As a resort community, Revelstoke sees a lot of tourist traffic in the downtown, both pedestrians and vehicles. Additionally, as a community to over 7,500 residents, Revelstoke boasts one of the highest per capita rates of active transportation in Canada, with over 22% in the 2016 census showing walking or cycling as the main mode […]
Author: Mike Thomas
Mike Thomas P.Eng. ENV SP, is the author of UrbanWorkbench.com and Director of Engineering at the City of Revelstoke in the Interior of British Columbia, Canada. If I post something here that you find helpful as you navigate the world of engineering, planning and building communities, that’s wonderful. But when push comes to shove: This is my personal blog. The views expressed on these pages are mine alone and not those of my employer.
Deep Work and Time Blocks
How do you schedule your work day?
BC Wildfires 2017
There’s a lot to consider with how quickly these wildfire grew and how communities and agencies are reacting and responding. The best news is that proactive evacuations are in place, with the aim of reducing last-minute fleeing. I’ll update this page as news and images come in. (Due to the Storify service closing down, this […]
Camp Creek Mudslide
One of the challenges of living in the Interior of BC is that the routes between communities are through mountain passes and in bottom of narrow winding river valleys. The effort to keep these routes open year round is Herculean, with rock scaling and ditching in the Spring, paving in the summer, and snow removal […]
Support Mike in the Great Cycle Challenge
I have registered for the Great Cycle Challenge and my goal is to pedal 300 km this June and raise $500 to fight kids’ cancer! And my challenge starts NEXT WEEK. Why am I doing this? Because over 1,400 children are diagnosed with cancer in Canada every year. It will be tough, but it’s nothing […]
Engineering, the noble profession
“At its heart, engineering is about using science to find creative, practical solutions. It is a noble profession.” Queen Elizabeth II
Simple Solutions
How often do you feel that the world is unnecessarily complex? Here are some simple products and solutions I’ve enjoyed using recently. Sugru I’ve used Sugru for a couple of years now. It’s not an everyday product, but it has provided lasting solutions to a number of problems in our house, from a broken toilet […]
A Disturbing Trend in Local Government
The resignations of over a dozen mayors and councillors in British Columbia over the past two years is “a disturbing trend,” according to a veteran of municipal politics. Source: CBC – “A Disturbing Trend” “Long hours, low pay and increased complexity cited” as the main reasons. In the decade that I’ve worked for local government, […]
