The Association of Consulting Engineering Companies - Canada (ACEC) is a business association representing nearly 500 consulting engineering firms. Consulting engineering is a $25.8 billion a year industry that directly employs more than 75,000 Canadians.

StrengtheningConsulting Engineering in Canada

Highlights

• Launching a New Building Canada Plan

• Making a Case for Northern Infrastructure Investment

• Promoting Responsible Resource Development

• Fighting for Business Fairness

• ACEC – A Nationally and Internationally Recognized Voice

What We Are Achieving for Our MembersACEC advocates for a business and regulatory climate that recognizes and rewards our members’ expertise and their contributions to society. To achieve these goals, ACEC works closely with its provincial and territorial Member Organizations to educate and influence government and other stakeholders on issues important to our members. ACEC also works closely with other organizations representing both public and private sector stakeholders such as the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, the Mining Association of Canada and the Canadian Construction Association.

Learn more about ACEC’s successful and comprehensive advocacy program at www.acec.ca/advocacy.

Left to right: ACEC press conference, Parliament Hill Day 2013; ACEC and stakeholders with Prime Minister Stephen Harper at announcement of the New Building Canada Plan; ACEC Chair Jason Mewis

March 2014

Making a Case for Northern Infrastructure InvestmentAs part of Parliament Hill Day messaging, ACEC raised the importance of supporting northern and remote infrastructure for improving access to Canada’s natural resources and allowing their transport to market. This will not only strengthen Canada’s economy, but it will also allow Canada’s resource sector to create skilled jobs and develop expertise while making public infrastructure for northern communities more affordable and effective.

ACEC is collaborating directly with the Mining Association of Canada, the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada and other resource sector stakeholders to study the unique challenges of doing business in the North and to identify possible policies and/or programs to encourage more investment.

Investing in the North will strengthen Canada’s resource sector and provide opportunities to improve community infrastructure in remote regions of the country.

The vision of the Association of Consulting Engineering Companies is a successful, trusted and

sustainable consulting engineering industry.

Launching a New Building Canada PlanThe $53 billion New Building Canada Plan (NBCP) announced in February 2014 by Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Minister of Infrastructure, Hon. Denis Lebel was welcome news for consulting engineers and their clients. ACEC’s leadership and credibility on the issue of long-term, sustainable funding contributed significantly to the government’s renewed commitment to infrastructure.

ACEC and its stakeholder partners have invested significant time, energy and resources in promoting infrastructure investment by the federal government. Over the course of this journey, we have worked closely with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, the Canadian Construction Association, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and Engineers Canada, to name a few.

In October 2013, ACEC held its annual Parliament Hill Day, the largest and most successful yet. ACEC representatives had over 65 meetings with parliamentarians to stress the urgency of launching the NBCP.

Following Parliament Hill Day, and leading up to the NBCP announcement, ACEC President John Gamble met with representatives in Minister Lebel’s office and the Prime Minister’s Office. Thanks to ACEC’s expertise, credibility and strong presence on Parliament Hill, the association clearly has the government’s attention on this critical issue.

“ACEC’s leadership and credibility on the issue of long-term, sustainable funding contributed significantly to the government’s renewed commitment to infrastructure.”

ACEC representatives conveyed to parliamentarians the importance of investing in Canada’s infrastructure

During ACEC’s Parliament Hill Day, representatives of the consulting engineering sector had over 65 meetings with Members of Parliament

Promoting Responsible Resource DevelopmentACEC is actively engaged with the resource sector and is committed to providing more value and opportunity to members of the association in that sector through advocacy and other activities.

Science-based environmental reviews

ACEC partnered with the Mining Association of Canada and other stakeholders to challenge a potentially precedent-setting decision by the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (CEAA) that could adversely affect our members.

ACEC and the stakeholder community sought an explanation from Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver as to why a recent decision by the CEAA on an economically significant mining project apparently ignored engineered design features that would have considerably reduced the potential environmental impacts of the mine. ACEC and its partners opposed the CEAA’s decision as it could set a precedent that will significantly impact the viability of future mining and resource development projects across Canada.

Economic benefits of energy infrastructure

ACEC has also been recognized as a balanced and credible voice on the economic benefits of the proposed Northern Gateway and Keystone XL pipelines. This is an area in which consulting engineering firms will and must have an important role to play.

ACEC-Canada and ACEC-US presented a unified voice in the fall of 2013 when they sent a joint letter to the U.S. and Canadian governments supporting approval of the Keystone XL pipeline which is considered critical energy infrastructure. As a result of the letter, ACEC President John Gamble has spoken to national media on this issue including CTV’s Don Martin on the national political affairs show Power Play. Mr. Gamble stressed not only the economic opportunities available

The Association of Consulting Engineering Companies-Canada (ACEC) is made up of 12 provincial and territorial Member Organizations. For more information on how to reach our Member Organizations please visit www.acec.ca/about.

to Canadians but also the ability and expertise of consulting engineers to help address environmental and sustainability concerns.

Similarly, in December 2013, ACEC issued a press release welcoming the work of an independent Joint Review Panel and its finding that the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline fits squarely within Canada’s national interest and is important to Canada’s long-term prosperity.

Consulting engineers involved with such projects, directly or indirectly, conduct themselves in accordance with all statutory and regulatory requirements, applicable standards and their professional obligations.

“ACEC is recognized as a balanced and credible voice on the economic benefits of responsible resource development.”

ACEC President John Gamble speaks out on energy infrastructure and the role of consulting engineers in addressing environmental and sustainability concerns

420-130 Albert Street, Ottawa, ON K1P 5G4 Tel.: (613) 236-0569 Fax: (613) 236-6193www.acec.ca

Fighting for Business Fairness

Protecting Statements of Limitations

ACEC took a stand in the summer of 2013 when Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) informed its engineering consultants that it would no longer accept reports containing Statements of Limitations. ACEC challenged this position, believing that PWGSC misunderstood the intent and use of such Statements of Limitations. After ACEC raised its concerns with senior officials, PWGSC issued a clarification on its position, advising they will continue to accept Statements of Limitations that provide necessary contextual background for work undertaken by the consultant and guidance as to the context in which reports should be read.

Fair business agreements

We work with our members, insurance experts and leading industry lawyers to provide a suite of professional service agreements for consulting engineering companies and their clients. These documents are free to ACEC members. In addition to our full suite of ACEC professional service agreements, we are also an official supplier of documents from

the Canadian Construction Documents Committee (CCDC) and the International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC).

ACEC – A Nationally and Internationally Recognized VoiceACEC is governed by its members. A Board of Directors establishes strategic priorities and a full time staff is responsible for day-to-day operations of the association.

The ACEC staff, based near Parliament Hill in Ottawa, is made up of government relations, communications and association management professionals. Services are provided to ACEC members in either official language. ACEC staff are regarded as experts within their fields and are frequently invited to make presentations on both industry and association issues, nationally and internationally.

ACEC is a recipient of the prestigious Associations Make a Better Canada award from the Canadian Society of Association Executives for an advertising campaign to promote Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS).

Left to right: Hon. Ralph Goodale, P.C., M.P. and ACEC Chair Jason Mewis; ACEC Chair-Elect Anne Poschmann, ACEC President John Gamble and Hon. Peter Van Loan P.C., M.P., Leader of the Government in the House of Commons; ACEC Past-Chair Murray Thompson, Mr. Corneliu Chisu, M.P. and ACEC Board member Shawn Gibbons

P.O. Box 1547, Station Main, Winnipeg, MB R3C 2Z4Tel: (204) 774-5258, Fax: (204) 779-0788www.acec-mb.ca