March 2007 ISSUE
NEWSMAKERS
ALBERTA GROUP DESIGNS WINNING HOUSE
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THESE FOLKS DO WINDOWS |
BY FRANCINE MAXWELL
Editorial Assistant
A project involving two permit holders won an energy savings competition put on by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. The EQuilibrium contest was for home designs geared at producing as much energy as they use.
Habitat Studio & Workshop — along with Howell-Mayhew Engineering and Solnorth Engineering — came up with the winning design, dubbed the Riverdale NetZero Project. It’s one of 12 winners out of 72 entries.
Construction of the winning duplex begins in Edmonton next month. One half will be sold and could fetch as much as $600,000. The other half will be kept open to the public for up to a year.
Solar thermal collectors above second-floor windows will provide most of the home’s space and domestic water heating. A solar power array on the roof will generate electricity. On any sunny day, excess electricty will go to the grid for credit, feeding the home’s nearest neighbours.
The design calls for thick walls, plenty of insulation, high quality windows and very tight construction. The winners earned $50,000 towards completion of their project.
Just Good Business Sense
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Safety First |
Syncrude Canada has won gold-level accreditation from the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business for the third time in a row — the only company ever to do so.
The oil sands giant has long been a proponent of hiring Aboriginal workers
and doing business with suppliers owned by Aboriginals. In fact, nine per cent
of the company’s workforce is Aboriginal.
Aboriginal firms provide Syncrude with everything from waste management, environmental
monitoring and electrical maintenance, to welding and fabrication, drafting and
reclamation.
Devotion to Safety Rewarded
A devotion to public and occupational safety has netted Douglas Sweeney, P.Geol., the B.C. Lieutenant Governor’s Individual Award for Public Safety.
Mr. Sweeney, an APEGGA member in Kamloops, was nominated for his commitment to safety for more than three decades. He recently devised a tool that has been successfully applied to the analysis of a wide range of incidents and accidents. These involve pressure vessels, agitation and aerospace, amusement rides, trains and maritime shipping.
Although his tool would be marketable, he is releasing it to the public for
the greater good.
Established in 2005, the Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Public Safety
recognizes exceptional leadership, innovation or achievement in the promotion
of safety in British Columbia.
Lt.-Gov. Iona Campagnola presented the award to Mr. Sweeney.
End Of An Era
Jim Carter, P.Eng., will take his last leave from Syncrude
Canada as of April 30.
The long-time president and chief operating officer says he will hang up his
hardhat after 27 years of service.
Mr. Carter began his career with Syncrude in 1979 as manager of overburden operations. He was appointed assistant manager of mining in 1981. In 1986 he was promoted to manager of maintenance and operations services, and the following year he was promoted to vice-president of administration. Between 1989 and 1997 he was the vice-president of operations, and then became president and COO.
The Alberta Chamber of Resources named Mr. Carter its Resource Person of the Year in 2005. Mr. Carter has earned two honorary doctorates. In 2004 he received an honorary science doctorate from the University of Alberta, and in 1995 he received an honorary doctorate in engineering from the Technical University of Nova Scotia.
Who’s Moved Where
Dr. Mickey Davachi, P.Eng., has accepted a position with AMEC in Calgary as principal geotechnical engineer. Dr. Davichi brings with him more than 38 years of experience and expertise in dams from around the world.
Mr. Daniel Williams, P.Eng., has been appointed vice-president, acquisitions and divestments, for Shiningbank Energy Ltd. Mr. Williams brings with him 14 years of experience in the oil and gas industry.
Brock Schroeder, P.Eng., has been appointed as principal for Halcrow Yolles in Calgary. The appointment represents a new position created with new offices in Calgary. Mr. Schroeder will be responsible for leading the new local structural design team and managing the development of clientele in Calgary.