If you are like most people you probably haven’t ever considered how to best design a sidewalk; for many people, its as simple as asking, “is there one or not”. But if you are like me, you understand that sidewalk design can play a huge role in the vibrancy of street-level activity, allowing businesses to […]
Category Archives: Civil Engineering
Prototype Small Scale Solutions
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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]