Times booming for Manitoban engineers

Forget about the recession -- these are the best of times for Manitoba's engineers.

Not only has employment within the industry never been higher, but demand for engineering services is also at a 25-year high, according to the president of Consulting Engineers of Manitoba Inc.

Then there are all those advances in technology -- new computer software programs and the like -- that enable today's engineers to do more in less time and be more innovative while they're at it, Todd Smith said in an interview Thursday.

Smith said even the global recession has failed to rain on their parade. While work volumes have waned in some parts of the country -- Alberta comes to mind -- Smith said that hasn't been the case here. The five-year construction boom continues unabated, which means lots of work for local engineers.

"The diversified economy certainly helps us... and there's also a fair bit of government infrastructure work," he said. "So our outlook is that it looks strong for at least the next year."

Last night, Manitoba's engineering community honoured its own at the 10th annual Manitoba Awards of Excellence in Consulting Engineering dinner gala at the Winnipeg Convention Centre.

Nine engineering firms and three individuals received awards, with the top honour -- The Keystone Award -- going to KGS Acres Ltd. for an innovative design study that led to the upgrading of a key roadway within the Whiteshell Provincial Park.

Smith, who is a manager with one of the province's largest engineering firms -- AECOM -- said the last five years have been the busiest he's seen in his 25 years in the business.

During that time, employment levels within the 30 firms that belong to the CEM has soared by 40 per cent to about 1,400 engineers, technologists and technicians.

Despite all of the new hires, Smith said there's still a shortage of engineers with about 15 years of experience. He blamed that on a substantial decline in the number of new entrants into the field during the last recession of the early 1990s.

But even that problem has eased in recent months as experienced engineers from other, less fortunate parts of the country arrive to fill vacancies here.

Some local firms also have been successful in attracting experienced engineers from other countries, as well, Smith said.

The types of engineers working on Manitoba projects include structural, mechanical, electrical and civil engineers. The kinds of projects they work on run the gamut -- buildings, roads, factories, floodways, sewer-and-water treatment plants, smelters and even hydroelectric dams.

"It (engineering) involves everything," Smith said. "The world wouldn't function without engineers."

Asked to describe the role of engineers, Smith said: "The engineers take the vision and all of the other things the architect wants to do, and make it a reality."

He also noted the engineering sector generates an estimated $175 million in revenues a year in Manitoba.

"So it's a pretty substantial industry."

murray.mcneill@freepress.mb.ca

Engineering awards

Here are the winners of the Manitoba Awards of Excellence in Engineering, presented at the Winnipeg Convention Centre on Thursday night:

KGS Acres Ltd. -- Award of Excellence (Infrastructure and Transportation) and Keystone Award (top overall award) for a design study that came up with six ways to realign a stretch of Provincial Road 313 in Whiteshell Provincial Park.

MCW/AGE Consulting Professional Engineers -- Award of Excellence (Building Engineering) for designing and constructing 13 isolation rooms in six hospitals for Winnipeg Regional Health Authority.

Award of Merit (Building Engineering) for audits of infrastructure and analysis of energy-saving opportunities at aging health-care facilities for Nor-Man Regional Health Authority.

Dillion Consulting Ltd. -- Award of Excellence (Environmental) for aiding in design, development and implementation of a passive filtration system for wastewater effluent in Dunnottar.

Award of Merit (Infrastructure/Transportation) for its role in design and development of a vehicle-pedestrian bridge at Gods Lake Narrows.

Tower Engineering Group Limited Partnership -- Award of Excellence (Industrial) for designing mechanical and electrical systems for Granny's Poultry's new head offices and hatchery which preheat outside air with groundwater to save $100,000 a year in energy.

Stantec Consulting Ltd. -- Award of Excellence (Municipal & Water Technology) for designing and developing a $15-million regional waste-water-treatment facility for the RM of Gimli.

Crosier Kilgour & Partners -- Award of Merit (Building Engineering) for its role in the design of the Winnipeg Humane Society's animal shelter in Fort Garry.

AECOM -- Three Awards of Merit (one Infrastructure/Transportation and two for Municipal & Water Technology) for design and contract administration for a new Perimeter Highway Bridge as part of Winnipeg Floodway expansion; for design and construction administration for a riverbank stabilization project in St. Vital Park; and for developing hydrologic and hydrodynamic models and an economic study of the Fisher River watershed.

TetrES Consultants -- Award of Merit (Environmental) for developing a groundwater-contamination-management plan for a McCain Foods (Canada) Ltd. potato-processing plant.

Acres Manitoba Ltd. --Award of Merit (Industrial) for implementing a mine dewatering scheme that allows for decommissioning of a deteriorating mine shaft at Hudson Bay Mining & Smelting Co. Ltd.'s 777 Mine in Flin Flon.

Peter Washchyshyn, CEO of ND LEA Inc. -- Lifetime Achievement Award for his achievements, leadership and contributions to consulting engineering.

Ken Anderson of GENIVAR -- Engineering Action Award for service and dedication to the Consulting Engineers of Manitoba Inc., the Canadian consulting engineering profession and the community.

Jason Cousin, principal owner of JR Cousin Consultants Ltd. -- Rising Star Award to recognize early career engineering achievements and involvement in the CEM.

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition April 24, 2009 B11