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Geotechnical News • March 2019
CANADIAN GEOTECHNICAL SOCIETY NEWS
Message from the President
A word from Mario -
Un mot de Mario
Bonjour – Hello everyone, I am eager
to attack my mandate as your new
CGS President
My team and I are taking the direction
of a very good ship and I am glad to
report that our CGS is in better shape
than ever. This is mainly due to the
dedicated hard work of the previ-
ous administration under the friendly
leadership of Dharma Wijewickreme.
In addition to running the affairs of the
society flawlessly, important progress
has been accomplished on;
• enhanced member services (such as
a better website with a personal-
ized “myCGS” dashboard (I invite
you to log on and try it!),
• the development of a strategic com-
munication plan by a new special
task force,
• completion of the final CFEM 4th
edition errata,
• setting up the stage to develop the
new CFEM online version,
• member engagement (new student
chapters, improved relations with
local sections),
• improved control of finances based
on more balanced budget, despite
increasing challenges.
On behalf of the CGS I’d like to
express our appreciation and sincere
thanks to my predecessor, President
Dharma Wijewickreme
, for his
great contribution, leading his team
with efficiency and class all accom-
plished with his engaging smile.
During the next two years, our team
will follow this lead, striving for
significant progress on their initia-
tives. Joining me on the
CGS Execu-
tive Committee will be
;
• Rob Kenyon
as the new
VP Tech-
nical
who will also have a strong
focus on advancing the production
of the new online CFEM. Rob, a
senior consultant at KGS in Mani-
toba, is taking over from Suzanne
Powell in this challenging role.
Thanks, Suzanne, for your passion
and efficiency and for also for hav-
ing kick started the enormous task
of the CFEM update.
• Judith Bouchard
will follow the
footsteps of Jean Côté as your
VP
Communication & Member Ser-
vices
. Judith, a Senior Geotechni-
cal Engineer at Hydro-Québec will
take the leadership to crystalize the
strategic “communication” plan
and work on innovative ways to
serve our membership. Merci ‘’dy-
namo’’ Jean for all your initiatives
which you carried to success with
relentless energy while always
having (contagious) fun doing it.
• Kent Bannister
has accepted to
continue his diligent work on hold-
ing the finances together as
VP
Finance
. Ken, VP at TREK Geo-
technical in Winnipeg, will work
on strengthening our finances and I
will support his efforts to harmo-
nize management of membership
with local sections across Canada.
I appreciate your sticking with us
for another two year mandate.
• Jack Seto
will be our
Technical
Division Rep
. Jack, a Senior Geo-
technical Engineer for BGC En-
gineering in Calgary, will replace
Nicholas Vlachopoulos.
• Andrea Lougheed
, a Senior Geo-
technical Engineer for BGC Engi-
neering in Vancouver, will pursue
her role as our
Section Represen-
tative
for her second year.
• Maraika De Groot
, Education
Ambassador at Forthlane Partners
in Toronto, will ensure continuity
as
Young Professionals Repre-
sentative
until next Fall.
We need to express our gratitude
to all the volunteers who, with two
and three-year mandates on different
positions, are donating their time and
energy with passion for the success
of our CGS. In order to continue the
legacy and keep the CGS well orga-
nized through the years, we can count
on a very efficient administration team
at the CGS National Office lead by
Executive Director Michel Aubertin
with support from Lisa McJunkin,
Wayne Gibson, and Emily Fournier.
As I work with the CGS I shall always
pay special attention to attracting
young geoprofessionals, encouraging
the participation of more women in
our field, making francophones feel
more welcome as part of our “grande
famille” and finally, I will endeavor to
open the doors for more practitioners
to participate and share their experi-
ence. If you have any questions,
suggestions, or comments please feel
free to communicate with any mem-
Mario Ruel 2019-2020 Canadian
Geotechnical Society President.
