2003 Beaubien Award Winner is Peter William (Bill) Ainley, P.Eng.

Peter William Ainley, P.Eng., is this year’s recipient of the Beaubien Award. The award is the highest recognition presented annually by the Association of Consulting Engineers of Canada (ACEC) for individual lifetime achievements and for contributions to the engineering industry and to the Association.

Bill has contributed to the consulting engineering industry and to society as a professional engineer, a founder of a consulting business, an association leader and an international aid worker.

Recognizing the critical shortage of engineers outside the province’s primary urban centres, he founded Ainley & Associates Limited in Collingwood (1961) to service municipalities in central Ontario. Today the Ainley Group of companies stands as an example of what can be accomplished through hard work, a commitment to one’s profession and a willingness, as a new Canadian, to move beyond the norm and set up business outside the security of the Toronto market.

In 1982 he served as President (Chair) of the Consulting Engineers of Ontario (CEO). During his tenure, not being one to step away from controversy, he set himself the task of educating the industry’s clientele in the proper manner of selecting a consulting engineer.

Despite keeping very busy with his own practice, Mr. Ainley has maintained a commitment to the Third World. He has worked on an array of projects with HOPE International and CIDA in Ethiopia, Pakistan, Lebanon, Indonesia and Cambodia.

In 2003, Bill was awarded the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal in recognition of his contribution to his community and Canada.