Geotechnical News • September 2018
7
CANADIAN GEOTECHNICAL SOCIETY NEWS
Message from the President
I hope you all enjoyed your summer
and expect that you are now looking
forward to new opportunities in the
last quarter of 2018 and beyond.
I would like to begin by revisiting a
matter that I brought up in one of my
previous messages. It was a question
about whether the CGS should con-
sider connecting with and contributing
to the society-at-large, complementing
our traditional member-focused activi-
ties and approaches. Of course, the
impetus for this suggestion is multi-
fold. Now more so than before, there
is a need to inform the public about
the critical role played by the geo-
professionals; this especially makes
sense considering our work is mostly
out of sight and not readily appar-
ent. Moreover, it is also worth noting
that considerations related to profes-
sional reliance, public confidence and
transparency are getting increasing
attention in the dialogues amongst the
governments, industry, professional
associations, and other stakeholders
– again, a reminder on the connection
between professionals and the Society.
I believe that as the national learned
society representing the geotechnical
profession, we could consider out-
reach activities to engage and contrib-
ute beyond the membership, in turn
enhancing our profession’s visibility
and bringing more clarity. Some of
our affiliate professional organizations
have already recognized the need to
focus along these lines – therefore, we
are not alone in this thinking.
Now, let me update with regard to the
CGS accomplishments and upcoming
events.
As most of you are already aware,
our 71st Annual CGS Conference,
GeoEdmonton 2018, will be held on
September 23 - 26, 2018. The event
will be held in partnership with the
International Association of Hydroge-
ologists - Canadian National Chapter
(IAH-CNC). The technical sessions
will include over 250 technical papers
on a range of geotechnical topics. In
addition to the technical program,
I invite you to attend the Legget
luncheon on Monday, September 24th
where our most prestigious prize will
be given and the Awards Banquet on
Monday evening, where CGS mem-
bers will be recognized for outstand-
ing contributions to the profession and
Society. Also, make it a point to attend
the annual meetings of Divisions,
Committees, and the Geotechnical
Research Board (GRB). The main out-
comes from our annual Board meeting
will be presented during the Business
Dharma Wijewickreme, President of
Canadian Geotechnical Society
