The eGlance
October 1, 2020
CEO becomes ACEC-Ontario and announces 2020 Board of Directors
Consulting Engineers of Ontario held its first online annual general meeting and announced historic changes to the association. The membership confirmed the association’s name change to become the Association of Consulting Engineering Companies – Ontario (ACEC-Ontario). In addition, the 2020 Board of Directors that will oversee the organization for the upcoming governance year was introduced.

Bill Allison, Partner at Dillon Consulting Limited, will serve as the 2020-2021 Chair. Allison noted his goal is to focus on improving the member experience at ACEC-Ontario. The Board also welcomed two new Directors to the table, Ryan Matthews, Municipal Market Chief at J.L. Richards & Associates Limited and Chris Metaxas, Senior Engineering Consultant at GEI Consultants. Read full press release here.
OCEA is Relaunching as OEPA
Commencing in 2003, the Ontario Consulting Engineering Awards (OCEA) has been highlighting the importance of the consulting engineering profession by awarding outstanding projects submitted by member firms. The recipients of these awards have demonstrated the impact their knowledge, skill and expertise have made provincially, nationally and internationally.

With the recent name change of our association we are relaunching the awards program as the Ontario Engineering Project Awards (OEPA), this change will help further alignment with the new brand identity. We will be going virtual again in 2021 and hope to see you there.

Dates of consideration are:

Intent to Submit: October 23rd, 2020
Submission Deadline: December 4th, 2020
Awards Ceremony: April 8th, 2021

Please visit ACECOntario.ca to view requirements. Click here to download the Intent to Submit form.
MTO - Amendments to application for the T131 Advanced Issues Resolution course 
MTO recently made changes to its General Conditions of Contract (GCs) related to the contractors requests and dispute resolution. These changes were done, in part, to comply with Construction Act changes related to adjudication and took affect on all construction contracts advertised after October 1, 2019

Due to the significance of the changes, MTO has developed the T-131 course, which runs for 4 half days, incorporating the recent changes to the GCs. It will be offered in the Winter of 2021 to appropriately experienced Contract Administration staff who have not successfully completed T-131 and who desire to be qualified to act as a Project Manager or Contract Administrator on ministry Capital Construction Contracts. The cost to take this course will be $320.00. For further questions regarding the changes please contact tlt@ontario.ca 
 
Please see the course outlines and registration forms for additional information:
JLR supports three-tower development at Vanier ‘gateway’
JLR is pleased to be providing planning support for an exciting redevelopment and intensification opportunity in Ottawa. Working with ML Devco and main + main, they will be guiding the rezoning, official plan amendment, and site planning process to help their clients bring this dynamic new mixed-use, high-rise space to the Vanier gateway area.
Golder Celebrates 60 Years of Excellence!
On September 16th, 2020, Golder marked its 60th anniversary by celebrating six decades of dedication to excellence. The first office was a one-bedroom apartment. Today, Golder is one of the most recognized and respected global brands in the industry with over 7,500 employees in more than 140 offices on six continents.

“We’ve been on a long and successful journey underpinned by a strong culture of ownership and propelled by the passion, expertise and commitment of our people which are, and always will be, our most valuable assets,” says Golder’s Global President & CEO, Dr. Hisham Mahmoud. “We’re proud of where we’ve been and excited about where we’re going.”
Member Discussion Groups - How can ACEC-Ontario help you?
ACEC-Ontario has a new Strategic Plan with a new mission and vision for the association. We are moving forward with our plans we want to engage further with specific sectors of our member firms, to garner a better understanding what ACEC-Ontario can do to help your firm flourish.

We are holding virtual meetings with two particular segments of our membership to understand their needs for 2021 and beyond, and how we can support those needs with programming and services.

ACEC-Ontario’s Executive Director, Bruce G. Matthews, will be holding two discussion sessions. The first is geared towards smaller firms and the second is for those firms who conduct the majority of their business with private sector clients. Read more and register at the links below:

Member firms with 15 or fewer employees.
When: Tuesday, October 20, 2020
Time: 9:00 AM Eastern

Member firms serving primarily private sector clients.
When: Wednesday, October 28, 2020
Time: 9:00 AM Eastern
How to Hire Intelligently in Uncertain Times
Matchfield and ACEC-Ontario have partnered again to offer this eye-opening webinar focused on staffing concerns during unprecedented times. The session will feature three seasoned recruitment experts with a combined experience of over 50 years and will cover topics such as hiring in unknown times, staffing up (and down) where required, and hiring for contract or permanent. join us for knowledge sharing that will help you navigate through unclear times. There will be time for open discussion and to hear from your fellow member firms.

Date: Wednesday, October 14, 2020
Time: 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM Eastern

Register now and share any questions you would like to have addressed.
Waste Practitioner’s Group (WPG) Meeting
The Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) has established a Waste Practitioner’s Group (WPG) to create a forum for discussions on waste sector permissions. Through regular quarterly meetings that will start this fall, the working group will identify opportunities for improvements in the permissions and approvals process and its operational practices & flexibility for waste facilities. The WPG will be co-chaired by Mike Chopowick (OWMA) and Mohsen Keyvani (MECP).

Municipal and private waste sector stakeholders, proponents and consultants are invited to attend. The meeting will be held via Zoom Videoconference.

Date: Wednesday, October 21, 2020
Time: 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM Eastern

To register email orit.biran@ontario.ca to RSVP by Friday, October 2nd.
MCEA Training
MCEA is offering training this fall. During this session you will learn how the Municipal Class EA planning process works and how it can be your best friend in bringing a project from concept through construction. You will discover how the process, that may at first seem complex, is really quite easy to follow and use. They will cover why and how this planning process is “owned” by the municipality rather than the government, and how flexible the process can be. You will acquire knowledge on how you get to decide how to use the MCEA process to plan your own projects and more.

When: October 20 to 22, 2020
Time: 1:30 to 3:30 PM Eastern (Webinar)
Canada needs more infrastructure spending, but not as short-term stimulus
With the policy priorities announced in last week’s Speech from the Throne, the federal government says it is focusing on what needs to be done to beat the COVID pandemic and get the economy back on track. Massive spending on public infrastructure will apparently be an important part of the policy package.

Public spending on Canadian infrastructure projects is a good idea. It was a good idea 10 years ago and will still be a good idea 10 years from now. Such spending can lead to long-lasting economic and social benefits for millions of Canadians. But it is not easy to do well, or quickly, especially in large amounts. Projects that are rushed into completion, and that are driven by short-term political considerations, often become the “white elephants” that are the subject of scathing reports. Read full article on Macleans.ca
Throne speech recommits to infrastructure, but offers scant details
The Liberal minority government plans to continue investing in infrastructure of “all types” as it works to chart a course out of the lingering COVID-19 pandemic.

The throne speech, delivered Sept. 23 by Governor General Julie Payette, recommitted to a range of building initiatives, but offered only rough details on what areas Ottawa intends to focus and no financial specifics.

Using infrastructure work as one of its implements, the recovery plan centres on restoring employment to pre-pandemic levels by creating over one million jobs.
Industry Perspectives Op-Ed: One Ontario takes aim at municipal permitting problem
Navigating the municipal development approval process can be a frustrating experience for Ontario’s builders. Rules and systems can vary greatly, adding to the complexity of the permitting process. 

The One Ontario project launched by AECO Innovation Lab in concert with the Residential Construction Council of Ontario (RESCON) and other industry stakeholders is taking aim at the problem. 

As part of this innovative new venture, we’ll be developing guidelines for harmonized data exchange standards that will set the stage for a uniform e-permitting framework to be established that can be used for development approvals by municipal planning and building departments across the province. Read the full story. 
New IO president to build infrastructure pipeline with partners, stakeholders
The incoming president and CEO of Infrastructure Ontario says his life has been spent at the intersection of the public and the private sectors, seeking partnerships and opportunities to create value for taxpayers and users.

And now, more than ever, Michael Lindsay says he is ready to work with the government and industry partners to get through the pandemic and continue to make progress building the province’s infrastructure.

“For projects under construction, definitely continuing to work with our private sector partners on how to continue to make progress is the most urgent thing we face now,” he told the Daily Commercial News following the announcement made by Ontario’s Minister of Infrastructure Laurie Scott Sept. 18. Read more.
Burying the Eglinton West LRT will cost an extra $1.8 billion and may serve fewer local riders. So why do it?
It’s an expensive suburban transit project that’s being built underground despite evidence an above-ground route would be cheaper and serve more people.

The description may provoke flashbacks for anyone who has followed Toronto transit debates in recent years, but this isn’t another story about the Scarborough subway.

A different project, the planned $4.7-billion Eglinton West LRT in mid-Etobicoke, has garnered far less attention than its cousin in eastern Toronto. But like the high-profile Scarborough project, critics charge that the Ontario government’s proposal for Eglinton West will waste hundreds of millions of dollars and deliver insufficient transit benefits. Read more.
Metrolinx Details Plans for the West End of the Ontario Line
Metrolinx has released new details on the westernmost stretch of Toronto's future Ontario Line subway. The plans reveal a new alignment for this part of the future rapid transit line, stretching from Exhibition Place to the intersection of Queen Street West and Spadina Avenue.

Metrolinx planners have reconfigured plans for the subway so that it extends, for the most part, diagonally between those two points. An earlier proposal used an alignment that required trains to negotiate two sharp turns to reach their destination. In a post on its news blog, Metrolinx says the new route will give riders shorter trips and reduce construction impacts by straightening out two bends. The diagonal theme will also affect the layout of the new station at King Street West and Bathurst Street – the new station will straddle that intersection diagonally from southwest to northeast. Read more.
Does your firm have an interesting article or news that you want the Ontario Engineering world to know about? Please have 'your people' talk to 'our people", email us at mwest@acecontario.ca.
Association of Consulting Engineering Companies | Ontario acecontario.ca
Association of Consulting Engineering Companies | Ontario | acecontario.ca