Month: September 2021
The Mackenzie River Basin State of Aquatic Ecosystem Report combines Indigenous and scientific knowledge systems to better understand the ecosystem
The Mackenzie River Basin covers one-fifth of Canada’s landmass, or about 1.8 million square kilometres, in the western and northern provinces and territories, and consists of six sub-basins. While population in the basin is small, less than half a million people, the Mackenzie River serves a major role in regulating global ocean circulation and Arctic climatic systems. The basin is home and has spiritual, cultural, and food security significance for Indigenous communities.
On behalf of the Mackenzie River Basin Board and a technical steering committee, Environment and Climate Change Canada retained Associated Environmental Consultants and Integral Ecology Group to conduct an aquatic health assessment of the basin. The result of the assessment is the State of the Aquatic Ecosystem Report (SOAER), which guides the Board’s decision-making. The Board includes representatives from Federal and Provincial/Territorial governments, and Indigenous organizations. One of the Board’s duties is to conduct an assessment every five years. The first report was published in 2003. The 2021 edition of the report describes changes to the aquatic ecosystem health, furthers the understanding of conditions and developments in the Mackenzie River Basin, and educates residents on the ecosystem through an intuitive, interactive, and user-friendly website.
“This is the first time this report has been developed following a braided approach, which includes Indigenous knowledge and Western scientific knowledge. We had to figure out how to tell a braided story, bringing together and respecting the value of these knowledge systems, and present a holistic understanding of current conditions and environmental change in the watershed.” – Project Manager, Rebekka Lindskoog
Our project team collaborated extensively with Environment and Climate Change Canada representatives and the Mackenzie River Basin Board committee members to ensure the knowledge systems and braiding are current, representative, and complete for this immense and complex trans-boundary basin.
“Climate change was identified as the most common cause for changes in aquatic ecosystem signs and signals, indicating a widespread impact of this stressor on aquatic ecosystem health across the basin.” – Senior Aquatic Scientist, Dörte Koster
Increased air temperatures and, to a lesser degree, changes in precipitation patterns, have changed ice and flow patterns in rivers, reduced snow cover in many areas, reduced water levels in deltas, and impacted water quality in northern parts of the basin through permafrost slumps. The quality of habitat, such as wetlands in deltas and distribution of fish species, has also been altered. Climate change has also affected access to traditional land-use areas, in particular in the winter in the northern part of the basin, and, thus has impacted the health and well-being of Indigenous communities.
Land use has also impacted aquatic ecosystem health in the basin in many ways, in particular in the Peace and Athabasca sub-basins. Fishing pressure has likely been a contributing factor in many of the historical fish population declines in lakes and rivers across the basin.
Much of the information gathered from Indigenous knowledge and Western scientific sources complement each other
A lesson learned from this study is the complementary nature of Indigenous and Western scientific knowledge sources. Together, they paint a much clearer picture of the status of aquatic ecosystem health and the key pressures upon it, than would be possible by either knowledge system alone. Key changes in the aquatic ecosystem include rising air temperatures, variable water levels, reduced populations of wetland-dependent wildlife, contamination of water and fish, and increased concentrations of ions in rivers.
Information Systems Developer, Jase Zwarich, says, “We worked together to present the online web report in a way that is both appealing and interactive for multiple audiences – residents, decision makers, and government.”
[AE75] Land management: a precedent for Canadian First Nation
![[AE75] Land management: a precedent for Canadian First Nation](https://www.ae.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/sechelt.jpg)
As we celebrate our 75th anniversary in 2021, we take a look back at our legacy of achievements and milestones over the years, as chronicled in our company newsletter that began publishing in 1967…
Originally appeared in AE Today, Winter 1975 issue
For the first time in Canadian history, a First Nations band has been given the authority to manage its own land. On November 6, 1974, the Sechelt Indian Band of the Sechelt Peninsula, just north of Vancouver, had final details confirmed by the band’s housing authority administrator, Gilbert Joe, in talks with the federal Department of Indian Affairs. Since November, the band has been authorized to sell homes on leased band property.
Until last year, with all First Nations land held in trust by the Crown, it was impossible for First Nations to lease their lands directly, or even to arrange financing through a bank. Now, four Sechelt band members are agents of the Crown under the Minister for Indian Affairs, Judd Buchanan, and have the same powers as appointed civil servants.
For a two-year period, while it negotiated for self-management privileges, the Sechelt Band cleared land, installed telephone, hydro, cablevision, and waste services, and built foundations for modular homes. Tsawcome Properties, the name of the development, is located five kilometres south of Sechelt.
The housing project started in 1972 when band manager, Clarence Joe, made inquiries about 120 houses that were to be removed from an old army camp in Ladner. The band could not afford to buy the houses, but the Department of Indian Affairs bought them in 1973 and offered them to the Sunshine Coast Tribal Council. As a result, 60 houses went to Powell River First Nations, 40 to the Sechelt band, and the remainder to smaller reserves.
Throughout the laying of foundations for the modular homes and the installation of sewer and other systems, the Sechelt Band has had a full-time economic consultant in employ, while Associated Engineering has been retained as the consulting engineers for the overall development of the housing projects on a continuing basis.
Helping to build better communities through the Engineering Day of Caring
Associated Engineering is proud to be a long-time supporter of the United Way and the annual Engineering Day of Caring. On a sunny weekend in September, our four-person team of David Ulliac, Cailee McOrmond, Kevin Carnagie, and Imad Bazzi joined a large group of 80 volunteers who worked on two construction projects benefitting the Operation Friendship Seniors Society and e4c in Edmonton.
Following opening remarks by the United Way and both agencies, an Indigenous smudging ceremony performed by a local Elder, the volunteers followed strict safety precautions and respected the safe working site policies in place at both project locations in the community of Boyle/McCauley. The work our team contributed to on both sites included building new planters, a trellis, two gazebos, as well as some edging, artwork, and a new paving stone sidewalk.
Our volunteers shared their thoughts about their participation.
“This year’s Engineering Day of Caring was an amazing experience. The amount of planning and effort from the volunteers and organizing committee that goes into a project like this is truly remarkable. Seeing how invested and determined everyone became as the day progressed was inspiring and it was awesome to be able to represent Associated Engineering. We look forward to next year’s Engineering Day of Caring!”
Thank you to our hard working volunteers for representing Associated Engineering at the 15th edition of the United Way’s Engineering Day of Caring and helping to build better communities, bringing joy to local residents, and contributing to make a lasting impact in Edmonton!
Photo credit: United Way of the Alberta Capital Region
Akinbola George credits his career success to dedication to research and learning, and determination to succeed
At an early age, Akinbola George learned about groundwater by spending time with his father, a geologist who specialized in hydrogeology, on various field investigations to locate groundwater. This led to his interest in studying civil engineering at university. Akinbola then attained a Master’s degree in civil and environmental engineering, specializing in hydraulic and hydrotechnical engineering.
Akinbola tells us, “During my research, I focused on the application of 3D numerical models on controlled flows and sedimentation transport within open channels. This sparked my love for hydraulics and hydrotechnical engineering.” After working in Manitoba for over ten years, his interest transitioned from hydraulics and hydrotechnical engineering to water resources engineering.
Asked about his early career, Akinbola tells us, “When I first entered the consulting industry, I had the notion that you had to perform – to prove yourself. I was very determined to figure things out myself. I spent lots of time researching and learning.” Akinbola advises that this phase of his career was quite challenging, but he is grateful that he never gave up.
Reflecting on this time, he tells us he now advises young professionals, “Always ask questions; no question is silly. Everyone is ready to help you, regardless of their position within the company.”
“Never spin your wheels on any design when you can ask someone who has proven experience doing the same thing.”
Akinbola shares that he has always enjoyed learning, from coding, to design tools, to designing. He still carries this learning philosophy with him. “I have completed a number of designs and developed many 1D, 2D, and 3D numerical models related to water resources engineering. I consider every one of them a huge success.” Akinbola credits his research background and early career experiences to his ability to accomplish difficult and challenging tasks.
When seeking a career change and new opportunities, Akinbola shares that he was attracted to Associated Engineering because he was impressed with the thought-leadership and projects shown on the company’s website.
“I just had a feeling that this environment would be different compared to my experiences with other organizations.”
A visit in Winnipeg with our Senior Vice President, Civil Infrastructure, Chris Skowronski, helped to convince Akinbola that Associated was the right company for the next phase in his career.
Since joining Associated, Akinbola says he has had the opportunity to complete many exciting and interesting projects with amazing team members. He tells us that his most memorable experience so far was also his first project with Associated, the Mill Creek Erosion Study. He says, “The project was quite challenging with regard to the scope and our proposed methodology. We used an innovative approach to address the project’s objectives. Today, the approach is still being used and recognized by the City of Edmonton (Drainage), now EPCOR.”
“With hard work and the will to succeed, you can do whatever you set your heart and mind to do.”
Today, Akinbola is a Senior Water Resources Engineer and Manager of the Water Resources group in our Edmonton office. As a manager, Akinbola has more responsibilities which he finds interesting. He says he continues to research and learn in his new role.
Akinbola advises that, before he joined Associated in 2015, he never had a formal mentoring relationship. He appreciates participating in the company’s formal mentoring program as both a mentee and a mentor. Akinbola advises, “I love mentoring young staff. I don’t want them to go through what I went through when I was a young engineer.”
Away from work, the musically talented Akinbola spends his free time playing the guitar. He is also learning to play the piano. Akinbola also works with kids from his church community, guiding the next generation of engineers and leaders.
[ViewPoints] Design for reliability – Consider climate change
![[ViewPoints] Design for reliability – Consider climate change](https://www.ae.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/viewpoints-11d5fab391b316d6b9fc9ff00001037d2.jpg)
re·li·a·bil·i·ty, /rəˌlīəˈbilədē/, noun, The quality of of performing consistently well.
re·sil·ience, /rəˈzilyəns/, noun, The capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.
When engineering for the built environment, Associated Engineering considers reliability and resilience for the systems we design. We include safety factors, stand-by and back-up process systems, alternative feeds, and back-up power to mitigate risks, such as climate change impacts. Adding redundancy to our systems is one way to achieve resilience, but redundancy has impacts, such as increased cost, maintenance, and embodied carbon. Designing for climate resiliency goes beyond ‘n+1’ and requires discussions with owners and operators. We need to think “outside of the box” and the facility we are designing.
Power Supply: Floods, snow, and fires can destroy critical infrastructure, leaving facilities without power for days, weeks, or longer. Fires may require the shutdown of natural-gas-powered systems. Adding a back-up power generator is a solution; however, we must consider the source of fuel for generators, the facility’s location, and the risks associated with fuel supply and transportation. Transportation routes can become blocked or damaged in flood events, blocking critical supplies.
In the past, for cold climates, we have specified arctic-packages for outdoor generators. With the changing climate, we are experiencing +39°C temperatures in locations like Edmonton, Alberta, so we also need to consider high-temperature radiator and coolant systems so that we can operate up to +40°C. We also consider air conditioning in generator rooms. Care must be taken to consider the additional building electrical load which the generator has to power. And, the generator has to be sized to power the cooling for itself!
Too hot to handle: In the past, when designing facilities in Canada, electrical designers didn’t worry too much about the ambient temperature; that was a consideration for the building mechanical designers. However, the Canadian Electrical Code for cable sizing is based on +30°C. Equipment that is rated for +30°C will need to be in a conditioned space. Equipment that is rated for +40°C may also need to be in a conditioned space if there is a lot of heat accumulation in the area.
We may need to consider multiple distribution systems and shedding power, because the equipment may get too hot or overload the generator. Maybe we need to design for full normal operation up to +30°C, only essential equipment from +30°C to +40°C, and for critical systems to operate when temperatures are over +40°C.
Recovery: After fires and floods, we have faced questions such as, ‘How hot did the conduit get with the fire being so close?” or “Did the smoke enter the building and cover copper with soot?” Considering potential fires, stickers can be applied to conduits; the stickers change colour if the outside temperature rises to +90°C. Then, operators and designers know the wires were compromised and need to be replaced. We can add smoke detectors in electrical rooms; if the alarms activate, we know there may be soot inside the room. However, smoke detectors are not precise, and don’t identify conduits drawing smoke directly into panels or motor control centres. After flooding, all affected electrical systems need to be replaced, which can be a significant cost to owners.
Engineers must consider future flood levels when designing new or renovating facilities. The changing climate creates impacts we must consider to reduce risks to facilities. Designers, owners, and operators need to have candid discussions so we can make informed decisions and develop reliable and resilient systems.
About the Author:
Scott Friel, PE, P.Eng. is an Electrical Specialist in our Edmonton office. He has 24 years of experience in electrical systems design, electrical inspections, certification of hazardous location equipment, and commercial and industrial engineering studies.
Shaping our Shared Future – Rahim Ahmad
At the age of sixteen, Rahim Ahmad, a Civil Engineer in our Saskatoon office, moved from Surrey, BC to Warman, SK, which at the time was Canada’s fastest-growing municipality. In Warman, Rahim’s passion for engineering and construction blossomed. Watching the community develop had a significant impact on Rahim.
Since completing his engineering degree and joining the company in 2013, Rahim has worked on a diverse portfolio of municipal and industrial projects, including subdivision developments, raw water intakes, lift stations, water treatment plants, lagoons, and landfills. He takes pride in cultivating relationships with clients and colleagues, and believes that nurturing these relationships is critical to successful project delivery. It was this people-first attitude that also helped Rahim successfully fulfill his role as the Acting Manager of our Fort McMurray office, a role he undertook from August 2020 to March 2021.
Rahim is also passionate about serving the community. Since returning to Saskatoon earlier this year, Rahim has volunteered with the Saskatoon Open Door Society, an organization that helps newcomers to Saskatoon connect, integrate, and build strong reciprocal relationships within the community. Rahim was recently elected to their Board of Directors and is serving a two-year term from June 2021 to June 2023.
This summer, Rahim joined the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association for a blood donation drive and helped distribute water and snacks to the vulnerable during a July heatwave in Saskatoon.
When not working or volunteering, Rahim spends time with his wife, Alia, and daughter, Shaista. Together, they enjoy evenings and weekends exploring different walking trails in and around Saskatoon.
Thank you, Rahim, for helping to shape our shared future!