AN INDEPENDENT SUPPLEMENT FROM MEDIAPLANET TO THE NATIONAL POST Opportunities abound The Air Rail Link Women in engineering Taking city transit to and design another level March 2012 ENGINEERING & INFRASTRUCTURE 3WAYS ENGINEERS ARE IMPACTING CANADA’S FUTURE INNOVATIONS IN CONSERVATION AND DEMAND MANAGEMENT A look at the smart and renewable energy sources behind the accelerated innovation of electric vehicles PHOTO: RVTR 2 · MARCH 2012 AN INDEPENDENT SUPPLEMENT BY MEDIAPLANET TO THE NATIONAL POST CHALLENGES INITIATIVE 1 CONTRIBUTING WE RECOMMEND TO A SUSTAINABLE Electric vehicles Implementing the car ENVIRONMENT of the future within the infrastructure of today. PAGE 4 “What’s interesting about electric vehicles is that they are both an incredible opportun- ity for the grid and an incredible risk.” Conduit urbanism p. 5 How Canada’s linear infrastructure can be o f b e n e fi t . Panel of Experts p. 6 Exploring the model behind successful infrastructure delivery. PLANS FOR SUCCESS The aggregation of economic pro- grams, research centers, intermodal exchange, distributed electric vehicle hubs and renewable energy distribu- tion within a near future of Conduit Urbanism. PHOTO: RVTR With the commencement of National Engineering Month, the profession focuses on fostering the next generation of ingenuity and ensuring sustainable solutions for cities nation-wide. Sustainable development is high on the agenda ne of the chal- norm rather than the exception. Canada is proud to support National lenges we have Engineering Month, an annual cele- as a profession is Creating sustainable “On top of adapt- bration of Canadian engineering getting people to communities excellence that promotes engineering understand that On top of adapting infrastructure ing infrastructure as a career choice to youth. engineers do so to the effects of climate change, to the effects of National Engineering Month is much more than engineers are a key part of the team organized by the profession’s 12 prov- ENGINEERING & INFRASTRUCTURE Osimply build things. Whether they responsible for infrastructure design climage change, incial and territorial regulatory bod- 2ND EDITION, MARCH 2012 realize it or not, Canadians benefi t and construction. Environmental ies, teachers, faculties, volunteers engineers are a Responsible for this issue: from the work engineers do every day. engineer and councillor for the City and university students, with events Publisher: Clayton Hartford of Waterloo Diane Freeman, FEC, key part of the taking place in March. Design com- [email protected] Confronting climate change P.Eng., believes that engineers are the petitions, engineering fairs and other Designer: Penelope Graham team responsible [email protected] Engineers employ sustainable ones who will drive change in terms activities teach young Canadians how Contributors: Stephen Bauld , Amanda Couch, Jack Diamond, Jim Dougan, Ted approaches to all aspects of our work. of rethinking community planning: for infrastrucutre to use science, technology, engineer- Kritsonis, Brad McLellan, Mark Romoff, We apply engineering principles to “Engineers have the tools to be leaders ing and math to generate things that Brent Smith, Nick Stark, Geoffrey Geoffrey design.” Thün improve air, water and land resources, in building sustainable communities. were once only part of their imagina- and must carefully consider weather They are able to think technically to tion. Today’s students are tomorrow’s Photo Credit: All images are from conditions that aff ect safety and lon- envision how to change, and are able sustainable community leaders. iStock.com unless otherwise accredited. gevity as we adapt existing and future to implement these changes.” Engineers Canada is proud of the Managing Director: Gustav Aspegren [email protected] public infrastructure to the potential Councillor Freeman supported the profession’s contributions to creating Business Developer: Cahill Puil eff ects of a changing climate. redevelopment of Davenport Road better communities, a strong future, [email protected] This is why Engineers Canada and in Waterloo, Ontario, one excellent and a more sustainable Canada. its partners established the Public example of sustainable thinking that Distributed within: National Post, March 2012 Infrastructure Engineering Vulner- benefi ts the whole community. The Engineers Canada is the national organ- This section was created by Mediaplanet and ability Committee in August 2005. road was put on what is known as a ization of the 12 provincial and territorial did not involve the National Post or its The Committee has been assessing “road diet,” changing lane confi g- associations that regulate the practice Editorial Departments. the vulnerability of Canada’s build- urations and adding traffi c calming of engineering in Canada and license the ings, roads and associated structures, measures to make the busy commuter country’s more than 250,000 members of storm water and wastewater systems, road safer and more accessible and the engineering profession. Visit engineer- and water resources to the impacts minimizing maintenance. scanada.ca for more information on the of climate change. The goal is to con- Public Infrastructure Engineering Vulner- FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK AND tribute to a review of amendments to Future engineers: National En- ability Committee. Visit nem-mng.ca for TWITTER! gineering Month www.facebook.com/MediaplanetCA design, operation and maintenance more information about National Engin- www.twitter.com/MediaplanetCA codes, standards and practices. The To ensure a strong engineering profes- Brent Smith, FEC, P.Eng. eering Month activities and how you can President, Engineers Canada view is toward sustainability as the sion in the decades to come, Engineers participate. Mediaplanet’s business is to create new cus- tomers for our advertisers by providing read- ers with high quality editorial content that motivates them to act. Gaining priceless experience doN’t miSS! Graduating from university of these challenges, you’re closer to with a degree is a vital invest- that dream position.” Jack Diamond ment in one’s future, but the Principal, University of Toronto offers Accessing big opportunity Diamond Schmitt one of the most comprehen- Pereira says that about 720 students Architects sive work placement programs — 583 of which come from the uni- in all of Canada. versity’s engineering programs — are placed through PEY in 225 to 250 The Professional Experience Year participating companies annually. (PEY) program has been operating These companies include AMD, IBM, since 1979, and it off ers students a 12 Microsoft, Scotia Capital and Environ- The need for social to 16-month paid internship within ment Canada, among many others. responsibility their fi eld of study, usually between Placements vary from all over Canada, their third and fourth year. The PEY the United States and a small number ■ In a world that is consuming its has its own application process, and overseas in countries like Spain, China resources faster than they are being is open to Canadian citizens, landed and Japan. The average salary for PEY replenished there is a professional immigrants and international students in 2011 was $44,000, accord- other full-timer would work on,” says culture. obligation to reduce their consump- students. ing to Pereira. Chakraborty. “Our PEY interns get Pereira says the program’s suc- tion as much as possible. As the “The criteria for any job coming Indy Chakraborty manages govern- fi rst-hand experience working with cess will be directed towards the construction industry is one of the in is that if it’s not going to produce ment relations and regulatory aff airs industry experts on cutting-edge international scene. “We’re cur- largest consumers of material and a return on investment, or else we’re at AMD, and has personally overseen technologies that gives them a tre- rently working on placements with energy, the aim of design should be not interested because 12 to16 months the placement and integration of PEY mendous head start upon entering companies that can facilitate ‘6 & 6’, economy. Indeed, if nature is taken is a long time,” says Jose Pereira, direc- students at the company. He says that the workforce at the completion of which would be six months here with as an example, economy of means tor of U of T’s Engineering Career Cen- out of the 71 new graduates AMD hired their degrees.” a company that also has operations in results in the greatest elegance of tre and PEY. “As a student, the object- in 2011 at its Markham, ON facility, 40 Chakraborty adds that AMD uses another country like Mexico, China or form. ive behind the program isn’t to fi nd were former PEY students. special orientation programs to get Europe for the other six months.” your dream job in your placement, it’s “They’re neither seen nor treated PEY students to socially interact with to fi nd a challenge that’s going to add as ‘students’, they’re treated as engin- each other, but the main focus is to TED KRITSONIS JACK DIAMOND to your portfolio, so that after several eers working on projects that any integrate them all into the company’s [email protected] [email protected] AN INDEPENDENT SUPPLEMENT BY MEDIAPLANET TO THE NATIONAL POST CHALLENGES | BUILDINGS | CIVIL INFRASTRUCTURE | HEAVY INDUSTRIAL | Delivering P3 construction excellence. 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