September 17, 2008

Construction Corner

A time of progress and challenge for Canada’s consulting engineers

Jeff Morrison

President, ACEC

As the new president of the Association of Canadian Engineering Companies (ACEC), it certainly is an exciting time to be taking on this position.

The consulting engineering industry in Canada is in the midst of an economic upswing — the latest Statistics Canada data show that operating revenue for engineering firms rose by 11.4 per cent in 2006, the last year for which data is available, and anecdotal evidence suggests this strong growth is continuing into 2008.

Canada showcased its strong consulting engineering industry when it hosted the annual conference of the International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC) from September 7 to 10, 2008 in Quebec City.

The conference brought together more than 600 delegates from at least 60 countries.

As the preeminent global conference for the consulting engineering world, the FIDIC conference was a chance for Canadians to celebrate with their global peers the advances that the Canadian consulting engineering industry has achieved.

Another exciting development was the announcement by the government of Quebec in June that it would be the first provincial jurisdiction in Canada to mandate qualifications-based selection for all provincial tendering of engineering services.

With this announcement, we are hoping to convince other provinces and the federal government to enact the same measure.

Of course, success brings with it new challenges.

Like other industry sectors, consulting engineers are finding it more difficult to identify and recruit skilled professionals.

ACEC has embarked on a major campaign to attract young people into the consulting engineering field.

The centerpiece of this campaign will be a new video that will speak directly to young people about the benefits of a career in this sector.

Consulting engineers are also being challenged to respond to the demand for greener designs and innovations, and the industry has responded.

I want to work with industry stakeholders to maximize the benefits of this green building movement, while at the same time minimizing risk and greenwashing within the industry.

And although governments have better understood the need for infrastructure investment, given the $123 billion municipal renovation infrastructure debt that Canada faces (in addition to the $125 billion debt for new municipal infrastructure that Canada requires), we cannot rest on our laurels — we must continue to remind politicians of the need to continue reinvesting in our critical physical infrastructure.

So, clearly, I take on this role at a time of great progress and excitement, but with significant challenges still remaining.

Jeff Morrison was recently appointed president of the Association of Canadian Engineering Companies.

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