Associated Engineering is pleased to be a supporting sponsor of the Canadian Network of Asset Managers‘ first hybrid Annual Conference next week in London, Ontario. Several members of our Strategic Advisory Services practice will be attending and participating in the technical program on Tuesday, May 3rd, that follows the theme of this year’s event, “CONNECTIONS: Building an Asset Management Community”. We invite interested attendees to join the following sessions in-person/online, beginning at 10:55am local time.
10:55am – 11:25am | Grand Ballroom East & Centre Connecting the Dots on Natural Asset Valuation in the City of Calgary Co-presenter: Twyla Kowalczyk
3:00pm – 3:30pm | Grand Ballroom East & Centre National First Nations Asset Needs Study Co-presenter: Owen James
3:40pm – 4:40pm | Suite 300 Workshop: Climate Adaptation Planning as Part of Asset Planning Co-facilitators: Twyla Kowalczyk, Jaimie Sokalski
To learn more about our integrated team of specialists with many years of experience and expertise in facilitating transparent and sound decision-making and providing strategic advice that our clients depend on for realistic, implementable solutions, visit here.
People often say that we are products of our environment, upbringing and experiences; they shape who we are and how we view life. I have had the misfortune of being affected personally and professionally by tragic events that have influenced my perspective on health and safety. These include the death of my father in an industrial accident when I was 18, the death of a concrete worker at a pumping station project in the UK on which I was the Project Manager, and the death of a pipe layer at a large transmission watermain project in Canada. These experiences have made me sensitive to how quickly accidents can happen and how tragic the consequences can be. They have also reinforced the importance of safety planning and documentation on every project.
The Poem, I Chose to Look the Other Way by Don Merrell, is a poignant reminder on the importance of speaking up for safety.
I could have saved a life that day
But I chose to look the other way.
It wasn’t that I didn’t care
I had the time, and I was there.
But I didn’t want to seem a fool
or argue over a safety rule.
I knew he’d done the job before
If I spoke up, he might get sore.
The chances didn’t seem that bad
I’d done the same, He knew I had.
So, I shook my head and walked on by
He knew the risks as well as I.
He took the chance, I closed an eye
and with that act, I let him die.
I could have saved a life that day
But I chose to look the other way.
Now every time I see his wife
I’ll know, I should have saved his life.
That guilt is something I must bear
but it isn’t something you need share.
If you see a risk that others take
that puts their health or life at stake.
The question asked, or thing you say
could help them live another day.
If you see a risk and walk away
then hope you never have to say
I could have saved a life that day
But I chose, to look the other way.
In the UK, health and safety in construction have been a major topic of discussion since the late 1990s. In 1994, the Construction Design and Management regulations came into force, and introduced new positions such as the Planning Supervisor. The Planning Supervisor is responsible for coordinating health and safety during the design, construction, commissioning, and demolition of projects. I was trained to undertake this role, and, later in my career, I managed a group of Planning Supervisors advising and fulfilling this role for clients.
In my roles overseeing health and safety I have learned that, in the aftermath of any accident, the burden of proof is opposite to what we believe to be a principle in the legal context. In an accident, you are perceived to be guilty until you prove your innocence. The response from Safety Inspectors is, if it is not documented it is hard to believe it is true. This is an important factor to consider.
Our perspective should also be influenced by our obligations. As professionals we have an obligation to the public, and as supervisors and workers we have obligations under the Health and Safety Acts in our province.
The question that should be asked is, “Have we done everything reasonable to prevent an accident from occurring?” This means applying the same time, effort, money, and resources to health and safety as we do to planning, designing, and managing our services.
Health and safety is about risk management which, as engineers, we assess as part of our work on a daily basis. We should look at it through the same lens, and it should be part of our normal way of work and life.
Implementing COR (Certificate of Recognition) as a company and formalising our processes (Internal Responsibility System), so that they are auditable by a third party, are forms of quality assurance. We should all look to raise awareness, put in appropriate controls where applicable, be disciplined, and review our plans and learn lessons. It is too easy to become complacent, but accidents can happen and they do happen; and it has, for me, had devastating consequences. We all need to:
CARE – Be
Considerate,
Accountable,
Responsible, and
Expect.
AND NOT LOOK THE OTHER WAY.
About the Author:
Matthew Eades has 25 years of consulting, engineering, and project management experience encompassing municipal infrastructure, water and wastewater plants, institutional facilities, buildings and transit. He has participated on projects in Canada and the UK. As Vice President & General Manager of our Ontario operation, Matt is currently leading our COR certification in Ontario.
November 2021 saw a series of atmospheric rivers (heavy rainfall events) in southwestern BC, which resulted in extreme flooding of many communities. Associated Engineering received numerous requests for flood management assistance from various provincial agencies and municipalities. Our specialists in water resources, transportation, environmental management, water quality, hydrogeology, community resilience, and emergency response and recovery responded to our clients’ urgent calls for support.
Our staff responded swiftly, travelling to locations along Highways 1, 3, 5, and 7, as well as secondary roadways and other sites throughout the Fraser Valley and the BC Interior. They assessed major bridge and culvert washouts, channel avulsions, and general flooding and erosion issues. Our team also played a key coordination role with Emergency Management BC in their Emergency Operations Centre. These efforts have continued with recovery activities in early 2022, as permanent repairs are required for flood-damaged infrastructure.
Senior Water Resources Engineer, Geoffrey Cahill, led our emergency flood response efforts for the City of Merritt following the Coldwater River flood of November 15. This was a large event and is now the flood of record for the area. Flood extents in Merritt were vast, causing dike breaches, dike and bank overtopping, two avulsions, a bridge failure, and extensive overland flooding. The city’s wastewater treatment plant was compromised and the FortisBC gas main supplying the city was scoured and suspended in the new avulsion channel. This led to an evacuation order for the City of Merritt’s 7000 residents.
“We provided an emergency channel assessment and design recommendation for a river diversion to put the Coldwater River flow back in the pre-event channel.”
Our team then completed rapid dike inspections, with the threat of further atmospheric river events, and provided recommendations for emergency dike repairs, temporary works (HESCO Barriers and Tiger Dams), vehicle and trailer removals from the river, and a second river diversion. In addition, we provided hydrotechnical engineering guidance to the City’s Emergency Operations Centre, field reviews of all dike and bank repairs, and construction oversight at 12 sites, working in collaboration with ten contractors and the Canadian Armed Forces.
On the weekend of November 28, Associated Engineering received a request from Emergency Management BC and the BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure to assist in closing a gap in the flood protection infrastructure along Highway 1 at the Sumas River crossing in Abbotsford, BC.
Jamie Fitzgerald, Manager, Water Resources, tells us, “Our staff immediately attended the site and identified the required flood protection measures.” We provided flood management and structural engineering advice and collaborated with the military, Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, Abbotsford Fire Department, and local contractors. A Tiger Dam representative was also on-site and provided assembly instructions to the team. As a result of their efforts, the Tiger Dam was successfully assembled by 5 am on November 29.
The Associated Engineering team continues to support the City of Merritt and the BC Ministry of Transportation & Infrastructure with their flood recovery efforts
Associated Engineering staff involved in the emergency response and recovery efforts on the engineering services include Jamie Fitzgerald, Trevor Friedmann, Nate Antonides, Michael MacLatchy, Kyle Eckart, Eric Finney, Geoffrey Cahill, Carly Davis, John van der Eerden, Chris Duncan, Andrew Wiens, Matt Bowen, Shaun Bidulka, Amr Mohamed, Pat Stancombe, Matt du Toit, Shane Cook, Katrin Habel, Mike Lumb, Ethan Wilkinson, David Harvey, Nik Cuperlovic, Marta Green, Matt Lozie, and several others active in the field monitoring ongoing construction activities.
This past Friday in Edmonton, the Consulting Engineers Alberta hosted the 25th edition of their Showcase Awards Gala. Associated Engineering was recognized in several project categories for technical engineering excellence. In addition, one of our staff received a presitigious individual honour. Congratulations to all of the nominees and award winners in helping to raise awareness of the consulting engineering industry in Alberta! Award of Excellence: Studies, Software and Special Services | Drinking Water Infrastructure Risk and Vulnerability Assessment
Recognizing the impact of climate and extreme weather on the supply of safe drinking water, Alberta Innovates and Alberta Environment and Parks partnered to study the climate change risks of extreme streamflow events at 48 municipal drinking water facilities across Alberta. Associated Engineering provided a high-level assessment of the water infrastructure, considering historic vulnerability and increased risks of future extreme streamflow events due to climate change. This study helps municipalities understand the risks of the changing climate to their drinking water infrastructure, identify facility and knowledge gaps, and make informed decisions and plans to ensure safe drinking water for Albertans.
Edmonton/Strathcona County Footbridge Location
Award of Excellence: Transportation Infrastructure – Transportation Structures | Crowchild Trail Bridge Over Bow River
Award of Merit: Transportation Infrastructure – Roads, interchanges, airports, mass transit |Crowchild Trail Short-Term Improvements
Award of Merit: Project Management | Crowchild Trail Short-Term Improvements
Associated Engineering’s innovative design for rehabilitating and widening Calgary’s Crowchild Trail Bow River Bridge Interchange improves functionality and safety, and extends the service life of the 50-year-old, severely deteriorated structure. Associated’s team conceived a cost effective, sustainable solution involving reusing the existing structure, thus avoiding extensive demolition, limiting waste, and protecting the river. The team’s complex traffic staging plan mitigated interruption to commuters, pedestrians, CP Rail, and businesses during construction. Associated’s design for bridge widening and realigning access ramps eliminates congestion on this interchange, reducing emissions, and improving the quality of life for more than 100,000 commuters every day.
Award of Excellence: Small Firm – Big Impact | Groat Road Storm Trunk Rehabilitation Phase 2 (Associated Engineering, sub consultant)
EPCOR’s Groat Road Storm Trunk Rehabilitation (Phase 2) project is one of the largest sliplining projects in Western Canada. 3.9 kilometres of 2-metre trunk was rehabilitated under live flow conditions with minimal disruption to two of Edmonton’s busiest arterial roads. The project pushed the limits of sliplining technology and faced the wettest summer in forty years, collapsed sections, huge voids, and COVID-19. The team’s creative and collaborative approach, depth of technical experience, advanced techniques, and agile responses ultimately resulted in successful completion—under budget.
Award of Merit: Sustainable Design | Blatchford District Energy System – Phase 1
With the closure of its municipal airfield, the City of Edmonton developed this downtown area as an innovative, environmentally-friendly community. Associated Engineering collaborated with the City to design the Blatchford Neighbourhood’s District Energy Sharing System. The project features a geoexchange field, utilizing earth’s energy for heating, cooling, and domestic hot water, and Canada’s largest application of an ambient-temperature, energy distribution system. The buildings employ heat pumps to share unused energy, reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Blatchford residents can take pride in living in Alberta’s most forward thinking, sustainable community, providing a model for community-based climate change mitigation across Canada.
Harold L. Morrison Rising Young Professional Award:Tia Hill, P.Eng.
Tia Hill, P.Eng., a Project Engineer with the Strategic Advisory Services group in our Calgary office, was presented with this individual award recognizing her achievements as a young professional through combining her interest in improving the well being of communities and her business acumen, technical skills, initiative, and leadership. Her involvement with industry associations including ACEC-BC, CEA, and ACEC-Canada, as well as her commitment to mentoring and supporting aspiring female engineers reflect her remarkable dedication and generosity.
In this two-part webinar series, Associated Environmental Consultants staff journey through a fictitious linear project in northern Alberta. Our team of experts will walks through all the things that can go wrong and demonstrates how to set a project up for success.
Part 1: To Apply or not to Apply – That is the Question: A Perspective on Environmental and Regulatory Planning
Recorded: March 29, 2022
Speaker: April Ziegler, P. Biol., Regulatory Planner
You’ve heard it before, and we will say it again! Engage your environmental consulting team early in your project planning. But what does that even mean? Is there such thing as too early? (Hint: the answer is no). In this introductory webinar, we will walk you through a fictitious project example through the lens of environmental planner including a discussion around project schedule and how it relates to the potential regulatory permitting requirements. This project has it all! Wetland impacts, watercourse crossings, vegetation impacts, contaminated sites, and more! This webinar will set the stage for sessions two (Environmental Site Assessments) and three (Pre-construction wildlife surveys).
Part 2: Environmental Site Assessments – What Environmental Impacts Are In Your Project Area?
Recorded: April 5, 2022
Speaker: Brent Schmidt, P. Geo., Geoscientist
This webinar will go over the purpose of Environmental Site Assessments (ESAs) and why you should know what lies beneath the surface of your project area. We will walk you through the basics of ESAs and how we assess the potential for contamination on your project. Through this process, we can set you and your project up for success from beginning to end. These steps mitigate the possibility of running into unknown contamination during a project which could cause project delays, contractor scope changes, and cost overruns. Through our case study, we will show you what we look for during the feasibility, planning, and design stages, and common problems that arise during construction related to soil contamination. Join us as we talk about the mystical world of contaminated sites.
In recent years, The City of Calgary has been focusing on processes to improve the management of their natural assets. The City has been developing a more holistic view of their natural assets and the services that use and impact their natural assets. Their goal is to build a more resilient city, and, in particular, to create an environment that is more resistant to the effects of climate change.
“Nature provides numerous social, economic, and environmental benefits. However, usually, these benefits are undervalued in municipal financial planning and reporting.” – Twyla Kowalczyk, Climate Resilience Specialist
Determining the value of natural assets is an emerging field for municipalities. With expertise in asset management, municipal processes, and environmental management, Associated is well-positioned to support and assist organizations in developing and integrating natural asset management plans into their planning and processes.
The City of Calgary engaged Associated Engineering and Green Analytics to conduct a final valuation that demonstrates the value of the services provided by natural assets. The objective of the project is to support The City in communicating the value of their natural assets that will be used to inform decision-making on land-use planning, asset management, and operations.
Green Analytics conducted the financial valuation component of the project. Associated’s team developed a unique data set to identify storage capacity in natural depression areas, which was compared to the cost of providing storage through engineered stormwater infrastructure. We initially developed this data set to support Calgary’s stormwater team in quantifying the impacts of localized flooding, primarily focused on low points along the roadway network.
National Practice Lead, Asset Management, Owen James, tells us, “This work highlights the value that Associated brings in coordinating initiatives across disciplines and departments within The City and identifying creative ways that data can be used to achieve multiple outcomes.”
Calgary’s plan for managing their natural assets will improve the City’s resilience to the changing climate
Nature supports climate mitigation initiatives by storing carbon, as well as managing climate risks. Increased rainfall intensity, extreme temperatures and heat days, increasing runoff, and shifting eco-regions are all moderated through a healthy, resilient natural environment.
The project provides a strong foundation for more robust management of Calgary’s natural assets and demonstrates that natural infrastructure is providing quantifiable financial value. Further analysis will make an even stronger case for advancing work on natural asset management and conservation efforts.
Our key personnel on this project included Twyla Kowalczyk, Owen James, Andrew Rushworth, and Andrew Wiens.
Originally published in The Ontario Technologist, March/April 2023 Issue
Associated Engineering is passionate about building better communities. With over 20 Canadian offices, this employee-owned consulting company has been dedicated to working with clients in the public and private sectors, delivering diverse engineering, planning, landscape architecture, environmental and infrastructure projects for over 75 years.
Their integrated team, made up of 1,000 employees (including C.Tech.s and C.E.T.s), offers a full range of services and expertise, including planning, engineering, environmental science and management, landscape architecture, asset management, communications, and facilitation.
They bring the benefits of global and local experience to every project, ranging from studies and assessments to the design of major infrastructures. Sustainability is part of every project they undertake and how they operate their business. Associated Engineering has led their industry as a carbon-neutral company since 2009 and has been recognized as one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies since 2008.
“Becoming a shareholder and a manager are significant highlights of my career,” says 20-plus year employee Mark Belanger, P.Eng., C.E.T., infrastructure division manager, Niagara office. “Being able to mentor our younger staff and inspire them as they pursue their professional and personal life goals is very rewarding. We have a great environment and team atmosphere here.”
Award-winning projects
Working collaboratively with clients and stakeholders, Associated Engineering develops solutions that address the complex issues decision-makers face, minimizes the social and environmental impacts, and addresses risks to help shape a better world. Their portfolio of projects includes many that industry associations have recognized for technical excellence, including Toronto’s Avenue Road watermain, Keswick Water Treatment Plant upgrades, Scott Street sewage pump station, and the Oakville Water Purification Plant. They have also worked on many projects with Indigenous communities, including Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation, Pikangikum First Nation, and Curve Lake First Nation.
“I have the opportunity to play a role in building and shaping the community in which I live working for Associated Engineering. Not only by contributing to high profile, local infrastructure projects but also by positively impacting those around me,” says Matt Vinski, C.E.T., manager of infrastructure Kitchener office.
Associated Engineering has led their industry as a carbon-neutral company since 2009 and has been recognized as one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies since 2008
Focus on professional development and accreditation
The company is committed to the career development of its people and creating a strong culture through professional, technical and social initiatives. Associated Engineering offers formal and informal continuous professional development through training, mentoring and on-the-job learning. In-house learning opportunities are available through their Capacity Building seminars that bring staff together from across Canada to share ideas, knowledge, and experiences.
They offer a member-in-training program that supports professional development for staff in pursuit of their professional credentials and also supports them in attaining membership in associations such as the Ontario Association of Certified Engineering Technicians and Technologists (OACETT).
“My OACETT membership helps to enhance my credibility, network, and professional recognition,” mentions Catherine Du, C.E.T., CAD design technologist, Markham office. Mark Mascioli, C.E.T., municipal infrastructure manager, Niagara-on-the-Lake, complemented her sentiments, saying: “My clients know that I have put in the work to further my career as a professional, and they understand the dedication it takes to achieve the C.E.T. designation.”
By nurturing their employees’ careers, Associated Engineering has further enhanced their team dynamic and built a robust company culture, which has benefitted the clients they serve and made their people confident in their roles and the contribution to their communities.
