OTTAWA – The Association of Consulting Engineering Companies – Canada (ACEC) is marking National Consulting Engineering Day (today) through several initiatives, including a press conference on Parliament Hill, a webinar on the future of engineering and a proclamation in the House of Commons.
The association states there is much to celebrate given Canada’s engineering and design services sector creates nearly half a million full- and part-time jobs and contributes close to $70 billion to the economy.
“Infrastructure projects, large and small, form the backbone of our communities, and consulting engineering firms are essential to their delivery,” says John Gamble, ACEC president and CEO in a statement. “From roads and ports to water treatment plants and hospitals to energy and communications networks and more, consulting engineering professionals plan, design and deliver the infrastructure we rely on every day.”
ACEC points out with federal government investments of $115 billion in infrastructure over five years, a Major Projects Office to get nation-building projects in motion, the Canada Strong Fund, and the Canada Defence Industrial Strategy, “this is a generational opportunity to build with vision.”
Consulting engineering can also play a large role in the National Infrastructure Corridor. This planning exercise on a grand scale would expand on the regional corridors already being developed for trade and other uses, ACEC notes, it would also align with the government’s One Canadian Economy initiative.
“Our firms have the deep knowledge, skills and innovation we need to turn bold ideas into life-changing reality,” adds Gamble. “The world is changing, as well as Canada’s place in it. If ever there was a time to build with vision, this is it.”
