Building Better Communities

For the tenth consecutive year, Associated Engineering has been recognized as one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies, retaining its Platinum Club status. The Best Managed Companies program recognizes Canadian-owned and managed companies that demonstrate a positive commitment to people, company culture, innovation, sustained performance, and strong financial results. An independent panel of judges recognized Associated Engineering’s continued focus on service and quality that has helped the company maintain a leadership position in a competitive consulting industry.

This past Friday evening in Edmonton, the Consulting Engineers of Alberta hosted their 22^nd Annual Showcase Awards Gala to recognize excellence in consulting engineering in Alberta. Project awards were given out for Excellence and Merit in fifteen different categories. In the Project Management category, the Southwest Water Supply Line in Fort McMurray received an Award of Excellence. In addition, the City of Calgary Northwest Inner-City Drainage Study (Sunnyside Review) received an Award of Excellence in the Studies, Software & Special Services category. 

Extreme rainfall and the anticipated effects of climate change pose a significant urban flood risk. Recently, the City of Surrey engaged Associated Engineering to develop numerical models for evaluating flooding from rainfall events and for estimating economic losses due to flooding. This study also examined the anticipated changes to rainfall patterns as a result of climate change and evaluated several potential methods for mitigating flood damage to private property. Sign up here: http://bit.ly/2F6Dvmb

Associated Engineering is pleased to announce the following staff appointments in our BC operation, effective January 1, 2018.

Leslie Mihalik, M.S., MBA, P.E., P.Eng. has accepted the role of General Manager of Associated Engineering’s BC and Northern operation. Leslie has 29 years of experience in the design, construction supervision, and project management of major transportation projects internationally and across Canada. He previously served as Division Manager, Transportation, overseeing the resource infrastructure, highways, structures/bridges, municipal bridges, and bridge rehabilitation groups.

Shane Cook, M.A.Sc., PMP, P.Eng. has been appointed Division Manager, Transportation. Shane is a Senior Structural Engineer with 18 years of experience in structural and seismic design. His expertise includes the assessment, retrofit, and rehabilitation of bridge structures. He has been involved with notable projects such as the Burrard Street Bridge Retrofit and Rehabilitation, the Granville Street Bridge Retrofit and Bearing Replacement, Knight Street Bridge Retrofit and Rehabilitation, and the Lougheed Highway Bridge Seismic Retrofit and Rehabilitation in Metro Vancouver.

Katrin Habel, Dr. sc. techn., P.Eng. has been appointed Manager, Bridge Rehabilitation. Katrin is a Senior Bridge Engineer with over 15 years of experience in designing and evaluating steel and concrete bridges.  Her expertise includes new design, rehabilitation and strengthening, assessments, and load ratings of bridges, retaining walls, culverts and related structures, and project management. Katrin has carried out bridge assessments, rehabilitation, and new designs for over 25 bridges in British Columbia and Alberta. 

Associated Engineering is pleased to announce the acquisition of NOR•EX Engineering, effective immediately. As specialists in ice engineering, disaster recovery, disaster risk reduction, and community resiliency, NOR•EX Engineering provides comprehensive design, operational planning, risk management, and project management services.

The Town of La Ronge and Northern Village of Air Ronge Municipal Utilities Back-up Power Project involved securing the communities’ potable water supplies by providing back-up power to a total of 21 lift stations, water reservoirs, and a sewage treatment plant. 

Engineers and Geoscientists British Columbia (EGBC), representing the province’s engineering and geoscience professionals, presented Dr. Brian Guy, P.Geo. with the C.J. Westerman Memorial Award, British Columbia’s highest award for contributions to the geoscience profession.

Associated Engineering is pleased to be a contributing sponsor of the Western Canada Water 2017 Conference & Exhibition taking place September 19–22, 2017 in Saskatoon, SK. Eight of our technical experts will be presenting on topics related to wastewater treatment technologies, water supply and distribution, storm management, wastewater collection, operations and maintenance, water treatment design, construction, operation, and asset management.

Bob Hawboldt
Sep 21, 9am | Using CFD to evaluate disgester mixing: Be careful of what you ask for

Darryl Dormuth
Sep 21, 9am | Consideration of climate change in the design of roadway and underground services for a commercial subdivision

Sarah Laidlaw
Sep 21, 9am | Town of Banff Wastewater Treatment Plant aeration system upgrades

Shane Thompson
Sep 21, 2pm | The City of Calgary Water Energy Management Strategy

Raj Subramanian
Sep 21, 3:30pm | Wastewater management strategy for the Leduc food processing facility - a proactive approach to wastewater management

Michael Binns
Sep 21, 4pm | City of Moose Jaw water main replacement: Balancing risks in design and construction

Bob Hawboldt
Sep 22, 8:30am | Using CFD to determine how long it takes to mix a reservoir

Stan Torgunrud
Sep 22, 10:30am | The Nitty Gritty: Hauled wastewater receiving and treatment in an urban centre

Eric Gaudet
Sep 22, 11am | Sewage lift station intake design for low maintenance

Martin Jobke, P.Eng. has accepted the role of President of the Associated Engineering group of companies, effective January 1, 2018. As part of the company’s leadership succession, Associated Engineering’s Board of Directors selected Martin, a civil engineer with 33 years of experience, to succeed President & CEO, Kerry Rudd, P.Eng., who will retain the role of CEO after the transition. Kerry states, “Martin has demonstrated leadership and a vision for integrated, collaborative project delivery that will support our clients and guide Associated Engineering’s continued growth and path forward.”

Two of our long-serving technical leaders, John Fussell, Senior Vice President, Transportation, and Herb Kuehne, Senior Vice President, Civil Infrastructure, retire tomorrow from full-time service, after many decades of working for Associated Engineering.

Mark Porter, our National Practice Leader for Building Services, will be co-presenting on June 1st at 1:45pm, sharing thoughts on how to achieve net zero buildings and infrastructure. Representatives from our Burnaby and Edmonton offices will also be on-site at the Green Building Showcase, providing demonstrations and overviews of some of our innovative building projects.

Subject matter experts from our engineering and environmental science teams are presenting on topics in the climate change preparedness, storm water, and source water education sessions at the 45th BC Water & Waste Association's Annual Conference & Trade Show in Victoria, BC. 

The Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) of the Greater Toronto Area awarded our Markham office building at 165 Commerce Valley Drive West, with the 2017 Building of the Year Award in the under 100,000 square feet category in recognition of the quality of the building and management team.

Stella Madsen is this year's receipient of the Regina Engineering Society's Engineering Excellence Award for demonstrating outstanding leadership and technical ability over the course of her almost 40-year career in engineering. 

Our two expert speakers will be presenting and leading workshops at this year's gathering of Canada's largest association of public infrastructure asset management professionals.

Nanaimo’s South Fork Water Treatment Plant is the largest, siphon-powered, membrane filtration plant in North America. The innovative use of siphon, rather than pumps, reduces the building footprint, and saves capital, operating and maintenance costs.

For the ninth consecutive year, Associated Engineering has been named a winner in Canada’s Best Managed Companies program, and has retained its Platinum Club status in 2017. The Best Managed program recognizes Canadian-owned and managed companies with revenues over $15 million, demonstrating strategy, capability and commitment to achieve sustainable growth.

The Consulting Engineers of Alberta presented an Award of Excellence in the Community Development category to the Town of Rocky Mountain House Main Street Rehabilitation Project.  Also, the Fort McMurray Wildfire Emergency Response and Water System Recovery Project received two Awards of Excellence in the Community Outreach/In-House Initiatives category, and the Project Management category.

Associated Engineering announces the appointment of Matthew Eades, C.Eng, MICE, as General Manager of our Ontario operation, effective immediately.

The City of Saskatoon Reservoir and Pump Station Upgrades project received an Award of Excellence in the Municipal Infrastructure and Water Resources category from the Association of Consulting Engineering Companies – Saskatchewan (ACEC-SK)!  Associated Engineering’s multi-discipline design included attention to minimizing pumping power requirements and to maximizing stored water quality. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modelling guided reservoir design for improved water quality.

During a strong El Nino weather pattern compounded by the continuing effects of climate change, summer 2015 was unusually hot and dry in Interior BC. The BC Ministry of Forests, Lands, and Natural Resource Operations (FLNRO) worked with the BC Ministry of Agriculture to identify streams where placing restrictions on irrigation water withdrawals from creeks and rivers would protect threatened fish populations, while minimizing economic impacts on the agricultural sector. Associated Environmental played a key role in the summer 2015 drought response by identifying streams where restrictions would benefit fish, and providing technical information to optimize the difficult decision-making.

Garry Drachenberg, our VP Water Solutions, was presented with the American Water Works Association's (AWWA) George Warren Fuller Award, at the Western Canada Water conference in October. The George Warren Fuller Awards are presented annually by the American Water Works Association to individuals for distinguished service to the water supply field in commemoration of the "sound engineering skill, the brilliant diplomatic talent, and the constructive leadership" which characterized the life of George Warren Fuller.

Associated Engineering has provided consulting services to the City of Prince Rupert for almost 60 years. To better serve the City and our growing number of clients in the surrounding area, we are very pleased today to announce the opening of our new Prince Rupert office.

Our new office is located in downtown Prince Rupert at:
344 2nd Avenue West
Prince Rupert, BC V8J 1G6
Tel: 250-624-8228

Do you use groundwater in BC for irrigation, drinking water supply, industrial use, or dewatering? Are you aware that on February 29, 2016, the BC Ministry of Environment tabled new Regulations that affect groundwater use?  Associated Environmental can help you to interpret BC’s new Water Sustainability Act and associated Regulations and apply for licences.

Associated Environmental, the environmental division of Associated Engineering, and A&H Drilling are pleased to partner on this initiative. We will bring together several experts to share insights on the history of the BC Water Sustainability Act, provide a pictorial story of what a well head completion should look like and why it’s worth the extra effort, and information on licencing existing groundwater wells.  Register for free at http://www.ae.ca/act

The fire in Fort McMurray has devastated the community and displaced the residents of the city and surrounding area, including staff in our Fort McMurray office. To support the Fort McMurray Fire Relief, Associated Engineering is donating $25,000 to the Canadian Red Cross.  Our team, including Edith Asselin, Jason Vanderzwaag, Owen Mierke, Steve Justus, Daniel du Toit, and Ryan Jalowica are providing assistance to the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo and City of Fort McMurray for emergency support of water and wastewater treatment infrastructure.

The Consulting Engineers of Ontario hosted their 2016 Ontario Consulting Engineering Awards Gala on April 16th. Associated Engineering received an Award of Excellence in the Transportation category for our work on the West Main Street Bridge.  The decommissioned lift bridge is located in the heart of downtown Welland, Ontario. Built in 1929, the bridge is a designated Canadian Heritage Structure and an important transportation link and landmark in the Niagara Region.

At the 2016 Awards for Engineering Excellence Gala held on April 9th at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, the Association of Consulting Engineers-BC presented Associated Engineering with an Award of Merit in the Municipal and Civil Infrastructure category for Metro Vancouver's Barnston/Maple Ridge Pump Station, in Pitt Meadows, BC.

Since 2001, ACEC-BC has presented the Meritorious Achievement Award to a consulting engineer who has contributed significantly to the engineering profession, the development of the industry, and the community. Kerry received this prestigious award at this year’s ACEC-BC Awards for Engineering Excellence Gala held on Saturday, April 9th in Vancouver.