Basic HTML Version
12
Geotechnical News • March 2013
www.geotechnicalnews.com
CANADIAN GEOTECHNICAL SOCIETY NEWS
dont le mandat est d’une durée d’un
an. J’ai le plaisir d’annoncer que
Jim Hazzard, Ph. D
., a accepté de
représenter les divisions techniques. Il
occupe un poste d’ingénieur princi-
pal chez Itasca Consulting Group, à
Toronto. Il succède à Lukas Arenson,
Ph.
D. Paul Dittrich, Ph. D
., est le
nouveau représentant des sections
locales. Il remplace M. Baolin Wang.
Il est ingénieur géotechnique principal
et directeur chez Golder Associates,
à Mississauga. Enfin, je suis heureux
d’annoncer que
Jean Côté, Ph. D
.,
de l’Université Laval, a accepté d’être
président par intérim du Conseil de
recherche géotechnique de la SCG
pour une période d’un an.
La Société continue de bénéficier des
bons et loyaux services de notre secré-
taire général,
Victor Sowa, Ph. D
., et
peut compter sur
M. Wayne Gibson
et
Mme Lisa McJunkin
, de l’entreprise
Gibson Group, pour ce qui relève de
l’administration. Victor m’a annoncé
avoir l’intention de prendre sa retraite
à la fin de 2014. Par conséquent, l’une
des tâches importantes du nouvel exé-
cutif sera de lui trouver un remplaçant
compétent et de prendre des disposi-
tions pour assurer la transition durant
les six derniers mois de 2014.
L’une des premières tâches du Comité
exécutif a été des plus agréables. Elle
consistait à voter l’approbation de
fonds supplémentaires offerts par les
curateurs de la
Fondation canadienne
de géotechnique
pour augmenter les
prix en argent décernés par la Société
canadienne de géotechnique aux
étudiants diplômés et non diplômés.
La cagnotte de l’ensemble des prix est
passée d’un total de 3 750 $ à celui de
6 000 $.
Je suis ravi d’annoncer que la tra-
duction française de la 4e édition du
Manuel canadien d’ingénierie des
fondations (Canadian Foundation
Engineering Manual) est terminée.
Nous anticipons qu’il sera disponible
en formation imprimé en 2013. Il
s’ensuite que l’exécutif de la SCG
aura une discussion, à son prochain
ordre du jour, sur la façon de procéder
avec la mise à jour de ce manuel et,
ce qui est tout aussi important, sur le
format qui sera adopté.
J’aimerais vous rappeler que la
66
e
conférence annuelle de la Société
canadienne de géotechnique (SCG)
aura lieu à Montréal, du 29 septembre
au 3 octobre 2013, en collaboration
avec l’Association internationale
des hydrogéologues (AIH-SNC) et
la North American Geosynthetics
Society (NAGS). Cette conférence
promet d’être l’un des plus ambitieux
événements
de la SCG à ce jour,
grâce aux nombreux efforts du comité
organisateur, sous la direction de
MM.
Mario Ruel
et
Sylvain Roy
.
Finalement, j’ai hâte de relever les
défis qui surviendront inévitablement
au cours des deux prochaines années
et de poursuivre la longue tradition de
services rendus par notre Société à nos
membres et à notre discipline.
From the Society
Call for nominations
CGS President-Elect
The next President-Elect for the Soci-
ety will be appointed effective January
1, 2014. The person appointed to this
position will become President of the
Society for the years 2015 and 2016.
In accordance with the By-Laws of the
Society, a Nominating Committee will
propose a suitable candidate for the
President-Elect, 2014. In addition to
the candidate proposed by the Nomi-
nating Committee, other candidates
are also welcomed. Any general
member of the Society may nominate
a candidate for election to the position
of President-Elect. Nominations must
be received by the Society Secretariat
in writing by June 15, 2013. Through
the By-Laws of the Society, any such
nomination shall have the written
support of at least 18 general mem-
bers as evidenced by their respective
signatures, and a statement from the
Bank and its affiliates were original ad-
dressees thereof; provided, however,
that U. S. Bank and its affiliates shall be
deemed not to be subject to or bound by
any of the obligations of any original
addressee or owner of the Property in
any agreement related to the Report....”
In essence, this wording would require
environmental professionals to commit
risk management suicide. It gives the
Bank all the benefits of being able to
rely on the report (plus a potential es-
cape from the constraints of the eco-
nomic loss doctrine) with absolutely
none of the liabilities or responsibilities
that comprised the business context
through which the report was devel-
oped. In a best-practices scenario – the
type of scenario to which, I presume,
the Bank subscribes – the client selects
a particularly qualified consultant, dis-
cusses ts needs with the consultant, and
then works with the onsultant to mutu-
ally establish a sc pe f service for the
engage ent. The consultant and client
then discuss the consideratio the con-
sultant needs to fulfill the scope of ser-
vice a d manage the risk ss ciated
with potentially lifelong responsibility
for the deliverable. Such consideration
includes the fee and certain risk man-
agement provisions of the contract,
such as limitation of liability.
By requiring a consultant to prepare
and sign its form letter, the Bank is stat-
ing, in essence, “We want to be able to
rely on the report indefinitely (and even
if we do not issue the financing, by the
way) without having to accept any of
your contractual safeguar s, without
having to compensate you for any of
y ur customary, anticipated risks, and
without having to compensate you for
your new, significantly expande risks,
especially the n w risk that arises be-
caus you designed you servi e for
some other party, and with no knowl-
edge of the Bank’s needs and prefer-
ences, and no knowl dge of the service
scope the Bank believes is best-suite to
address those needs and preferences.”
To a very real extent, Mr. Grundhofer,
this is like requiring a physician to be li-
able for your h alth after you cide to
f llow the course of treatment the phy-
sicia prescribed for your f iend whose
illness (in y ur opinion) was kind of
like your own.
Geotechnical News, September 2005
19
do not print key lines
ASFE ad
b & w
pick up from page 25, June 2005
position on baseline
8811 Colesville Road/
Suite G106
Silver Spring, MD 20910
301.565.2733
in o@asfe.org
www.asfe.org
Firms join ASFE to learn
how to optimize the
quality of their professional
business practices.
To deliver on time and
on budget. T keep their
clients delighted.
ASFE is the organization
that brought Peer Review
to the design professions.
Learn ore about us and
our Member Firms at
www.asfe.org.
Or call us at 301/565-2733.
Look for this logo on
your consultant’s letterhead.
It really means something.
ASFE is an association of
firms th t provide earth
engineering and related
applied science services.
These include geoprofes-
sional, environmental, civil
engineering, infrastructure
security, ecological,
biological, archeological,
and construction quality
control assurance services,
among many others.