The work of Canadian consulting engineering firms was celebrated online Thursday night, as twenty projects were recognized for excellence during the 2020 Canadian Consulting Engineering (CCE) Awards virtual celebration. Robinson Consultants Inc.’s Hamilton team received an Award of Excellence for their Northwest Arm Trunk Sewer Rehabilitation Project in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Recognized as the industry's highest honours, the awards are presented to projects by Canadian firms that showcase the most remarkable engineering feats. “Though we may not have been able to celebrate inperson this year, these achievements and the incredible work of our members were recognized on a virtual stage” said ACEC President and CEO John Gamble. “Through their ingenuity and innovation, the work of consulting engineering companies connects communities, grows the economy, protects the public and improves sustainability. The impacts and benefits of their work are long-lasting, often immeasurable, and deserve to be celebrated.”

Innovative cost-effective design and tendering process results in record-breaking solution and longest single continuous installation length.

The Northwest Arm Trunk Sewer (NATS), an inaccessible 100-year-old 4,000 m long trunk sewer, was one of the most challenging cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) rehabilitation projects ever completed in the country. To address significant challenges including limited access, accelerated completion schedule and the need for complex engineering design, Robinson Consultants Inc. developed an innovative and cost-effective design and tendering process that resulted in a record-breaking solution that included the longest single continuous installation length at 682 m. The use of CIPP significantly reduced the construction footprint and the risk of sediment and other contaminants from spilling into the Northwest Arm inlet. This approach further provided benefits in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions produced during construction. The team was able to achieve the project’s primary goals of removing debris, restoring structural integrity, eliminating exfiltration, establishing a corrosion barrier, and extending the life of the sewer up to 75 years, all while minimizing the social, environmental, and cost implications associated with construction. This challenging sewer relining project impressed the jurors with the minimal disruption it caused to the neighbourhood, the cost savings it generated compared to alternate methods and its completion on a very tight schedule.

“To be selected from over seventy deserving projects from across the country is an honor. We are grateful to ACEC and CCE for recognizing engineering excellence at the national level and highlighting the important contributions made by engineering firms across the country. We would like to thank our client Halifax Water, consulting partner CBCL, and the contracting team of Liquiforce, Insituform, Empipe and Unijet for their hard work and dedication to this unique and challenging project,” said Kevin Bainbridge, Branch Manager, Robinson Consultants Inc.

We are pleased to announce that our President Derek Potvin has been honoured as the 2022 Trenchless Technology Person of the Year.

Since 1993, the Trenchless Technology Person of the Year has been presented to individuals nominated by a selection committee for significant recent achievement and lifetime achievement, and for exhibiting outstanding leadership in the advancement of trenchless technology. We are grateful to Trenchless Technology Magazine for recognizing Derek and his achievements.

Within our firm and the industry at large, Derek has demonstrated strong leadership and sound technical knowledge, and is well-respected amongst his peers. We are very proud of Derek and would once again like to congratulate him on the receipt of this prestigious award. 

Read the formal award announcement and press release from Trenchless Technology Magazine.

Andy Robinson, P.Eng., FEC

Andy is a quiet leader who can command the attention of a room with his thoughtful words. He conducts himself as an industry and community leader by the principles that are paramount to him as a professional engineer – integrity, ethical behaviour, and accountability.

Andy received his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Michigan Tech in 1966. After working as a Project Engineer for a few years, he pursued a master’s degree in Water Resources at the University of Waterloo. Throughout his career, his interests focused on municipal infrastructure, environmental, and water resources engineering, with recent emphasis on projects under the Ontario Drainage Act.

While Andy has consulted on thousands of projects over the course of his career, his greatest professional achievement is the creation of his engineering firm, Robinson Consultants Inc. in 1977. He was approximately ten years into his career as a professional engineer when he left his position as Ottawa Area Manager for R.M. Kostuch Associates Ltd. to found his firm. The reputation he had established in the Ottawa area allowed for the firm to grow in size and specialty under Andy’s leadership. In 2011, after a transfer of ownership, Andy assumed the role of Chair of the Board of Directors. Today, Robinson Consultants is a multi-disciplinary consulting engineering firm that has over sixty employees, including thirty-two engineers, as well as a diverse team of technologists and support staff.

Throughout his fifty-five-year long career, Andy has given back to the industry through his involvement in several organizations. He has volunteered with ACEC-Canada, Consulting Engineers of Ontario, the Ottawa Chapter of Professional Engineers of Ontario, and the Canadian Water Resources Association. Whether as a Director, Vice-Chair, Treasurer or Chair of the Board, he has led a host of initiatives, including preparation of the industry paper Understanding Public Private Partnerships in Canada, the completion of a new strategic plan and bylaws, presenting to the Inquiry on Federal Water Policy, and conducting negotiations with the City of Ottawa on contract language, procurement policies, and qualifications-based selection.

Andy’s contributions to the industry have been officially recognized with many awards. In 2017, he was the recipient of the Joe Johnson Sr. Private Sector Award, an Ontario Public Works Association (OPWA) award that recognizes outstanding individual achievement through chapter activity and outstanding corporate achievement. He is also a Fellow of Engineers Canada (FEC), an honour given to individuals who have provided noteworthy service to the profession. Most recently, the American Water Works Association (AWWA) awarded him the Life Member Status Tenure Award in recognition of his membership tenure of thirty cumulative years. Andy has also received a twenty-five years of service recognition from Professional Engineers of Ontario (PEO) and the Province of Ontario.

In addition to his industry commitments, Andy is a passionate community volunteer. In 1998, he became involved with WaterCan (now known as WaterAid Canada). Over the years, he has served in multiple roles including Chair of the Board and Director Emeritus and is presently an Advisory Council Member. His interests in helping with small water projects in rural communities in Africa culminated with a trip with his daughter to Uganda to witness the organization’s work firsthand. His passion for his work with WaterAid is evident when he speaks of this experience.

If you asked Andy how he manages to do it all and still find time to play golf, he would likely say it is due to good planning. Those who know him would say it has more to do with having a strong obligation to the community and industry he has been a part of for over fifty-five years. Andy’s legacy within the walls of Robinson Consultants and in the industry at large will serve as one of the highest bars a professional engineer could hope to reach.

As the recipient of this year’s Beaubien Award, presented annually in recognition of exception service to ACEC and for contributions to the advancement of consulting engineering through professional accomplishments, Andy is recognized by his peers for his exemplary service.

The Beaubien Award was created by ACEC in 1984 in honour of Dr. James de Gaspé Beaubien, who founded ACEC in 1925.