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, [...]
90% of Municipal Engineering is Communication
I'm regularly reminded of the importance of communication as a part of municipal #engineering as I provide updates on projects and operations to decision-makers. Unfortunately, most university programs in engineering, and many junior level positions fail to prepare graduates and young engineers for this reality. Design work, physics, materials, mechanics, chemistry, and hydraulics are foundational [...]
Prince Albert’s Water, Oil Pipelines, and the Precautionary Principle
The City of Prince Albert in #Saskatchewan, #Canada has secured emergency water supply after almost two weeks of no water following an oil spill in the North Saskatchewan River by Husky Oil. Three different sources https://twitter.com/BryanEneas/status/757695120800034816 A 30km temporary water line was installed from the South Saskatchewan River to the City's water treatment plant, and [...]
Mentoring
The idea of being a mentor, comes from the character with the same name in Homer's Odessey, where Mentor has a teaching, encouraging, and oversight relationship with Telemachus, Odysseus's son. The English language adopted the term to mean (via Wikipedia): Mentor: someone who imparts wisdom to and shares knowledge with a less experienced colleague. The [...]
National Public Works Week
Public works is always there. Rain, hail, snow or shine, public works crews are dedicated to the job. They keep our cities and towns running so we can enjoy the essential services of the places we live and work. Since 1960, APWA has sponsored National Public Works Week. Across North America, our more than 29,000 [...]
White Rock Fire Results in Boil Water
Fighting the flames had put such a demand on the small local #water system that the city’s reservoirs dropped to “dangerously low” levels, explained councillor David Chesney. “We haven’t drained our reservoirs, but they’ve gone down a tremendous amount in fighting this #fire,” “We’ve not had any indication that there is a major problem yet, but [...]
Mt Begbie Revelstoke B.C.
An early morning view of sunrise on Mt Begbie in #Revelstoke BC. See it here: http://flic.kr/p/FTjy5C
Sustainable Civil Engineering
Earth day is just around the corner, and it is important that we make sustainable choices in the areas that we have influence in. I'm a big advocate of sustainable #engineering, and it is an area that I have some influence in, to the point where almost all of the major projects I work on [...]