Professional Licensing Struggles Facing Immigrant Engineers

Professional engineering associations in Canada are facing thorny issues in the licensing of immigrant engineers. They are now torn between adhering to their registration procedures while at the same time making sure there is no　 discrimination towards immigrant engineering applicants. The issue of discrimination was highlighted in the case between Mr. Mihaly and The Association of Professional Engineers, Geologists and Geophysicists of Alberta. The Alberta Human Rights Tribunal decided that Mihaly was discriminated against by the association when it assessed his educational qualifications using its Examination Standard and Experience Standard without giving any individualized assessment. The decision is now being challenged in court.

 

Immigrant engineers wishing to practice in Canada undergo a rigorous process before getting licensed as engineers. The procedure is put in place to ensure that public safety is protected by licensing only engineers who are competent and have the professional knowledge of codes and standards followed by their Canadian counterparts.

 

Before immigrant engineers can obtain their license, they have to prove that their educational credentials are equivalent to Canadian credentials. This can sometimes be done by taking a technical exam. Then, they also need to gain at least one year of supervised experience in Canada in addition to proving that they have worked as an engineer for three years abroad. Finally, they also need to take a professional practice exam to show that they are knowledgeable on the ethics and applicable laws when it comes to being an engineer in Canada.

 

It has been argued that the issue of discrimination and licensing of immigrant engineers is something that needs to be addressed. The federal government of Canada is in the process of reforming the immigration system. It is now offering what is called "express entry" to skilled immigrants—civil engineers, mechanical engineers, electrical and electronics engineers and petroleum engineers included—who want to live and work in Canada as permanent residents. Express entry, slated to be launched on January next year, is part of immigration reforms hoping to achieve access to skilled workers to fill the needs in our current labor market.

  





 

Water channels to Front Street win “Overall Vision Winner” in Urban Ideas Competition

The Young Leaders Initiative of the Urban Land Institute Toronto awarded the concept of the Dillon Consulting team entitled "Inundation" as the "Overall Vision Winner" in the Urban Ideas Competition this year. The team envisaged seven wide water channels leading north to Front Street. It also paints a radically different picture of the developed Toronto that we know of today. "Inundation" takes out large sections of the Gardiner Expressway and turns the elevated monuments into public downtown spaces. The rail corridor now serves as the foundation of a park system that links east and west "with local and regional transit flowing beneath." The "Inundation" team is composed of Merrilees Willemse, Martina Braunstein, Kiran Chhiba, Mark Hillmer and Jay Leasa.

"Green Deck City," a scheme proposed by Line Architecture Group was the "People’s Choice Winner." The design assumes that in the future, there may be a need to build "self-sustaining cities ready to withstand all perils." Meanwhile, Carolyn Rowan and Robyn Whitwham’s "ReVamp" was awarded as the "Site Specific Winner." It rethinks the Gardiner Expressway as a network of links which Rowan describes as "like a synapse between the City and its Waterfront" and a "draft outlining the potential repurposing of orphaned or decommissioned infrastructure."

While it did not get any acclaim, the "Shoreline Skyway" by University of Toronto’s Kyle Miller and Matthew Kelling was interesting in its own right. They conceptualized a cable car to run above the Gardiner Expressway. The cable car, which would bring passengers from Ontario Place in the west to the Don River in the East, would be six kilometers long and would travel at a speed of 16 kilometers per hour. It is set to make 11 stops throughout its route.

Edmonton’s Rogers Place Arena Construction Underway

The city of Edmonton has started building the new home of the Edmonton Oilers. Construction of Rogers Place started in March this year and is expected to open its doors for the 2016 hockey season. Located between 104 Street and 102 Street, the new NHL arena is expected to have a seating capacity of more than 18,500 seats. It is set to be a landmark building in the city and is forecasted to be "the most technologically enabled sports facility in all of North America."

The architecture draws its inspiration from Edmonton’s energy, oil and steel industries and as such, it will be made of stainless steel. Don Iveson, the Mayor of Edmonton, said the structure is "forward-looking" just like the province.

The project is a joint effort by the city and Katz Group. The land and arena is owned by the city while the operating costs will be paid for by the Katz Group. The arena itself cost $480 million to build. However, the entire project will cost $606.5 million because it will also have a community rink, a Wintergarden, a pedestrian way and an LRT transit connection.

The design for the project came from 360 Architecture, a US-based firm, who worked together with local subconsultant companies Architecture ATB, AMEC, BTY Group, CDML, Bunt & Associates, Stantec, Hemisphere Engineering and DIALOG. The project manager for Roger’s Place is ICON Venue Group while the construction manager is PCL. 

Canada-based SNC-Lavalin purchases Kentz Corporation

Montreal-based engineering firm SNC-Lavalin announced its purchase of Kentz Corporation. Kentz Corporation operates in the oil and gas, petrochemical and mining and metals sectors, providing engineering, construction and technical support services worldwide.

 

The acquisition of the London Stock Exchange-listed international engineering company is set to be finalized in the third quarter of this year. After SNC completes the acquisition of Kentz, the two oil and gas teams of both companies will be fused together and led by Kentz Chief Executive Officer Christian Brown. Kentz current oil and gas team has 14,500 employees in 36 countries. Brown will then be reporting to SNC-Lavalin’s President of Resources, Environment and Water Neil Bruce.

 

In a press release, SNC-Lavalin said the purchase is in line with its thrust towards becoming a Tier-1 engineering and construction firm. SNC strives for a leading footprint in oil and gas, two sectors known for producing high margins. As a result of the purchase, the Montreal-based firm expects to increase the percentage of its yearly oil and gas revenue to about 24 percent from its present 7 percent. Because Kentz bought Valerus Field Solutions in January this year, the merger will also improve SNC-Lavalin’s LNG expertise. It also expects revenue increase in its operations in the Middle East, Asia Pacific and Australia.

 

The transaction was approved by both companies board of directors. Under the terms of the deal, SNC-Lavalin will buy the ordinary share capital of Kentz. Each shareholder of Kentz will be receiving £9.35 (C$17.13) in cash for every share they own in the company. A $2.55 billion asset sale bridge loan and a $200 million term loan will finance the purchase.