May 2006 ISSUE
meet the president
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An Interview with President David Chalcroft, P.Eng.
Travel the province or travel the world, and you’re bound to come across a project that involved APEGGA’s 87th President David Chalcroft, P.Eng.
Mr. Chalcroft took the big step up from President-Elect at the Annual General Meeting in Edmonton, April 22. His ascension to the highest position in the Association comes at a crucial time in its development — on the heels of the Alberta Government showing interest in APEGGA’s proposal to partner with ASET in the regulation of technologists.
Mr. Chalcroft, who began volunteering with APEGGA in 1990, received his bachelor
of science degree in civil engineering from the University of Manitoba. But he’s
made his mark in Alberta and around the globe. After completing a number of international
projects, he and his wife Margaret settled in St. Albert in 1972.
A storied career it has been. During his 37 years with UMA Engineering Ltd.,
Mr. Chalcroft managed teams that tackled such engineering challenges as Syncrude’s
water supply system, Edmonton’s LRT tunnels, and water flood projects for
Texaco, Mobil and Shell, as well as the Dickson and Oldman River dams.
During the ’90s, Dave was UMA’s vice-president responsible for operations in Southern Alberta and for international projects in California, India, Uzbekistan and St. Lucia. From 2000 to 2002, he was senior VP in charge of UMA’s national earth and water division.
A recipient of the Alberta Centennial Medal in 2005, Mr. Chalcroft has also received one of his Association’s highest accolades. He was presented the L.C. Charlesworth Professional Service Award during the 2002 Summit Awards gala.
In his industry and other communities, Mr. Chalcroft has also held leadership positions. Recently he helped establish the Canadian chapter of Registered Engineers for Disaster Relief, or RedR Canada, which he chaired from 2002-2005. He’s been a director of the Alberta Roadbuilders and Heavy Construction Association, and he was a UMA Group Ltd. director from 1991-2000.
Mr. Chalcroft is a past chair and past director of the Association of Consulting
Engineers of Canada, and a past president and past director of the Consulting
Engineers of Alberta. He helped establish Alberta’s Transportation Infrastructure
Career Development Program and the CEA Showcase Awards.
He’s also served as president and as a director of the Olympian Swim Club
in Edmonton and as a director of the Calgary Winter Club.
These days, Mr. Chalcroft is an independent consulting engineer on projects such as the Travers and McGregor dam rehabilitation projects and the northwest Calgary Stoney Trail ring road.
He began serving on the APEGGA Practice Review Board in 1990, and has also served on the Act, Regulations and Bylaws Committee and the Nominating Committee. Since 2003 he’s served on APEGGA Council.
While on Council he has been chair of the Inclusivity Task Force, the Strategic Planning Committee, the Insurance Review Task Force, and the Acts, Regulations and Bylaws Committee. Since April 2004, he has been an APEGGA vice-president, a member of the Executive Committee, and a member of the Finance Committee.
Dave and Margaret enjoy golfing, curling and travelling. They have two grown children and three grandsons.
Following is a question-and-answer interview on the opinions Mr. Chalcroft holds, the goals he has for his presidency, and the issues of the day.
Q Why did you seek the presidency and what excites you about the job?
A The engineering profession has provided me with a very rewarding career, a comfortable standard of living for my family, and the opportunity to contribute to the building of our society. It seemed only natural to want to give something back, and to continue the experience of working with the great people in our professions.
Q ASET relations, communication and consultation, and Inclusivity — these issues, it could be argued, have defined the last three presidencies. What will define yours?
A It will be for others to decide what if anything defined my presidency. However, Council and I will be working on the priorities laid out in our Strategic Plan — we hope to make progress on several fronts, including a partnership with ASET, mobility with the U.S., and advancing the concept of personalized professionalism.
Q What personal and professional qualities and experience do you bring to the table? How do you see these serving Council and the membership?
A I’ve had the good fortune of being mentored by a number of exceptional professionals over the years, including the late Stewart McIntosh, P.Eng., and my former boss Al Pasini, P.Eng. Hopefully some of their qualities rubbed off on me and will come to the fore at the right time.
Q Negotiations with ASET, by the looks of it, will be a major part of your work in 2006-2007. When you’re handing off the gavel in 2007, what stage would you like those negotiations to have reached?
A Concluded! I believe and I think my counterpart at ASET, President Derek Tsang, also believes that our two organizations need to seize the current opportunity to end this longstanding issue. I believe we can achieve a win-win-win solution for ASET, for APEGGA, and for the people of Alberta, with the One Act, Two Associations model we have proposed to the government.
Q What other key issues do you see arising in 2006-2007?
A Mobility with U.S. states is a key initiative APEGGA has been working on for several years. While a PE from the U.S. has his or her credentials instantly recognized in Canada, a Canadian P.Eng. applying in the U.S. is required to write the grueling Fundamentals of Engineering Exams and then later the Professional Engineers Exams — a very unfair situation.
We are working to get P.Eng. recognized as equal to PE by 2009, and I sensed at the mobility forum we held at this year’s conference that there is now a willingness to make real progress.
Q What are the main challenges facing the membership these days, as they carry out their tasks and assignments in a professional and ethical way?
A The principal challenge facing APEGGA’s members is the tremendous amount of activity going on in our province. Because of it our professional members are being stretched. The challenge they face is to not cut corners that could result in substandard work or present unsafe facilities to the public — be diligent!
Q What can and should members do to support their professions and their Association?
A Over 700 members volunteer their time in APEGGA activities from committees to Outreach to Iron Ring workshops. Getting involved is one excellent way members can support the professions. If time is a constraint, simply being an ambassador for the professions in your workplace and in your community goes a long way to boosting the image of the fine professions we serve.
Q By all accounts, the Alberta economy is booming. What special challenges does this present to members and to APEGGA?
A The booming Alberta economy needs more professional engineers, geologists and geophysicists to design, construct and operate the $130 billion in capital projects now underway. APEGGA expects to receive 5,000 applications for registration in 2006 — double the number of a few years ago.
To meet the challenge the Board of Examiners is being expanded and processes improved to reduce registration times. We are also creating a provisional licence to assist foreign-trained engineers in becoming registered with APEGGA.
Q How and why did you become involved in volunteering for APEGGA?
A The late Stewart McIntosh, P.Eng., invited me to get involved with the Practice Review Board back in 1990. That’s where I first met Larry Staples, P.Eng., who was chair of the PRB.
After a hiatus while I was involved with the consulting engineers association, I got re-involved with APEGGA in 2002 and had the good fortune to interface with Stewart and Larry and the many others who are dedicated to helping our professions fulfill their goal of protecting the public.
Q Is there anything you’d like to add that we haven’t covered?
A It is a very special honour to be selected to serve as President of APEGGA. Together with my colleagues on Council and our very capable APEGGA staff, I hope to continue to build the reputation of our three professions as the key creators of Alberta’s quality of life.