CGS NEWS
Message from the
President
My presidential role gets me around
to various functions. In May 2011, I
attended the Fifth Canadian Conference
on Geotechnique and Natural Hazards
in Kelowna at the UBC campus there.
The first day was a field tour of geologic
hazards in the Okanagan valley which
is lined with glaciolacustrine silt
terraces. After decades of travel to
the Okanagan, I finally found out how
these glaciolacustrine silts formed
in this valley. These silts support
extensive residential developments
and some of the finest vineyards in
Canada. The conference itself included
several keynote lectures including a
presentation by Mr. Mike Porter of
BGC Engineering on “The evolution
of geohazard risk management in
North Vancouver”. The conference
organizers, Dr. Dwayne Tannant, Dr.
Rick Guthrie, and their team did an
excellent job. Even though I should
have known much sooner, I was
delighted to learn that Dr. Tannant
teaches geotechnical engine
the University of British Co
Okanagan Campus. The int
British Columbia has an im
array of geotechnical issues t
students.
In June I travelled to Atlan
tend the ASCE Geo Risk co
My primary purpose in atten
conference was to make a sh
time plea to ASCE members t
our 2011 Pan-Am CGS Geot
Conference on Oct. 2 to 6
th
in
For those of you reading thi
there is still time to register for
if you want to attend!! On the
before the ASCE Geo Risk
ence, I attended a one-day sho
on Risk and Reliability of Le
Dams which featured case
describing flooding in New
and the vulnerability of the l
the California delta near Sac
The conference featured proj
histories, panel discussions,
related to the business of geot
engineering itself. Even in the
United States, Canadians w
represented. Two past Presi
the CGS, Dr. Dennis Becker o
Associates and Dr. Suzanne
of NGI, were there as were M
Jinks, past President of AME
& Environmental and Dr. F
Dalhousie University. Dr. Fen
one of the conference orga
met Dr. Paul Mayne of Geor
for the first time and was sur
learn that he was born in Ne
land. Canada seems to grow an
hockey players, hard rock mi
geotechnical engineers!!
As I write this message, it
announced that two of our C
bers have been inducted into t
dian Academy of Engineering. These
Bryan D. Watts, Klohn Crippen Berger
Ltd. CGS President, 2011-2012.
