CANADIAN CONSULTING ENGINEERING AWARDS 2000

A joint program of Canadian Consulting Engineer magazine and the Association of Consulting Engineers of Canada/

Ordre des Ingenieurs-Conseils du Canada (ACEC)

Iwas very impressed with this year’s entries. While there were no “mega projects” as in previous years, the level of good, innovative engineering was extremely high.

The winner of the Schreyer Award was one of the more complex projects. The Semi-Submersible Transshipper developed by Seabulk Systems of Richmond, B.C. [a third-time award-winner] was picked because it combined leading edge technology with innovation, unprecedented challenges, and societal benefits in under-developed regions.

An Honourable Mention went to the Anspayaxw School. It was chosen because of its unique blend of modern technology, traditional materials, and a specific tie to historic bridge building methods of the Gitskan natives that gave the project a level of customer enthusiasm and comfort that is very rare.

I was also impressed with the presentations and descriptions of the projects. While not all of the applicants read and complied with the instructions given, they all gave clear and concise descriptions of their projects that aided greatly in our deliberations. That is not to say that we had an easy time picking the winners. With the many good and diverse projects, extensive discussion and thought had to be given to allow the entire panel to be comfortable with our collective selections. In the end, however, unanimity was reached and we are all satisfied that the winners are indeed worthy of recognition.

I would like to thank the other members of the judging panel for their experienced and expert input and support.

John Malcolm Symonds, P.Eng.

Jury Chair

The Canadian Consulting Engineering Awards are given annually, and are now in their 32nd year.

We received 44 entries (slightly more than normal). There was an unusually high number from Quebec (11), which is where the awards are being presented this year (in Montreal). Ontario had a poor showing considering its size (7 entries). The Maritime provinces submitted 5 entries, of which 3 won awards. British Columbia had 9 entries (5 winners), Alberta had 7 entries, Manitoba had 5.

Entries are invited in six technical categories and three business categories. Technical awards are given to projects that demonstrate a high quality of engineering, having due regard for 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.

This year we created a new “transportation infrastructure” category, and added “project management” and “outreach” to the business categories. (We dropped “human resources” and “small business.”) Unfortunately, no entries were received in outreach and no award was given in “project management.”