by Ethel Clemente Fernandez

The Filipino Members Chapter - Engineers Geoscientists Manitoba is pleased to announce its 2019 Annual General Meeting (AGM) followed by two (2) professional development (PD) seminars on Saturday, February 23^rd, to be held at the Victoria Inn Hotel and Convention Centre, 1800 Wellington Avenue from 12:30 to 5:00 p.m.

Filipino chapter members, colleagues in the profession and newcomers with an engineering background are welcome to attend this event. There is a $10.00 fee, which includes light lunch and refreshment. Registration is on-going and will close on Monday, February 18th. To register, visit the chapter’s website at www.fmc-egm.ca or the association’s website at www.enggeo.mb.ca and look in the events section. For more details, please e-mail info@fmc-egm.ca.

Annual General Meeting

This is a two-part event in which the first part will be the chapter’s AGM. This will provide members an overview of the previous year’s activities, a membership update and plans for the future to be presented by current chair, Ray Sator, P.Eng. Chapter treasurer, Jun Tapia, P.Eng., will go over the chapter’s financial statement. Also included on this year’s agenda is the presentation and oath taking of four (4) new elected executive officers to fill the seats of outgoing officers who will end their term at the close of AGM.

Two PD seminars will immediately follow the AGM. Attendees will have the opportunity to listen, learn and ask questions about the following topics relevant to the engineering profession.

Introduction to Manitoba Building and Fire Codes

Norman Garcia, P.Eng. will present this seminar. The Province of Manitoba follows the National Building Code, the National Plumbing Code, the National Energy Code, and the National Fire Code. The Canadian Commission on Building and Fire Codes and the National Research Council of Canada developed these codes through a consultation process with representatives from all provincial and territorial governments, and with various stakeholders in the building construction industry. This presentation will provide participants with a fundamental understanding of how the Manitoba Building and Fire Codes apply to the design, construction, and occupancy of all new buildings, as well as the alteration, change of use, and demolition of existing buildings.

Target audiences are engineers, architects, contractors, technologists, students, and interior designers.

Norman A. Garcia graduated B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of the Philippines in 2000, moved to Winnipeg in 2011, and became a professional fire protection engineer in Manitoba in 2015. Norman is the Building & Fire Safety Engineer at the Manitoba Office of the Fire Commissioner. He represents The Province of Manitoba in various federal and provincial technical committees dealing with the development and enforcement of the construction codes. He also assists engineers and architects in code compliance and interpretation, and evaluates proposed alternative solutions. Outside of work and family, he trains and competes in long-distance Ironman triathlons and full marathons barefooted, while raising money for World Vision Philippines.

Keeyask Project: 2018 and Beyond

Ryan Ward, P.Eng. will present a seminar on the Keeyask Project, which is a 695 MW hydroelectric generating station being built on the Nelson River in northern Manitoba. Construction began in 2014 and this presentation will showcase the current progress achieved through the 2018 construction season and will provide a look forward to the project’s completion.

Ryan Ward graduated from the University of Manitoba in 1999 with a Bachelor of Science, Mechanical Engineering. Ryan spent two years with 3M Canada before joining Manitoba Hydro in 2001. Ryan has 17 years of experience with Manitoba Hydro and has worked as a design engineer and project lead on unit overhauls before joining the Wuskwatim Engineering Department in 2006 as the mechanical lead. From 2011 to 2016 Ryan worked on the Pointe du Bois Spillway Replacement Project as Mechanical and Electrical lead and Project Manager. Ryan has worked on the Keeyask Generating Station for the past three years as the Deputy Project Manager and currently as the Commercial Contracts Manager and is responsible for the commercial management of the major construction contracts.

This event is sponsored in part by the National Bank and supported by Engineers Geoscientists Manitoba.