Engineers Canada certifies qualified engineers as first Infrastructure Resilience Professionals

OTTAWA, June 9, 2016 /CNW/ - Engineers Canada will present the first cohort of professional engineers with the new certification of Infrastructure Resilience Professional (IRP) at a launch event this afternoon.

The six engineers being certified today have each completed a series of professional development workshops that enhances their competency in planning, designing and managing resilient infrastructure in the face of a changing climate and extreme weather—as well as practical application of their knowledge.

"I am proud to present these accomplished engineers with our first-ever Infrastructure Resilience Professional certifications," said Engineers Canada CEO Kim Allen, MBA, FEC, FCAE, P.Eng. "Infrastructure owners and operators, governments and the public can have increased confidence that the recommendations and approvals made by these engineers are supported by advanced training and experience in climate vulnerability assessment, risk management, and climate adaptation."

Licensed engineers across Canada have a professional duty to serve the public and protect health, safety and the natural environment. As such, they are subject to legal responsibilities and potential liability relating to climate impacts and associated damages to infrastructure.

"With the urgent need to renew aging infrastructure, and with the Canadian government investing billions of dollars in new infrastructure, the demand for engineers trained to assess future climate vulnerability and risks to infrastructure will be high," added Engineers Canada's Vice-President of Strategy and Partnerships, Jeanette M. Southwood, M.A.Sc., FEC, FCAE, P.Eng. "It is vital that engineers are prepared to participate in and inform decision-making so that our buildings, transportation, energy and water management systems, and other assets can withstand extreme weather events and be ready for how our climate is changing. The new IRP certification does just that."

To be certified as an Infrastructure Resilience Professional, engineers must complete four training workshops on topics related to engineering and climate change, including climate law, climate science and asset management, and a workshop on the application of the Public Infrastructure Engineering Vulnerability Committee (PIEVC) Protocol. The PIEVC Protocol is Engineers Canada's robust, structured and documented process for engineers, planners and decision-makers to identify and recommend measures to address the vulnerabilities and risks from climate change on infrastructure. In addition, the IRP must have completed a report on an infrastructure climate resiliency assessment or been involved in an assessment as a client/owner.

Receiving the certification today are:

• Brent Burton, M.A.Sc., P.Eng. Burton is Lead Senior Engineer in the Water Services Department at Metro Vancouver, where he has worked since 2002 on a range of engineering planning activities to support the region's water and wastewater system. He is also active on a number of local and national committees and groups specializing in climate change adaptation.
• Dr. Guy Félio, FCSCE, P.Eng. Félio is an Infrastructure Management Specialist with RV Anderson Associates Ltd., in Ottawa, ON. With more than 30 years of experience in the field as a professor, researcher, consultant and policy advisor, he provides expertise in the areas of asset management and climate change vulnerability and adaptation of infrastructure.
• David Lapp, FEC, P.Eng. Lapp is Engineers Canada's Practice Lead, Globalization and Sustainable Development and has worked in the area of climate change adaptation and engineering since 2001. He has been instrumental in developing and growing the PIEVC Protocol and creating the IRP certification.
• Dirk Nyland , P.Eng. Nyland is the Chief Engineer with the BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure. He has over 40 years of experience in transportation engineering and has been championing climate change adaptation initiatives for ministry transportation engineering since 2008.
• Jeff O'Driscoll, P.Eng. O'Driscoll is a Division Manager with Associated Engineering in Winnipeg, MB. With 25 years of experience in consulting engineering and extensive experience in the planning and design of municipal infrastructure, his recent efforts have focussed on assessing the impacts of climate change on infrastructure.
• Roger Rempel, FEC, P. Eng. Rempel is the Senior Environmental Engineer with MMM Group, a WSP Company, based in Winnipeg, MB. With over 20 years of experience, he has conducted climate change impact assessments and served as technical advisor on a number of multi-disciplinary teams assessing critical public infrastructure for vulnerability to climate change.

Upon completion, certified engineers may add "IRP" to the qualifications following their name.

Engineers Canada is the national organization of the 12 engineering regulators that license the country's 290,000 members of the profession. Together, we work to advance the profession in the public interest. www.engineerscanada.ca

SOURCE Engineers Canada

Brent Gibson, Practice Lead, Communications, Engineers Canada, 613.232.2474 x234, [email protected]