The 53rd Canadian Consulting Engineering Awards, co-organized by The Association of Consulting Engineering Companies – Canada (ACEC) and Canadian Consulting Engineer magazine, held a virtual ceremony last week.
“Through their ingenuity and innovation, the work of consulting engineering companies connects communities, grows the economy, protects the public and improves sustainability,” announced ACEC president and CEO John Gamble.
Here are some of the water, wastewater and environmental highlights from the 24 awards presented to a wide range of engineering firms:
B.C. Capital Regional District’s Wastewater Treatment Project
The Capital Regional District’s (CRD) Wastewater Treatment Project for the Greater Victoria Area of British Columbia consisted of a new 108 megalitre per day tertiary treatment facility to serve the core area communities.
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ACEC noted that Stantec developed “innovative solutions” and used a “hybrid procurement model”, completing construction in a record time of just four years, with cost savings of $425 million.
ACEC stated that Stantec’s team was able to create one centralized plant to replace the original plan, which recommended five to seven.
“It was a pleasure to collaborate with CRD on this challenging project demonstrating CRD’s commitment to environmental stewardship. As part of an integrated team, Stantec delivered the project on time and budget,” announced Reno Fiorante, senior VP of water at Stantec.
Stantec also received an award for its Peter Lougheed Centre Temporary COVID-19 Treatment Facility project in Calgary.
Drainage Master Plan for Quebec First Nation
CIMA+ was honoured for the “complex logistics” involved in the development of a “bold” drainage master plan for the northern Quebec Whapmagoostui Cree First Nation, located at the mouth of the Great Whale River on the coast of Hudson Bay in Nunavik. The First Nation has been facing a stormwater management issue related to climate change.
“CIMA+’s approach is to put people at the centre of engineering. This award recognizes this commitment to the Cree community of Whapmagoostui,” announced Yves Durand, senior director of northern engineering at CIMA+.
CIMA+ was also honoured for its condition assessment solution for a critical hot pipeline system at The Greater Toronto Airport Authority.
Ontario’s West Niagara School Remediation Project
WSP Canada won honours for its West Niagara School Remediation Project in St. Catharines, Ontario. WSP provided remediation options for the historic site that included a former brickwork and quarry that was illegally infilled with 140,000 m3 of construction and demolition waste. The work included the removal of the waste to licensed landfill, diversion of impacted soil to a reuse site, and sequestration and risk management of impacted soil beneath the relocated garden centre property.
A new West Lincoln Secondary School is expected to open on this former brownfield site in 2022.
“Transforming environmentally-sensitive properties into vibrant new facilities is important for creating healthier, more resilient communities,” announced Marie-Claude Dumas, president and CEO of WSP Canada.
WSP Canada also won for its efforts to lower the regional groundwater table for the Innu community in Nutashkuan, which has struggled with flooding due to its location on the edge of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. WSP created a controlled groundwater drawdown project.
Quebec Major Environmental Remediation project
Englobe won an award for its work on a major environmental remediation project of contaminated soil in Chisasibi, Quebec, under contract with Hydro-Québec.
The parcel of land on the eastern shore of James Bay in the Cree community had been an active oil depot during the construction of Phase 1 of the La Grande River hydroelectric complex from 1973 to 1984. The site had been contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons from more than 1,000 barrels that were buried on site, according to Englobe.
Mill Creek Ravine Pedestrian Bridge Rehabilitation
ISL Engineering and Land Services was honoured for its Mill Creek Ravine Pedestrian Bridge Rehabilitation work in Edmonton, Alberta. The firm was hired in 2016 for an assessment and redesign of five bridges that are part of a trail system and that cross over a creek. They include three historic trestle bridges, dating back to 1902, and two smaller single-span bridges.
ISL was honoured for the steps they took to mitigate the impact of their work on the environmentally sensitive area, including preserving some of the original timber.
The rehabilitated bridges opened four months early and on budget.
“This was a feel-good project that involved maintaining Canadian heritage sustainability by restoration and preservation, and collaboration from the entire team, including involvement from the local communities,” announced Troy Letwin, bridge design manager at ISL Edmonton.
