ISSUE #4 • 2017

FEATURED ARTICLES:Envision | 3 Toronto bridges rehabilitation | 8 Climate change risk assessment software| 10

Season’s Greetings from Kerry Rudd and Young Professionals in our Edmonton office

Twelve years ago, I took on the role of President of Associated Engineering. This occasion marks the last time that I write to you as President & CEO. While I will remain as CEO, on January 1, 2018, Martin Jobke will assume the position of President of the Associated Engineering group of companies. I am confident in our ongoing success under Martin’s leadership.

Over the past 12 years, the company has experienced many changes. We have doubled in size to almost 1000 staff, added ten offices, and expanded our services to include environmental science, community planning, energy, buildings, and asset management. We have participated in many exciting and challenging projects, and twice received consulting engineering’s highest honour, the Schreyer Award. For the tenth consecutive year, we have been recognized as one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies.

While much has changed in the marketplace, today, we remain one of the few, wholly Canadian, employee-owned, multi-discipline, consulting firms. I want to thank our staff

for their dedication to the company and commitment to our clients. I am proud of your efforts to make a difference in the communities in which we work by designing sustainable and resilient infrastructure. Your passion, technical excellence, and commitment to service are the reasons for our stability and our success.

To our clients: It has been an honour to serve you as President of Associated Engineering. I have had the privilege to meet many of you in my travels across the company. Thank you for sharing your vision for your communities, and your insights into local and global issues.

To our clients, staff, friends, and the extended Associated Engineering family, best wishes to you and your families for this holiday season, and for peace and happiness in the new year.

Kerry Rudd, P.Eng.President & CEO

Season’s Greetings

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IN THIS ISSUE1 Season’s Greetings

2 Leslie Mihalik named as General Manager of BC

Associated receives award for utilities back-up power project

Brian Guy receives EGBC Westerman Memorial Award

3 Envision specialists help deliver sustainable infrastructure

Heron Hall targets Living Building Challenge accreditation

4 Associated plays leading role at 39th IABSE Symposium

Staff share experiences at Transportation Structures Capacity Building Seminar

5 Phasing construction of 37th Street storm trunk sewer helps meet schedule for Southwest Ring Road project in Calgary

6 Staff Profile: Andrew Stevenson

7 BC Earthquake Integrated Asset Management Plan proposes framework for infrastructure resilience and response

8 Rehabilitation of Toronto’s aging bridge infrastructure extends asset life-span and improves user safety

9 Congratulations to our 2017 Service Award recipients

10 New climate change risk assessment software improves information sharing, securing transportation infrastructure

Building Communities

11 Employee News

12 Updating hydrometric data collection standards for British Columbia to be compliant with today’s needs

AE Today is published for employees and friends of the Associated Engineering group of companies.

Visit our web site at www.ae.ca for past issues of AE Today and for office contact information.

If you would prefer to receive AE Today via email, please email aetoday@ae.ca.

Brian Guy receives EGBC Westerman Memorial Award

(l to r) Eric Gaudet, Perihan Cengiz, Glen Gillis (SaskWater), Doug Thomson, and Edwin Klassen.

At the annual Association of Consulting Engineering Companies - Saskatchewan (ACEC-SK) Awards, Associated Engineering received an Award of Merit for the Town of La Ronge and Northern Village of Air Ronge Municipal Utilities Back-up Power Project. The project added resiliency to the communities’ potable water supplies by providing back-up power to 21 lift stations, water reservoirs, and a sewage treatment plant. Congratulations to the project team!

Associated receives award for utilities back-up power project

Brian Guy (r) accepts Westerman Memorial award from EGBC President, Bob Stewart. Photo credit: Mike Crane Photography.

Engineers and Geoscientists BC (EGBC) , representing the province’s engineering and geoscience professionals, presented Dr. Brian Guy, P.Geo., P.H. with the C.J. Westerman Memorial Award as this year’s top professional geoscientist in BC. The award recognizes Brian for his technical excellence, leadership, and professional and community service over his 35-year career as a geoscientist, water resource management specialist, and leader in climate change. Congratulations, Brian!

Leslie Mihalik named as General Manager of BC operationsKerry Rudd, President & CEO, is pleased to announce the appointment of Leslie Mihalik, P.E., P.Eng., MBA as the new General Manager of our BC operations. Leslie succeeds Martin Jobke who will take on the role of President of the Associated Engineering Group of companies.

Since joining the company as a Structural Engineer in 2003, Leslie has held roles of increasing responsibility, most recently, Division Manager of our Transportation team. As a Structural Engineer and Project Manager, Leslie has led the design of bridges and transportation projects across BC and the North, including Owner’s Project Manager on the award-winning Deh Cho Bridge in Fort Providence. Congratulations, Leslie!

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Burrard Street Bridge in Vancouver, BC

Created by the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure, the Envision sustainable infrastructure rating system is a tool for engineering professionals involved in planning, designing, building, and maintaining civil infrastructure. Envision provides guidance on sustainability best practices, and serves as a project planning and design tool. Envision can also be used to evaluate infrastructure projects once complete.

Any project considering an Envision award level must have a certified Envision Sustainability Professional (ENV SP) on

the project team and involved in the project from the outset. Charlie Bartlett, ENV SP, Sustainability Specialist, tells us, “You can also use Envision to guide sustainable design, even if you don’t intend to certify your project. We have used the Envision sustainability rating system as an informal framework for project decision-making. We have also conducted a retrospective project assessment of the Burrard Street Bridge Rehabilitation Project for the City of Vancouver.”

Envision provides an holistic framework for evaluating and rating the community, environmental, and economic benefits of all types and sizes of infrastructure projects. Envision consists of a broad range of criteria that help individuals make better-decisions at each step of their project. These criteria address a project’s impact on the surrounding community and environment, technical considerations regarding materials and processes, and other critical sustainability choices spanning the project’s life-cycle. Envision also provides a framework for discussions with stakeholders on the often-complex choices which communities and their elected officials must make.

If you have any questions, or potential projects, contact Charlie Bartlett in our Vancouver office at barlettc@ae.ca.

Envision specialists help deliver sustainable infrastructure

Heron Hall targets Living Building Challenge accreditation

Designed by Architect, Jason F. McLennan, creator of the Living Building Challenge, Heron Hall is a custom, single family residence located on Bainbridge Island near Seattle, Washington. Design and construction of the home followed the stringent, sustainable design and performance requirements of the Living Building Challenge Standard.

Associated Engineering completed structural engineering for the home. Low-impact materials that were not “Red-Listed” (e.g. did not contain chemicals harmful to living creatures) were used.

The two-storey primary hall is supported on 600 mm thick seismically detailed, reinforced rammed earth shear walls with

rigid insulation sandwiched in between, with a continuous concrete structural bond beam on top.

The suspended ground floor was framed with wood structural insulated panels, detailed to act as a seismic diaphragm. The second floor and the walls above were advanced-framed, light timber with built-up timber portal frames, creating a voluminous vaulted hall over the main living space. Salvaged/reclaimed timber was used extensively, both for structural members and non-structural elements.

Special attention to detailing of the connections and joints was required for both the rammed earth and wood structures. Lead Structural Engineer, Jermyn Wong tells us, “We developed comprehensive structural and construction details to help achieve long-term, low energy performance.”

Other notable features include a rammed earth stair shaft, outdoor wood decks, and rammed earth “garden” walls. The roof has an array of solar panels for generating all of the home’s power needs. A cistern collects rainwater for household use.

Heron Hall was completed in the spring of 2017. Our key team members were Mark Porter, Project Manager; Jermyn Wong, Lead Structural Engineer; and David Woo, QA Reviewer.

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Staff share experiences at Transportation Structures Capacity Building Seminar

Associated plays leading role at 39th IABSE Symposium

Plenary session at IABSE conference Photo credit: Andrea Sunderland

Vancouver hosted more than 800 delegates from around the world for the 39th IABSE (International Association of Bridge and Structural Engineering) Symposium in September 2017. Delegates enjoyed a high-quality scientific program, including four pre-conference workshops (seismic, timber, forensics and Young Engineers).

Associated Engineering staff played a major part in organizing the symposium. Senior Bridge Engineer, Katrin Habel was conference Co-chair. Other key contributors included David Harvey (liaison for SEABC and the supporting organisations), Raya Smertina (communications), Michael Tolboom (graphic design), and Tijana Vulic (general assistance).

Associated Engineering staff presented a number of papers at the Symposium, including the followng:

• Innovative Solutions for Mid-Rise, Residential, Passive House, Wood Structure by Jermyn Wong

• Lions Gate Suspension Bridge Tower Joints Renewal by Eric de Fleuriot and Christian Guckel

• Construction of the Terwillegar Park Stressed-Ribbon Footbridge by Michael Paulsen, Rowan Shields, and Nikola Cuperlovic

• Opportunities in the Performance-Based, Seismic Design of Bridges in British Columbia by Don Kennedy, Jason Dowling, and Helen Du

• A Case Study on Evaluating the Performance Criteria of the 2014 Canadian Highway Bridge Design Code by Sepideh Ashtari, Carlos Ventura, W.D. Liam Finn, and Don Kennedy

• Three Novel Applications of Bridge Isolation Bearings near Vancouver, BC by David Harvey

• The 102nd Avenue Bridge over Groat Road – Design Concept and Challenges by Matthias Andermatt, Gilbert Grondin, Bob Ramsay, Katrin Habel, and Shiraz Kanji

In addition, David Harvey, Jason Dowling, and Don Kennedy moderated parallel sessions, and Raya Smertina organized the highly successful Pecha Kucha Session, in which Rowan Shields participated.

Congratulations, Katrin, the organizing team, moderators, and presenters on a very successful symposium.

Conference Chair, Don Kennedy, delivers the opening address

More than 60 staff and clients attended our 2017 in-house Transportation Structures Capacity Building Seminar (CBS) in Vancouver in November. The CBS started with a trade show, with demonstrations on GIS, hydraulic and hydrological modelling, scour, bridge 3D modelling and

drawing production, laser scanning and use of point clouds, bridge management and AMX software, and some of our specialty tools for condition surveys. Professional and technical sessions followed the trade show. Topics included risk management, bridge planning, hydraulics and hydrology, structured decision-making, Envision, climate change, bridge management, bridge rehabilitation, forensics, erection engineering, and pedestrian bridges. Saturday morning featured a design charrette where groups collaborated to develop solutions to a real bridge rehabilitation project.

Special thanks to Lon LaClaire, Director of Transportation for the City of Vancouver, who delivered a well-received keynote speech on transportation and bridge projects. Thanks also to Executive Assistant, Audrey Filgate who assisted Don Kennedy with conference organization.

For information on specialty presentations on any of the above topics, please contact Don Kennedy at kennedyd@ae.ca.

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Phasing construction of 37th Street storm trunk sewer helps meet schedule for Southwest Ring Road project in Calgary

Glenmore Reservoir where the stormwater will discharge

As part of the Calgary Southwest Ring Road project, Alberta Transportation needed to construct a new stormwater management trunk sewer within the 37 Street SW right-of-way, south of Lakeview Drive SW with a new outfall to the Glenmore Reservoir / Elbow River, to replace the existing storm trunk that crosses the Tsuut’ina Nation Lands.

To meet Alberta Transportation’s schedule and in collaboration with the City, Associated Engineering as the Prime Consultant, proposed to divide the project into two phases. This approach met Alberta Transportation’s schedule and allowed the City and Associated Engineering to perform their due diligence by conducting the necessary environmental assessments in the park area. These included a biophysical impact assessment and fish habitat assessment.

Contract 1, the northern portion of the project, comprised 1.4 kilometres of 2400 millimetre diameter trunk sewer from Lakeview Drive to 66 Avenue. Contract 2 spans from 66 Avenue through North Glenmore Park to the Glenmore Reservoir.

Project Manager, Nadeer Lalji, tells us, “The storm trunk was installed through a combination of tunnelling and open cut methodologies.” To limit tunnelling construction to specialized, qualified contractors with relevant experience, Associated Engineering pre-qualified tunnelling and microtunnelling contractors, and incorporated this list of qualified contractors in the tender documents.

The City also requested the stormwater to be treated prior to discharge to the river. The project team investigated several treatment options at various locations. These included source control practices, such as bioretention, mechanical treatment, and stormwater ponds.

Nadeer says, “After evaluating these options using a triple bottom line analysis considering the economic, social, and environmental impacts, we recommended an oil-grit separator and a new stormwater pond in North Glenmore Park.”

Construction for Contract 1 began in mid-August 2015 and was substantially completed by the end of 2015, well ahead of the mid-2016 deadline. The storm trunk in Contract 1 was installed by microtunnelling and open-cut excavation. At the time of construction, this was the largest microtunnelling installation in Calgary. Contract 1 was located close to the community of Lakeview. Associated Engineering conducted extensive public engagement, including mail-outs, open houses, community association meetings, phone calls, and online weekly blog updates during construction to keep stakeholders informed. During construction, noise testing was conducted to confirm acceptable levels of noise.

Contract 2 includes 1.6 kilometres of 2400 millimetre diameter storm trunk sewer, a diversion structure to an offline oil-grit separator, a piled slope stabilization wall to support an unstable slope, an energy dissipation structure, and a new outfall to the Glenmore Reservoir. These works will be completed in 2018. Associated Environmental conducted the biophysical impact assessment, fish habitat assessment, and obtained approval from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to enable the work through the park.

Key staff involved on the project include Nadeer Lalji, Corinne Arkell, Gabriel Jean, Risto Protic, Duane Strayer, Eliman Camara, Karen Prezelj, Joe Lisella, Justin Hick, Matt Freeman, Joe Lisella, Ryan Jalowica, Alvin Chan, Owen James, and Jason Bennett.

Microtunnelling installation

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Leadership, mentoring, and infrastructure efficiency is a lifelong focus for ATAP’s Andrew Stevenson

Andrew (centre) talking with operators

Growing up on a farm in Saskatchewan, Andrew Stevenson was taught the value of hard work from a very young age. He learned that if you’re going to do something, give it your all and keep working at it until you get it done right. Andrew has carried this attitude through school, work, and life, and his current role as Manager of ATAP Infrastructure Management Limited, an Associated Engineering company.

Andrew began his career in municipal operations as a Town Foreman in Bienfait, Saskatchewan. During this time, Andrew attended water and public works conferences and became the first Small-Town Director for the Saskatchewan Public Works Association. As a municipal efficiency specialist, Andrew completed numerous facility and process upgrades, implemented maintenance and safety programs, and managed budgets, capital plans, and projects. Seeking a new challenge, Andrew decided to move to private industry.

Andrew had heard of ATAP and learned it was a growing company that needed more skilled staff to continue growing. After meeting with Bert Munro, Keith Mayoh, and Lynda Davidson, Andrew decided ATAP was a great fit for him. He tells us, “I like challenges. Each project at ATAP is a new opportunity to help a client with their infrastructure or training issues.”

Andrew credits a network of mentors who have helped him along the way. He says, “Bert Munro has helped me to develop my business acumen. He gave me advice on responding to people and situations and maintaining a big picture perspective.”

“Ken Turnbull has also helped me immensely. He taught me more about the business, people, and the value of clear communication.”

Reflecting over 11 years at ATAP, Andrew is proud of how much the company has grown. Achievements have included additional training through CEU workshops, certification courses, public works and Power Mobile Equipment training/evaluation; succession planning with our long-standing northern Saskatchewan NMTA contract; and expanding technical and field services such as hydrant repairs, reservoir cleaning, retrofits, thermal imaging, and the 360 degree camera.

Andrew values the team environment at ATAP. He tells us, “Everyone looks out for each other and it’s the hands-on, roll up your sleeves and ‘get it done’ mentality that exists in our staff.“

“One of the things that I teach staff on our ATAP team is that we leave it better than when we got there. That motto applies whether it’s a training session, any maintenance work, or operations logs and safety plans. Projects are very fulfilling when you work hard and the client is satisfied with the result.”

“When it comes to our clients, it’s all about communication. If things are not going as planned, you must let the client know, and as soon as possible. That personal contact can many times make a difference.”

Andrew spends as much of his free time as possible with his family. They enjoy time at the lake, hockey rink, or traveling. Andrew has also coached hockey and skating for over 25 years, and has helped out with fundraising efforts for numerous charitable organizations involving cancer, mental health, the disabled, and female business entrepreneurs.

A role model for giving back to his profession, Andrew has volunteered with the Saskatchewan Water & Wastewater Association, Saskatchewan Public Works Association, the American Public Works Association, and currently is President of the Canadian Public Works Association.

Andrew speaking at an SPWA conference

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BC Earthquake Integrated Asset Management Plan proposes framework for infrastructure resilience and response

British Columbia lies along the edge of three major, active tectonic plates, known as the “Pacific Ring of Fire”. In the past year alone, over 1,700 minor earthquakes have been recorded in the Pacific Northwest. Seismologists conclude that devastating earthquakes typically occur within the Pacific Northwest every 300-400 years; the last devastating earthquake occurred in January 1700. Thus, this region may experience a major seismic event at any time.

The Province has done much to prepare for a future damaging earthquake, and recognizes that various Ministries within the government should have developed mature programs for planning improvements to new and existing provincial infrastructure to increase seismic resilience. However, a cross-ministry framework for asset management planning and government decision-making on priorities and capital planning is desired.

BC has been implementing seismic upgrades to its building and transportation assets for more than a decade. Areas of improvement include coordinating efforts across Ministries, and undertaking upgrades that protect assets beyond “life preservation”, ensuring that structures survive a strong earthquake long enough for inhabitants to safely evacuate.

Associated Engineering served as the lead consultant for developing an earthquake asset management framework for the Province. Project Manager, Pat Cruickshank, tells us, “This project involved consultations with a Working Committee consisting of five key, provincial government Ministries. The goal was to determine how each Ministry manages its seismic asset management program, identify areas for potential improvement, and make recommendations that may be achievable through a coordinated, managed approach.”

Our team consulted with members of the Working Committee and organized four workshops. The team reviewed how each

Ministry conducted its asset management, including structural and non-structural assessments, and worked collaboratively to help identify common themes and opportunities. Coordinating with members of the multi-discipline consultant team, we held consultations and workshops with the Province’s Working Committee.

The final report, the Earthquake Integrated Asset Management Plan, clearly defines the government’s four goals for seismic asset risk management. The Province wishes to construct or retrofit buildings and bridges to survive a large earthquake with reduced damage, ideally allowing for continued use after an earthquake, with or without major repairs. Defining a primary transportation network as “critical” for immediate response and for long-term economic activity within and between cities is an important factor for community and economic resilience.

A unique aspect of this project was providing a framework for integrating seismic resilience planning for the full range of infrastructure assets. Some seismic resilience planning for schools, hospitals, universities, and other government buildings have been undertaken, but not in a holistic and integrated manner. Having Ministries coordinate their planning, including demonstrating this process to the Treasury Board, were unique additions to seismic resilience planning.

Elements of this integrated asset management approach have already been embraced; for example, in the Ministry’s final planning of a critical transportation network, and in the seismic retrofit guidelines and standards that the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure have recently adopted. These aspects arose in part from Associated Engineering’s involvement with the Ministry in co-authoring a custom, BC-focused supplement to the Canadian Bridge code.

Our key personnel on this project were Pat Cruickshank, Don Kennedy, Jason Dowling, David Harvey, Lianna Mah, and Michael Tolboom.

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Rehabilitation of Toronto’s aging bridge infrastructure extends asset life-span and improves user safety

Martin Rowland (l) with Sarvejit Nagi, who led Toronto’s bridge rehabilitation study

The City of Toronto’s bridges, structures, and expressways are aging. Several bridge elements in 11 locations were identified for immediate rehabilitation, including approach slabs, barriers, abutments, bearings, retaining walls, metal railings, and elevated sidewalks.

The City retained Associated Engineering as prime consultant to complete repairs for the 11 sites, which was later expanded to 14 sites. Our scope of work included preliminary and detailed design, tendering, contract administration, and post-construction services.

The project team investigated all of the sites to assess the present condition and collect additional data for the anticipated repairs. Since the repairs at the various structures were limited to bridge components, the project team collected field data, measurements and performed limited testing and sampling, as necessary.

Project Manager, Sarvejit Nagi, tells us, “The project involved many sites, each with its unique issues and problems. We needed to tailor a specific workplan for each site.”

One of the sites is Dundas Street West at Islington Avenue where the eastern structure approach slab has cracked from the heavy use of public buses turning at the intersection.

Another site is Dupont Street at CNR/Metrolinx. The existing grade separation is desperately in need of rehabilitation or replacement of the elevated sidewalks and adjoining retaining walls. The sidewalk slab used by pedestrians has evidence of delaminations. A three-metre section has collapsed and a steel plate is in place as a temporary measure to keep the sidewalk open.

In discussions with the City at the project onset, the project

sites were split into two tenders with the first tender comprised of priority sites. The design team prepared preliminary design reports for each site and recommended a repair strategy. Six of the sites have been tendered and the remaining sites are in detailed design and will be tendered in early spring 2018.

A preliminary design report was prepared to determine a preferred solution for each location. Sarvejit says, “One of the challenges faced by our team was to meet schedule requirements for the first package. We had to ensure that all of the permitting was in place prior to releasing the construction tender for all sites, because if one of the site permits was delayed, it would impact the delivery of the whole tender package.“ The project team secured all of the necessary permits and worked with the permitting authorities to minimize re-submittals.

Pro-active coordination of permits kept project on schedule

As part of the rehabilitation design, permitting approvals were sought with City departments and 60% detailed design plans were circulated to utility companies affected through the Toronto Public Utilities Coordination Committee (TPUCC) process. The design team prepared traffic control plans to accommodate the bridge repairs and coordinated the traffic strategy with TTC and Mississauga Transit. We also effectively engaged with the property owners affected and other stakeholders to collectively gain their buy-in for the repairs.

Sustainable approaches include recycling concrete and asphalt from sidewalks, barriers and approach slabs. Trees will be planted to compensate for any injured or removed trees.

Key personnel on the project included Sarvejit Nagi, Geoff Burn, Christian Concolino, Sulaf Zear, Caelin Markarian, Alina Wu, and Roy Gong.

Dupont Street under CNR/Metrolinx

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Congratulations to our 2017 Service Award recipientsAssociated Engineering congratulates the following individuals who reached service milestones in 2017.Our service recognition program honours our staff’s contributions to our continued growth and company success.

BC/NORTH5 YearsRichard AnnettRuben ArellanoCharlie BartlettDesmond DarveauMike HansonNicole JacquesSid KwakkelChris Ray

10 YearsDan AustinJoseph BoyYira CavanaughQuinn CrosinaErfun FarjooMike KapiniakDrew LejbakRod MacLeanMelanie PioreckyMark Porter

Craig SchaperJosh ThiessenJason WhiteStefanie WiikHelen Yin15 YearsShane CookDon Daigneault

20 YearsMarie ChandlerBrian de JongDiane DrapalaAlfred KaoDon Kennedy25 YearsLester Marr30 YearsMartin JobkeJohn van der Eerden

ALBERTA5 YearsJames ArmstrongSarah BruceCharito Cortez-GabuyaMaureen ChurchJiachun DongKevin GrandishZhi GuKevin HoOwen JamesMringi KitalyDerek MayowskiChris ParfittCarlie PittmanChris Plotnikoff

Silvena ReshotkinaSteve RobinsonMarie RudiakAndrew RushworthBlaine ShermanWendy SmithLorna TaylorCurtis ThiessenMike YourechukJudy Yu10 YearsHoward ChuKristine ChuaStephen DallmanElisa FigueroaJessica GagneGabriel Jean

Scott KusalikGraham LangJason LuekeSamantha MarcyHoward MarianoOwen MierkeMichael PaulsenMarcel RevetErin RooneyBrianne SchmidDerrick StablefordMichael TremblayGreg Widmeyer15 YearsHilary AllbonRobin CleeTony Hasiuk

Shane HemenwayJeff HuberKristi Stickel-BurkeScott Witzke20 YearsAndy BarrPatrick MastromatteoRoger NelsonDusanka Stevanovic25 YearsScott Flowers35 YearsKerry Rudd40 YearsHerb Kuehne

SASKATCHEWAN5 YearsChelsey ArcherBill DelaineyDeb HolderColin McKinnonMelanie PierreMatthew RiesKevin Sturgeon

Dominique TothMarshal Verhelst10 YearsDaryl BrownMicheal ClaassenChad FranklinJacob FrohCollin HalliwellLisa Hastings

Jeff HoranToni IvanCathy LewtyBrady MarshallRyan McDowellPaul PinderGeoff Sarazin

15 YearsScott MillerJared SuwalaCory Wihlidal

ONTARIO5 YearsAndrew FergusonJordan FrostBruce IrwinDuane LindnerJeff SuggettRyan Thoren

10 Years Kerri HildebrandtAlison Young20 YearsElia Edwards

Marie Chandler

Tony Hasiuk

Alison Young

Brady Marshall

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Building CommunitiesStaff support Greater Vernon Adopt-a-Stream ProgramStaff and family in Vernon dedicated a Sunday morning to picking up well over a hundred kilograms of garbage, helping keep the creek in Polson Park in good health. Our Vernon office has participated in the Regional District of North Okanagan’s Adopt-a-Stream annual clean-up event for over 15 years. Way to go team!

Vancouver team cleans-up Renfrew Ravine NorthThe EcoAction committee in Vancouver reserved the Renfrew Ravine North site located near our new office for this year’s Shoreline Clean-up. The clean-up crew gathered a large collection of wastes, including plastics that would have made it out to sea, potentially harming sealife. Thanks to everyone who helped make our new community cleaner!

New climate change risk assessment software improves information sharing, securing transportation infrastructure

Transportation agencies across Canada are facing various risks arising from climate change. Assessing the magnitude of these risks and quantifying impacts, vulnerabilities, and controls is a daunting task. The City of Toronto had developed a small-scale, database-driven software to help assess risks to various transportation considerations. The software was distributed to interested parties across the country, but suffered from scalability and usability issues. As a result, the Environmental Issues Standing Committee of the Transportation Association of Canada (TAC) enlisted a number of agencies from across the country to drive the development of a more robust software.

After an open, competitive process, TAC awarded the project to develop this software to Associated. With a team of information management, transportation, and climate change experts, Associated provided a needs assessment to the Project Steering

Committee; managed the software design, development, and deployment; and provided training material for the software’s launch.

Climate Change adaptation and mitigation considerations are the main focus of the project. Project Manager, Sid Kwakkel, tells us, “This software will allow agencies to apply a consistent risk assessment framework to their future transportation considerations, and will bring Canada’s transportation community to the forefront of climate change management.”

The new tool, Canadian Climate Change Risk Assessment Software, leverages cloud technology and the latest software architecture. These features will allow the tool to scale indefinitely and ensure service 24/7 across the country. By deploying to the cloud, the Transportation Association of Canada is able to provide this tool to members with a minimal support, while delivering a robust service to users.

Sid says, “The new tool is based on ISO 14001 and 31001 environmental and risk management principles, and provides a number of utilities that make auditing seamless and efficient.” Associated’s familiarity with ISO 14001 and with the core principles of risk management for transportation assets facilitated the development of the new risk assessment tool, and enabled efficient communication with the Transportation Association of Canada and the Project Steering Committee stakeholders.

Our key personnel on this project include Sid Kwakkel, Jase Zwarich, Bryan Petzold, Brian Guy, and Martin Rowland.

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Employee News

Hans Wolf, M.Eng., P.Eng. has been appointed Specialist, Industrial, Energy & Mining in our Edmonton office. He has over 33 years of experience managing engineering and construction projects in the industrial, commercial, recreation, and municipal sectors. He brings experience in transportation and water projects.

Dean Shiskowski, Ph.D., P.Eng.. has transferred from Vancouver to our Victoria office. Dean has 24 years of experience in environmental engineering projects, specializing in wastewater management and water resource recovery. Dean is Associated’s Vice President, Water Resource Recovery.

Andrew Wiens, P.Eng. has transferred from Vancouver to our Calgary office. He is a Senior Water Resources Engineer with 16 years of experience in flood protection, drainage modeling, pump station evaluations, stormwater detention, low impact development, and sanitary sewer and combined sewer modeling.

Robert Larson, M.Sc., P.H. has joined our Vancouver office as a Senior Hydrologist. He has 12 years of experience in hydrology and climate change assessments. His experience includes surface water quantity and quality monitoring, water management infrastructure planning and feasibility studies.

Carma Holmes, MBA, P.Eng., LEED AP has been appointed Division Manager, Buildings Engineering in our Edmonton office. Carma has 20 years of experience in structural design and project management in the municipal and industrial sectors. She brings experience on projects in Alberta, BC, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba.

Jermyn Wong, M.Eng., P.Eng., Struct.Eng. has been appointed Specialist, Building Structures in our Vancouver office. He is a structural engineer with 11 years of experience in the design of buildings of different material types, including reinforced concrete, masonry, structural steel, light wood frame, and heavy and mass timber.

Holiday giving and charity support

Associated Engineering is proud to once again support local charities and causes this holiday season in line with our building communities initiative. This year, we contributed to several organizations across Canada, including Santa’s Anonymous in Victoria, Greater Vancouver Food Bank, Covenant House, Edmonton Food Bank, Zebra Child Protection, Boyle Street Community Services, Regina Food Bank, Saskatoon Big Brothers and Big Sisters, and Winnipeg Harvest.

St. Catharines office move

Our office in St. Cathaines, Ontario is moving to a new location in Niagara-on-the-Lake. Effective January 1, 2018, our new address will be:

Suite 300, 509 Glendale Avenue EastNiagara-on-the-Lake, ON L0S 1J0

Our main switchboard number will remain the same at 905.346.0990.

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A CARBON NEUTRAL COMPANY

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Updating hydrometric data collection standards for British Columbia to be compliant with today’s needs

Canadian hydrometric data published by the Water Survey of Canada are collected using nationally-accepted equipment and methods, and undergo a rigorous computational, correction, and review process before being made available to the public.

In BC, hydrometric data collected by other parties are expected to conform with the 2009 Resource Information Standards Committee (RISC) Manual of British Columbia Hydrometric Standards. These standards complement the WSC standards, and allow for data with various levels of rigour and quality. Data are graded into five categories: Grade A, B, C, E (estimated), and U (unknown). Occasionally, a sixth classification is used – A/RS (for weirs and flumes).

In 2016, the BC Ministry of Environment and other provincial Ministries determined that the 2009 RISC Standards needed updating to account for current industry-accepted equipment and software, to consider some common field conditions missing from the standards, and to modernize the data grading system to incorporate new technologies.

The BC Ministry of Environment retained a team led by Associated Environmental to evaluate and recommend

updates to the 2009 RISC Standards.

The team included:

• Project Manager and Technical Lead – Drew Lejbak (Associated Environmental)

• Project Advisor – Brian Guy (Associated Environmental)

• Instrumentation Specialist – Frank van der Have (Hoskin Scientific)

• Salt Dilution Gauging Specialist – Dan Moore (University of British Columbia)

• Rated Structure Specialist – Glenn Cumyn (SFE Global Ltd.)

The work was completed in May 2017, and is currently being used to guide the development of a new hydrometric standards document for BC. Lastly, although the evaluation was completed for BC, the work is applicable to the entire country.

For more information on this project or on hydrometric data collection, please contact Drew Lejbak in our Kelowna office at lejbakd@ae.ca.