develop new business relationships;
we offer educational opportunities and
a program of events that ensure our
industry is on the cutting edge; and we
influence the course of our business with
positive interactions with various levels
of government and the community.”
-Caitlin Crawshaw
ROUNDABOUTS MAKE INROADS
A $6.4-million roundabout northwest of
Edmonton has been designed with over-
sized vehicles — among them the type
used in the oilfield — in mind. Could it
BUY NOW, BUILD LATER
Builders will likely be less busy than previously
thought, as forecasters now predict a decline in
new builds for 2014. Home sales, however,
are still on the rise.
wide range of startups, among them
CV Technologies Inc. — the makers of
Cold-FX. Other successes include a
cancer diagnostics company, Metabolo-
mic Technologies Inc., and a nanosensor
developer, Nemsor Technologies Inc.
TEC Edmonton data show that
its 106 client companies generated
$103 million in revenue in 2012, up
25 per cent from the past year. The
organization’s research also shows
that startups using its services had
a 95 per cent survival rate, which
is higher than Industry Canada’s
benchmark of 80 to 85 per cent.
-Caitlin Crawshaw
EDMONTON BUILDERS UNITE
A commercial development association
has launched a new chapter in Ed-
monton. NAIOP, the Commercial Real
Estate Development Association, is
The Buzz
SEPTEMBER 2013 PEG | 23
LATITUDE
reflect an Alberta trend in adopting the
staple of British traffic engineering?
In late summer, Alberta Transporta-
tion started construction of the round-
about, located just east of Villeneuve
at the intersection of Highway 44 and
Highway 633. The Edmonton branch of
CIMA+ designed the challenging struc-
ture, which must accommodate the turn-
ing radius of large vehicles.
The design includes splitter islands
for oversized vehicles to go over when
necessary. The structure will also feature
signs on movable bases for directing
large vehicles.
Highways 44 and 633 are frequented
by both commuter traffic and heavy-load
vehicles. It’s hoped the new roundabout
will reduce collisions at the intersection.
This will be the third roundabout
built by the province since 2007. Others
were constructed in Sylvan Lake and
Peace River.
-Caitlin Crawshaw
INNER CITY BUILD PROMISES HOPE
A City of Edmonton plan to revive a
struggling inner city neighbourhood has
completed its first development phase. At
the end of March, the Boyle Renaissance
project officially opened two buildings
along 103A Avenue and 95th Street: a
150-unit housing complex and a YMCA-
owned building housing a daycare, a
family resource centre, office space, and
facilities for community gatherings.
Almost 12 years and $42 million in
the making, Boyle Renaissance is part of
the city’s Quarters Downtown redevel-
opment, a strategy intended to improve
the quality of life of people living east
of the city’s downtown core. Phase II
— scheduled for completion at the end
of this year — involves construction of
the Renaissance Tower, a seven-storey,
90-unit housing facility catering to First
Nations people, seniors and people with
disabilities.
Boyle Renaissance is a sustainable
project. Phase I and Phase II will share
heat and power systems, thanks to a
380-kilowatt microgeneration system on
the roof of the Renaissance Tower. It will
wetlands, native plants, migratory birds,
caribou and other wildlife, biodiversity
and Aboriginal traditional land use. Many
of these issues, said the ruling, are linked
to the environment’s capacity to absorb
the overall pace of development of the
oilsands — not the Jackpine project alone.
The provincial and federal govern-
ments have the final say on whether the
expansion proceeds.
-Jacqueline Louie
FIRST NATION FILES OBJECTIONTO OILSANDS PROJECT
In part because of the potential loss of
caribou herds, Fort McKay First Nation
has filed a formal objection with the
Alberta Energy Regulator against an
oilsands development. It’s the first time
in about two decades the nation has filed
an objection of this kind, and the move
may mean that the Dover project, which
would produce 250,000 barrels per day
of bitumen, will end up before the courts.
The nation, which has strong work-
ing relationships with energy compa-
nies like Syncrude and Suncor, says it
will take legal action if environmental
concerns over the Dover in situ project
aren’t addressed.
Athabasca Oil Corp. and PetroChina
have proposed the project on a site 95
kilometres northwest of Fort McMurray.
The band wants a 20-kilometre buffer
zone to protect lands traditionally used
for hunting, fishing and trapping by its
700 Dene, Cree and Métis residents.
Among concerns: a wildlife assessment
that predicts the extinction of two caribou
herds in the area within the next 30
years.
In its approval in August, the Alberta
Energy Regulator rejected the buffer
zone, saying the environmental impact of
the project would be negligible to minor.
Provincial government approval is still
required.
The project would boost provincial
coffers by an estimated $26 billion in
royalty payments over its 65-year life.
-Gillian Bennett
use natural gas to produce electricity,
and its waste heat will help warm
both the tower and the YMCA building
across the street.
-Caitlin Crawshaw
LOOK OUT, B.C. — ALBERTA KEEPS GROWING
New data released by Statistics Canada
revealed that in 2012 the province’s
population grew by more than three
per cent — double the national growth
rate of 1.1 per cent.
While Alberta’s population has
been steadily increasing for decades,
Todd Hirsch, senior economist at ATB
Financial, describes the current rate of
growth as a “full-scale stampede.”
Now with nearly 3.9 million people,
Alberta is the fourth most populous
province in Canada, behind Ontario,
Quebec and B.C. The province contin-
ues to close in on B.C. — Mr. Hirsch
predicts that within eight years, Alberta
will take over the number three spot.
-Caitlin Crawshaw
JACKPINE EXPANSIONRECEIVES REGULATOR BOOST
Shell Canada’s plan to expand
production at its Jackpine oilsands
mine, about 60 kilometres north of
Fort McMurray, has earned a green
light from regulators. The decision,
however, did contain cautions about
overall oilsands development.
The decision came down from
a joint review panel representing the
Alberta Energy Regulator and the
Canadian Environmental Assessment
Agency. It recommended approval of
Shell’s plan to expand production at the
mine to 300,000 barrels of bitumen a
day from 200,000.
In a ruling announced in July, the
panel found that the proposed mine
expansion is in the public interest be-
cause of its economic benefits. At the
same time, the panel noted the project
in conjunction with others would likely
result in significant adverse effects on
24 | PEG SEPTEMBER 2013
LATITUDE
BY GAIL HELGASONFreelance Contributor
PANAMA CANALGETS BIGGER, SAFER, BETTER
About 100 years after it opened, the
Panama Canal continues to make
engineering news. Upgrades to
accommodate today’s large ships include
a third set of locks, featuring rapid open-
and-close gates. The locks and other
upgrades will allow twice the tonnage
to pass through the canal, reports
Engineering News-Record (New York).
Power management technology, pro-
visions and procedures, including a second
power system, are expected to float op-
erational safety to a new high-water mark.
Estimates of the total project cost vary and
depend on what is included, but the origi-
nal number was over US $5 billion. Project
completion is slated for 2015.
LADY LIBERTY GETS A MAKEOVER
New York’s famed Statue of Liberty re-
opened to the public this summer, follow-
ing a 20-month renovation with daunting
engineering challenges, says Civil Engi-
neering (Reston, Va.).The six-level interior
of the 46-metre-high statue was gutted
and rebuilt.
Two wider stairways were created
to bring service up to code and allow
wheelchair access. Weaving the
stairways together with an elevator
hoistway “was a little like making a
delicate piece of jewelry out of steel and
concrete,” said a representative of the
project’s structural engineers, Keast &
Hood Co. of Philadelphia.
One strategy was to employ cast-
in-place concrete for the elevator,
enabling the construction of walls that
are thin but strong. The materials were
also a good visual match with existing
interior materials.
GOING WHERE THE WIND BLOWS
If you want to catch good wind, it
makes sense to set sail where good
winds blow. That was the thinking
behind a new wind generator launched
offshore in the Gulf of Maine — the first
of its kind.
VolturnUS, a project of the
University of Maine and various
partners, is the world’s first, concrete
composite, floating platform for a wind
turbine, reports Engineering News-
Record. It features a 20-metre tower
and a 20-kilowatt capacity.
If successful, further trials will result
in a 90-metre-high tower for a turbine
that could generate six megawatts and
supply the onshore grid. All told, U.S.
coasts are estimated to have untapped,
offshore wind power of up to 4,000 giga-
watts per year.
SOMETHING CONCRETE
The VolturnUS is now generating energy off the coast
of Maine (left), featuring the first concrete composite,
floating platform for a wind turbine. Meanwhile, a new
elevator inside the iconic Statue of Liberty features
cast-in-place concrete for thin, strong walls.-photo courtesy University of Maine
SEPTEMBER 2013 PEG | 25
LATITUDEWorld Watch
BRING ON THE TOURISTSIN THEIR GREAT BIG JETS —ISRAEL BUILDS A NEW AIRPORT
Israel recently began construction of
its first new commercial airport since
achieving independence in 1948, says
the Engineering News-Record. The
$450-million airport in the southern
Arava Desert will replace an existing one
that can’t handle jumbo jets.
The airport will continue service for
the Red Sea resort area. Completion is
expected in 2016.
TAKING A BITE OUT OF CONSTRUCTION CONGESTION
Lowering travel times near and through
construction zones is becoming easier
around Boston and some other Ameri-
can cities, thanks to a new traffic moni-
toring system.
Using Bluetooth signals from
mobile devices in vehicles, the Blue-
TOAD traffic monitoring system fills
in gaps from other collectors of traffic
data, Engineering News-Record reports.
The new data can then be used to, for
example, help crews know when to
open or close lanes in construction areas
at optimal times for relieving congestion.
Designed by TrafficCast of Madison,
Wis., the system is reported to be up to 10
times less expensive than others, and it
also preserves drivers’ anonymity.
NORWAY MAKESSHIPPING AND TUNNELING HISTORY
Long renowned as tunnel experts,
Norwegian engineers are at the cutting
edge again as the country builds what is
predicted to be the world’s first tunnel for
ships. The Norwegian government has
approved the Stad Ship Tunnel, although
construction is not expected to start until
2018, Civil Engineering reports.
The aim is to create a passage big
enough to allow the passage of cargo
ships and commuter vessels, avoiding
treacherous waters around the Stadlandet
peninsula north of Bergen.
The design calls for a 50-metre-high,
36-metre-wide structure. Excavation
would remove more than three million
square metres of rock, which will be used
to create two small islands.
Planners are still addressing how
ships would proceed and how collisions
and fires would be handled.
SHOULD TRUCKS GO SLOWER?
Do different speed limits for cars and
trucks create safer roads? The Michigan
Department of Transportation hopes to
find the answer, Civil Engineering reports.
The state has hired civil engineers at
Wayne State University and other experts
to look at the state’s speed differential.
Speed limits there on rural freeways are
70 m.p.h. for passenger vehicles and 60
m.p.h. for trucks and buses. Michigan is
one of only eight states that post different
rates for trucks and passenger cars.
Researchers plan to review earlier
speed limit studies and conduct field
studies using radar guns on highways.
The practice of posting differential
speeds, once popular, declined after
earlier research showed that variable
speeds could actually increase the
possibility of crashes.
26 | PEG SEPTEMBER 2013
LATITUDE
Movers&ShakersCOMPILED AND WRITTEN BY
GILLIAN BENNETT The PEG
RESEARCHER SHARESKINSHIP WITH SOCRATES
Socrates purportedly said, “I know one
thing: that I know nothing.” For an eager
audience of convocating engineering
students, Jacob Masliyah, OC, P.Eng., FCAE, had similar words. The profes-
sor emeritus at the University of Alberta
cautioned students to never believe they
know everything about their profession
and to never stop learning.
Sage advice indeed from an indi-
vidual whose career has epitomized the
pursuit of knowledge. Dr. Masliyah re-
ceived an honorary doctorate of science
at the U of A convocation ceremony, in
recognition of his tremendous body of
research on bitumen and oilsands
extraction.
In a university news story he cred-
its an early work ethic for his success.
Mature beyond his years, as a child he
created detailed study plans to master his
schoolwork. He later applied this determi-
nation to his engineering studies.
Dr. Masliyah served as the NSERC
Industrial Research Chair in Oil Sands,
overseeing research at the Syncrude
Canada Research Centre and the U of
A. When he needed to understand how
sand could separate from bitumen, he set
aside an entire year to find out. His extra
effort led to his being named a world
authority on bitumen recovery, with his
research at the forefront of the univer-
sity’s growing international reputation.
Dr. Masliyah is a past winner of the
Rutherford Award for Excellence, for his
research and teaching in fluid mechan-
ics, heat transfer and bitumen extrac-
tion. His desire to improve extraction
methods and maximize oil recovery for
industry is equal to his desire to pro-
vide environmentally friendly methods
of extraction. His work has resulted
in more efficient methods of bitumen
processing, with a reduction in the use
of water and energy.
A HARD ACT TO FOLLOW
It is responsible for the long lives of the
Hoover Dam, the Panama Canal and the
dome of the Pantheon. Despite its age,
concrete has not yet gone out of style.
You don’t have to convince the Ameri-
can Concrete Institute, which recently
hosted its annual Awards of Excellence.
Several APEGA permit holders
were in the mix of award recipients.
• Advanced Concrete Construction
(Gregg Logistics new facility) —
Stantec Consulting Ltd.
• Civil (the City of Calgary airport trail
tunnel) — CH2M HILL Canada Ltd.
• Sustainable (Belgravia Green Net
Zero Energy Home) — Solnorth Engineering Ltd.
• Restoration (Agrium fertilizer plant
– prill tower structural restoration)
— Agrium Inc. and Read Jones Christoffersen Ltd.
• Bridges (52nd Street S.E. – grade
separation and road widening) —
AECOM Canada Ltd. and Klohn Crippen Berger Ltd.
• Buildings (City of Calgary –
Emergency Operations Centre) —
Read Jones Christoffersen Ltd.
The American Concrete Institute
was created in 1904 as a nonprofit
technical and educational society. With
20,000 members in over 120 countries, it
initiates forums for concrete technology
and supports problem resolution.
SUCCESS FOUND INFOUR DIFFERENT FORMULAS
A builder, an energy director, an
engineer/designer and an LRT expander.
What do they all have in common? They
were selected for Alberta Venture lists on
influential and inspirational Albertans.
Implementing a whole new system
of building is a huge undertaking. In the
housing industry, the cost of labour and
the impracticality of mass marketing
have undermined efforts to improve
production. For one man that reasoning
was not good enough. Reza Nasseri, P.Eng., created a business centred on
improving quality of life and revitalizing
communities, earning him a place as one
of Alberta’s 50 most influential people.
-courtesy Landmark Group
SEPTEMBER 2013 PEG | 27
Mr. Nasseri grew up in Esfahan,
Iran, where he showed interest in
building and design from a young
age. He immigrated to Canada in
1964, arriving in Edmonton on a cold
December day. Mr. Nasseri studied
electrical engineering at the University
of Alberta but never outgrew the
building bug. After securing work as
a research engineer and instructor
at NAIT, he continued to work every
summer in the construction industry.
Eventually he created Nasseri
Construction, which went on to become
Landmark Homes. Since then the
business has grown to become one of
Alberta’s largest home builders, with
operations in Edmonton, Calgary and
Red Deer. Adamant about finding a
better way to build — one that involved
reducing waste in existing processes —
Mr. Nasseri was introduced to precision
indoor building. The idea changed his
business forever. Landmark initiated a
small-scale experimental prefabrication
shop in 2003 and opened its first state-
of-the-art manufacturing facility in 2011.
The Landmark Precision Building
System eliminated weeks of time
from the building cycle and reduced
transportation and site work, while
generating 58 per cent less waste than
traditional methods. These efficiencies
have allowed the company to focus
on emission-reducing technology for
homes, reducing the carbon footprint
by three to five tonnes per year.
Mr. Nasseri has worked to
provide efficient, affordable, qual-
ity homes to families, with the hope
that it will improve quality of life and
strengthen communities. The com-
pany’s community support program
Landmark Cares has contributed over
$10.6 million to organizations that
promote education, healthcare, the
arts, and programs for First Nations
and immigrants.
Mr. Nasseri is a past recipient of
the Alberta Order for Excellence, the
Exceptional Service Award, and the
Peter Lougheed Award of Achievement
for advancement of health services.
Also named one of Alberta’s 50
most influential people is a man not afraid
of diving into the deep end. As Encana
struggled with operational challenges
due to low gas prices, Clayton Woitas, P.Eng., a board member since 2008,
waded in to become interim CEO.
Mr. Woitas received his bachelor of
science degree in civil engineering from
the U of A. He became director and CEO
of Renaissance Energy Ltd. and later
founded Profico Energy Management Ltd.,
where he operated as chairman, presi-
dent and CEO. He is now chairman and
CEO of Range Royalty Management Ltd.,
a private company focused on acquiring
royalty interests in Western Canadian oil
and natural gas production.
During his time as Encana’s interim
CEO, Mr. Woitas was highly commended
for his direction of Encana while the
company was in flux. Mr. Woitas also
headed up the search for a new CEO.
Mr. Woitas is now chairman of the
board at Encana, where he continues
to support and influence the company
and its commitment to cutting costs and
maintaining capital discipline. He is also
INFLUENTIAL MEMBERS
Reza Nasseri, P.Eng., and Clayton Woitas, P.Eng., (right), were featured in Alberta Venture as two of Alberta’s 50 most influential people.
-courtesy Encana Corporation
28 | PEG SEPTEMBER 2013
LATITUDE Movers & Shakers
STAR POWER
Also highlighted in Alberta Venture as two of Alberta’s
Rising Stars were Kara Chomistek, E.I.T. and Erum
Afsar, P.Eng., (left).
-photo by Aaron Pederson
-photo
by C
huck S
zm
url
o
a director of NuVista Energy Ltd., Gibson
Energy Inc. and several private energy
companies and advisory boards.
She may be mechanically minded,
but after work hours Kara Chomistek, E.I.T., transforms into a daring fash-
ionista, engineering magical art events
launched through PARK, a group she cre-
ated and currently heads. Her success at
providing emerging artists with a venue
to exhibit and sell art has led to her being
named one of Venture’s Next 10 Alberta
Rising Stars.
Ms. Chomistek graduated from the
University of Calgary with a bachelor’s
degree in mechanical engineering,
with a biomedical specialization. She
spent her early career with Smith and Nephew Inc., developing orthopedic
equipment for joint surgery. Now
designing mechanical systems for data
centres, she has devoted her free time
to assist over 300 students, emerging
artists and small business owners.
Through her non-profit organization
PARK, she creates events for artists to
showcase their work.
Erum Afsar, P.Eng., knows how to
get where she’s going. And if she can’t
find a way to get there, she creates it. As
a general supervisor in transportation
planning for the City of Edmonton, she
has worked on concept planning for the
downtown and northwest LRT routes.
With a civil engineering degree
from Queen’s University, Ms. Afsar has
worked in the private and public sectors
in Regina, Calgary and Edmonton. A
knowledgeable voice on LRT expansion,
Dr. N. (Raj) RajaratnamP.Eng.
as a senior
engineering specialist and
technical advisor.
Raj is an award-winning researcher, professor and engineer. He has over 55 years of experience in hydraulic engineering and fluid mechanics and has been a highly-respected faculty member at the University of Alberta within the Water Resources Engineering Department for the last 50 years. He brings with him extensive knowledge in the fields of hydraulic structures, energy dissipation and turbulent jets. He has published over 200 journal papers and has received numerous awards for his research.
Northwest Hydraulic
Consultants Ltd.
is pleased to welcome
Raj joining NHC’s Edmonton team provides a meaningful addition to all areas of NHC’s business and a significant enhancement to the hydraulic structures design and physical modelling departments. As NHC Edmonton’s Branch Manager, Gary Van Der Vinne says,
“We are very excited to have Raj join our team; his insight into hydraulic issues will help us to provide even better solutions for our clients.”
SEPTEMBER 2013 PEG | 29
Movers & Shakers LATITUDE
she has addressed controversial rail plans before concerned
citizens, and encouraged ethnic minority groups to get involved.
Passionate about building sustainable communities, she has
completed long-range transportation master plans, community
traffic calming studies, transit studies and traffic impact
analyses. Ms. Afsar volunteers with NextGen, a group of young
Edmontonians that connects people, places, community and
ideas.
BACK TO HIS ROOTS
Past APEGA CEO H. Neil Windsor, P.Eng., FEC, FGC (Hon.), FCAE, P.E. (Hon.), (far right) accepts an award of merit from his home association of PEGNL. Present at the ceremony
was his wife, Anne Windsor, (second from right) and Engineers Canada President Jim Beckett, P.Eng., FEC, FGC (Hon.)., and his wife, Anita Beckett.
-photo by Paul Daley
30 | PEG SEPTEMBER 2013
LATITUDE Movers & ShakersShe was previously highlighted in Avenue magazine’s Top 40
Under 40.
EAST COAST ACCOLADEFormer APEGA CEO H. Neil Windsor, P.Eng., FEC, FGC (Hon.), FCAE, P.E. (Hon.), has received the Award of Merit for 2013
from Professional Engineers and Geoscientists Newfoundland-
Labrador. The award is the highest presented by PEGNL
and recognizes exceptional achievement in engineering or
geoscience. Originally from St. John’s, Mr. Windsor served his
province as a finance minister and a finance critic before coming
to Alberta.
Mr. Windsor is best known for his work on labour mobility
while serving as CEO of APEGA. He strove to develop ties
between legislators and industry in order to foster economic
development in the region. He now lives back in his home
province, in Lewisporte.
Written up numerous times in this space because of a long
list of accolades, Mr. Windsor retired in January of 2012.
WHERE THE CEOKNOWS YOUR NAME
It’s hard to keep track of a staff of 600, but one CEO has unlocked
the secrets of success in leading an employee-owned Canadian
consulting firm. Kerry Rudd, P.Eng., was recently presented the
Chairman’s Award from the Association of Consulting Engineer-
ing Companies — Canada for his leadership and outstanding
contribution to the consulting industry.
Graduating in the U.K., Mr. Rudd initially struggled to find
work as a junior engineer. After reluctantly accepting a research
assignment at a university, he later realized he was gaining
valuable experience working independently, with the task of
delivering a product in a set time frame and budget.
This initial experience equipped him well for a career in
consulting, and after moving to Canada, he joined Associated Engineering Ltd. as a project engineer in Vancouver.
CHOICE CHAIRMAN
Kerry Rudd, P.Eng., has received the Chairman’s Award from ACEC-Canada. The CEO
of Associated Engineering has made a point to connect with his staff and provide them
with opportunities to give back to the community.
-photo courtesy Associated Engineering
SEPTEMBER 2013 PEG | 31
Continuing Education
403.440.6875
mtroyal.ca/conted
INFO NIGHT, SEPT. 11, 5-8 PM
You.Fueling your career
Project Management
Project Management in
Construction
Business Analysis
Business Process
Management
CAPPA
Lean Management
Oil & Gas Offi ce Admin
Petroleum Joint Venture
Petroleum Land
Administration
Petroleum Land Business
Stack Sampling
Supply Chain Management
Technical Writing
32 | PEG SEPTEMBER 2013
LATITUDE Movers & ShakersLeading projects and groups, Mr. Rudd came to understand
the importance of leading by example. In each group he would
find the worst job his staff had to undertake — and participate in
it. The resulting respect he gained and knowledge he gathered
were beneficial to both staff and company.
Now based in Edmonton as president and CEO of Associated
Engineering, Mr. Rudd has amassed an impressive 29 years
with the firm. A key factor in his receipt of the award was the
company’s community engagement. Associated Engineering
encourages employees to donate their time to industry and
community organizations. Canstruction Edmonton, Capital City
Clean Up, Canadian Blood Services and the Christmas Bureau of
Edmonton are just a few of the charities that have benefited from
the company’s support.
ONE MAN, TWO CHAIRS
It’s a topic of wide debate: how to produce energy more
efficiently while considering environmental impacts. The
Edmonton Journal recently reported that Amit Kumar, P.Eng., now holds two research chairs — the NSERC Industrial
Research Chair in Energy and Environmental Systems
Engineering, and the inaugural Cenovus Energy Endowed Chair
in Environmental Engineering.
Dr. Kumar completed his education at the Indian Institute of
Technology and went on to receive a master of science degree
in energy technology from the Asian Institute of Technology.
After coming to Canada, he received a PhD from the U of A and
soon after became an assistant professor in the Department of
Mechanical Engineering. Now an associate professor, he has
SEPTEMBER 2013 PEG | 33
Continuing Education
403.440.6875
mtroyal.ca/conted
INFO NIGHT, SEPT. 11, 5-8 PM
*Ask about company training
Project Management
Business Analysis
Business Process
Management
Accessible Housing Design
Lean Management
LEED® in Practice
Petroleum Joint Venture
Supply Chain Management
Technical Writing
Taking careof business
You.
expanded his research into energy and
environmental systems engineering. The
two research programs enjoy, in total,
$4.4 million in funding from Cenovus, and
federally and provincially funded research
agencies.
Dr. Kumar and a team of 20
researchers aim to create computerized
engineering models that will examine
the economic and environmental impacts
of energy production from coal, wind,
hydro, biomass, natural gas and oil. It is
hoped the research will aid governments
in creating science-based legislation and
ENERGY IMPACTS
Amit Kumar, P.Eng., has a busy desk, thanks to two new research chairs. A team of 20 researchers will help him with
his work to explore the environmental impacts of energy production.
help industry with investment decisions.
Dr. Kumar is the associate editor of
the journal Canadian Biosystems Engineer-
ing. He has served as Alberta regional
director for the Canadian Society of
Bioengineering.
REWARDS FOR TOP RESEARCH
Fuzzy logic meets wastewater treatment
in this year’s Killam Annual Professor-
ships. Two professors, both from the
Department of Civil and Environmental
34 | PEG SEPTEMBER 2013
LATITUDE Movers & Shakers
LAMBERT I n t e l l e c t u a l • P r o p e r t y • L a w
Patent, trademark and copyright advice, filing, prosecution and litigation.
Oilfield, mechanical, petrochemical, electrical, nanotechnology,
alternative energy, software and computer related inventions.
www.lambertlaw.ca Contact Tony Lambert 780-448-0604
Engineering at the University of Alberta, received professorships
for the quality of their research, publications and other scholarly
activities.
Mohamed Gamal El-Din, P.Eng., has been concentrating his
research on water and wastewater treatment. He has an active
research program in the area of oilsands tailings treatment.
After starting a career at the U of A in 2001, Dr. Gamal
El-Din began researching the application of ozone treatment as
an advanced oxidation process. He also looked at the application
of laser measurement techniques to characterize the flow
hydrodynamics in complex multi-phase flow environments. With
numerous publications to his name, he has ventured into new
areas of research, such as artificial intelligence to describe
the behaviour of treatment systems, and the development of
nanotechnology and biofilm reactors.
For Dr. Gamal El-Din, the professorship means he will be
able to continue his oilsands research. Over the next 10 years
he aims to create innovative treatment technologies. These,
he hopes, will allow for water reuse and the safe discharge of
treated water with minimal impact on health and the environment.
The world often looks fuzzy to Aminah Robinson, P.Eng. Her
work with fuzzy logic deals with reasoning that is approximate
rather than fixed, with many variables to consider. The professor
of construction engineering and management at the U of A has
become an international expert in this field.
Dr. Robinson joined the Department of Civil and Environ-
mental Engineering in 1997. She became the NSERC Associate
Industrial Research Chair in 2007 and developed a formula for
collaborative research between the university and industry. Her
work has led to the development of applications such as contrac-
tor prequalification tools, foreman skills development tools and a
workforce absenteeism tracking tool.
Dr. Robinson recently became the NSERC Senior Industrial
Research Chair in Strategic Construction Modeling and Delivery.
Her core research is in the development of fuzzy logic techniques
to incorporate subjective reasoning and linguistic variables within
intelligent decision support systems. The research has the poten-
tial to change the way the construction industry models opera-
tions and decisions.
Dr. Robinson also holds the Ledcor Professorship in Con-
struction Engineering and is specialty editor for the ASCE Journal
of Construction Engineering and Management.
NEW INDUCTEES MAKE IMPACT
Forty-seven new fellows were inducted into the Canadian
Academy of Engineering this year. Six distinguished APEGA
Members were included in the group, which was honoured for
going beyond normal practice to contribute to the profession and
greater community.
SEPTEMBER 2013 PEG | 35
Movers & Shakers
Continuing Education
403.440.6875
mtroyal.ca/conted
INFO NIGHT, SEPT. 11, 5-8 PM
You.Business Communications
Business Law for
Contract Mgmt
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Change Management
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Event Management
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Leading the way
*Ask about company training
Tongwen Chen, P.Eng., knows all
about control. Control systems, that is.
The international authority on computer
controlled systems has over 100 journal
articles to his name — some ranking
in the top one per cent of those most
highly cited in the field. A professor at
the University of Alberta, he has directed
three NSERC strategic projects related
to improving control and monitoring of
industrial processes.
An expert on combustion, the
research of Larry Kostiuk, P.Eng., seeks to protect the environment from
the 135 billion cubic metres of natural
gas flared annually. He is a world-
leading researcher of industrial flaring.
His work includes predictive models
to assess variables such as wind
speed and heat value of flare gas. His
quantification of emissions has led to the
mitigation and reduction of greenhouse
gas emissions while still allowing
for efficient production in the energy
industry. Dr. Kostiuk previously received
the Environmental Excellence Summit
Award from APEGA and is currently
department chair of mechanical
engineering at the University of Alberta.
Another fan of clean energy, former
APEGA president Leah Lawrence, P.Eng., FEC, was also inducted for her
efforts to advance renewable energy
projects in the province. As one of the
founders of Climate Change Central
and Clean Energy Capitalists Inc.,
Ms. Lawrence has worked towards
the commercialization of new energy
technologies such as flare gas capture
and commercial-scale solar energy.
Maja Veljkovic, P.Eng., was
inducted for her leadership in fuel cell
and oilsands upgrading technologies.
In addition to building a world-class
capability and fuel-cell cluster, she has
led R&D teams at Syncrude to create a
novel spray system that feeds bitumen
into fluidized, bed-cracking reactors.
The system has been commercialized at
Syncrude Canada Ltd. and ExxonMobil
worldwide. Ms. Veljkovic is currently
president of three national engineering
organizations.
Her involvement in engineering
management has taken her to the
highest level in an international setting.
Lorraine Whale, P.Eng., is a new
fellow for her work in the hydrocarbon
energy sector. For almost 10 years
Ms. Whale has managed Royal Dutch
Shell’s global research program for
oilsands development. The program
focuses on researching methods of
improving cost-effectiveness and
reducing environmental footprints. An
international speaker, she has served
on many not-for-profit boards and
volunteers as a mentor.
The Canadian Academy of Engi-
neering is a national institution that uti-
lizes the expertise of engineers to help
shape public policy in Canada. Members
are nominated and elected by their peers
based on their achievements and service
to the engineering profession.
WHO’S MOVING WHERE
• Engineers Canada welcomed Jim Beckett, P.Eng., FEC, FGC (Hon.), of Edmonton, as its president for
the 2013-2014 term. Mr. Beckett
is a former president of APEGA
and a current board representative
on Engineers Canada’s Canadian
Engineering Accreditation Board.
See next page.
• Guy Gendron, P.Eng., of Calgary, has
accepted the position of vice-pres-
ident, engineering services, at Beta
Machinery Analysis Ltd. Dr. Gendron
was previously dean of the Schulich
School of Engineering. Interim dean
is Dr. Bill Rosehart, P.Eng.
• Steve Hrudey, P.Eng., of Edmonton,
has been appointed to the Alberta
Energy Regulator. Dr. Hrudey is a
professor emeritus at the University
of Alberta, a recognized expert on
water safety and the environment,
and an APEGA Councillor.
36 | PEG SEPTEMBER 2013
LATITUDE This and ThatBECKONED TO THE TOP
Engineers Canada
welcomed Alberta’s
Jim Beckett,
P.Eng., FEC, FGC
(Hon.), as its new
President, during the
organization’s annual
general meeting in
Yellowknife in June.
A national
organization,
Engineers Canada
represents the dozen
associations that
regulate the practice
of engineering
in Canada and
license more than
250,000 engineering
professionals. This
includes APEGA and
11 other provincial
and territorial
associations.
Mr. Beckett,
born and educated in
Edmonton, will lead
Engineers Canada
for the 2013-2014
term. Moving up
from the President-Elect position, his
responsibilities include helping build a
stronger engineering profession, and
helping increase public awareness
about Professional Engineers and their
contributions to society.
Mr. Beckett, an APEGA life member,
was APEGA President in 2009-2010
and has represented the association
on the Engineers Canada Board since
2010. He’s served on several Engineers
Canada committees and is currently
a representative on its Canadian
Engineering Accreditation Board.
Mr. Beckett has a bachelor of
science degree, with distinction, in
electrical engineering from the University
of Alberta. He’s a past member of the
university’s board of governors, its
senate and its engineering advisory
board, and his past positions on the U of
A Alumni Association include president,
vice-president and faculty adviser.
He worked 37 years with ATCO
Utilities Group, rising to the position of
executive vice-president, regulatory.
He is currently the principal at Beckett
Consulting.
We’ll have more on Mr. Beckett in
the December PEG. As the magazine
cover suggests, we dedicated a lot of
our September space to coverage of
the June floods in southern Alberta.
A few items some readers will be
expecting in this issue, in fact, did
not make it at all. If you’re one of the
writers whose material we left out,
we’ll be in touch soon.
MINI-DOC COMES OUT OFFLOOD STORY ASSIGNMENTS
And speaking of the floods, we put
two staff members on the ground in
southern Alberta, midway through July.
Corinne Lutter and Amro Maghrabi of the
APEGA Communications Group set off
with cameras and notepads in hand to
talk to Members and gather information.
Our print coverage of the flooding,
the damage done and the road ahead
starts on page 54, with stories by
Ms. Lutter, along with photos she and
others shot of damage, the beginnings
of recovery and the people who lent a
hand. APEGA’s involvement included the
secondment of Malcolm Bruce, MSM,
Director, Corporate Services, to the
province, to help kick-start its Southern
Alberta Flood Recovery Task Force.
Mr. Maghrabi, meanwhile, has
created a mini-documentary video,
called Engineers and the Southern
Alberta Floods of 2013. The doc reports
on how some of APEGA’s Professional
Engineers responded to the emergency,
and includes footage of the actual
flooding, and flood-ravaged areas and
neighbourhoods in Calgary and High
River, along with interviews with
Professional Engineers directly involved
in the flood emergency response and
mitigation efforts.
With the help of the Professional
Engineers interviewed in the video,
our Communications crew was able
to capture footage of some of the
damaged infrastructure in Calgary, such
as McLeod Trail and the South LRT
Line, as well as the hard-hit Sunrise
neighbourhood in High River. The
crew also shot footage of Calgary’s
Bearspaw Water Treatment Plant, which
remarkably was able to maintain clean
drinking water for Calgarians throughout
the intense flooding.
On the day that Mr. Maghrabi and
Ms. Lutter arrived in High River, the
residents of Sunrise were just getting
back into their homes for the first
time since the flooding occurred. The
APEGA crew had a rare chance to see
the extent of the damage before major
cleanup and restoration was underway.
“Although it was very difficult to see the
damage firsthand, it was great to see
Albertans uniting,” said Mr. Maghrabi.
“The positive vibes from a volunteer
JIM BECKETT, P.ENG. . .
. . .Engineers Canada President
SEPTEMBER 2013 PEG | 37
LATITUDEThis and That
DISCOVERE FRIENDS
APEGA’s sponsorship of DiscoverE — University of Alberta summer camps on science and engineering for young people — received recognition recently at the U of A. In this
photo, APEGA lines up with fellow supporters from the Canadian Society for Senior Engineers. From left, U of A Dean of Engineering Dr. David Lynch, P.Eng., FEC, FGC (Hon.);
Phillip Mulder, APR, FEC (Hon.) FGC (Hon.), APEGA Director, Communications; Dr. Fred Otto, P.Eng., FEC, FGC (Hon.), and Andy Jones, P.Eng., both representing the CSSE; and
Mohamed El Daly, outreach coordinator for DiscoverE.
crew from Stewart Weir — that side of
the story is really inspiring.”
The video is available on APEGA’s
YouTube Channel, under Engineers
and the Southern Alberta Floods of
2013. APEGA’s YouTube Channel is
APEGAabca, or you can reach it through
our homepage of apega.ca.
“Viewers are encouraged to share
the video on their social media chan-
nels,” Mr. Maghrabi said — a true-to-form
statement, given that he’s the public
relations coordinator assigned to social
media.
THE GEO SHORTAGE
We had a difficult time connecting
with geoscience Members, particularly
on the ground in their volunteer and
professional roles. But just as flood
recovery continues, so too does our
coverage.
After this edition, we won’t be
dedicating as much space to the subject
all at once. But we’d love to hear your
stories — whether or not you’re a
Professional Geoscientist — and we’ll
do our best to give them some mention.
Send contact coordinates, personal tales
or other information to George Lee,
editor of the The PEG, at [email protected].
38 | PEG SEPTEMBER 2013
CAREERS
Want to be more effective leading, coaching and communicating with a diverse workforce?Join ERIEC’s Career Mentorship Program to participate in no-cost, government-funded professional development. Through a mentoring relationship, you can coach an immigrant professional in engineering and help them successfully achieve employment in the Edmonton region (mentors do not fi nd jobs for their mentees).
In 24 hours over 16 weeks using an easy-to-follow-guide, you will:
• Improve your cross-cultural leadership and management skills;
• Develop intercultural skills; and• Have ‘no strings attached’ opportunities to assess
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Big company, small company — each has
its own pros and cons. It comes down to a
matter of personal choice and what values
and goals you take to the job.
But perhaps you don’t know enough
about each kind of company to make that
decision. The following list of small compa-
nies’ usual workplace qualities should help.
THE GOOD ABOUT SMALL
• You get better experience at multiple
projects and at being all things to many
people at once — that’s a very good
foundation for any career.
• Small companies tend towards true
empowerment. They do not have the
resources to keep employees glued to
their job descriptions.
• Each employee’s actions can make a
more visible difference to the company’s
successes or failures.
Those who shine really shine.
Successful employees stick out.
• You tend to get a true feeling of
entrepreneurship, which is another
outstanding foundation for any career.
• You may get an opportunity to share in
profits or even ownership.
WHAT ABOUT BAD?
• Small companies are frequently
resource constrained, so they may
not have the latest
equipment, technology,
training funds, etc.
• They are less
able to weather
market bumps,
so job security is
usually poor. Small
companies go belly-
up more frequently
than larger
companies.
• Salaries and
benefits are
generally lower
than at more
established
and larger
companies.
BIG PICTURE
For larger companies — reverse the pros
and cons above.
However, plenty of larger companies
these days are doing their best to bring the
small-business ethic of opportunity and
recognition into the workplace.
That means that if you are hired by
a well-managed and progressive large
company — a truism for many large APEGA
permit holders — most of the pros for a
small company may apply.
Big Company, Small Company?
Which One is Best for You?
OVERRIDING CONSIDERATION
In any job, if you happen to get a boss, a
supervisor or a manager who is excellent,
try to stay put for as long as you can,
regardless of whether the company is big
or small. Learn how that person operates
and why you like working for him or her,
and then use those lessons to build your
own career.
With that kind of attitude, you’ll soon
be on to bigger and better things, no matter
what size of company you’re working for.
Do the letters CEO sound attractive?
SEPTEMBER 2013 PEG | 39
CAREERS
Here is a rare career opportunity for a proven executive to play a major operational and strategic role in the future of professional self-regulation. The Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta (APEGA) is a recognized national and international leader. It is the second-largest regulator of engineering and the largest regulator of geoscience in Canada, and the largest professional association of any kind in Western Canada.
As the Registrar, you will lead a team of well-respected staff members and volunteers as they formulate policy, review practice standards, infl uence legislation (the Engineering and Geoscience Professions Act), and uphold the public interest as it relates to the professions. You understand the importance of customer service, public interest, commitment to integrity, and building strong relationships.
You will provide leadership, direction, guidance and oversight to the Regulatory Group, and you will create and foster a culture of integrity throughout the organization. You will bring demonstrated leadership and management experience and success in leading complex change. You have or are eligible for professional membership in APEGA.
Are you interested in exploring this opportunity? If so, please contactElizabeth Hurley, Principal ORArdyce Kouri, Senior Consultant ORIva Seto, Search Associate
Davies Park Edmonton1505 Scotia 210060 Jasper Avenue NWEdmonton, AB T5J 3R8
Ph: 780-420-9900Fax: 780-426-2936
Email: [email protected]: www.daviespark.com
APEGA Leadership Opportunity Registrar
Bring your talent and passion to a global organization at the forefront of business, technology and innovation. Collaborate
with diverse, talented colleagues and leaders who support your success. Help transform organizations and communities
around the world. Sharpen your skills through industry-leading training and development, as you build an extraordinary
career. Discover how great you can be.
©2013 Accenture.
All rights reserved.
Careers in Energy ConsultingAre you looking for a new challenge?
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Accenture, one of the leading providers
of energy consulting services in Canada.
With experience spanning the entire energy
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As a member of Accenture’s team, you
will be working at the forefront of this
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energy companies meet challenges
and seize opportunities.
To learn more and apply, please visit:
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40 | PEG SEPTEMBER 2013
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
LUNCHEONSTuesday, September 17
Resource Development in Alberta in the 21st
Century — When Engineering Solutions Alone
Simply Aren’t Enough
Richard Dixon, Executive Director of CABREE
Tuesday, October 15
Benefits and Returns on Investments for Intelligent Transportation
System (ITS) Applications
Sadiq A. Pirani, P.Eng., Senior Transportation Engineer,
Strathcona County, Alberta
Wednesday, October 23
LOCATION: Dow Centennial Centre, Fort Saskatchewan
Alberta Pressure Equipment Safety Programs and the Role of
APEGA Members in Over-Pressure Protection
Dr. Ken Lau, P.Eng., Chief Inspector and Administrator, ABSA
Tuesday, November 12
Managing Transitions
Gail J. Powley, P.Eng., Chair of the Women in APEGA Committee
Luncheons held at: Westin Hotel, 10135 100th St., Edmonton
Schedule: 11:30 a.m. Registration
12 p.m. Lunch
12:30 p.m. Presentation
Cost: Members – $30 ($35 at door)
Non-members – $35 ($40 at door)
Students – $15
To register: Online at www.apega.ca under Fast Find, Branch
Events Registration; or phone Sara Wolbeck
780-426-3990, toll free 1-800-661-7020, ext 2338.
SPONSORS
LUNCHEONS Wednesday, September 11
Canadian Oil, The Battle to Change Public
Perception, Nationally & Internationally
Deborah Yedlin, Calgary Herald
Wednesday, October 16
The Pueblo Viejo Gold Project: Design, Fabrication, And
Transportation of the World’s Largest Gold Autoclave
Murray S. Pearson, Hatch Ltd.
Wednesday, November 20
Natural Gas Liquids in Canada
Carlos Murillo, CERI
Wednesday, December 11
Canada-Wide Labour Demand Outlook to 2022
Cheryl Knight, Petroleum Human Resources Council of Canada
Luncheons held at: Fairmont Palliser Hotel, 133 9th Ave. S.W.
Schedule: 11:15 a.m. Registration
11.45 a.m. Luncheon
Cost: Members & Guests – $45
Students – $22
ASAP (APEGA Student Advantage Program) – $15
Register: Online at www.apega.ca under Fast Find, Branch
Events Registration; or the Calgary APEGA Office at
403-262-7714, noting any dietary restrictions.
SPONSORS
EDMONTON BRANCH CALENDAR CALGARY BRANCH CALENDAR
* PDHs
** This discount code ONLY applies to EPIC’s regular 1 to 4 day Public Seminars and Webinars. This discount may not be used in
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42 | PEG SEPTEMBER 2013
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
✔ Give back to your profession
✔ Take satisfaction in helping others
✔ Share your knowledge
✔ Enhance coaching skills
✔ Earn CPD credits
Alberta’s locally and internationally educated graduates need your help.
Please contact Arlene Lack, BScNMentoring Coordinator EMAIL: [email protected]
www.apega.ca/members/ Mentoring/tocmap.html
URGENTLY NEEDED – Mentors in the Calgary Area
✔ Give back to your profession
✔ Take satisfaction in helping others
✔ Share your knowledge
✔ Enhance coaching skills
✔ Earn CPD credits
Alberta’s locally and internationally educated graduates need your help.
Please contact Arlene Lack, BScNMentoring Coordinator EMAIL: [email protected]
www.apega.ca/members/ Mentoring/tocmap.html
URGENTLY NEEDED – Mentors in the Edmonton Area
CAMP 6
The Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer
Mr. Clayton Tiedemann P.Eng., Chief Warden of Camp #6 in Edmonton, announces that the next “The Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer” (IRON RING) Obligation Ceremony will be held November 16, 2013 at the Shaw Conference Center in Edmonton.
For further details and to obtain an application form to participate, please contact the Camp Secretary, Ms. Susan Ancel, P.Eng.
c/o EPCOR Water Services Inc. E-MAIL [email protected] Ir
on R
ing
Cer
emon
y
THANK YOU 2013 SPONSORS
Title Sponsor:
Tournament Sponsors: CH2M Hill Sherritt Coal
Media Sponsor:
Photo Sponsor:
WISEST extends a special thanks to APEGA for their partnership and support of the tournament
7TH Annual Golf Tournament & Silent Auction
Lunch Sponsor:
SEPTEMBER 2013 PEG | 43
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
REGISTER NOW AT www.cspg.org
Topics and speakers at this year’s conference include: Mudstone Sedimentology: Dr. Juergen Schieber, Indiana State University
Geomechanics and Natural Fracture Characterization: Dr. Jon Olson, University of Texas
Petrophysics in Unconventional Reservoirs: Dr. Quinn Passey, ExxonMobil
Seismic Attributes and Microseismic Advances: Dr. Mirko van der Baan, University of Alberta
Multidisciplinary Studies: Dr. Roberto Aguilera, University of Calgary
. Bring in your found rocks and fossils for identification by Professional Geologists and university geology students.
. Free admission to the clinic.
. Great family event!
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2013 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Canmore Museum and Geoscience CentreCanmore Civic Centre902 7 Avenue
Guest speakers and children’s hands-on geoscience activities
A CELEBRATION OF NATIONAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY WEEK (OCTOBER 18-27)
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2013 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
TELUS World of Science — Edmonton11211 142 Street
If you are into Rock visit the
Rock Rock && Fossil Clinic Fossil Clinic
44 | PEG SEPTEMBER 2013
Canada’s Energy Geoscien sts
CSPG Professional Development Fall Short Courses Mannville Stra graphy, Sedimentology and Petroleum Geology
Doug Cant, P.Geol.—October 16-18th
Subsurface Methods in Clas c Sediments
Doug Cant, P.Geol.—October 21-22nd
Drilling and Produc on Fundamentals
David Hill—October 21-22nd
Rock Creek Stra graphy, Sedimentology and Petroleum Geology
Doug Cant, P.Geol.—October 23rd
Conflict Resolu on Within the Realm of Oil & Gas
David Hill—October 23-24th
Fluvial Stra graphy
John Holbrook —October 23-24th
Networking: Real Worlds & Real Time Connec ons—Crea ng Powerful New Circles of Influence
Bruce Lee—October 24th
Prac cal Geomechanics for Unconven onal Oil and Gas
Pat McLellan, P.Eng.—October 24-25th
Special Workshops
Descrip on and Interpreta on of Shale Facies Workshop
Jurgen Schieber—October 18th
2013 Gussow Conference Speaker
For More Informa on and Registra on:
www.cspg.org/educa on, 403-264-5610, [email protected]
SEPTEMBER 2013 PEG | 45
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
JOIN
www.wpcyouthforum.com #whyattend
the world’s brightest YOUNG MINDS in energy
46 | PEG SEPTEMBER 2013
READINGS
Our passion to continually improve allows us to succeed in today’s competitive marketplace.
NEWS
Fuels, Energy and the Environment
By Ghazi A. Karim, P.Eng.
US $89.95
CRC Press
Editor’s Note: The book’s writer, Ghazi A. Karim, P.Eng., FEC, FGC
(Hon.), is a professor at the University of Calgary. Dr. Karim has
developed numerous undergraduate and graduate courses, conducted
research, and published extensively on topics relating to energy
conversion, fuels, combustion and the environment. He has also been
a consultant to a wide variety of public and private institutions, is a
past Summit Award winner, and is a current member of the APEGA
Professional Practice Examination Committee.
We assigned reviewing the book to a member of the APEGA
Environment Committee. Her submission follows.
The book is written as a textbook and is very technical — but
at a basic level. It proposes problems to solve within each chapter.
An engineer with an understanding of thermodynamics will have no
problem understanding it.
Realizing that, I read the book without delving into the technical
aspects or completing the problems. I found it to be what it says in
the preface — “an up-to-date, integrated, and balanced overview of
the whole rapidly changing field of fuel science and technology.”
From a more non-technical perspective, it provided a good over-
view of fuel sources, how they are used and the considerations when
choosing and designing equipment. It also provides balance with
some alternative fuels and some challenges associated with them.
All in all, this book was an interesting read.
-Shannon Hiebert, P.Eng.
SEPTEMBER 2013 PEG | 47
THANK YOU TO THE SPONSORS OF THE 2013 APEGA/ASET GOLF TOURNAMENT
Title Sponsor
Albatross Sponsors
Eagle Sponsors
Par Sponsors
Round Trip for Two Draw Sponsor
Hole-in-One Sponsors
APEGAASET Bell MobilityBudget Rent A CarCapital ColourChris TurnbullCity of Edmonton
Hole and Team Prize Contributors
Endress & HauserGill TruckingHanscomb Ltd.Hemisphere EngineeringIslay AgenciesMelcor Developments Ltd.Phoenix Fencing
Shaw Conference CentreStantecStrathcona CountyTD InsuranceWestin EdmontonWindermere Golf & Country ClubWolseley Canada
Armtec
Endress & Hauser ISL Engineering & Land Services Ltd.
48 | PEG SEPTEMBER 2013
VOLUNTEERS
And You ARE?Keith Diakiw, P.Geo.Naval Reservist
Wayne Gretzky Super Fan
APEGA Rock & Fossil Clinic Volunteer
BY CORINNE LUTTERMember & Internal Communications Coordinator
At an early age, Keith Diakiw, P.Geo., was already a self-taught
rockhound. Growing up in Hinton, he spent many long summer
afternoons exploring the outdoors, amassing a collection of rocks,
minerals and fossils, and imagining he was Indiana Jones off on a
grand adventure.
“I started thinking of myself as a geologist in Grade 6 when I
would take my yellow and black BMX bike, my dad’s red-handled
bricklaying hammer, my backpack and a magnifying glass, and head
down Collinge Road to explore different outcrops around Hinton,”
says Mr. Diakiw.
His family lived in a new subdivision with lots of exposed earth,
revealing the rocky treasures of the foothills. “There would be areas
where large culverts were installed and I remember seeing phyllite
in the rock mix and pretending I’d found silver.”
The mica in the granite boulders? Diamonds glittering in the
sun. Clusters of iron stone concretions? Dinosaur eggs, of course.
Now that he’s grown up, Mr. Diakiw’s fascination with rocks
continues and he hopes to inspire a new generation of rockhounds
as an APEGA Outreach volunteer. He started volunteering in the late
1990s when he was geology student at the University of Alberta,
visiting elementary schools to talk to Grade 3 students who were
already learning about rocks and minerals in their classes.
For the past decade, he’s shared his love for geology at APEGA
Rock & Fossil Clinics held in Edmonton. Kids and adults alike can
bring their rocks and fossils to be identified by Professional Geosci-
entists and other volunteers. Attendees enjoy other fun, hands-on
science activities, too. Last year, Mr. Diakiw brought his two young
boys along to take in the experience.
“Every year I participate, I take samples representing the major
rock categories, domestic fossils, and even some precious metals
and gemstones. It’s a great conversation starter,” says Mr. Diakiw. “I
also like to conduct mineral field tests, such as streak, hardness and
magnetism, as well as discuss products we use in our daily lives
derived from these natural resources.”
“It’s my way to give back to the community,” he says. “By
bringing my knowledge and enthusiasm to the public classroom, I
can help educate future Earth scientists.”
A COAL MINER’S SON
Mr. Diakiw’s path from young explorer to Professional Geoscientist
was a winding one.
He knew he wanted a job that would allow him to travel and
work outdoors. After high school, he planned to work at the local
coal mine, like his dad, as a heavy equipment operator. But when
a friend talked about heading to university, it opened his eyes to
different possibilities.
After graduation from high school, he ended up at the University
of Lethbridge. There, he earned a bachelor of science in physical
geography in 1996 — becoming the first in his family to earn a
degree. From there, he decided head north to continue his studies at
the University of Alberta. In 2002, he earned his bachelor of arts in
anthropology and with specialization in geology in 2003.
BASIC TRAINING
One of his first jobs after university was working on offshore oil
platforms in Brazil. A year later he returned to Canada to finish his
training as a reservist with the Royal Canadian Navy, which he had
joined in 2001.
Mr. Diakiw completed 14 weeks basic training and 10 weeks at
sea on board the HMCS Whitehorse, circumnavigating Vancouver
Island and travelling north along the West Coast via Haida Gwaii to
LIFE STORIES IN THE MAKING
Keith Diakiw, P.Geo., is one busy Professional Member — whether hiking the Burgess
Shale in Yoho National Park (right), operating heavy equipment for CNRL (above) or
sharing his enthusiasm for all things rock as an APEGA volunteer.
SEPTEMBER 2013 PEG | 49
Alaska and the Aleutian Islands. He earned
his bridge watchkeeping ticket as a qualified
maritime surface and subsurface officer,
before returning to Alberta.
Back in his home province, Mr.
Diakiw took a production geologist job on
the Horizon oilsands project, near Fort
McMurray. “When I arrived, they were still
logging, building site roads for the sites,
and all the piles and concrete were being
poured,” says Mr. Diakiw, who lives in
Edmonton but travels north for his job. He’s
worked with Canadian Natural Resources
Ltd. for more than seven years, and last
year his career came full circle when he
took a position in mine operations running a
400-tonne heavy hauler.
“I wanted to do something new and ex-
citing,” he explains. “Now I’m on the other
side of the fence and seeing the industry
from another perspective. I actually get to
see the site formations much closer than
I did as a mine geologist. Being an equip-
ment operator, I’m 20 feet away from dig
face when I queue up to the shovel, so I get
to examine the channel incisions, bedding
planes and ore grade changes with higher
precision.”
It’s a unique experience that’s giving
him a stronger understanding of the industry
— and will make him a better manager when
he soon returns to his career as a geologist.
“I consider myself a blue/white collar kind
of guy who’s OK with getting dirty and likes
to be hands-on to know how things really
work,” says Mr. Diakiw.
As part of his work with CNRL, he also
volunteers as both a mine rescue and fire
auxiliary member. And as a lieutenant with
the Canadian Naval Reserve, he was recently
selected to serve as an aide-de-camp for the
Lieutenant Governor of Alberta, a volunteer
position which involves providing logistical
support for official public functions.
Mr. Diakiw’s likes to build plastic
models. He collects coins. And he’s a Wayne
Gretzky nut — a fan so avid he collects Great
One, game-worn memorabilia. He played
hockey with Gretzky at his fantasy camp in
2005, and even has a tattoo of the hockey
legend on his shoulder — a silhouette of him
with his jersey tucked into his pants.
“I guess you could say I have a love
for life experiences,” says Mr. Diakiw. “So
when I’m old and grey in a rocking chair, I’ll
have lots of cool stories to share with my
great-grandchildren.”
You can celebrate National Science
and Technology Week in Alberta
by attending Rock & Fossil Clinics
in Canmore and Edmonton. Bring
along your found rocks and fossils
for identification by Professional
Geoscientists and university geology
students. Admission is free.
Oct. 19
Canmore – 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Canmore Museum and Geoscience
Centre
Canmore Civic Centre
902 Seventh Ave.
Edmonton – 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
TELUS World of Science — Edmonton,
11211 142nd St.
50 | PEG SEPTEMBER 2013
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Deadline: March 1, 2014
Refer to the application form for the complete list of eligibility requirements.
Application forms are available at: www.engineerscanada.ca/e/pr_awards_2.cfm
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Engineers Canada is the business name of the Canadian Council of Professional Engineers.
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52 | PEG SEPTEMBER 2013
PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE & ETHICS CORNER
Are Clients Allowed to Copy and
Distribute an Engineer’s Drawings?
BY RAY CHOPIUK, P.ENG.
APEGA Director of
Professional Practice
APEGA Members with professional
practice or ethics questions are welcome
to mail them to Ray Chopiuk, P.Eng., FEC,
FGC (Hon.), Director of Professional
Practice, APEGA, 1500 Scotia One, 10060
Jasper Ave NW, Edmonton, AB T5J 4A2;
fax them to 780-426-1877; or email them
Q I have a question about what a client is
allowed to do with the drawings I stamp
and sign. I have a regular client to whom I
provide stamped/signed design drawings
for construction. At the end of the job, I also
provide stamped/signed as-built drawings.
My client has been sending copies of
the signed/stamped drawings (mainly the
as-built set) to their client but I wasn’t aware
of that until today. I told my client that they
should not send copies of my stamped/signed
drawings to other parties without my express
permission, but they feel that since they paid
for the work, they have the right to forward
the drawings to other parties.
They’ve agreed to ask my permission in
future, but we still have a disagreement as to
whether they have the right to forward copies
of the signed prints without my permission,
since they paid for my work. I’m sure this has
come up for other consulting engineers so I’m
hoping APEGA can give me some direction
on what our clients are allowed to do with
our stamped/signed drawings without our
permission.
A It might seem like this is a simple
question with a straightforward
answer, but it isn’t. First of all, it’s a
question on a legal matter, and neither I nor
APEGA is in a position to offer legal advice.
Second, the answer depends on factors
that aren’t apparent from your summary of
the situation.
Questions on the point of a client
having or not having the right to reproduce
an engineer’s drawing have been addressed
countless times by the courts, courts of
appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada.
Higher courts have overturned rulings by
the lower courts when judges held different
views of the circumstances surrounding
particular cases, even in instances where
written contracts were in place between the
engineer and the client.
In The Canadian Law of Architecture
and Engineering, Beverley McLachlin,
Wilfred Wallace and Arthur Grant said the
following about Ownership of Drawing,
Copyright and Patent where the engineer is
an independent contractor. At the time of
publication, McLachlin was a justice of the
Supreme Court of Canada. Now she is the
Chief Justice.
Unless the contract between the architect
or engineer and client contains provisions
to the contrary, the client owns the physical
drawings prepared at his or her request
once the client has paid for them. The
courts have rejected the argument that by
custom or general usage plans belong to an
architect or engineer in such circumstances.
However, the architect or engineer who
created them owns the copyright in
them and in the design embodied in the
structure. The client may not, therefore,
reproduce the plans or repeat the design in
a new structure without the architect’s or
engineer’s express or implied consent.
To prevent the owner from being able
to use the plans for an indefinite number
of structures, it is common to insert in
the contract between the architect or
engineer and the client a clause providing
that the drawings, plans, models, designs
and specifications remain the property of
the architect or engineer and are not to
be used on any other work without the
architect’s or engineer’s prior written
agreement. Under such a clause, the plans
and specifications remain the property of
the architect or engineer even after the
structure for which they are drawn is
constructed and the architect or engineer
has been paid. In such circumstances,
in return for the payment for the plans
and specifications, the client acquires the
right to use the designs for the purpose of
constructing the structure contemplated
and that structure only. The copyright in
the plans and specifications remains in the
architect or engineer who created them.
It is an implied term of such a contract
that the client is entitled to make as many
copies of the plans as may be necessary for
the completion of the work and give them
to contractors and subcontractors for that
purpose.
-Reprinted with permission of LexisNexis
Canada Inc. All Rights Reserved
Although this doesn’t address your
question directly, hopefully it will be of
some help. As you can see, the answer in
your particular situation will depend on
the terms of the contract between you and
your client, and also on whom the client is
forwarding copies of the drawings to and
for what purpose.
SEPTEMBER 2013 PEG | 53
COMPLIANCE COMMENT
Relying on a Contractor?
Remember to Check for a Permit
BY JAMES HUNTING, P.ENG.
APEGA Director of Compliance
If you are aware of practice or title
violations, we encourage you to contact
James Hunting, P.Eng., Director of
Compliance, at [email protected].
The Compliance Department accepts
anonymous complaints.
In these busy times, corporations, Profes-
sional Engineers and Professional Geosci-
entists often rely on contractors to help
them get the job done. In the rush to find
the right person or company for the job,
however, how many of us take the time to
ensure that the help we’re contracting is
licensed?
This is an important step to take,
because if a company is providing you
with engineering or geoscience services, it
must hold a permit to practice.
While it is not uncommon for engineers
and geoscientists to check the APEGA
Member Register to ensure individuals are
Professional Members of APEGA, fewer
take the time to verify that the company
employing the individuals holds a permit to
practice. We have a register for that, too, on
the APEGA website.
So, you might be asking, what is the
benefit of a corporate licence? And why is
it in my best interest to check for a permit?
According to the Engineering and
Geoscience Professions Act, no corporation
except a permit holder shall engage in the
practice of engineering or geoscience.
Alberta is one of only several provinces
that require a corporate licence. We may be
in the minority, but the Alberta Legislature
enacted the requirement for good reason.
Actually, for several good reasons.
The first revolves around the Alberta
Interpretation Act, which states that in an
enactment of the Alberta Legislature (such
as our act and regulation), the definition of
“person” includes a corporation. Accord-
ingly, the EGP Act requires that each com-
pany, as a person under the law, must hold
a proper licence to be entitled to practise
engineering or geoscience.
The regulations of the EGP Act also
require that all engineering and geoscien-
tific activities of a corporation be carried
out under the direct personal supervision
and responsibility of a full-time, perma-
nent employee who is also a Professional
Member of APEGA. This Responsible
Member, as he or she is called, should be
someone of influence at the company — a
person who can ensure that concerns of
the Professional Members they supervise
are heard at the highest level and duly
considered. This helps ensure that a com-
pany performs its duties professionally
and ethically.
Finally, a permit confirms that a
corporation has a plan in place to assure
the quality of the services provided to the
public. The EGP Act’s regulations require
that a Professional Member certify that
the company has in place and will follow
a professional management plan that is
appropriate to the company’s professional
practice. The plan should outline how
professional services are developed,
verified and authenticated, prior to being
issued for use. The mandatory attendance
at a seminar every five years reinforces
the duties and responsibilities that those
Members carry with respect to their
professional services.
What are the potential consequences
of associating with a company that does
not hold a permit? If the company has
had its permit struck or cancelled by the
association, individuals and companies risk
facing disciplinary action for associating
with the company, as per Section 97(2)
of the EGP Act. If a company is practising
unknowingly without a permit, the APEGA
Compliance Department can require that
it cease and desist all practice until one is
obtained. While our preference is always
to work with a company to assist it in
getting properly licensed, Compliance has
sought and won legal injunctions against
companies that have refused to comply.
If you have any questions regarding
the permit to practice, please consult our
website, apega.ca, or contact the Compli-
ance Department.
54 | PEG SEPTEMBER 2013
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On the
Ground and in the
MuckWhen southern Alberta needed
APEGA Members and permit
holders, you were there — with
your wallets, your brains, your
brawn and your compassion.
Following is a sampling of your
stories, along with a close look
at the damage done by the
Great Flood of 2013, the lessons
learned and the strategies
necessary for mitigation
STORIES BY CORINNE LUTTERMember & Internal Communications
Coordinator
SEPTEMBER 2013 PEG | 55
-photo by Corinne Lutter
56 | PEG SEPTEMBER 2013
COVER
‘No One Person Could Do This Alone’They flipped burgers and baked muffins to feed volunteers. They scrubbed mould and removed muck
and ruined appliances from flooded homes. Raised money for relief efforts. Donated their professional
services and time. APEGA Members were among the thousands of Albertans who stepped forward in a
time of need to help communities recover and rebuild
The humans may have been kept away, but there were no such
restrictions for the nine long-toed salamanders living it up in the
toxic muck in Linda Clarke’s flooded High River home. Volunteers
from Stewart Weir, a land surveying, engineering and environ-
mental consulting firm, found the amphibious residents on July
16, nearly a month after the Highwood River spilled its banks and
turned Ms. Clarke’s Sunrise neighbourhood into a lake dotted with
flooded houses.
Crews were now allowed into Ms. Clarke’s home to start
cleaning up, and the team from Stewart Weir’s Calgary office was
eager to get at it. While staff had been doing work in the town for
a couple weeks already, this house had a personal connection. Ms.
Clarke’s daughter, Laura Richeson,
is a safety representative with the
company, and her co-workers had
been waiting since late June to
help on site.
Volunteers from her employer
brought not only their muscles,
says Ms. Richeson, but also
supplies, food, drinks and caring.
“I can’t begin to explain how
important their support has been
for us,” she says. “No one person
could do this alone. No family
could do this alone.”
“Being a family is one of
our company values,” says Basir
Saleh, P.Eng., Stewart Weir’s
transportation infrastructure
manager. “It makes it very special
to help one of our own.”
The high-water mark was
six inches above Ms. Clarke’s
main floor. Despite the devastation to her modest, one-storey
bungalow, a smile lit up her face as she watched Mr. Saleh and
the other volunteers — their white coveralls now spattered with
brown — haul ruined belongings to the front curb. “I have these
wonderful people to help me and a loving family, and that’s more
important than stuff,” she says. “There’s no way you could put a
value on the work that these people have done, and the passion
and caring they have given me is just overwhelming.”
The volunteers did, by the way, safely relocate those
salamanders.
Stewart Weir budgeted $25,000 for 40 Calgary staff members
to support cleanup in Calgary and High River. Between June 24
and July 19, teams of five to 10 employees spent more than 700
hours pitching in.
“About 90 per cent of our staff members have picked up
a shovel and gone out to help,” says Mr. Saleh. “Residents are
grateful. Every individual that you talk to has a story that touches
people’s hearts. They are
overwhelmed, but the helping
hands give them hope more than
anything. Everybody has that
sense of hope for the future.”
Walking around High River in
mid-July, he was shocked by the
damage. “It was just devastating,
and to me that’s when it kind of
kicked in, the havoc two or three
weeks later. It was completely
a ghost town, cars full of mud.
When you see it on TV it’s one
thing, but when you see it in real
life it hits home,” says Mr. Saleh.
MISSION POSSIBLE — BUT DAUNTING
Members of the integrity
engineering group at Calgary’s
NAL Resources Management also
felt compelled to lend a hand to
their neighbours in the south. Nine volunteers cleaned two High
River houses in one day as part of the Mission Possible 2 Flood
Relief efforts.
“Everyone chipped in shoveling mud, moving furniture,
tearing up carpet and even removing a now infamous fridge from
“I have these
wonderful people to
help me and a loving
family, and that’s
more important
than stuff.”LINDA CLARKE
High River Resident
SEPTEMBER 2013 PEG | 57
FROM HOME TO CURB
High River homeowner Linda Clarke (back row, third from left) is surrounded by her family and the clean-up crew from Stewart Weir outside her flooded High River home, including
Basir Saleh, P.Eng. (front left). Ms. Clarke was finally able to start cleaning out her flooded Sunrise home on July 16.
-photo by Corinne Lutter
58 | PEG SEPTEMBER 2013
COVER
one apartment,” says team lead Adam
Moore, P.Eng. “It was very moving to see
the community pitching in to help their
neighbours with the huge recovery effort.
We quickly realized how daunting this
cleanup is and how difficult it would be for
residents if they didn’t receive help and
donations.”
The homeowners included an elderly
couple who couldn’t move furniture on
their own. “They made a point of taking a
photo of each group of volunteers so they
could always remember the help they got,”
says Mr. Moore. “At the second house we
visited, we helped retrieve mud-soaked
furniture from the basement, which was
an engineering challenge in itself as the
furniture weighed several times more than
if it was dry and it was extremely difficult
to grip.”
FOCUSED FUNDRAISING
Returning to their downtown Calgary office
a few days after the flooding, employees
and executives at Focus Corporation had
one question on their minds: What can we
do to help?
“Before we knew it, everyone was
donating money towards relief from
the flooding,” says Trent Purvis, P.Eng.,
Focus’s manager of land development
engineering in the southern region. “We
were really blown away by the employees’
generosity.”
Through the company’s Stampede
breakfast, golf and bowling tournaments,
along with other events, employees raised
$15,000, a total the company matched. On
one day’s notice, staff also answered an
appeal to organize a barbecue that fed 300
hungry volunteers who were helping the
owners of flooded homes.
“It was really rewarding,” says Mr.
Purvis. “We felt like it was a small effort
that we could make to support the hun-
dreds of people who were getting their
hands dirty and cleaning up.”
BEFORE AND AFTER
Adam Moore, P.Eng., (above, blue coveralls) and a team of volunteers from NAL Resources lend a hand in High River,
cleaning two houses in one day. Among their tasks: shoveling mud, moving furniture and tearing up carpet.
-photos courtesy Adam Moore, P.Eng.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 64 ››
SEPTEMBER 2013 PEG | 59
COVER
APEGA DirectorHas ‘Critical,Positive Impact’From a helicopter 600 feet above Kananaskis Country, APEGA’s
Director, Corporate Services, gained new respect for the force
of the June 2013 floods. Malcolm Bruce, MSM, saw trees that had
been snapped like twigs, roads washed out of existence, bridges
wiped out.
“It was very sobering to see the extent of the damage,” recalls
Mr. Bruce.
Four days earlier, as much of southern Alberta was being
swamped by flood waters, Mr. Bruce got a call from an old friend
and former military colleague. Andre Corbould, P.Eng., had been
appointed Chief Assistant Deputy Minister of the Southern Alberta
Flood Recovery Task Force. Was Mr. Bruce available to help get the
task force up and running?
Mr. Bruce and APEGA’s executive were quickly on board.
“APEGA was looking at ways to assist and this seemed like a good
fit,” says Mr. Bruce, who works from APEGA’s Edmonton office. He
was seconded to the task force for two weeks.
“APEGA had a very critical, positive impact on the recovery
task force, starting from day one, by providing Malcolm’s expertise,”
says Mr. Corbould. “I had about four days to build a task force of
up to 80 people. At the same time I had to figure out what the task
force was going to do once it was built. So I reached out to APEGA
for a specific expertise and got great support.”
Mr. Bruce’s expertise comes out of 30 years in the military
with a focus on leadership and planning. The former commander of
CFB Suffield has five overseas missions under his belt, including
divisional level planning in Iraq with the British Forces and as a
chief of advisers in Afghanistan. He was involved in operational
planning during the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver — but more
pertinently the 1997 Red
River flood in Manitoba
and the 2007 Fraser
River flood in B.C.
“My background and
experience have enabled
me to take a concept, an
idea, and bring it through
to fruition. That’s one of
the skillsets that I was
able to bring to the table,”
says Mr. Bruce.
His immediate role
was to help develop the
task force’s organiza-
tional structure and find
individuals from various
government departments to staff it. He also helped develop a model
for the provincial recovery framework.
The Alberta Emergency Management Agency was in charge of
the immediate response, but the task force was needed to quickly
take over recovery and rebuilding.
“It was a bit of a challenge to ensure that we had the right
people in place, but every ministry really stepped up to the plate.
“It was a bit of a challenge to ensure that
we had the right people in place, but every
ministry really stepped up to the plate. They
were really putting their best folks forward”MALCOLM BRUCE, MSM
They were really putting their best folks forward,” says Mr. Bruce.
Within two week, the task force was about 70 per cent staffed
and Alberta Emergency Management Agency was beginning to
transition responsibility for some affected communities to the task
force. When Mr. Bruce’s work wrapped up on July 3, the task force
was fully operational.
“I’ve worked on a number of domestic operations in this
country and this was by far one of the best responses I’ve seen.
From the Premier right through to the folks affected on the ground,
people just wanted to do the right thing and get on with the job,”
says Mr. Bruce. “I met some tremendous individuals over the course
of the two weeks and I was very proud to be a small part of it.”
MALCOLM BRUCE, MSM
60 | PEG SEPTEMBER 2013
THE FUN ELEMENT
A contingent from Scheffer Andrew Ltd. is shown at the Alberta Flood Aid concert. From left are Ben Petch, Todd Boley, Ross Thurmeier, P.Eng., Matt Luik, P.Eng.,
and Angie Lucas.
-photo courtesy Matt Liuk, P.Eng.
SEPTEMBER 2013 PEG | 61
COVER
APEGA Members and permit holders are among those who have opened their hearts and wallets to raise money in straightforward — and creative — ways
Performers held benefit events, children set up lemonade stands,
and the Calgary Stampede sold more than 150,000 Hell or High
Water T-shirts. There were silent auctions, comedy nights, bake
sales, pancake breakfasts and even Alberta Rose doughnuts at Tim
Hortons.
Professional Members responded to an appeal on APEGA’s
website and donated more than $17,000 to flood relief efforts
through the Canadian Red Cross. APEGA permit holders large
and small were among the generous companies that not only
provided expertise and resources to flood-ravaged communities
— everything from cleaning supplies to fuel cards to pumping
services and volunteers — but also pledged thousands and even
millions of dollars to relief organizations. Many companies are
matching individual employee contributions.
John Henry, P.Eng., president and CEO of Calgary-based
Tarpon Energy Services, watched as floods inundated his home
town of High River. A company news release said Tarpon was
donating $10,000 to the Red Cross. “It’s overwhelming to see
the devastation . . . Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone
affected by the floods,” Mr. Henry said.
AltaLink announced on its website a $100,000 contribution
to the Calgary Foundation’s Flood Rebuilding Fund. “Like so
many others, we have been inspired by the spirit shown by
volunteers to help their neighbours as Alberta recovers from
this flood,” said Dennis Frehlich, P.Eng., AltaLink’s interim
president and CEO.
With a US $1 million contribution, ConocoPhillips was
among several corporations that announced seven-figure
donations. “So many people in southern Alberta have been
impacted by this disaster, and we want to support the
outstanding work that emergency responders and organizations
like the Red Cross have been doing, and will be doing over the
coming days and weeks,” said Ken Lueers, P.Geol., president of
ConocoPhillips Canada.
Among other permit-holding companies that donated are
• Agrium ($50,000)
• Apache Canada ($500,000)
• Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. ($1 million)
• Cenovus Energy Inc. ($1 million)
• Chevron Canada Resources ($150,000)
• Dow Chemical Canada, with Dow Agro Sciences ($100,000)
• Encana Corp.($500,000)
• Finning Canada, with Caterpillar Foundation ($150,000)
• Focus Corporation ($15,000)
• FortisAlberta Inc. ($100,000)
• General Electric Canada ($50,000)
• Husky Energy Inc. ($1 million)
• Imperial Oil, with Exxon Mobil ($500,000)
• Long Run Exploration Ltd., Phoenix Technology Services,
Cathedral Energy Services Ltd., Coral Hill Energy Ltd.,
Secure Energy Services Inc. and industry partners
($1 million)
• Noise Solutions ($10,000)
• Nova Chemicals Corporation ($100,000)
• Q9 Networks ($50,000)
• Shaw Communications ($1 million)
• Shell Canada ($550,000)
• Statoil Canada and PTTEP Canada Ltd. ($1 million)
• Suncor Energy Inc. ($1.5 million)
• Syncrude Canada Ltd. ($150,000)
• Viterra Inc. ($75,000).
Editor’s Note: APEGA staff went to a number of sources to find
out which of our permit holders made donations to flood relief,
but of course it was impossible to find out about them all. If your
company made a donation that is not acknowledged here, please
email the information to Gillian Bennett, editorial assistant,
[email protected], and we’ll make mention in The PEG or online.
If you have an interesting donation-in-
kind story to tell us, please
pass that information
along, too.
From Doughnuts to Dollars
mpany made a donation that is not acknowledged here, please
mail the information to Gillian Bennett, editorial assistant,
[email protected], and we’ll make mention in The PEG or online.
you have an interesting donation-in-
nd story to tell us, please
ss that information
ong, too.
62 | PEG SEPTEMBER 2013
COVER
SEARCH, RESCUE — AND INSPECT
Christopher Banbury, P.Eng., a volunteer with Canada
Task Force 2, inspects a C-Train bridge in Calgary
along Macleod Trail near Erlton/Stampede Station.
The bridge spans the Elbow River.
-photo courtesy Canada Task Force 2
“There were
massive piles
of donations in
the middle of the
gym. It was so
high it reached
half-way up the
ceiling. There
were no limits
to how generous
people had
been with their
donations.”
BINNU JEYA KUMAR, P.ENG.Volunteer in Morley
SEPTEMBER 2013 PEG | 63
64 | PEG SEPTEMBER 2013
COVER
FROM HASHTAG TO HANDS
A few days after the flooding, Calgarian
Binnu Jeya Kumar, P.Eng., was checking
#YYC on Twitter when she saw a call for
volunteers in Morley, one of several First
Nations communities hit hard by flood
waters. She baked three dozen muffins
for volunteers, then headed out to deliver
them and see how else she could help.
“I ended up spending the day in the
high school gym in Morley where the
donations were coming in, helping sort the clothing and food. It
was a very inspiring day,” says Ms. Jeya Kumar. “There were
massive piles of donations in the middle of the gym. It was so
high it reached half-way up the ceiling. There were no limits to
how generous people had been with their donations.”
THE FEE WAIVING WAVE
In the aftermath of the flooding, the media reported that engineers
were walking around flooded neighbourhoods, volunteering
professional services. Calgary resident Naser Rabbani, P.Eng., was
one of them. He provided structural inspections on several severely
damaged homes in High River. It was just one small way he could
help victims who lost so much, he says.
“It was really sad to see all the destruction caused, although
the people I met were so strong and determined to move on,” says
Dr. Rabbani, who has a PhD in civil engineering.
THE SEARCH-AND-RESCUE ENGINEER
Canada Task Force 2 — CAN-TF2 for short — is a heavy, urban
search-and-rescue team of more than 100 firefighters, paramedics,
doctors and other professionals. All of them are volunteers. At the
request of the provincial government, the team responded to the
crisis.
“Every individual that you talk to has a story
that touches people’s hearts. They are
overwhelmed, but the helping hands give
them hope, more than anything. Everybody
has that sense of hope for the future.”
BASIR SALEH, P.ENG.Stewart Weir
Among CAN-TF2’s ranks is a structural engineer, Edmonton-
based Christopher Banbury, P.Eng. Actually a U.S. resident, Mr.
Banbury came to Canada in 2011 on a work visa.
The flood was his first deployment with the task force. He
arrived in Calgary on June 22 in the midst of the disaster, and
spent six days assisting the city’s emergency operations centre by
inspecting bridges, flooded homes and commercial buildings.
“I wanted to do something to help, something to give back to
the community and to Canada, and this is one way I could do that
effectively,” says Mr. Banbury.
SONGS OF SUPPORT
Eight weeks after the flooding, APEGA Members were still giving
back. A team of volunteers from Scheffer Andrew Ltd. helped out
at the Alberta Flood Aid concert, Aug. 15 at Calgary’s McMahon
Stadium. The concert raised an estimated $1.5 million for the
Calgary Foundation’s Flood Rebuilding Fund. A variety of Canadian
acts from across the popular music spectrum performed, among
them Jann Arden, the Sadies, the Sheepdogs, Nickelback, Loverboy,
Ian Tyson and Colin James.
Says Matt Luik, P.Eng., the Calgary branch manager for Scheffer
Andrew: “As a firm of planners and engineers in the land develop-
ment industry, the flooding affected us and our clients personally and
professionally. Volunteering at such a great event was a fitting way to
give back to our community, and it was a lot of fun.”
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 58 ››
SEPTEMBER 2013 PEG | 65
COVERFlood NumbersOVERALL
19 the day in June that flooding
starts in Canmore — the Great
Flood of 2013 is underway
150 to 200 rainfall in
millimetres
in the upper portions of the Bow, Oldman
and Red Deer River basins
S300 rainfall in millimetres in
the Sheep River basin
20 the day in June that #abflood
begins trending on Twitter
29 number of local states of
emergency declared
55,000 total flood zone in
square kilometres
14,500 homes damaged across
southern Alberta
2,700people still in temporary
housing, in hotels, or with
friends and family two months after the flooding
8,000applications for
disaster recovery relief
as of mid-August
10number of years the
Government of Alberta
estimates full recovery may take
1 billion amount in dollars of Govern-
ment of Alberta’s initial, first-phase support
of flood recovery and reconstruction
5 billion+ dollars necessary
to rebuild damaged infrastructure
400 million damage in dollars
from the 2005 floods in Alberta
2,300 Canadian Forces troops deployed
254 homes located in floodways
that may qualify for
government relocation funds
985 kilometres of provincial roads
and bridges closed from damage
857 kilometres of provincial roads and
bridges reopened as of Sept. 4
CALGARY
50,000 residents evacuated
from 26 neighbourhoods
1,750 peak flow of Bow River in cubic
metres per second, which is
equal to about 100 million litres of water
flowing past every minute and is more than
twice the peak flow during the 2005 flood
2,500 seats replaced in the Calgary
Scotiabank Saddledome
10 rows of Saddledome flooded
650,000 hours crews put in
repairing Saddledome
5 the September day the
Saddledome reopens
11 & 12 the September days the Eagles
perform at the Saddledome
20 bridges closed
16 C-Train stations closed
3C-Train tunnels flooded
34,000 locations without power
1.5 time in days it takes to rebuild 0.3
lane-kilometres of MacLeod Trail
washed out by the Elbow River
12 days to rebuild 100 metres of C-Train
lines destroyed by flood water
424 million Estimated cost
in dollars to
repair damaged city infrastructure
45mm Calgary rainfall on June
20, a one-day record
35.1mm One day, previous record for
rainfall, set in 1964
160 Calgary Zoo animals moved
to higher ground
HIGH RIVER
13,000residents evacuated
300 residents who defied the
evacuation order
80% of High
River
without
basic
services, such as water, electricity and
sewage, during the worst of the flooding
30 thousand tonnes of garbage taken
to Foothills Regional Landfill in
six weeks after the flood
300-400 tonnes of garbage taken to Foothills
Regional Landfill during an average month
2,050 truckloads of debris
removed from High
River’s residential areas
CANMORE
1,200 residents evacuated
120 homes damaged along
Cougar Creek, including 40
with structural damage
3§ Cougar Creek homes not
expected to be repairable
30 width of Cougar Creek in metres
before the flood
150 width of Cougar Creek in metres
after the flood
MEDICINE HAT
7,100+ residents evacuated
1,000 estimated homes damages
5,460 peak
flow in
cubic
metres per second of the South
Saskatchewan River
66 | PEG SEPTEMBER 2013
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SIKSIKA FIRST NATION
1,000 residents evacuated
170 homes flooded
STONEY NAKODA NATION
700 people evacuated
300 homes flooded
TURNER VALLEY
46 homes evacuated due to sour gas
pipeline leak, the result of debris in
the Sheep River damaging a flow line
6 homes flooded
BRAGG CREEK
1,150 residents evacuated
180 homes flooded
BLACK DIAMOND
66 homes evacuated
61 homes flooded
'1 water treatment
plant destroyed
3 wells destroyed
KANANASKIS COUNTRY
740 people evacuated from
campgrounds and other facilities
25 aerial missions to rescue people
and deliver supplies
116 people rescued by aerial missions
TRANSCANADA HIGHWAY
6 time in days it takes to reopen high-
way to two-way traffic after major
washout between Canmore and Banff
EXSHAW
320 people evacuated
120 homes flooded
Flood Recovery Leaders
Tell Their Stories —
And Outline Their Plans
In post-flood Alberta, Professional Engineers are crucial to the recovery and rebuilding process. Meet four leaders whose experience and skills are being put to the test as provincial and municipal governments clean up and face the future
SEPTEMBER 2013 PEG | 67
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Q&A with Andre Corbould, P.Eng., OMM
Chief Assistant Deputy Minister, Southern Alberta Flood Recovery Task ForceB.Eng. (Civil Engineering), Royal Military College of Canada (1989)
Master’s Degree (Management), University of Canberra (2002)
Master’s Degree (Defence Management and Policy), Royal Military
College of Canada (2007)
Overseeing the widespread repair and rebuilding of flood-damaged
infrastructure is no simple task, but if anyone is up for this $5-billion
challenge, it’s Andre Corbould, P.Eng., a former brigadier-general in
the Canadian Forces. Over a 30-year military career, he worked as
an engineer and field commander on tours in Iraq, Kuwait, Bosnia,
East Timor and Afghanistan. In 2006, he worked with 24 Afghan
ministries to develop a national reconstruction plan; he returned
ALL PART OF THE JOB
Andre Corbould, P.Eng., briefs the media Aug. 22, during a Government of Alberta
announcement in Bragg Creek on floodway relocation compensation.
-photo by Joel Belizario, Government of Alberta
there in 2010 to command 20,000 troops with the United States
Army’s 10th Mountain Division.
Domestic operations he’s been involved in include the 1997
Winnipeg flood and the Swiss Air recovery in 1998. He also led
security forces at the Vancouver Winter Olympics in 2010. After
retiring from the army in 2012, Mr. Corbould transitioned to a new
public service role as Assistant Deputy Minister of Regional Services
for Alberta Transportation. His new marching orders came June 21
in the midst of the worst national disaster in Alberta’s history.
Edited and condensed for publication, the following interview looks at his
first few months on the Southern Alberta Flood Recovery Task Force.
The PEG: What was your role when the flooding began and how did it evolve?
Andre Corbould: For the first 48 hours I was working with my
regional director in southern Alberta on initial flood response,
dealing with our maintenance contractors and assessing the damage.
I got a phone call at 11 a.m. on Friday, June 21, and was asked to
lead the recovery effort. By 1 o’clock I was over in the provincial
operations centre, absorbing everything that was going on.
The PEG: What were your initial goals?
AC My job was to build a task force to eventually take over
for the Alberta Emergency Management Agency, as we
transitioned from the response to the recovery phase. On Saturday
and Sunday I spent all my effort working on my mission analysis,
putting together a draft provincial recovery framework plan to
present to the Premier and cabinet for approval.
The PEG: When did you begin putting the framework into action?
AC We started the same week we put it together. Some
elements kicked in very early; in fact some elements were
already starting with the response force, in terms of enabling and
supporting local municipalities. Some of it will take a little longer
to kick in. It’s about varying degrees. For example, the long-term
greater mitigation planning and discussion has started and we’ve
done some work in High River to scrape the river. That’s the first
of several mitigation methods that will be put into action over the
next few years. We started almost immediately with some of these
actions and of course we go back and do more and more every day.
This is a long-term recovery and I’ve been told I’ll probably be with
the task force for at least a year.
The PEG: What are the top priorities for provincial infrastruc-ture rebuilding?
AC We’ve got a four-page list of critical infrastructure that
was damaged and it includes schools, hospitals, seniors’
68 | PEG SEPTEMBER 2013
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homes, roads, bridges, water and sewage
treatment plants. It probably took us about
three weeks to get a real good hard assess-
ment on all the provincial infrastructure that
was hit. We are clearly placing a priority
of effort on things like water and sewage
treatment plants and hospitals, because
those are essential to normalcy and healthy
living. The next level is schools. Our intent
is to make sure all schools are operational
before school starts in the fall.
The PEG: You spent some time touring the flood zones. What did you see and how did it compare to what you saw during the Winnipeg floods?
AC To see some of Highway 1 ripped
up and Highway 66 cut in half by
the force of water — it’s always surprising
to see the force of nature. That was the
initial shock. Winnipeg was different
because it was one large flooded area.
Alberta has many flooded areas with lots of
significant local impacts.
The PEG: Looking to the future, do Professional Engineers need to change the way they design public infrastructure to deal with the impacts of climate change?
AC Professional Engineers are always
changing the way that they design,
no matter what they’re doing. In my time at
Alberta Transportation, we were continually
looking at innovations and better ways of
doing things. The same is true of recovery
in a disaster. Every time one of these things
happens, we learn more about it and we
learn better ways of mitigating it. At the
provincial level, we’re definitely going to
work with others on what the best practices
are. I think there could be some designs that
come out of this that become best practices
around the world.
Gordon Stewart, P.Eng.Recovery Director, City of CalgaryB.Sc. (Civil Engineering), University of
Calgary, 1973
Gordon Stewart, P.Eng., is no stranger to
managing big projects. In 2011 and 2012, he
oversaw the largest single infrastructure
project undertaken by the City of Calgary,
the $1.4 billion west LRT line. The city’s
director of transportation infrastructure, he
was in charge of the $295 million Airport
Tunnel Road project – the most expensive
road project in the city’s history — when
flood waters hit.
Two weeks later, on July 8, he was
named recovery director for his city, a role
that’s expected to last four to 12 months.
“This was never really in my career
plan,” he says, “but it actually allows me to
draw on a number of skills that I’ve devel-
oped over the years, working on capital
projects and in plant operations and emer-
gency services. So it’s a lot of little pieces
that kind of fit together.”
Over the past few months, his job has
been to come up with an action plan on how
to get displaced Calgarians back in their
homes and repair about $425 million in
damaged infrastructure.
“My approach is to tackle this like any
other complex problem — look at what the
issues are, evaluate them and bring together
a team to solve them,” says Mr. Stewart.
“There’s going to be a lot of work done by a
lot of people, and a good chunk of those will
be engineers.”
It’s a huge challenge, partly because
the problem isn’t fully defined yet.
“We’re working through the process
now in addressing the issues, whether they
be infrastructure issues or people issues.
We’re using frameworks that we’ve put
in place to manage projects, and this is a
project like other ones,” says Mr. Stewart.
A top priority has been repairing $25
million in damaged roadways. Final repairs
to most of the city’s major transportation
infrastructure wrapped up around mid-
August. But damage to pedestrian bridges,
buildings, wastewater treatment plants,
riverbanks, paths, parkland, athletic fields
and outdoor pools will take months and
possibly years to repair or replace.
“Part of the recovery effort is de-
termining to what standards we should
construct,” says Mr. Stewart. To that end,
the city has established an expert panel to
investigate ways to reduce and manage
future flood risks.
“We’ll be looking at some of the mitiga-
TICK IT OFF THE LIST
Gordon Stewart, P.Eng., recovery director for the City
of Calgary, stands in front of the south line at Erlton/
Stampede Station, where a 100-metre stretch of tracks
destroyed by flooding was completely rebuilt in less than
two weeks.
-photo by Corinne Lutter
SEPTEMBER 2013 PEG | 69
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tion strategies we should do on a larger scale,” he says. “Should we
build berms or protection walls? Obviously there are things that can
be done, and that’s what we’ll have to identify.”
And there’s a big pair of questions always in play: “What does
that cost and where does that money come from?”
Andy Esarte, P.Eng.Disaster Recovery Team Infrastructure Lead, Town of Canmore B.E.Sc. (Civil Engineering), University of Western Ontario, 2003
After experiencing two major floods in Canmore over the past
two years, Andy Esarte, P.Eng., has a whole new appreciation for
Mother Nature.
In early June 2012, flooding along Cougar Creek in the
picturesque mountain town eroded banks and damaged pathways,
causing $1.3 million in damage. Just over a year later, a flash
flood on the same creek wreaked much more havoc, washing out
highways and damaging 120 homes along its banks. The creek
grew from 40 metres wide to more than 100 metres wide in some
spots. This time, the damage is expected to reach $10 million.
Officials were still tallying the tab two months later.
“Last year was supposed to be a big one. We responded to it
fairly aggressively and spent $3.2 million on flood mitigation. That
was a really large program for a town our size,” says Mr. Esarte, the
town’s manager of engineering.
The mitigation included additional armouring along 800 metres
of creek bank, with more work planned for 2014. But on June
19, rushing water laden with boulders and trees washed out the
armouring and the banks it was protecting.
“It was humbling,” says Mr. Esarte. “It’s raised my awareness
of how important it is to better understand our natural environment
and to protect ourselves as best we can — but also that there are
limits to what you can do with engineering.”
GROUND ZERO
Mr. Esarte and town officials were monitoring the weather on June
19 and knew a significant storm system was on its way. At 4 p.m.,
on his way to an evening meeting, he checked on Cougar Creek.
It was dry — the norm other than during spring runoff or heavy
storms. When he returned around 10:30 p.m., water was starting to
flow, carrying with it debris that was already blocking culverts.
Suddenly, both the TransCanada Highway and Highway 1A
were flooded. Shortly after that, the Canadian Pacific Railway tracks
washed out.
Mr. Esarte and the town’s engineering department, alongside
local engineering consultants and other emergency personnel,
started a race to save Elk Run Boulevard and the Three Sisters
Parkway — the only routes left to bring supplies to the town. Both
were in danger of being washed out.
“When I was standing on the Elk Run culvert, a large section
of armouring that protects the culvert inlet sloughed into the creek.
The armouring had been in place for decades. It was pretty clear at
that point that this was different from the storm that had washed
out the CP tracks in the past, and that it was different from anything
we had ever experienced,” says Mr. Esarte.
Time: not even 1 a.m.
Soon after, the town began evacuating residents along the
creek and by 3:40 a.m. its emergency operations centre went live.
It took a couple of days for the town to stabilize Elk Run
Boulevard and Three Sisters Parkway, but they were able to keep
those vital outside links open for deliveries and emergency services.
“We worked around the clock for two and a half days before
it was stable. I think in the first four days, I had something like 15
hours of sleep,” says Mr. Esarte. In the first week after the event,
about 25 engineers from the town and surrounding communities
offered support with road infrastructure, bridge inspections
and other issues, including repairs to the water and wastewater
treatment plants.
WORKING THROUGH THE LIST
As of early September, all but 13 homes were safe for occupation,
says Mr. Esarte. Three houses may have to be demolished and 40
had structural damage. The disaster recovery team is working its
way down a long list of small, medium and major projects to repair
damaged infrastructure, including roads, bridges, culverts and banks.
As part of the recovery efforts, channel restoration was
undertaken on Cougar Creek to manage any summer storms. The
town has also hired an engineering firm to develop the Mountain
Creek Flood Mitigation Plan, to better understand how mountain
creeks behave and to identify steps that can be taken to reduce
future risk.
IN THE SCENE
Andy Esarte, P.Eng., inspects riprap at the centre of the historic Canmore Engine
Bridge over the Bow River. Pier armouring there was damaged in the flood and
requires repair before next flood season.
-photo courtesy Andy Esarte, P.Eng.
70 | PEG SEPTEMBER 2013
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Rick Vincent, P.Eng.Senior Project Manager, High River Recovery Project
B.Sc. (Mechanical Engineering), University of
Waterloo, 1984
Like many of the displaced High River
homeowners his team is helping, Rick
Vincent, P.Eng., is currently living away
from home. A resident of Kelowna, B.C.,
he’s staying full-time in High River in a
temporary camp while his company, Tervita
Corporation, coordinates remediation
efforts in the flood-ravaged town. High
River remained under a local state of
emergency, more than two months after
flooding began. His stay in Alberta will last
about six months.
Not that he’s complaining.
“I think the people side of this whole
project has been the most rewarding part,”
says Mr. Vincent. “There are people here
who have been out of their homes for a
number of weeks. It’s been quite a challenge
for many residents and I really appreciate
the opportunity to be here and to be able to
help them.”
Tervita was awarded a $45-million
Government of Alberta contract on July
18, but Mr. Vincent was on the ground in
Calgary weeks before, leading cleanup
at the Saddledome, where flood waters
reached the eighth row of seats and caused
major damage to mechanical systems.
That was a warm up for the extensive
repair work being done in High River on
damaged homes, roads, bridges, sewer
lines, storm ponds, river banks and parks.
“We’ve been working seven days a
week here since we arrived. It’s been pretty
intense but we’ve made some great prog-
ress,” says Mr. Vincent.
By the end of August, Tervita had
assessed about 370 High River homes
deemed by Alberta Health Services as NFH
— Not Fit for Habitation. Many of these had
sat for weeks in stagnant, contaminated
flood water. “We go in with an environmen-
tal consultant and a structural engineer, and
they determine a scope of work that is re-
quired to rescind that NFH order and make
the home safe again,” says Mr. Vincent.
Tervita crews execute the work, which
often includes mould remediation and re-
pairs to structural damage. By the end of
August, 34 NFH homes had been remedi-
ated, with homeowners given the thumbs up
to begin renovations. Work was in progress
on more than 100 homes.
“We are trying to get people back
in their homes as soon as possible, so
we have a large number of crews on the
ground,” says Mr. Vincent.
The company is also conducting and
overseeing repairs to public infrastructure.
It removed silt and debris from more than
45 kilometres of storm sewers and began
scalping 60,000 cubic metres of gravel,
sediment and debris from the Highwood
River to improve flow.
A request for proposals has been
issued for storm pond restoration, to
improve their ability to take on large storm
water flows. This may include emptying the
ponds to remove silt deposited by the flood,
then digging them deeper.
Other projects include road and bridge
repairs. Sinkholes are appearing, and some
bridges are so damaged they may have to
be taken down and rebuilt. Plenty of general
cleanup is still going on as well, including
silt removal on roads and parkland.
“At this point we’ve done a good situa-
tion appraisal of the town and we’ve identi-
fied the areas that need to be addressed.
We’re working with the Alberta Government
and the Town of High River to understand
their priorities and receive authorization to
proceed with the work,” says Mr. Vincent.
Even though he has 25 years of project
management experience, the extent of the
damage is shocking. “I’ve certainly never
entered into an area like this,” he says.
As an engineer, the biggest challenge
has been the fast-track nature of the
project. “Prior to arriving, we had a very
short time to determine the scope of work
and develop a plan to execute the work as
quickly as possible,” says Mr. Vincent. “But
when you talk to residents and see that
your work is having a positive impact, that
makes it all worthwhile. That’s a very cool
part of the project.”
GET THOSE PEOPLE HOME
A top priority for Tervita is getting displaced High River
residents back in their homes as soon as possible, says
senior project manager Rick Vincent, P.Eng.
-photo courtesy Tervita Corporation
SEPTEMBER 2013 PEG | 71
Editor’s Note: The facts in this story come
from a number of sources — our own
research, information published by multiple
media outlets, and government press releases.
Five billion dollars and counting. That’s the
financial cost estimate — so far — for what
is reportedly the worst flooding in the prov-
ince’s history. What can’t be measured in
dollars is the human toll. Four people died.
About 100,000 were evacuated. In all, 30
communities were affected by floods, and
2,700 people were still out of their perma-
nent homes as The PEG went to press.
The provincial government estimates
that up to 10 years will pass before the
recovery is complete. To get the process
started, it committed an initial $1 billion to
recovery and rebuilding.
“There is a significant amount of
damage and Premier Redford has been very
clear from the beginning that the recovery
process is going to be a long process,”
says Andre Corbould, P.Eng., the Assistant
Deputy Minister of the Southern Alberta
Flood Recovery Task Force.
Insurance companies are expected
Tallying Up the Damage
to cover $1.7 billion of the $5-billion price
tag. Municipalities and the provincial
government will have to cover the rest, up
front, although the federal government is
expected to eventually reimburse as much
as 90 per cent.
In mid-July, the Alberta Government
released its Provincial Recovery Framework
to guide intermediate and long-term recov-
ery, helping individuals, municipalities and
First Nations get back to normal as quickly
as possible. On Aug. 29, Finance Minister
Doug Horner provided the first fiscal update
since the flooding hit. He told the media that
$148 million had been spent on flood relief
to date and another $556 million has been
earmarked for recovery efforts.
The province’s list of damaged public
infrastructure includes
• 80 schools
• eight hospitals and health facilities
• 10 seniors’ housing facilities
• 40 wastewater and waterworks systems
• 985 kilometres of roads and bridges.
The province will also spend millions
of dollars on disaster assistance to help
SOGGY VIEW
Siksika children look over their flooded community on
June 22. As of Sept. 4, the number of Albertans living in
temporary housing in High River and on the Siksika First
Nation was 950.
-photo courtesy Cory Alston, Siksika Media
Albertans rebuild their homes and busi-
ness. An estimated 14,500 homes were
flooded and more than 8,200 applications
for disaster recovery support had already
been processed as of Sept. 4.
The province says 2,700 people —
most from Calgary, High River and Siksika
First Nation — are living in temporary
housing, in hotels or with friends and family.
An unknown number of homes are so badly
damaged they’ll have to be demolished;
assessments are still taking place.
In Calgary, the city estimates it will
cost at least $425 million for infrastructure
repairs, and possibly more. That includes
• $25 million for road repairs
• $10 million to repair or replace nine
damaged and destroyed pedestrian
bridges
• $26.5 million for corporate buildings like
the municipal building and the old city hall
72 | PEG SEPTEMBER 2013
• $34 million to restore riverbanks
• $18 million to repair the Bonnybrook Wastewater Treatment
Plant.
Sixty-five kilometres south in High River, an estimated
600 homes were declared NFH — Not Fit for Habitation — until
remediation work is completed. More than 2,050 truckloads filled
with soaked drywall, water heaters, ducts, sodden furniture and
other debris have been taken to the landfill. The province has
awarded Tervita Corporation with a $45-million contract to begin
the immediate cleanup and recovery in the community, where some
neighbourhoods sat under water for three weeks.
To the east, the community of Medicine Hat watched the flood-
water coming, and enlisted 400 Canadian Forces soldiers and local
volunteers to build protective barriers. Despite their efforts, the city
pegs damage at around $72 million.
Smaller communities were also devastated. Water from the
Bow River forced 1,000 people from their homes on the Siksika
First Nation. Families were evacuated to relief shelters but some
camped on nearby hills, watching the flood waters flow through the
valley below.
Creeks inundated the tiny mountain community of Exshaw,
where more than 75 per cent of about 120 homes were affected by
the flooding. At the end of August, 22 families were still displaced.
A video on YouTube showed the roof of a Bragg Creek home float-
ing down the Elbow River and smashing into a bridge.
Despite the devastation, there is good news. Much of the dam-
aged infrastructure was quickly repaired, and the Greatest Outdoor
Show on Earth — albeit a scaled back version — went ahead.
After a 100 metres of C-Train line were washed out in Calgary,
the city had the tracks fixed in just under two weeks, at a cost of
$8.2 million. Right beside the tracks, a jagged gash that opened on
MacLeod Trail on June 21 was patched in time for morning rush
hour on June 26. Fifty per cent of damaged roads were reopened by
June 25; 95 per cent by June 27.
At Stampede Park fairgrounds, where flooding caused massive
damage, crews worked for days to ensure that the show would go
ahead on July 5.
For the provincial government, one milestone on the road to
recovery was the reopening of the Highway 22 Sheep River Bridge
on July 12. Flooding had nearly covered the bridge structure and
washed out the approach ramp, turning the three-kilometre trip
from Turner Valley to Black Diamond into a 40-minute detour.
Crews worked every daylight hour to rechannel the river, construct
a berm, restore the bridge head slopes, backfill abutments and
construct an approach road. A project that normally would have
taken three months was done in three weeks.
Of the 985 kilometres of provincial roads and bridges
closed, 857 were reopened by mid-August. On Sept. 4, another
22-kilometre-stretch of Highway 40 in Kananaskis Country
reopened to backcountry enthusiasts. Contractors had to clear
debris that scraped the roadway, plugging culverts and ditches.
Repairs included regrading damaged sections of the highway.
At three schools in the region with extensive flood damage,
classes began as scheduled on Sept. 3 — although 950 students
were in temporary classrooms.
“We’re going to work hard, we’re going to focus on priorities,
and we’re not wasting time in getting on with making decisions. But
not withstanding that, it’s not something that’s going to be done in a
couple of months,” said Mr. Corbould.
THE SHOW WILL GO ON
The racetrack and infield at the Calgary Stampede grounds were hit by eight to 14 feet of water. Despite the extensive flood damage, hundreds of contractors and volunteers worked
around the clock so the Greatest Outdoor Show On Earth could go ahead on July 5.
-photo courtesy City of Calgary
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SEPTEMBER 2013 PEG | 73
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Tales from
the FrontlinesAt the height of flooding in southern Alberta, Professional Engineers were working on the frontlines to ensure public safety and protect infrastructure. Civil engineers from Canmore and High River share their experiences
The call came in at 3:30 a.m. on June 20,
waking Darin Langhorst, P.Eng., from a
sound sleep. It was the Town of Canmore
emergency operations centre on the line.
“The phone call went something like,
‘Darin, we need you up at Elk Run Boulevard
and Cougar Creek as soon as possible. We
think the creek is going to take out Elk Run
Boulevard,” recalls Mr. Langhorst.
He was onsite 15 minutes later in his
rain gear and safety vest. It was the start
of a two-day battle to keep the road — a
vital transportation link for the mountain
community — from washing away.
LIKE ANY OTHER STORM — AT FIRST
It had started raining the night before, a
medium, steady rain that didn’t raise any
alarm bells. “It just looked like any other
storm,” says Mr. Langhorst. “The storm
systems were able to drink it, just like
normal. The abnormal part of it was that
higher up, in the alpine, we still had snow
pack and that snow pack was also getting
melted with the rain.”
A heavy rainfall warning had been
issued, calling for 100 to 150 millimetres.
Days later, Mr. Langhorst learned that
some rain gauges in the area had measured
rainfall of 200 to 300 millimetres in the 30
hours or so leading up to the flooding.
“We had this firehose of rain pouring
down and Canmore was in the epicentre
of where all this moisture was dropping
down,” he says.
Overnight, the town declared a state
of emergency and began calling in local
engineers, contractors and emergency
personnel. Parts of the TransCanada High-
BOULEVARD BLUES
When flooding hit, engineers and contractors raced to save Elk Run Boulevard in Canmore, a vital transportation link
after the Trans-Canada and Highway 1A were washed out. The road crosses Cougar Creek. The water raged on June
20 (top photo), but the creek was dry days later (bottom photo).
-photos courtesy Darin Langhorst, P.Eng.
74 | PEG SEPTEMBER 2013
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way, Highway 1A and the Canadian Pacific
Railway tracks had been washed out, and
Cougar Creek was recklessly carving a new
path through the valley.
Suddenly Elk Run Boulevard was the
only remaining east-west route in the Bow
Valley. Officials knew it was now imperative
to keep the two-lane residential road open
to bring in food, fuel and other supplies,
not to mention materials for rebuilding
and repairs when the crisis was over. It
was also the only way for residents to be
evacuated from the east side of the creek.
Trouble was, it’s the only street in Can-
more that crosses Cougar Creek, and the
flash flood was doing its best to wipe it out.
“Cougar Creek was a massive, raging
torrent of brown water with trees and huge
boulders rolling down from the mountain-
side. It was a roar of water – like constant
thunder. A lot of the creek bank armouring
was already long gone,” says Mr. Langhorst.
Two track hoes already on site began
chucking landscape boulders and trees
around the arch culvert that passes under
the road, their operators trying to slow the
erosion. It was a bit like plugging a dike
with a finger.
“Water was chewing on the backsides
of the wing walls quite heavily. We were
losing a lot of pavement on the upstream
side and water was close to overtopping the
road,” he says.
By sunrise, though, there was a shift in
the tide when big trucks arrived and began
dumping in loads of large rocks from local
quarries. The work continued over the next
two days until the water levels dropped and
the rocks started staying in place.
A week later, the creek was dry again.
THIMBLES OF ROCK
“Awestruck is a word that comes to mind,”
says Mr. Langhorst. “To see the amount
of material the water moved in a day, and
then we come in with our tiny trackhoes
and start scooping in thimbles full of rock.
It will take us weeks and weeks and weeks
to get back some of what the water moved
in a day.”
Mr. Langhorst’s employer, McElhanney
Consulting, is one of several firms doing
recovery work in the area. The company is
working in the Eagle Terrace community,
which McElhanney’s branch manager Ron
Sadesky, P.Eng., helped design about 15
years ago. The neighbourhood is along
Cougar Creek and suffered major damage
to utilities and roads.
“Even after four to five weeks, we were
still finding new things that were broken.
Storm pipes downstream under Benchlands
Trail got packed full of massive rocks,” says
Mr. Langhorst. “So even though it looks like
we’re fixing this canyon in the road, the
damage underground extended way further
than what you can see on the streetscape.”
Despite living a few hundred metres
from Cougar Creek — his home wasn’t
damaged — Mr. Langhorst has no plans to
leave Canmore any time soon. “I’m happy
to stay right here, knowing that Canmore
is working to protect itself from things like
this in the future,” he says.
‘WE’RE GOING TO REBUILD’
A month before High River’s 13,000 resi-
dents were evacuated and the town became
a disaster zone, Reiley McKerracher, P.Eng.,
was at an open house helping unveil a new
flood model of the Highwood River.
The long-awaited model was to be the
first step in the town’s Flood Management
Master Plan, a strategy to limit the impact
of flooding from the Highwood River, which
cuts a meandering path through the centre
of town and has overflowed its banks four
times in the past 20 years.
Now it’s back to the drawing board as
High River rebuilds from the June 20 flood
that dumped billions of litres of water into
the community and left a wide swath of
destruction in its wake. “This kind of threw
a monkey wrench into everything,” says Mr.
McKerracher.
As the town’s engineering manager,
he helped oversee a dewatering process,
which had officials fighting for days and
weeks to drain contaminated flood water
from hundreds of swamped homes and
businesses.
He was at a workshop in Calgary when
the flooding began. “Things were moving
very fast,” he says. “The flood came in a
lot faster than expected. In past events,
particularly ’95, ’05, and ’08, the river gave
us quite a bit of warning. It came up slowly,
and it was something we were prepared
for. In this case, it came in a matter of
hours and surprised everyone.”
HIGH RIVER BY THE NUMBERS
• Time for Highwood River to peak: 8.5
hours
• Width of river: 1.34 km (35 times its
usual width)
• Land inundated by water: 11.5 km2
(59 per cent)
• Town structures affected by water:
Up to 70 per cent
• Lift stations affected: 13
• Power lines/substations damaged: 5
per cent
• Communications infrastructure
damaged: 50 per cent
• Gas Lines Broken: 4
SEPTEMBER 2013 PEG | 75
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Hundreds of residents were trapped in their homes by the
creeping river and had to be rescued by motorboat, helicopter,
front-end loaders, combines and canoes. People watched as sub-
merged cars and trees floated down the streets. By 4:15 p.m. on
June 20, the town issued a mandatory evacuation order for all
13,000 residents. Water was up to six metres high in some areas.
“The amount of water we are talking about was just mind
boggling,” says Mr. McKerracher.
Much of the water drained on its own. But on the north side
of town, in the hardest hit communities of Hampton Hills, Sunshine
Meadows and Sunrise, the water had to be pumped out of the
streets and drained into the nearby Little Bow canal.
By Friday, officials started building berms at Second Avenue
and Highway 543 to try to speed up the pumping. The decision meant
floodwater from Sunrise drained into Hampton Hills, a move that
angered many residents.
In the end, massive industrial pumps were brought in to dry the
WATER BEGONE
On July 16, nearly one month after the flood hit High River, pumps were still sending
flood water into the town’s canal system. Riley McKerracher, P.Eng., oversaw
dewatering.
-photo by Corinne Lutter
town out. By Sunday, a local oilfield contractor, Canadian Dewater-
ing, was onsite assembling several pumps, including three of the
largest in North America, with 24-inch intakes.
“To our knowledge, there are only four of these pumps in
Canada. Three of them were on site here in High River,” says
Mr. McKerracher. “Two of them came from a working job in Fort
McMurray. Suncor gave them up willingly to try and help us out.”
Getting the pump systems up and running took about a week
and a half, even with fusing crews putting pipe together 24 hours
a day. Once they were online, pumps at three different sites were
draining roughly 473,000 litres per minute into the canal at peak
capacity. From the Hampton Hills site alone, the pumps were
removing 300,000 litres per minute, or enough to fill an Olympic-
sized swimming pool every 10 minutes.
Sunshine was the first area dewatered, followed by Sunrise
and finally Hampton Hills — it took three weeks in total. One month
after the flooding, pumps were still removing 68,000 litres per
minute from a field north of town.
It was a long, challenging process, added onto other issues the
town was facing, including power outages, sewage backups, a boil
water advisory, and damage to its wastewater lift stations, roads,
bridges and river banks.
“I grew up here. I’ve worked for the town for roughly three and
a half years,” says Mr. McKerracher. “It was pretty rough to see
people you know well who have lost everything. A lot of people have
endured a lot of hardship. But we’re going to rebuild. We’ll try and
do it better.”
The town is seeking funding from the province for flood
mitigation projects to protect the downtown and northwest areas
of the community. Work could begin by mid-September and be
completed before winter. The plan is to repair and modify local
dikes and to build berms large enough to withstand a repeat of this
year’s flood. The town is still calculating just how large the event
was — all its gauge stations were washed out, so high water marks
are being used.
“We had originally designed everything to a one-in-100 event.
With this recent event, which dwarfed what we previously had
planned for, we have to change what we design for in the future,”
says Mr. McKerracher.
PLAN WITH CONFIDENCEBUILD WITH CONTROL
SMART SOLUTIONS
Risk AnalysisProject ManagementValue EngineeringSimulation ModellingSystems Improvement
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76 | PEG SEPTEMBER 2013
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‘Our Number One Concern Was Public Safety’Flooding takes a huge toll on transportation infrastructure, but reopenings are quick and plentiful
Five days into the flooding, near the intersection of the Trans-Canada
and Highway 56, the Crowfoot Ferry seemed ready to break loose
and perhaps even take out a dam. Docked along the Bow River, one
of its cable towers had collapsed. The only thing holding the ferry in
place was the Caterpillar D7 bulldozer it was anchored to.
“The whole area of the river crossing had become a gigantic
lake, and our ferry was floating in the middle of the lake,” recalls
Fred Lee, P.Eng., who helped coordinate emergency flood response
for Alberta Transportation in the province’s southwest region.
“We were really worried that the ferry would break off and hit the
Bassano Dam about 12 kilometres downstream.”
A military dive team was sent in to assess the situation. The
team gave the word: all clear, the dozer would hold.
On to the next issue.
Rising water, washouts and slides had already forced the
closure of numerous roads and bridges. “Our number one concern
was public safety. We didn’t want people getting stranded or hurt,”
says Mr. Lee, who worked closely with highway maintenance
contractors and municipalities.
Among the many challenges on his plate during the crisis were
• Trans-Canada Highway by Canmore washed out by Cougar
Creek
• Highway 1A cut open to divert flood water away from Exshaw
• The entire Sheep River Bridge at Highway 22 nearly covered in
water, its road abutments washed away
• A 600-metre section of Highway 758 lost to the Elbow River
• Huge chunks missing from bridges on Highway 66 and 40.
And that’s just a partial list.
As flood waters receded, the focus shifted from response to
recovery. Opening the Trans-Canada was at the top of Mr. Lee’s
to-do list. “At one point we had 24 pieces of heavy equipment
operating there,” he says. “We had the highway reopened in six
days. A lot of people said it would take a month to repair, but we got
CONTINUED ON PAGE 80 ››
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WASHED AWAY
After parts of the Trans-Canada Highway were washed out, restoring the
major route became a top priority for Alberta Transportation. Crews had the
highway reopened to two-way traffic within six days; at one point, 24 pieces of
heavy equipment were on-site fixing the damage.
-photo courtesy Jacob Johnson, C.E.T., Town of Canmore
“ We had the highway
reopened in six days.
A lot of people said it
would take a month
to repair, but we got
all our people out
there, came up with
solutions and acted
on them right away.”FRED LEE, P.ENG.Flood Responder for Alberta Transportation
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Top-Notch Water Treatment Proves its Worth
Chocolate milk — those are words Dan Limacher,
P.Eng., uses to describe the Bow River in Calgary at
the peak of the flooding. Yet in the midst of the crisis,
the city was able to continuing turning that chocolate
milk into clean, safe drinking water for its 1.1 million
residents. How did the city do that?
Silt, mud and organic debris washed down from the mountains
during the June floods, creating challenges for water treatment
across southern Alberta. The Province of Alberta’s water
infrastructure was significantly impacted, with damage to more
than 50 dams, canals, water and wastewater treatment plants,
wells, fish hatcheries and other waterworks systems.
Municipalities were slammed, too. In Black Diamond, the water
treatment plant was destroyed. Boil water orders were issued
in several communities where systems simply couldn’t keep up,
including Canmore, High River and Exshaw.
Noticeably absent from the boil water list is Calgary.
Dan Limacher, P.Eng., Calgary’s director of water services,
was among many city and other officials keeping a close watch on
the Bow and Elbow rivers. The city has two water treatment plants.
The Bearspaw, on the Bow, produces two-thirds of its usable water,
and the Glenmore, on the Elbow, produces the rest.
“As we hit the morning of June 20, we knew that we were
going to see some really significant flows in both the rivers,” he
says. “We have about a 10-hour notice of what’s coming from
upstream, which allowed our plants to get ready for the increasing
flows and turbidity levels.”
Water clarity for raw Bow water deteriorated to 4,000
nephelo metric turbidity units, which is well beyond what the plants
usually treat. The seasonal norm is 10 NTUs — so turbidity was 400
times that. In winter, turbidity hovers at around one NTU.
‘THICK AND NASTY’
Mr. Limacher likened the Bow’s water to chocolate milk you’d
never want to drink. “It was really thick, nasty water to treat. If
you combine the organic level with the amount of silt, it was a
significant water treatment challenge we were faced with,” says
Mr. Limacher.
Peak river flows in Calgary were about four times higher
than during the last major flood, in 2005. On the Bow, water raged
by at 1,750 cubic metres per second; the normal for June is less
than 500 cubic metres per second. The Elbow River below the
Glenmore Reservoir moved at 700 m3/s; June levels are normally
around 150 m3/s.
DRINK UP, CALGARY
Dan Limacher, P.Eng., Calgary’s director of water services, holds treated water at the
Bearspaw Water Treatment Plant. Plant operators and engineers worked non-stop
during the flood to ensure the city’s supply of safe drinking water carried on.
-photo by Corinne Lutter
SEPTEMBER 2013 PEG | 79
Fortunately, the city’s water treatment infrastructure is state-
of-the-art. Major upgrades were completed at Bearspaw in 2007,
followed by similar ones at Glenmore in 2011. Both projects resulted
in big improvements to the water treatment process. Calgary Mayor
Naheed Nenshi told reporters that those infrastructure investments
are what prevented boil water advisories and major water restric-
tions in the city.
Mr. Limacher agrees. “The really big story is that we have
really remarkable pre-treatment facilities at both the Bearspaw and
Glenmore water treatment plants,” he says. “Professional engineers
were hugely involved in the design and construction of these
fantastic facilities, and we had city engineers involved, as well,
working with operators to address significant treatment challenges
during the crisis itself.”
Both plants were able to handle the enormous load of silt and
organics entering the system. “We had to slow the plants down a
little bit, but they made water that was easily within our drinking
water guidelines. Even at 4,000 NTU coming in, we were still
making water at 0.05 NTU,” says Mr. Limacher.
Calgarians were asked restrict their water use for a week due
to the reduced output. “We asked for citizens’ help with the water-
use restrictions, and they responded terrifically,” says Mr. Limacher.
80 | PEG SEPTEMBER 2013
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all our people out there, came up
with solutions and acted on them
right away.”
Damage to Alberta Transporta-
tion’s road and bridge infrastructure
is still being tallied. Thirty major
bridges require significant repairs,
plus numerous smaller ones. Many are now open but require fur-
ther work, while others remain closed.
Sections of highway totalling about 985 kilometres were closed
due to flood damage, which ranged from complete highway wash-
outs to bridge damage and destruction. By mid-August traffic had
returned to 830 kilometres of highway, although much repair work
continues.
“This is totally unprecedented. We’ve never seen anything like
this,” says Mr. Lee. “We’re actually pretty happy that everything
stood as well as it did and we were able to repair most of the
damage within about three weeks.”
MEANWHILE BACK IN CALGARY
Craig MacFarlane, P.Eng., chief structures engineer with the City
of Calgary, was busy keeping a close eye on the city’s 24 vehicle
bridges, three C-Train bridges and 25 pedestrian bridges, which, in
a normal situation, allow cars, trains and people to safely cross the
Bow and Elbow rivers.
“I was coordinating a lot from my car, out in the field. For the
first week of the event we were inspecting all of our river bridges
daily,” he says. “Personally, I’ve experienced a few floods, but
nothing to this extent. I was sure glad we had our bridge resources
coordinated ahead of time and everybody available on a moment’s
notice to go out and inspect structures.”
About 10 Professional Engineers and two technicians were
doing inspections. Road maintenance workers and Calgary police
were calling in reports on rapidly changing river conditions.
“With high water levels, there’s only a limited amount of the
bridge you can see. We were watching to ensure the water and
debris didn’t come up onto the superstructure — the deck — because
it isn’t designed to take stream flow or debris,” says Mr. MacFarlane.
Another concern was the potential for scour or settlement.
Scour happens when fast water washes away gravel around bridge
abutments or piers. When the Bonnybrook rail bridge over the Bow
River buckled on June 27 and caused six tanker cars to derail,
engineers with Canadian Pacific Railway said the cause was scour
from flood waters. CP inspects its own bridges and didn’t detect any
problems above the water.
But for the city’s bridges, scour didn’t cause issues, says
Mr. MacFarlane. “All of our bridges are either founded directly on
bedrock or on piles going into bedrock,” he explains.
In fact, all the city’s traffic bridges remained structurally safe
throughout the flooding. “We didn’t have any bridges that were
in any structural distress, apart from the three small pedestrian
bridges on the Elbow River that were completely destroyed by the
high water,” says Mr. MacFarlane. Another six pedestrian bridges
suffered minor damage.
Several traffic bridges were closed at the height of the crisis,
but that was primarily because adjacent roads were flooded, or
because officials wanted to limit access into areas such as the
downtown, parts of which were under water.
The only major washout was at Scollen Bridge, which connects
the Mission and Erlton communities. Debris caught on the piers,
forcing the Elbow River to flow around it. Other damage included
a few sinkholes around some bridge abutments and some bank
erosion.
Several weeks after the flood, precautionary bridge inspections
continued. The city initiated a scour study to map the new
topography of river bottoms. There were also plans to send in an
underwater diver to inspect bridge piers once water levels dropped.
As for the city’s roads, about 20 kilometres of blacktop was
damaged, costing $25 million to repair.
HIGH AND FAST
The Bow River rushes over a walkway near
the Centre Street Bridge in Calgary during the
June flooding, the speed of the flow character-
ized by the photographer’s use of a slow shut-
ter speed. The lower car deck of the bridge
was flooded, but the iconic landmark remained
structurally sound.
-photo by Ryan L. C. Quan
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 76 ››
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“It’s actually holding up pretty well.”
Those were Mark Schuh’s thoughts on the
evening of June 19 as he checked the new
armouring along Cougar Creek, installed
by the town the previous fall. Rain was
pouring hard and the creek, normally dry,
was coming to life.
The 22-year-old was weeks away
from wrapping up a 12-month intern-
ship with the Town of Canmore. Soon
Mr. Schuh, a University of Calgary civil
engineering student, would be thrust into
a natural disaster, receiving a level of
internship he could barely have imagined
only hours earlier.
He awoke on June 20 to learn that a
state of emergency had been declared and
that residents in his Cougar Creek neigh-
bourhood were being evacuated. “When I
walked down to the creek to check it out,
the first thing I saw was those backyards
getting washed away,” says Mr. Schuh.
The armouring, needless to say, was
long gone.
His own basement suite on Moraine
Lake Road wasn’t affected. Mr. Schuh
grabbed food and a sleeping bag before
being bused to the local high school,
then walked to the town’s emergency
operations centre to see how he could
help. He was quickly put to work
patrolling flood sites that were stable but
needed monitoring.
“I made the rounds and reported back
where and when we might need resources
— equipment and people. Riprap here,
sandbags there. What can we do for this
person? Things of that nature, nothing
major,” he says. “It was pretty non-stop
for those two or three days.”
Among the lessons he learned during
the crisis were the importance of clear,
concise communication, and how to think
fast on your feet.
“Everywhere I went people were
asking questions and wanting information,
wanting to show me what their house was
“I made the rounds and reported
back where and when we might need
resources — equipment and people.
Riprap here, sandbags there. What can
we do for this person? Things of that
nature, nothing major. It was pretty
non-stop for those two or three days.”
MARK SCHUHUniversity of Calgary Engineering Student
Flood Disaster Work Experience: Be In Flood, Get to WorkInternships help students put what they learn in the classroom into practice in the real world. For University of Calgary civil engineering student Mark Schuh, that happened in a big, wet and devastating way. And what he learned from the experience is something you can’t get from a textbook
like. It was almost like triaging where I
needed to be and what resources needed
to be where,” says Mr. Schuh. “It was
definitely a unique learning experience,
obviously not something you can find in a
classroom.”
Now in his fourth year at the U of C
with a minor in structural engineering,
those lessons will be invaluable as he
advances his career. “I think it’s definitely
something I can draw on and keep in
mind, now that I’ve seen firsthand the
force of nature and just how quickly
things can get out of hand.”
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Across Alberta, municipalities
and expert panels are exploring
flood mitigation solutions to
protect people and property from
the impacts of extreme weather.
APEGA Members are at the
forefront of the discussions and
debate. When the next big flood
hits, will Alberta be ready?
A few days after the flooding began, some
former geoscience students of Dr. Jerry
Osborn, P.Geol., struck up a conversation
on Facebook. It went along the lines of:
“Remember how Dr. Osborn said the big
one is coming and we didn’t believe him?
Remember how we had to do that lab,
predicting the 100-year flood extent, and
it seemed so big we didn’t believe it? We
should have listened.”
Dr. Osborn, P.Geol., a professor in the
Department of Geoscience at the University
of Calgary, certainly wasn’t surprised by the
flood’s magnitude. There have been floods
of similar size in the not-so-distant past,
and he has no doubt they will happen again.
In fact, he says, there’s an increased risk
due to climate change and the potential for
bigger, longer-lasting storms.
“We have a history of big floods on
the Bow River. In the past 130 years, we’ve
had four floods of a similar magnitude, or
bigger, than this last one,” says Dr. Osborn.
“The two biggest floods, in 1879 and 1897,
were only 18 years apart, so there’s no
reason to assume that it’s going to be a long
time until the next one.”
As a Professional Geologist, he’s also
not surprised by the destruction along
Cougar Creek in Canmore, where raging
floodwaters swiftly eroded creek banks
and damaged 120 homes along the creek’s
edge. The reason: the houses were built
on an alluvial fan, a cone-shaped sediment
deposit often found at the mouth of canyons
or gullies. Normally dry, alluvial fans are
Managing the Risks
characterized by flash flooding from storms
or spring run-off. The fast moving water
has a tendency to sweep back and forth
along the fan, carving new, wider channels
in order to carry large volumes of gravel
and debris being washed down the valley.
“Instead of rising and overtopping its
banks, it just makes new banks. Unlike a
SEPTEMBER 2013 PEG | 83
TWISTER
Dean Hagen, with the Calgary Transit Track and Way Department, assesses the
twisted C-Train tracks near the Erlton/Stampede Station. Flooding from the Elbow
River mangled 100-metres of track and caused $8.2 million in damage, disrupting
service into the downtown core.
-photo courtesy City of Calgary
regular river, it just expands its channel,” says Dr. Osborn.
With flood risks now front and centre in the public eye, he’s
hopeful governments will take a more cautious approach when it
comes to development along waterways. In the three months since
84 | PEG SEPTEMBER 2013
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the flood, many flood mitigation improvements have already been
announced and expert panels — which include several APEGA
Members — have been established by municipalities and the provin-
cial government to investigate a plethora of options.
In mid-July, the province announced it will ban new develop-
ment in floodways — the flood hazard area where flows are the
fastest and most destructive. The government has also offered to
buy about 250 southern Alberta homes located in floodways, even
if they weren’t damaged in June.
Homeowners living in the flood fringe — where floodwater
is generally shallower and the flow slower — will be eligible for
disaster recovery funding to help them pay for flood proofing. This
could include berms or raising the house higher off the ground.
Those who don’t install flood proofing won’t be eligible for disaster
relief in any future flood.
The province has also appointed a community advisory panel
that will make recommendations on future flood protection and
prevention solutions. The panel includes Allan Markin, P.Eng.,
whose home in Calgary was badly damaged by flooding. He’s
president of AMP Financial Inc. and past chair of Canadian Natural
Resources Ltd. Also on the panel is Tino DiManno, P.Eng., a senior
vice-president with Stantec Consulting.
Andre Corbould, P.Eng., Chief Assistant Deputy Minister of the
Southern Alberta Flood Recovery Task Force, says many questions
need to be answered.
“Are there lessons learned based on what happened? Are there
ways that we can control the water? Do we need to consider greater
levels of mitigation, whether it be dams or bridges or floodways,
to help prepare for this type of thing?” says Mr. Corbould. “Our job
is to work together with municipalities to figure out what we can
implement immediately, and what may take a little more engineering
or consideration to do in the future.”
Some work has already begun. In High River, for example, the
province has hired a consultant to begin scraping the Highwood
River to increase the river’s flow.
Mr. Corbould says the community advisory panel will take up
where the 2006 Provincial Flood Mitigation Report left off. That
report was written by former Highwood MLA George Groeneveld
after flooding in 2005 killed three people and caused $400 million
in damage. The report made 18 recommendations and called on the
province to spend more than $300 million on flood mitigation in 54
municipalities, including many of those that were flooded in June. It
also called for a ban on development in flood plains.
The province has been criticized for failing to act on the rec-
ommendations, but Mr. Corbould says many of the recommenda-
tions were implemented or were in progress when the flooding hit
in June.
“We’re taking up where that left off, in many ways. But this
year’s event was much bigger than the 2005 floods, so we’re also
looking at it from first principles as well. We’re opening everything
up,” he says.
The province will be working closely with municipalities like
Calgary, High River and Canmore, which have set up their own flood
mitigation panels. In Canmore, the town approved the Mountain
Creek Flood Mitigation Plan, designed to help spread a better under-
standing of how mountain creeks behave, and to identify steps to
reduce further property loss though mitigation projects. High River
is seeking funding from the province for immediate flood mitigation
ALL TOGETHER NOW
Residents pile sand bags along the South Saskatchewan River in Medicine Hat on June
23 to protect infrastructure from rising water. More than 7,000 residents were evacuated
from their homes and initial damage in the community is pegged at $72 million.
-The Canadian Press/Nathan Denette
SEPTEMBER 2013 PEG | 85
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projects, including berms and dike improve-
ments, and discussions are ongoing for
long-term projects.
In Calgary, a four-member panel of
experts has been struck to help identify
ways to protect people and property from
future flooding. Darrel Danyluk, P.Eng.,
FEC, FCAE, a past APEGA president, was
selected to sit on the committee, along with
Dr. Steve Hrudey, P.Eng., a current APEGA
Councillor.
WHAT ENGINEERS SHOULD DO
Mr. Danyluk says the panel is a positive first
step to finding solutions. But all Profes-
sional Engineers who design infrastructure
projects — including buildings, roads, utili-
ties and storm water systems — have a role
to play in flood mitigation, he says.
From Far and WideAfter the June floods, Professional
Engineers arrived in Alberta from across
the country to provide assistance and
expertise.
Micheka Kostyniuk, P.Eng., was one of
them. A forensic engineer with Caskanette
Udall Consulting Engineers in Kitchener,
Ont., she arrived in High River in early
July and spent two weeks doing struc-
tural inspections on deluged commercial
and condominium properties. Licensed in
Alberta, she was assessing on behalf of
a major insurance company processing
claims in High River.
She’s worked in disaster zones
before — her company was involved in the
Goderich, Ont., tornado in 2011. But this
was the first time she’s seen flood damage
on such a massive scale.
Ms. Kostyniuk examined about 15
buildings during her time in the community.
Most of them held up well, and she found
little in the way of major structural damage.
The floods were a learning experi-
ence. “The most interesting thing to me
was learning how pre-engineered joists
hold up in flood conditions,” she says. “We
had a lot of discussions with manufactur-
ers about how long they can be underwa-
ter. We’ve seen joists that have been wet
and dried out before, but we’ve never seen
the pre-engineered joists that have been
submerged for two or three weeks con-
stantly. There was some damage, but most
of them held up fairly well.”
She credits cleanup crews of vol-
unteers with making her job easier, by
clearing out debris and drywall. “They got
everything torn out and I was able to get in
quickly,” says Ms. Kostyniuk.
Void mapping was also required on
one of the properties she examined, where
there were concerns of an underground
sinkhole beneath the building. Ground
penetrating radar determined everything
was OK.
She’s hopeful the business owners
are able to reopen soon. “We’ve seen God-
erich rebuild and they’re doing fabulous.
They rebuilt quicker than we anticipated,
so hopefully southern Alberta can, too.”CONTINUE ON PAGE 87 ››
86 | PEG SEPTEMBER 2013
What the Bedrock SaysUniversity of Calgary geophysics students look to Bow River riverbanks to learn more about flooding
What can the bedrock along the Bow
River teach society about past — and
future — floods? A group of geophysics
students from the University of
Calgary’s Department of Geoscience
hopes to find out.
In August, 50 students took part in
a unique, two-week urban field school
to examine the geologic record of riv-
erbanks around the city’s Inglewood
Wildlands Park and Shouldice Park, two
areas flooded in June.
In a story on the U of C website,
Don Lawton, P.Geoph., a professor at the
university, says the June flooding was
a tremendous learning opportunity for
students. By figuring out what happened
in past floods, the students may be able
to predict the effects of future floods.
“This has given our students a once-
in-a-lifetime chance to participate in an
important research and training program
fueled by a tangible objective to better
understand the history of floods in the
Bow River, while also contributing to the
knowledge about the city’s river system,”
Dr. Lawton says.
Students conducted geophysical
surveys, including electric resistivity
imaging and seismic refraction surveys,
to create images of the subsurface
beneath the floodplains. Now that
they’re back in class, they’ll interpret
the field data and write a report on their
findings.
Field schools are a course require-
ment for geophysics students. They give
students a chance to use sophisticated
technology and put into practice the tech-
niques that they’ll use once they graduate
and get jobs in industry.
This was the department’s first
urban field school. Typically, the field
schools are held in the Rocky Mountains,
the Canadian Shield or the Prairies. The
City of Calgary granted the university
access to the parks for the research.
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SEPTEMBER 2013 PEG | 87
COVER
“As engineers, what
can we do? We define
what the problem is, define
what level of protection to
mitigate against, and then
engineer solutions to do
that. Recognizing that there
is a problem is the obvious
first step,” he says.
Mr. Danyluk, a civil
engineer, is vice-president
of the World Federation of
Engineering Organizations
and chairs its engineering
and environment com-
mittee, which provides
recommendations on the
adaptation of civil infra-
structure to climate change
impacts and risks. He’s also
chair of the national Public
Infrastructure Engineering
Vulnerability Committee, a
project funded by Engineers
Canada and Natural Resources Canada.
Known as PIEVC, the committee has developed an assessment
tool to help experts — in particular Professional Engineers — evalu-
ate the vulnerability of infrastructure to extreme weather events. To
date, there have been more than 30 PIEVC assessments conducted
by municipalities across Canada, including Calgary and Edmonton.
“The reality is that the climate is changing,” he says. “We’re
seeing more extreme weather. We’re seeing bigger events, com-
bined events, which are causing our infrastructure to be vulnerable
to failure. We can’t say there’s a standard pattern now.”
Currently, infrastructure is designed to codes and standards
based on historic weather data that has been fairly benign, says Mr.
Danyluk. But the changing climate is exposing Canada’s infrastruc-
ture to impacts it wasn’t originally designed for, he says. Moving
forward, professionals need to consider new design and operational
practices to withstand these new weather conditions.
“We can’t wait for the standard to change. We must consider
whether or not there are climatic events that should be taken into
account today. If you’re building a new facility or you’re rehabilitat-
ing existing infrastructure, it’s best to ask the question: Are there
climatic criteria here that we should consider in our new design or
in our upgrade? It’s no-regrets action,” says Mr. Danyluk. “Engi-
neers need to take leadership on this and can do so by doing climate
risk assessments in their work.”
DOZENS OF EXPERTS,DOZENS OF RECOMMENDATIONS
Both Mr. Danyluk and Dr. Hrudey also participated in the
development of a white paper called The 2013 Great Alberta Flood:
Actions to Mitigate, Manage and Control Future Floods. Released
Aug. 2 by Alberta
WaterSMART, it gathered
the contributions of dozens
of experts — Professionals
in Engineering and
Geoscience, ecologists,
business leaders,
researchers, policy
analysts and others —
and it contains dozens of
recommendations on how
to manage, mitigate and
control future floods and
severe droughts.
“The purpose of our
work is to provide a road
map looking forward, to
inform the discussions
underway in committee
rooms across the province,”
says Kim Sturgess, P.Eng.,
founder and CEO of
WaterSMART, which has
spent the past eight years
working on water management in the Bow and South Saskatchewan
river basins. “Where do we go from here to make sure we don’t run
into this problem again? What actions need to be taken to mitigate
this the next time around?”
Many of the contributing experts were on hand at the Cana-
dian Water Summit in Calgary on June 27. At the time, the city was
still mopping up from the flood waters. Summit organizers quickly
changed the day’s program to focus on flood solutions. The ideas
that emerged were the beginning of the white paper, which contin-
ued to evolve over the next four weeks.
Ms. Sturgess says the final recommendations are logical,
science-based actions that can be taken to strengthen the
province’s capacity to respond to natural disasters. They can be
summarized in six general tasks, which are that society should
• anticipate and plan for more extreme weather events, including
flood and drought
• improve the province’s operational capacity to deal with
potential extreme weather scenarios through better modeling
and data management
• investigate the cost/benefit balance of investing in physical
infrastructure
• consider flood risks in municipal planning and strengthen
building codes for new flood plain development
• evaluate options for overland flood insurance
• manage water resources collaboratively.
ACTING WITH THE WHOLE IN MIND
Ms. Sturgess says it’s important that any flood mitigation work
takes into account the river system as a whole. “A berm placed
BRIGHT LIGHTS
Volunteers and family clean out Linda Clarke’s flooded basement in Sunrise, the second commu-
nity to be drained after flooding in High River. Crews were allowed into the home on July 16.
-photo courtesy David Richeson
88 | PEG SEPTEMBER 2013
COVER
Wood Buffalo Cleanup ContinuesWood Buffalo was just starting to recover
from its worst flooding in decades when
the media spotlight shifted south to what’s
being dubbed the Great Alberta Flood. But
just like southern Alberta, the northern
municipality is still putting itself back
together, months later.
Flooding began June 10 in the Anzac
area, after the region was drenched with up
to 180 millimetres of rain over four days.
High, fast-flowing waters began to ravage
Fort McMurray a day later, resulting in a
week-long, local state of emergency.
Damaged public infrastructure includes
roads, bridges and trails, as well as water,
sanitary and storm systems. The initial
estimate of the cost of the damage, for public
infrastructure only, is around $35 million,
says Joseph Zachariah, the municipality’s
flood recovery project manager.
The municipality is hiring engineering
consultants to determine the best strat-
egy for repairs. “We are trying our best to
recover everything back to pre-flood condi-
tions. There are no safety concerns now
but there is some inconvenience,” he says.
Back in June, 400 to 500 people
were placed under mandatory evacuation
in the Grayling Terrace, Draper Road and
Waterways residential areas, after rapidly
rising water on the Hangingstone River
eroded slopes and shorelines. Waterways
and Draper residents were also faced
with a boil water order after waterworks
infrastructure was damaged.
Flooding in the Anzac area forced the
closure of Highway 881, and a section of
Highway 63, about 30 kilometres south
of Fort McMurray, was impassable for
a short time. Two major parks were
flooded and remained closed when The
PEG went to press. Representatives of the
Syncrude Sport and Wellness Centre said
six centimetres of water made it onto the
main floor. About 100 kilometres north of
Fort McMurray, north and south approaches
to the Firebag Bridge were washed out,
stranding 60 backcountry campers until
crews could stage a rescue.
In early July, the provincial govern-
ment announced the Wood Buffalo Disaster
Recovery Program, part of the $1 billion in
flood recovery funding promised after the
destruction in southern Alberta. Home-
owners and businesses with uninsurable
damage can apply to the program for relief.
As the recovery and rebuilding
continues, the municipality is undertaking
studies to determine long-term repairs
and flood protection measures for the
future, said Mr. Zachariah. The studies will
complement flood protection strategies
already included in Fort McMurray’s City
Centre Area Redevelopment Plan. Some
strategies have already been incorporated,
such as an elevated roadway along the
shoreline of the Clearwater River.
on a river may save one property but cause significant issues for
another property. You have to understand what those impacts are.
Things that are done in the City of Calgary have a huge impact
downstream. It’s one river system, one watershed, and you need to
look at your actions within a watershed,” she says.
It will also be important to analyze the cost of hard engineering
— dams, canals, diversions and the like — against benefits and risks.
“One of our recommendations is to use modeling to assess
the various investments in infrastructure and what their impacts
will be,” says Ms. Sturgess. “We want to make sure that the
money is spent in the best way possible. And we want to try and
avoid having an impact on the natural infrastructure. Any time
you start interfering with the natural flow of the river, you start
having unintended consequences. Having a look at low-impact
developments would be extremely helpful, rather than immediately
diving into the big, hard solutions.”
Low-impact solutions could include improvements to wetlands
and riparian areas, which could be used as natural water storage
areas. “The point is to use as much of the natural infrastructure as
you can,” she says.
APEGA has also been involved in the flood mitigation
conversation. CEO Mark Flint, P.Eng., was part of the Engineering
Working Group which provided input for the WaterSMART white
paper. “As a professional association, we have a responsibility to
lead,” says Mr. Flint.
The association’s Practice Standards Committee is also
looking at producing practice standard guidelines for flood
mitigation to support members in their professional practice.
“We are looking at our practice standard guidelines to see if
there are recommendations we can put together to provide some
guidance to our professions,” Mr. Flint says. “What should we be
thinking about and looking at, as professionals, when creating
flood mitigation designs? Guidelines can help us shape the way we
approach the design process.”
SIDEBAR
WEATHER AHEAD
By 2050, Alberta will see a 10 to 15 per cent increase in
extreme rainfall events as average annual temperatures in
the province rise by 2 to 4 C. So predicts a June 2012 study
prepared by the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction for
the Insurance Bureau of Canada.
The bureau notes that over the past four years, severe
storms, fires and flooding in Alberta caused an average of $670
million in damage. That compares to an average of $100 million
annually over the past 15 years.
SEPTEMBER 2013 PEG | 89SEPTEMBER 2013 PEG | 89
Head Office 1500 Scotia One 10060 Jasper Avenue NW Edmonton AB T5J 4A2
PH 780-426-3990 TOLL FREE 1-800-661-7020 FAX 780-426-1877 [email protected] www.apega.ca
Calgary Office 2200 Scotia Centre 700 2 Street SW Calgary AB T2P 2W1
PH 403-262-7714 TOLL FREE 1-888-262-3688 FAX 403-269-2787
SALARY SURVEY
Highlights from Value of Professional Services publication
2013 APEGA SALARY SURVEY2013 APEGA SALARY SURVEY
Dear Members and Permit Holders,
The Value of Professional Services is one of APEGA’s most highly sought after publications.
It provides APEGA Members, both individuals and corporations, with an unbiased salary
and benefits comparison across a wide range of industries in Alberta. APEGA encourages
the use of this resource, and any other at your disposal, to ensure fair compensation
for individual practitioners while helping corporations remain competitive in the labour
market.
This year, APEGA engaged the services of Aon Hewitt to administer and conduct the
2013 Value of Professional Services salary and benefits survey. Data was gathered from
120 employers (with over 12,000 individual data points), representing APEGA’s 10 regional
branches and 10 industry sectors. We appreciate the effort required by the participating
permit holders who complete this annual survey every spring. Without your help, this
service would not be possible. We know from experience that this service is appreciated
by the membership. Thank you for your continued support.
The full report will be available online this month at apega.ca. It will contain details for
determining your responsibility level, your expected 2013 base salary, the predicted salary
change, and your expected 2013 total compensation. The report also contains salary data
pertaining to both Engineering and Geoscientists for gender, location, years of experience,
company size, engineering discipline, co-op students and by degree.
Any comments are welcome and can be addressed to myself, Jessica Vandenberghe,
at 780-426-3990 (1-800-661-7020 outside of Edmonton), extension 2819, or
Sincerely,
Jessica Vandenberghe, P.Eng., M.Sc.
APEGA, Director of Outreach and Product Services
90 | PEG SEPTEMBER 2013
SALARY SURVEY
HOW TO USE THE SALARY SURVEY RESULTS:
Step 1: Determine your responsibility level
Step 2: Determine your expected 2013 base salary
based on responsibility level
Step 3: Review the predicted salary change, as
reported by permit holders
Step 4: Determine your expected 2013 total
compensation based on responsibility level
The flowchart to the left gives a generalized overview
of responsibility levels. APEGA encourages using the
advanced method of determining responsibility level,
which is included in the Value of Professional Services
publication.
NOTE ON SALARY SURVEY METHODS
This year, APEGA engaged the services of Aon Hewitt
to administer and conduct the 2013 APEGA salary and
benefits survey. Invitations to participate in the survey
were distributed to all registered APEGA permit holders
at the end of May. Results were gathered and compiled
by Aon Hewitt throughout the months of June and July.
The highlights and final publication are being prepared
jointly by APEGA and Aon Hewitt for September.
The Salary Survey is completed by each Permit
Holder’s Human Resources department (or other
applicable department) and all data is anonymous.
The 10 industrial categories used in this report are:
• Engineering and/or Geoscience Consulting Services
• Engineering, Procurement, and Construction
• Resource Exploitation (except oil & gas)
• Resource Exploitation (oil & gas only)
• Manufacturing (durables)
• Manufacturing (non-durables)
• Service and Control (not for profit)
• Service (for profit)
• Utility (rate controlled)
• Advanced Technologies
DATA REPORTING METHODS
The statistical information reported includes the average,
mean, mode, median (D50), minimum value, maximum
value, D10, D25, D75 and D90. Please refer to the figure
at the top of the opposite page for further clarity. In
an effort to ensure data confidentially, a minimum of 3
responses in any given reporting break is required to
publish a survey average. Responses noted as “n/a” in
any table or chart is defined by having less than 3 data
points or the inability to compute a given value.
Data results were filtered by individual job
classification and responsibility level to ensure all
salary data points were within three standard deviations
of the sample average, using a single iteration approach
to remove any potential outlying data point.
Senior+ Management Engineer/Geoscientist
Authority over companies, often
responsible for policy framework,
approval of projects having wide public
impact costing a significant amount of
money
Senior Management Engineer/Geoscientist
Authority over several interrelated
professional groups in different fields,
each field under a Management
Eng/Geo.
Management Engineer/Geoscientist
Authority over Supervisory Eng/
Geo or a large group containing both
professionals and other staff.
Supervisory Engineer/Geoscientist
First level of direct supervision over
other Eng/Geo.
Project Engineer/Geoscientist
Independently produces responsible
and varied assignments. Minimal
supervision. May give guidance, but not
direct supervision to other Eng/Geo.
Assistant Project Engineer/Geoscientist
Assignments of limited scope and
complexity. Work supervised in
detail. May give guidance to M.I.T.,
technicians, technologists, etc.
Member-in-Training
On-the-Job Training Assignments
Co-op/Intern Student
On-the-Job Training Assignments
Senior+ Specialist Engineer/Geoscientist
Internationally recognized authority in a
field of major importance and generally
exercises authority over a group of
highly qualified professionals engaged in
complex applications.
Senior Specialist Engineer/Geoscientist
Recognized authority in a field of major
importance and generally exercises
authority over a group of highly qualified
professionals engaged in complex
applications.
Advanced Specialist Engineer/Geoscientist
In addition to second level specialization,
may have authority over a group of highly
qualified professionals.
Specialist Engineer/Geoscientist
First level of full specialization in
complex applications (e.g. research,
design, sales, etc.)
JOB CLASSIFICATION FLOWCHART
2013 EMPLOYER SALARY
F+
F
E
D
F+
F
E
D
C
B
A
A-
Level of
Responsib
ilit
y
SEPTEMBER 2013 PEG | 91
SALARY SURVEYSURVEY HIGHLIGHTS
GENDER VS. YEARS OF EXPERIENCE – ENGINEERING
GENDER VS. YEARS OF EXPERIENCE – GEOSCIENCE
Base salary is provided as an annual value,
effective as of May 1, 2013. Base salary includes
pay for time worked at normal rates plus the cost
of benefits for time-not-worked (e.g. vacation pay,
statutory holiday pay, payments in-lieu of holiday/
vacation, etc.). Base salary does not include
payment of overtime.
Total compensation is the sum of the base
salary, overtime compensation, additional cash
compensation and other compensation. Additional
cash compensation includes direct payments to the
employee for items such as cash bonuses, profit
sharing, performance/merit bonus, and the like.
Other compensation includes direct payments to
the employee for items such as stock options, con-
sulting fees and other payments easily converted to
cash. For more details on what is included, please
see the Value of Professional Services final report.
INFORMATION ON PARTICIPANTS
Participation for the 2013 survey grew by 38%,
with 120 companies submitting data in time for
inclusion in the final published report. The 2013
survey captured current compensation data for
12,435 Engineering and Geoscientist Professionals
across Alberta.
PREDICTED SALARY INCREASE
Based on current survey responses, 84% of compa-
nies plan to increase salaries in the next 12 months
by an average of 3.7%, with a range of 1.8% to 7.0%,
whereas 13% of companies are forecasting a salary
freeze in the next 12 months. 3% of respondents
were unable to provide a response to their predicted
salary increases.
Please be sure to download your full copy
of the Value of Professional Services in September
from the APEGA website (apega.ca, under Fast
Find, Salary Survey). Included are the full salary
survey results, with other information pertaining to:
• Benefits
• Vacation
Entitlement
• Gender
• Location
• Years of
Experience
• Company Size
• Engineering
Discipline
• Co-op Student
Salaries
• Degrees
Participation in the salary survey is free and
encouraged by all permit holders in an effort to
garner the most robust and representative data-
base possible. As survey participation grows, a
more accurate representation of our membership
is shown. Please contact Jessica Vandenberghe at
[email protected] to ensure you are sent
your 2014 survey participation package next May.
92 | PEG SEPTEMBER 2013
SALARY SURVEY
ANNUAL BASE SALARIES – ALL INDUSTRIES
Category#
Engs.
%
Change
from
2012
Average
$
Mode
$
Median
(D50)
$
Min Value
$
Max Value
$
D10
$
D25
$
D75
$
D90
$
A- 476 8.3% 54,038 64,260 53,472 34,224 75,000 46,617 48,750 58,895 64,260
A 1,393 5.7% 71,960 83,200 72,000 45,600 95,500 61,000 66,220 78,057 83,200
B 1,461 3.7% 84,055 87,500 85,000 56,287 112,320 71,175 78,603 90,363 95,025
C 1,839 5.0% 99,757 100,000 100,000 59,795 140,000 83,624 93,000 106,500 114,966
D 2,563 3.9% 125,499 120,000 125,700 75,238 175,000 106,220 115,980 135,408 143,962
E 1,952 4.8% 157,992 150,000 158,359 97,825 218,400 136,500 148,612 168,239 179,519
F 1,013 5.4% 191,855 195,000 190,000 97,000 287,040 159,920 174,636 206,300 228,520
F+ 484 4.1% 220,850 200,000 218,430 76,440 360,000 174,300 200,592 245,078 275,000
Category#
Engs.
%
Change
from
2012
Average
$
Mode
$
Median
(D50)
$
Min Value
$
Max Value
$
D10
$
D25
$
D75
$
D90
$
A- 476 6.9% 55,662 64,260 55,472 34,224 78,574 47,760 50,954 60,450 64,260
A 1393 8.0% 80,770 83,200 75,955 47,840 187,038 62,332 68,000 90,276 106,603
B 1461 0.1% 101,259 87,500 93,171 56,500 208,388 74,000 81,145 115,060 142,199
C 1839 6.3% 114,900 100,000 110,473 59,795 227,961 86,990 96,845 126,178 147,842
D 2563 5.1% 155,522 120,000 146,203 77,282 431,921 114,000 125,396 175,880 217,777
E 1952 9.4% 204,563 150,000 194,400 102,005 507,144 142,272 159,273 236,612 288,739
F 1013 14.1% 261,279 195,000 240,000 103,350 889,290 169,866 194,900 307,600 388,502
F+ 484 17.6% 349,397 250,000 324,625 80,262 1,078,463 188,644 230,831 432,526 543,810
Engineering
TOTAL COMPENSATION – ALL INDUSTRIES
SALARY BY GENDER – RESPONSIBILITY LEVELAs expected, base salaries across all responsibility
levels (ranging from A- to F+) have increased in
2013. Average base salary increases range from
3.7% to 8.3%, with an overall average increase of
5.1%.
It is well know that a labour shortage is upon
us, which is expected to continue well over the
next decade. As more Engineers and Geoscientists
leave the workforce, the heightened demand for
experienced Professionals will increase. This
is apparent in the increase in number of hits to
APEGA’s job board (www.apegajobboard.ca).
The widely publicized labour shortages will
continue to heighten employer’s awareness towards
the importance of a meaningful and successful Total
Rewards strategy, including (but not limited to)
competitive base salaries, variable pay plans, benefit
programs, work life balance programs and career
development plans. As the increase in demand
for talent within the Engineering and Geosciences
Professions continue, employers’ Total Rewards
strategies will continue to evolve and adapt to
ensure they remain market competitive.
SEPTEMBER 2013 PEG | 93
SALARY SURVEY
ANNUAL BASE SALARIES – COMPARISON ACROSS INDUSTRY
Engineering
0 $50,000 $100,000 $150,000 $200,000 $250,000 $300,000 $350,000
All Industries
Engineering, Geological,
Geophysical Consulting
Service
Engineering, Procurement
and Construction
Resource Exploitation
(except oil & gas)
Resource Exploitation
(oil & gas only)
Manufacturing
(durables)
Manufacturing
(non-durables)
Service and Control
(not for profit)
Service (for profit)
Utility (rate controlled)
Advanced Technologies
94 | PEG SEPTEMBER 2013
SALARY SURVEY Geoscience
ANNUAL BASE SALARIES – ALL INDUSTRIES
Category#
Geos.
%
Change
from
2012
Average
$
Mode
$
Median
(D50)
$
Min Value
$
Max Value
$
D10
$
D25
$
D75
$
D90
$
A- 31 13.1% 57,233 50,700 56,721 41,600 78,000 48,006 50,700 64,792 68,639
A 54 7.7% 74,234 58,000 79,500 48,300 100,000 56,136 64,098 82,800 85,970
B 122 2.7% 85,213 84,000 87,429 56,004 100,100 68,221 80,650 92,494 96,372
C 191 2.0% 102,065 107,000 103,025 72,000 142,400 86,920 97,250 107,000 115,000
D 241 5.5% 130,665 130,000 130,000 87,980 193,500 110,000 118,400 138,700 155,100
E 242 3.6% 167,608 175,000 171,850 104,360 230,300 140,100 156,600 180,000 189,850
F 185 2.9% 201,470 201,000 202,000 122,080 276,400 171,940 192,199 212,100 235,240
F+ 55 -5.1% 219,268 204,800 222,000 150,000 300,000 175,801 206,000 235,850 252,412
Category#
Geos.
%
Change
from
2012
Average
$
Mode
$
Median
(D50)
$
Min Value
$
Max Value
$
D10
$
D25
$
D75
$
D90
$
A- 31 14.1% 57,741 50,700 56,721 41,600 78,000 48,006 50,700 64,792 68,639
A 54 10.7% 85,242 58,000 86,934 54,914 155,587 58,000 68,550 97,449 105,256
B 122 2.0% 101,841 107,520 103,814 56,004 202,293 71,018 87,394 114,175 121,999
C 191 6.1% 120,395 97,500 118,853 72,975 205,202 89,719 101,725 135,345 151,947
D 241 8.3% 172,207 97,850 165,900 87,980 332,542 122,902 139,300 191,451 233,761
E 242 5.5% 241,550 270,900 241,950 106,000 457,600 159,706 200,455 273,935 311,288
F 185 10.8% 312,965 n/a 310,100 125,000 554,250 205,400 272,800 350,000 422,742
F+ 55 -2.4% 385,190 351,300 379,200 154,500 905,250 210,656 317,900 447,684 511,100
TOTAL COMPENSATION – ALL INDUSTRIES
SALARY BY GENDER – RESPONSIBILITY LEVEL For Geoscientists, the overall survey sample size grew by 70% in
2013. With the exception of level F+, base salaries have increased
across all responsibility levels (ranging from A- to F). The range
in increase was from 2.0% to 13.1%.
In addition to maintaining market competitiveness from a total
compensation perspective, the majority of industry continues to
focus on targeting other pools of potential members, especially
internationally educated graduates, females and Aboriginals. Out-
reach and diversity programs targeted for these groups continue
to gain momentum, as are meaningful collaborations amongst
APEGA, industry, government and various outreach organizations.
APEGA is continuing its aggressive targets of increasing the
female membership to 30% and Aboriginal membership to 2% by
2030 (be sure to self-declare in the Member Self Service Centre
at apega.ca if you are from an Aboriginal heritage!). To support
this, the salary survey is one means to gather information to bet-
ter gauge progress.
It is encouraging to see high female participation in the
Geoscience Profession, who represent just over 25% of the total
Geosciences data sample in the 2013 survey. Base salary survey
results for female Geoscientists are consistent and equitable with
their male counterparts for the majority of responsibility levels.
The female Engineering base salary survey results also show a
directional shift towards equitability for the majority of responsi-
bility levels, however only represent 17% of the total engineering
survey sample.
SEPTEMBER 2013 PEG | 95
Geoscience SALARY SURVEY
ANNUAL BASE SALARIES – COMPARISON ACROSS INDUSTRY
0 $50,000 $100,000 $150,000 $200,000 $250,000
All Industries
Engineering, Geological,
Geophysical Consulting
Service
Engineering, Procurement,
and Construction
Resource Exploitation
(except oil & gas)
Resource Exploitation
(oil & gas only)
Manufacturing
(durables)
Manufacturing
(non-durables)
Service and Control
(not for profit)
Service (for profit)
Utility (rate controlled)
Advanced Technologies
SALARY SURVEY Engineering – Years of Experience
PARTICIPANTS VS. YEARS OF EXPERIENCE SALARY VS. YEARS OF EXPERIENCE
ANNUAL BASE SALARIES – COMPARISON ACROSS YEARS OF EXPERIENCEWhen calculating the Years of Experience
since Graduation, it is assumed that
an individual enters the workforce
immediately upon completing their last
degree. This may not necessarily be
the case for all individuals, however is
considered the norm from a surveying
perspective.
Typically, progression to the next
responsibility level is also dependent on
an individual’s years of experience in
the workforce. As a member gains more
in-depth knowledge and specializations
over time, the member’s overall level of
contribution and responsibility within a
company progresses as well.
The highest average base salary
is not necessarily solely attributed to
the individuals with the most years of
experience, generally it is more directly
related to an individual’s level of expertise/
specialization , individual performance and
overall contribution within their company.
Responsibility level A- has been omitted
in these charts, as this level falls outside
of the defined parameters for Years of
Experience since Graduation.
SEPTEMBER 2013 PEG | 97
SALARY SURVEYGeoscience – Years of Experience
PARTICIPANTS VS. YEARS OF EXPERIENCE SALARY VS. YEARS OF EXPERIENCE
ANNUAL BASE SALARIES – COMPARISON ACROSS YEARS OF EXPERIENCE
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
The top four locations, in terms of base salary
rankings compared to the all industry average at
various levels, are:
Calgary ($56,071 to $224,558 for A- to F+)
Fort McMurray ($49,610 to $178,786 for
A- to F+)
Lakeland ($55,328 to $218,955 for A- to F)
Vermillion River ($57,218 to $197,600 for
A- to F)
The top four locations, when ranked against the
all industry average at various levels from a total
compensation perspective, are:
Fort McMurray ($55,839 to $365,316 for
A- to F+)
Calgary ($56,346 to $358,108 for A- to F+)
Vermillion River ($57,218 to $284,175 for
A- to F)
Peace Region ($51,158 to $185,342 for A- to E)
Not surprisingly, Fort McMurray consistently ranks
as one of the top three locations in terms of overall
total compensation at every level of responsibility.
In an effort to attract and retain Professional
Engineering services such remote/northern work
locations, variable pay plans (above and beyond
base salaries) will continue to be an important and
vital component of the total compensation pay mix.
CHARTS ON NEXT PAGE ››
98 | PEG SEPTEMBER 2013
SALARY SURVEY Engineering – Location
A- A B C D E F F+
APEGA
Branch
Regions
Total
#
Engs.
#
Engs
Total
Comp
$
#
Engs
Total
Comp
$
#
Engs
Total
Comp
$
#
Engs
Total
Comp
$
#
Engs
Total
Comp
$
#
Engs
Total
Comp
$
#
Engs
Total
Comp
$
#
Engs
Total
Comp
$
Fort
McMurray1,292 108 55,839 151 113,740 236 145,280 151 160,995 362 209,080 205 256,517 52 318,328 27 365,316
Calgary 6,474 227 56,346 661 77,480 749 93,670 1,021 113,239 1,474 151,236 1,203 209,938 753 271,563 386 358,108
Vermillion
River117 34 57,218 13 82,879 13 88,277 18 112,406 14 133,321 19 188,727 4 284,175 2 n/a
Peace
Region110 4 51,158 33 80,978 32 109,898 19 117,580 11 136,228 7 185,342 2 n/a 2 n/a
Lakeland 71 5 55,328 21 83,712 14 104,384 20 111,021 6 155,408 1 n/a 4 218,955 0 n/a
Central
Alberta298 11 54,063 54 77,227 35 98,753 50 101,578 78 144,926 52 189,146 15 214,162 3 328,712
Medicine
Hat25 0 n/a 14 80,452 2 n/a 2 n/a 6 138,142 1 n/a 0 n/a 0 n/a
Edmonton 2,371 55 52,420 396 73,697 325 87,588 466 104,922 531 134,477 402 164,216 161 200,555 35 256,597
Yellowhead 6 0 n/a 0 n/a 0 n/a 1 n/a 3 127,386 2 n/a 0 n/a 0 n/a
Lethbridge 28 0 n/a 4 62,848 6 79,398 7 85,308 4 123,788 2 n/a 5 183,635 0 n/a
Undeclared 389 32 55,297 46 84,429 49 97,104 84 118,746 74 152,436 58 214,202 17 280,566 29 332,893
Total 11,181 476 1,393 1,461 1,839 2,563 1,952 1,013 484
All Industry Average
55,662 80,770 101,259 114,900 155,522 204,563 261,279 349,397
A- A B C D E F F+
APEGA
Branch
Regions
Total
#
Engs.
#
Engs
Avg
Salary
$
#
Engs
Avg
Salary
$
#
Engs
Avg
Salary
$
#
Engs
Avg
Salary
$
#
Engs
Avg
Salary
$
#
Engs
Avg
Salary
$
#
Engs
Avg
Salary
$
#
Engs
Avg
Salary
$
Calgary 6,474 227 56,071 661 72,101 749 83,081 1,021 99,623 1,474 125,691 1,203 160,588 753 195,852 386 224,558
Fort
McMurray1,292 108 49,610 151 75,648 236 89,375 151 102,454 362 127,488 205 158,606 52 183,685 27 178,786
Lakeland 71 5 55,328 21 72,750 14 87,562 20 100,480 6 130,662 1 n/a 4 218,955 0 n/a
Vermillion
River117 34 57,218 13 77,171 13 86,419 18 100,650 14 120,174 19 153,352 4 197,600 2 n/a
Peace
Region110 4 51,158 33 69,203 32 78,056 19 94,134 11 124,003 7 153,579 2 n/a 2 n/a
Edmonton 2,371 55 51,736 396 70,161 325 82,675 466 99,671 531 124,039 402 151,305 161 178,792 35 204,907
Central
Alberta298 11 54,063 54 69,982 35 83,194 50 94,678 78 122,122 52 148,294 15 165,726 3 221,841
Medicine
Hat25 0 n/a 14 70,299 2 n/a 2 n/a 6 121,574 1 n/a 0 n/a 0 n/a
Lethbridge 28 0 n/a 4 61,227 6 78,199 7 83,980 4 117,038 2 n/a 5 153,686 0 n/a
Yellowhead 6 0 n/a 0 n/a 0 n/a 1 n/a 3 110,619 2 n/a 0 n/a 0 n/a
Undeclared 389 32 55,297 46 77,241 49 86,144 84 102,287 74 128,154 58 159,522 17 193,776 29 229,622
Total 11,181 476 1,393 1,461 1,839 2,563 1,952 1,013 484
All Industry Average
54,038 71,960 84,055 99,757 125,499 157,992 191,855 220,850
For full results and the Geoscientist data, please see the Value of Professional Services report found at apega.ca.
RANKED LOCATION — ENGINEERING BASE SALARY
RANKED LOCATION — ENGINEERING TOTAL COMPENSATION
See previous page for more information about the data in the charts.
Engineers Canada is the business name of the Canadian Council of Professional Engineers.
Great-West Life and key design are trademarks of The Great-West Life Assurance Company (Great-West), used under licence by its subsidiaries,
London Life Insurance Company (London Life) and The Canada Life Assurance Company (Canada Life). As described in this advertisement,
the group retirement and savings products are issued by London Life and the payout annuity products are issued by Canada Life.
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100 | PEG SEPTEMBER 2013
GOODWORKS
For most Albertans, keeping warm during the evening is as simple
as turning up the thermostat. Not so in the Guatemalan Highlands,
2,600 metres above sea level, where an open fire on a dirt floor is a
common choice. Even if the flames don’t hurt family members, the
toxic smoke they breathe probably will.
It’s a serious health and safety problem in Guatemala and many
other developing nations. A group of University of Calgary engineer-
ing students, however, came up with a simple and inexpensive solu-
tion, working in collaboration with a small not-for-profit in Calgary
called Help for the Highlands of Guatemala, or HFHG.
The students’ creation is a heat exchanger called the Chinook.
Existing high-efficiency stoves get smoke out, but on their own they
don’t do much actual heating of a home. Add the Chinook and the
problem is solved.
How did the students get to this point? Rewind to 2007. Two
Calgary professionals are looking for a way to use their skills
and experience to improve the living conditions of impoverished
families in Central America. Together they form HFHG, which
works to supply clean water, sanitation and high-efficiency stoves
— ecoplanchas — to families in the mountainous Mayan village of
Quiacquix, population 1,300.
Over the past three years, volunteers with Help for the High-
lands have installed ecoplanchas in 150 Quiacquix homes, replacing
the traditional — and unvented — three-rock cooking fires used in
three-quarters of the region’s homes.
“We were initially focused on water, but when we went there,
we quickly realized there is really a need for stoves because of the
respiratory deaths that were being caused by the open fires. It’s one
of the leading causes of death for the Mayan women and children,”
says Alan Sitter, P.Eng., cofounder of HFHG.
It’s a problem not only in Guatemala but in millions of homes
across the developing world. The World Health Organization esti-
mates that smoke from indoor cooking fires — which creates car-
bon monoxide and other noxious fumes — works out to two packs
of cigarettes smoked a day per person and causes numerous health
problems. Women and children are more likely to breathe the smoke
and are especially vulnerable to chronic respiratory illness, tubercu-
losis, eye infections, pneumonia and burns.
Student Design Addresses Deadly Heating System
Sitting around a fire for tea or a meal might seem like a foundation of happiness, but in some developing countries the technology people use to stay warm — open fires on a dirt floor — is literally a killer. A design project by six University of Calgary engineering students, however, creates a safer, healthier heating system for families than one that poisons the air they breathe
BY CORINNE LUTTERMember & Internal Communications
Coordinator
Each concrete ecoplancha has an oven core made of brick, a
flat-iron top and a steel chimney, and removes 99 per cent of smoke
from the house. As an added benefit, ecoplanchas burn 70 per cent
less wood than an open fire, saving families money in fuel costs
while reducing air pollution and deforestation.
Problem solved, right? Not so fast.
Upon return visits to see how the stoves were working, Help
for the Highlands volunteers discovered a perplexing conundrum.
“The ecoplancha stoves are really designed to be used in a
warm climate. But it’s cold up there in the highlands and the people
have no heat in their homes,” says Mr. Sitter. Nighttime tempera-
tures can drop to around 5 C.
“Because the stove we install is so efficient, it does not heat
up their homes. So people continue to build three-rock fires to
heat their homes — even after the vented ecoplancha stoves have
been installed,” he says.
A retrofit was in order. “What we were looking for was a heat
exchanger to go onto the flue pipe so families can sit around the
stove and stay warm at night,” says Mr. Sitter.
But even though thousands of the ecoplancha stoves are in-
stalled by not-for-profit organizations each year, he could find no
existing products on the market that fit the bill. “Why hadn’t some-
body already built something? Because with non-governmental
organizations, you don’t have money and you don’t have time.”
REAL-WORLD SOLUTIONS
A mechanical engineering graduate from the University of Calgary’s
Schulich School of Engineering, Mr. Sitter started mulling over the
involvement of his alma mater. How might creative young minds
in the Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering
approach the problem?
Each year, fourth-year students put their skills to the test by
working on real-world design challenges. Local organizations are
invited to submit proposals, so that’s just what Mr. Sitter did.
Many students, including Jane Leung, now an E.I.T., applied to
work on the retrofit.
“I think we had around 30 projects to choose from,” says Ms.
Leung. “I ranked the heat exchanger project as my first choice
SEPTEMBER 2013 PEG | 101
GOODWORKS
and I was lucky enough to get it. I thought
it would be great to help out a non-profit
organization and make an impact.”
So did fellow students Sean Connors,
E.I.T., Asad Dandia, E.I.T., Brian Kemball,
E.I.T., Nishant Patel and Maulin Trivedi.
They all put their names forward and were
selected for the unique opportunity.
Says Mr. Dandia: “As a soon-to-be-
engineer, I think it’s important to use our
knowledge to develop innovative ideas, while
providing sustainable products for individu-
als who need it most. The ecoplancha heat
exchanger that we designed does both.”
For Ms. Leung, who had just finished
a 16-month internship working on the
installation of a gas plant heat exchanger,
it was also a chance to apply her skills in a
completely new setting. “That’s part of the
challenge that I love about engineering —
that’s it applicable outside of your industry.
You can look at Third World issues and
apply what you know to help organizations
like Help for the Highlands.”
DOWN TO WORK
Work on the project began last September.
The students had two semesters to design
and build a working prototype. They started
by consulting with their sponsor to get a
handle on the issue and find out their design
parameters.
Their objective: design an economical,
efficient and safe heat exchanger capable of
using heat escaping through the ecoplancha
flue to provide warmth to the occupants of
the house.
To be successful, the heat exchanger
had to
• cost about $15 to build
• be retrofittable to existing stoves
• be easy to operate
• not inhibit cooking
• not leak smoke into the home
• operate under repeated use with mini-
mal maintenance
• prevent accidental burns or cuts
• be quickly installable using conventional
tools
• be built and sourced locally with minimal
materials.
The environment the heat exchanger
is used in was also an important consider-
ation: it would need to heat a home about
FROM FIRE TO STOVE — PART OF THE SOLUTION
Many families in the Highlands of Guatemala cook meals using traditional three-rock fires (left), which leads to respiratory illness and burns. High-efficiency ecoplancha stoves
installed by Help for the Highlands of Guatemala (right) reduce health and safety problems, but don’t provide enough heat to keep families warm at night.
-photos by Alan Sitter, P.Eng.
“There’s a whole bunch of these stoves all over the
world and they all have the same problem in locations that get quite
cold during the evening. This could have a global impact if it is
successful, so that’s pretty amazing — I didn’t think a fourth-year
project could have that big of a potential impact” JANE LEUNG, E.I.T. Team Leader
102 | PEG SEPTEMBER 2013
GOODWORKS
4.5 by six metres in size, made of adobe bricks with a clay roof.
It was assumed that some heat would be lost through leaky win-
dows and doors, and that the average outside temperature was
12 C. The goal was not to heat the whole home but to warm oc-
cupants as they gathered around the stove for their meals or for
evening tea.
After several meetings and much emailing with Mr. Sitter, the
team got down to the business of brainstorming.
“We had a lot of goals originally. We considered using solar
powered fans — we really wanted that forced convection, a lot more
typical for heat exchangers,” says Mr. Kemball. “We tried to find out
if other NGOs would provide solar panels, so we could have fans
driving air, but that increased costs a little too much.”
Shell-and-tube, flat-plate and air-to-water heat exchangers
were also considered — even heat-retaining bean bags.
After meeting with their project adviser, Dr. Abdulmajeed
Mohamad, P.Eng. — a heat-and-mass transfer expert — the team
opted to simplify their design into a thin, flat-plate exchanger that
uses natural convection to maximize surface radiation.
Rectangular and cylindrical designs were considered, but
several drawings and three prototypes later, the rectangle won
out. The cylindrical design took up too much space and was
too expensive to build; while the rectangular design was more
affordable and created a larger surface area to radiate the heat.
“One of the big things on reducing costs is to make sure
that the heat exchanger can be cut economically from the four-
by-six-foot sheet metal they use in Antigua, where the stoves
are manufactured. They have simple machines that can just cut a
straight edge, and hand tools to cut all of the detailed tabs,” explains
Mr. Kemball. (Antigua is a city within the highlands.)
The team refined the design through a series of experiments
testing various hypotheses. What effect would circular or staggered
baffles have? Would black paint help increase external surface
temperatures?
The students didn’t have an actual ecoplancha stove to work
with, but they did have a lab with a heater.
Says Ms. Leung, the team’s leader: “We tried different
configurations of flue pipes on a heater in the engineering building’s
testing facility. We simulated smoke, basically, coming out of the
ecoplancha stove with hot air with the same temperature and
flow rate. We did a series of tests, and in the end our experiments
showed us that a flat-plate exchanger would be the best and would
meet our design parameters,” says Ms. Leung.
During experimentation, the temperature of the inlet and outlet
flows was measured. The flat-plate heat exchanger captured about
29 per cent of the heat entering the flue, or about 522 watts.
The final product is a thin duct that replaces the stove’s
four-inch flue pipe and connects to an existing cylindrical elbow.
“This was not an easy project —
their professors really pushed
them. They had to do a lot of
research because there’s not a lot
of published data on this. I think
it’s fantastic that a group of young,
future engineers took this task to
heart. They could have taken on
projects for large companies that
would most likely have helped
further their careers. However,
they chose to spend their time on a
project for NGOs, to help the native
people in a developing country.”
ALAN SITTER, P.ENG.
Cofounder
Help for the Highlands of Guatemala
SEPTEMBER 2013 PEG | 103
GOODWORKS
THE MISSING LINK
From left, Jane Leung, E.I.T., Maulin Trivedi, Brian
Kemball, E.I.T., Nishant Patel, Asad Dandia, E.I.T., and
Sean Connors, E.I.T., pose with their flat-plate heat
exchanger, the Chinook, at an April design fair. When
ecoplanchas are retrofitted with the Chinook, they can
be used as heaters as well as stoves.
-photo by Alan Sitter, P.Eng.
MORE INFO
hfhguatemala.wordpress.com.
The only installation requirements are
to remove the current flue pipe from the
elbow up, then exchange it with the new
design.
“It takes the heat from the smoke and
basically radiates it out of this metal box —
the heat exchanger,” says Ms. Leung.
Each unit is built using
• sheet metal for the main body of the flue
• ventilation adapters
• black spray paint to increase thermal
radiation
• silicon sealant to prevent smoke leakage
• sheet metal screws to hold down
flanges
• chicken wire to prevent users from
touching the hot surface.
The final product meets all the original
design requirements — except cost. Per
unit, the total ended up being $20.65, but
the team is hopeful that materials will be
cheaper in Antigua and that bulk buying will
help drive the price down.
WARM WINDS OF CHANGE
In mid-April, the students presented their
finished product at a student design fair.
The symbolic name of their creation is
Chinook, for those famous Rocky Mountain
winds that sweep across the Prairies and
cause a rapid rise in temperatures.
“This warm rise in local temperature
is exactly what we want to happen with
the heat exchanger when it is used in the
Highlands of Guatemala,” says Mr. Sitter.
He travelled to Guatemala over the summer
to retrofit eight stoves for a six-month pilot
project, working with several local partners
on manufacturing and installation.
He’s especially pleased with the
students’ hard work and enthusiasm, and
the support from their professors and the
Schulich School of Engineering.
“This was not an easy project — their
professors really pushed them. They had
to do a lot of research because there’s not
a lot of published data on this,” says Mr.
Sitter. “I think it’s fantastic that a group of
young, future engineers took this task to
heart. They could have taken on projects for
large companies that would most likely have
helped further their careers. However, they
chose to spend their time on a project for
NGOs, to help the native people in a devel-
oping country.”
If the pilot project is successful, Help
for the Highlands will share the design with
other NGOs, especially those operating
in cooler climates. “It will be free, open-
sourced to anybody in the world who wants
to use it,” says Mr. Sitter.
In the Highlands, thousands of stoves
could be upgraded, and new stoves every-
where could be manufactured with the heat
exchanger built right in.
“There’s a whole bunch of these stoves
all over the world and they all have the
same problem in locations that get quite
cold during the evening. This could have a
global impact if it is successful, so that’s
pretty amazing — I didn’t think a fourth-year
project could have that big of a potential
impact,” says Ms. Leung.
All six students who worked on the
heat exchanger graduated in April and are
embarking on new careers with various
engineering companies, but their experience
with Help for the Highlands won’t soon be
forgotten.
“We’re all going to be staying in
contact with Alan (Sitter) long after we’ve
graduated to see how this turns out,” says
Mr. Kemball. “It’s pretty exciting to be able
to see this project through all the way to
completion.”
104 | PEG SEPTEMBER 2013
OBITUARIES
Born on a kitchen table in a humble
home, he grew up to be a well-respected
businessman and philanthropist, and a true
Edmontonian. Harry Hole, P.Eng., died July 3
at the age of 91.
Mr. Hole quickly learned the
importance of family and community,
growing up the middle child in a family
of nine siblings. He started his career
early with a paper route for the Edmonton
Journal and continued to deliver it for
nearly two decades.
After earning a degree in civil
engineering from the University of Alberta,
Mr. Hole completed officer training and
served as a lieutenant with the Royal
Canadian Engineers. After his discharge,
he apprenticed at his father’s company,
Lockerbie & Hole. He eventually took over as CEO, and led the
company to become the leading mechanical engineering company
in Alberta and one of Canada’s largest mechanical contractors. The
company was later sold to Aecon.
His devotion to education and the community continued far
into his retirement, with donations directed at improving health,
education and safety for children. In 1975 he served as general
manager of the Edmonton Exhibition Association (now Northlands).
There, he initiated multiple improvements and was integral in
securing financing for what is now named
Rexall Place.
He established the Edmonton Police
Foundation and served as its chairman,
raising money to buy the city’s first police
helicopter — Air-1. He and his family also
supported the $12-million expansion of the
Edmonton Space and Science Centre, now
the TELUS World of Science.
The Holes have always valued education
and have a strong history with the University
of Alberta. All nine siblings graduated from
the U of A. Mr. Hole’s father, Harry Hole Sr.,
and Doug Lockerbie built the university’s
first engineering building. In 2002, Mr. Hole
and his brothers donated $5 million to the
engineering faculty. This and other contribu-
tions led to the construction of the Natural
Resources Engineering Facility. It also allowed the university to
establish the Hole School for Construction Engineering.
Mr. Hole is a recipient of the Alberta Order of Excellence,
as well as an honorary doctorate of laws from the U of A. He is
survived by his wife of 64 years, Muriel, four daughters and 13
grandchildren.
A celebration of his life was held on July 8 at Holy Trinity
Anglican Church, Edmonton. In lieu of flowers, please send
donations to Canadian Mesothelioma Foundation.
Harry Hole, P.Eng.
APEGA Life Member
SEPTEMBER 2013 PEG | 105
OBITUARIES
Arne Nielsen, P.Geol.
APEGA Life Member
Arne Nielsen, P.Geol., of Calgary,
the man behind one of the most
significant discoveries in the
history of the Alberta energy
sector, died on July 2. He was 87.
Born to Danish settlers in the
Alberta village of Standard, Mr.
Nielsen worked on the family farm
until the outbreak of the Second
World War. He joined the Canadian
Army and served overseas
before coming back to attend the
University of Alberta.
Mr. Nielsen earned a B.Sc.
and M.Sc. in geology and joined
the United States-based Socony-
Vacuum Exploration Ltd. (now
Mobil Oil Canada). He worked his
way up to chief geologist, and he
and his teams were credited with
discoveries offshore the East Coast
and Gulf of Mexico.
From the Edmonton field
office, Mr. Nielsen set out to explore 100,000 acres in the Drayton
Valley area. What he discovered was the massive Pembina oilfield,
the largest and most prolific oilfield in Canada. To date Pembina
has produced 1.5 billion barrels of light oil, and predictions are that
another 1.5 billion will be produced in the future.
Mr. Nielsen became Mobile Oil
Canada’s first Canadian president
and later its chairman and CEO. He
also served as CEO of Canadian Su-
perior Oil Ltd., Poco Petroleums Ltd.
and Shiningbank Energy Trust. He
was part of Canada’s first energy
trade delegation to China, and was
chair of the Canadian Petroleum
Association for two stints. In this
role he led the industry response to
the National Energy Program and
is credited as a key architect of the
free-market policies adopted by the
Mulroney government.
An ardent reader, Mr. Nielsen
published his own book in 2012 —
an autobiography titled We Gambled
Everything: The Life and Times of an
Oilman. He was a member of the
Petroleum Hall of Fame and had an
honorary PhD from the University
of Alberta.
Mr. Nielsen is survived by his wife, Valerie, seven sons and one
daughter.
A funeral service was held at Christ Church Elbow Park,
Calgary, on July 6. Memorial donations may be made to the Calgary
HandiBus Association.
106 | PEG SEPTEMBER 2013
OBITUARIES
IN MEMORIAMFrom this edition onward, The PEG will publish notices of deaths of Members. APEGA received notice in May, June and July
that the following Members had passed away.
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERS
LIFE MEMBERS
ASTLE, Frederick Calvin, P.Eng.
BAKEWELL, David Reginald, P.Eng., FEC
BHAR, Gurdarshan Singh, P.Eng.
FFOULKES-JONES, Peter Squire, P.Eng.
GASSETT, Lorenza Dow, P.Eng.
GILLESPIE, Kenneth Raymond, P.Eng.
HATFIELD, Walter Theodore, P.Geol.
HATLELID, Lloyd Richard, P.Eng.
HOLE, Harry, P.Eng.
HOLT, John William, P.Eng.
HOLLICKY, James McCrie, P.Eng.
KUCZAJ, Krzysztof, P.Eng.
LOVEN, John Warner, P.Geoph.
NICKEL, Clifford Edward, P.Eng.
NIELSEN, Arne Rudolph, P.Geol.
NORRIS, Paul James, P.Geol.
RAGAN, Harold Stanley, P.Eng.
ROBERTS, Victor Edward, P.Eng.
RYMES, John Edis, P.Eng.
SCHAEBLE, Dieter, P.Eng.
TERLECKI, Henry, P.Eng.
OTHER
CAULFIELD, David Donald, P.Eng.
HALLIHAN, Michael Francis, P.Eng.
KENTFIELD, John Alan Charles, P.Eng.
MACGARVA, Michael Brennan, P.Eng.
MACLEOD, John Max, P.Eng.
MCKIBBIN, Thomas Niels Orr, P.Eng.
MOORE, Michael Andrew, P.Eng.
MORIARITY, Merton Thomas, P.Eng.
ROGERS, Randall Stewart, P.Geol.
RUSE, Douglas Charles, P.Eng.
STILL, David Albert, P.Geoph.
TOLTON, David James, P.Eng.
WEGH, Jack William, P.Geoph.
FOREIGN LICENSEES
ACKER, Robert Macdonald, P.Eng.
SEPTEMBER 2013 PEG | 107
DISCIPLINE DECISION
APEGA Discipline Committee Order
Date: August 15, 2013 Case No.: 13-003-SO
IN THE MATTER OF THE ENGINEERING AND GEOSCIENCE PROFESSIONS ACTAND IN THE MATTER OF THE CONDUCT OF [PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER A]
Editor’s Note: This decision is published
almost verbatim and, as a reproduction of
an official regulatory record, is not subject
to usual editing. When there are findings
against a member, The PEG publishes the
decision with names unless the committee
recommends otherwise. In this case,
the committee recommended that the
Member’s name not be published.
APEGA’s Investigative Committee
concluded an investigation into the conduct
of [Professional Engineer A] with respect
to allegations of racist and unprofessional
statements made on the evening of Sunday,
April 23rd, 2012 during the transportation of
workers and contractors to the Kearl work-
site near Fort McMurray, Alberta.
[Professional Engineer A] has freely
and voluntarily admitted to unprofessional
conduct and has agreed with certain facts
and findings. Under those circumstances,
the Engineering and Geoscience Professions
Act permits the Investigative Committee to
recommend an order that the committee
considers appropriate instead of referring
the matter for a formal hearing.
A recommended order must be provid-
ed to a member of the Discipline Committee
who has been designated to act as a case
manager to review the order. If the case
manager or the investigated person rejects
the order, the matter must be referred to the
Discipline Committee for a formal hearing.
AGREED STATEMENT OF FACTS
The Investigative Committee and [Pro-
fessional Engineer A] have agreed to a
statement of facts, which is reproduced
verbatim:
1. [Professional Engineer A] was a
professional member of APEGA, and
was thus bound by the APEGA Code of
Ethics, at all relevant times.
2. On or about April 23, 2012, [Professional
Engineer A] was driving a team of
colleagues from an oilsands project
worksite to a work camp. Among the
passengers was [Professional Member B].
3. The vehicle was stopped for a routine
search prior to entering the camp by a
security guard of apparent North African
descent.
4. [Professional Engineer A], to the
passengers of the vehicle, made an
off-colour and racially insensitive joke
involving persons of middle-eastern
descent, camels, and bestiality.
5. [Professional Member B] took offense
to this joke, and submitted a complaint
to APEGA by e-mail on or about
September 1, 2012. This was followed by
a more detailed description of the events
on or about September 24, 2012.
6. On or about November 7, 2012,
[Professional Engineer A] admitted
to making the joke in his response to
APEGA’s Notice of Investigation.
7. On or about February 12, 2013,
[Professional Engineer A] was
interviewed by a Panel of the
Investigative Committee. He again
admitted to making the joke, and
offered an apology to both [Professional
Engineer B] and to APEGA.
CONDUCT
[Professional Engineer A] has freely and
voluntarily admitted that his conduct con-
stitutes unprofessional conduct in the
following respect:
In making an off-colour and racially
insensitive joke, [Professional Engineer A]
displayed a lack of concern with the dignity
of the security guard, and failed to treat a
newcomer to Canada fairly.
The aforementioned conduct consti-
tutes a violation of Rule of Conduct #3 of
the APEGA Code of Ethics, and thus is un-
professional conduct as defined in Section
44(1 }(b) of the Engineering and Geoscience
Professions Act.
ORDERS
The Investigative Committee has recom-
mended orders that it considers appropri-
ate. As the case manager designated by the
Discipline Committee to review the matter, I
agree with the recommended orders.
During my discussion of the orders
with [Professional Engineer A], he con-
firmed that he agrees with the recom-
mended orders.
Therefore, in accordance with Section
52 of the Engineering and Geoscience Profes-
sions Act, this Order has the same force and
effect as if it had been made by the Disci-
pline Committee following a formal hearing.
1. [Professional Engineer A] shall be
issued a letter of reprimand;
2. [Professional Engineer A] is required
to write a letter of apology to the
complainant;
3. [Professional Engineer A] is to write
an open letter of apology to the
membership suitable for publication in
the PEG, and
4. This Order shall be published in the
PEG, without names.
Dated this 15th day of August, 2013
JOHN NICOLL, P.ENG.
Case Manager, Discipline Committee
APEGA Discipline Committee decisions received by deadline appear in the subsequent edition of The PEG in order of their dates, from least recent to most recent. All these decisions, with names, are public documents and are available through the APEGA office. Please cite the case number.
108 | PEG SEPTEMBER 2013
BY THE NUMBERS Registration
Compliance
Jun30/13 May31/13 Jun30/12 Professional Members (includes Life Members)P.Eng. 44,990 44,894 42,422
P.Geo. 454 452 110
P.Geol. 3,413 3,420 3,596
P.Geoph. 1,017 1,022 1,084
Dual Membership 130 130 129
50,004 49,918 47,341Members-in-Training E.I.T. 9,566 9,424 8,614
G.I.T. 344 334 36
Geol.I.T. 581 583 731
Geoph.I.T. 167 168 214
10,658 10,509 9,595Other Licensees 1,053 1,044 932
Professional Licensees 385 370 346
Provisional Licensees 151 148 144
Exam Candidates 1,832 1,857 1,626
Students 457 452 376
ASAP University Students 5,393 5,215 4,949
Honorary Members 20 20 19
9,291 9,106 8,392TOTAL MEMBERSHIP 69,953 69,533 65,328
Permits to Practice 4,408 4,394 4,284
JUNE 2013 SUMMARY May31/13 Apr30/13 May31/12 Professional Members (includes Life Members)P.Eng. 44,894 44,500 42,220
P.Geo. 452 409 71
P.Geol. 3,420 3,428 3,612
P.Geoph. 1,022 1,027 1,088
Dual Membership 130 129 128
49,918 49,493 47,119Members-in-Training E.I.T. 9,424 9,538 8,501
G.I.T. 334 328 27
Geol.I.T. 583 599 743
Geoph.I.T. 168 172 218
10,509 10,637 9,489Other Licensees 1,044 1,025 912
Professional Licensees 370 370 340
Provisional Licensees 148 154 142
Exam Candidates 1,857 1,808 1,643
Students 452 435 363
ASAP University Students 5,215 4,926 4,598
Honorary Members 20 20 19
9,106 8,738 8,017TOTAL MEMBERSHIP 69,533 68,868 64,625
Permits to Practice 4,394 4,377 4,289
MAY 2013 SUMMARY
Jul31/13 Jun30/13 Jul31/12 Professional Members (includes Life Members)P.Eng. 45,144 44,990 42,644
P.Geo. 464 454 134
P.Geol. 3,394 3,413 3,578
P.Geoph. 1,011 1,017 1,078
Dual Membership 130 130 129
50,143 50,004 47,563Members-in-Training E.I.T. 9,754 9,566 9,605
G.I.T. 364 344 53
Geol.I.T. 573 581 718
Geoph.I.T. 165 167 212
10,856 10,658 10,588Other Licensees 1,053 1,053 935
Professional Licensees 386 385 345
Provisional Licensees 153 151 145
Exam Candidates 1,683 1,832 1,575
Students 419 457 358
ASAP University Students 5,397 5,393 4,568
Honorary Members 20 20 19
9,111 9,291 7,945TOTAL MEMBERSHIP 70,110 69,953 66,096
Permits to Practice 4,423 4,408 4,331
JULY 2013 SUMMARY
ACTIVITY REPORTActive files as of May 1, 2013 124
Files opened during the period 127
Files Resolved for Individuals 20
Highlights
Ceased using restricted title/holding out 15
Verified Not Practicing 1
Personal Registration 3
Others 1
Files Resolved for Companies 45
Highlights
Permits issued or re-instated 17
Ceased using restricted title/holding out 9
Verified Not Practicing 8
Others 11
Active Files at July 31, 2013 186
Heritage RESPs
www.HeritageRESP.com/APEGA.
Gordon Branden at [email protected]
*
651948 – 2013
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