Acoustical engineers win the Schreyer

It was with great pleasure that I was invited to serve as chair of the jury for the 39th annual Canadian Consulting Engineering Awards. As last year, when I served as a jury member, the experience was interesting and truly rewarding.

The nine members of the jury met in downtown Toronto in early June to discuss and carefully review the entries. This year there was almost a record number of entries — 65 — which made the decision process even more difficult than last year. All the projects entered were imaginative, with many showing a high degree of engineering innovation.

The entries have to be designed by Canadian consulting engineering companies, but they can be executed anywhere in the globe. Among the 11 winners, three are in the international category: projects in Algeria, China and Japan. Each of these is of an extraordinary caliber, showing Canadian engineering technology benefiting other countries.

The top technical distinction, the Schreyer Award, goes to a project by Aercoustics Engineering of Toronto. These specialist engineers have developed groundbreaking software for analyzing the acoustics in performance spaces. Aercoustics’ analysis was used in the design of the auditorium in the Esplanade Arts and Heritage Centre in Medicine Hat, Alberta, and later for Toronto’s new opera house.

Last but not least, I would like to credit the exceptional individuals who made up this year’s jury. They brought a wealth of knowledge from many facets of engineering and career experiences, which at times made for lively discussions about the entries. However, it was only because the caliber of the entries was so exceptional that it was difficult to make final selections.

I also want to thank all those who submitted entries. As Canadian engineers it is sometimes difficult to pat ourselves on the back for our contributions to society. This program provides an excellent opportunity to showcase and celebrate our achievements.

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Sandra Lawson, P.Eng. — Chair

Sandra Lawson, is General Manager of Engineering and Operational Services at the City of Brantford in Ontario. With over 25 years of municipal engineering experience, she is responsible for Brantford’s environmental services, parks and recreation, fleet management, health and safety, special projects, property management, salt management and GIS & infrastructure data.

Ms. Lawson was the County Engineer for Huron from 1992 to 2002. She is a graduate in civil engineering from Queen’s University. Ms. Lawson was also on the jury for last year’s awards.

Guy C. Gosselin, P.Eng.

Another juror who returns from last year is Guy Gosselin. Mr. Gosselin manages Industry Liaison and Business Development at the National Research Council of Canada’s Institute for Research in Construction in Ottawa. Over the last 27 years his assignments at NRC have been in developing the National Building Code of Canada, fire research and investigations, evaluating construction products, and developing the National Guide to Sustainable Municipal Infrastructure.

In 2002, he was elected President of the Engineering Institute of Canada. He graduated in civil engineering from the University of Ottawa.

Martin Holysh, P.Eng.

Martin Holysh has spent 16 years with Suncor Energy in Fort McMurray and Calgary. He is currently Suncor’s Manager of Environment, Health and Safety for the Voyageur Project, a major expansion of Suncor’s oil sands facility. His previous roles with Suncor include Manager of Safety and Risk Management, and Senior Waste Management and Environmental Specialist.

Mr. Holysh graduated in chemical engineering at the University of Toronto.

For two years he was chair of Alberta Ecotrust. He has been a judge on the Showcase Awards of the Consulting Engineers of Alberta for several years.

Peter M. Huck, Eng.

Dr. Huck has been Professor and NSERC (Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada) Chairholder in Water Treatment in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Waterloo since 1993. He was also awarded a University Research Chair in 2003.

Dr. Huck graduated in civil and water resources engineering from the University of Waterloo, and was employed for two years in consulting before joining the University of Regina in 1979.

He has more than 25 years experience in directing research related to drinking water treatment, has 80 refereed publications, several hundred conference proceeding papers, and has held several patents.

Andre-Lise Mthot, ing.

Ms. Mthot is the founder of Cycle Capital Fund I, a sustainable development investment fund in Montreal. She has more than 10 years’ experience in business, finance, and engineering.

Since April 2004, she has co-chaired the Task Force “Integration of Social Aspects into Life Cycle Assessment” of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP). She also is a member of the advisory committee of the “Centre qubcois d’actions sur les changements climatiques (CQACC).”

Ms. Methot has a master’s degree in science from the Universit de Montral and a bachelor’s degree in geological engineering from Universit Laval. She previously held various positions with AXOR group.

Dr. A.G. Razaqpur, P.Eng.

Dr. A.G. Razaqpur is Chair and Director of the Centre for Effective Design of Structures, and is Chair of the Department of Civil Engineering at McMaster University.

He is also immediate Past President of the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering.

Over the past 25 years, Dr. Razaqpur has published over 160 articles, and has been involved in a wide range of consulting activities in both the public and private sectors.

He graduated in civil engineering at the University of Beirut in 1973, and went on to obtain an M.Sc. from the University of Hawaii, and a Ph.D from the University of Calgary.

Colonel Christian Rousseau, P.Eng.

Now assigned for service in Afghanistan, Colonel Christian Rousseau was Director General Military Engineering and Chief Military Engineer at Canada’s National Defence Headquarters in Ottawa, from July 2005 until this August.

A graduate in science from the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario, Colonel Rousseau went on to field and operational assignments with combat units in Quebec, and in July 2003 he took command of 5 Area Support Group and its six garrisons.

Colonel Rousseau’s international roles include being Force Engineer for the multinational force in Eastern Zaire in 1996.

J.C. (Craig) Sellers P.Eng.

Craig Sellers is Vice-President Engineering and Modifications and Chief Nuclear Engineer of Ontario Power Generation (OPG) in Toronto. He has held his current position since May 2006.

A graduate from the University of Toronto, Mr. Sellers has a 27-year career with OPG (formerly Ontario Hydro), acquiring extensive experience in nuclear generation, including operation, maintenance, engineering and management. In his present role he administers a base budget of $75 million, a project portfolio of $350 million, and directs a staff of approximately 1,300.

Ralph Sultan, P.Eng., MLA

Ralph Sultan has been the elected Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for the riding of West Vancouver-Capilano since May 2001.

He graduated from the University of British Columbia in 1956 in engineering, and followed this with an MBA and Ph.D in economics from Harvard University,

A former chief economist at the Royal Bank of Canada, he has been a senior officer in 10 different companies in the financial, mining and forestry sectors, as well as companies operating in technology and venture capital.

In Victoria, B.C. he has served as Chair of the Government Caucus Committee on the Economy and on the Legislative Committee on Public Accounts.

What merits an award?

*
The annual Canadian Consulting Engineering Awards are to recognize outstanding work on projects completed in the previous three years. The awards have been given for 39 years.

* Technical awards are given to projects that demonstrate a high quality of engineering, imagination and innovation. Consideration is given to the application of existing or new techniques, to the social, economic and environmental impact, to the complexity of the project, and to how well the result met the client’s needs. Criteria in the non-technical section are adapted according to the category.

* Entries must be by at least one firm in good standing with the Association of Canadian Engineering Companies (formerly the Association of Consulting Engineers of Canada). There must be a professional engineer on the team.

What types of projects were entered in 2007?

* 65 projects were entered. This number compares with 50 entered last year (the record is 67 in 2005).

* The number of entries per category, with last year’s entries in parentheses, in the technical categories were: Buildings 13 (10); Transportation 7 (8); Water Resources & Energy Production 17 (13); Environmental Remediation 6 (4); Natural Resources, Mining & Industry 9 (4); Studies, Software & Special Services 4 (3). Entries per non-technical category: Project Management 2 (5); International 7 (2); Community Outreach & In-House Initiatives 0 (1). Note: awards are given according to merit; not assigned as one per category.

Who entered?

* Geographical distribution of entering firms, with last year’s entries in parentheses: Maritimes 4 (Newfoundland 1, New Brunswick 1, Nova Scotia 2) (3); Quebec 14 (12); Ontario 20 (10); Manitoba 2 (0); Saskatchewan 2 (1); Alberta 11 (8); B.C. 12 (16).