UESI Canada

UESI Canada Update – Unifying and Representing Canadian Utility Engineering Professionals

In 2015 the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) formalized the creation of the Utility Engineering & Surveying Institute (UESI) with a focus on serving engineering professionals in the utility, pipeline and surveying industries.

The vision of the institute is to be the worldwide leader in generating products and services that promote and reward excellence in the engineering, planning, design, construction, operations, and asset management, for utility infrastructure and engineering surveying.

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In 2019, a group of UESI’s Canadian members gathered to create UESI Canada. Since its inception, the Canadian chapters have operated in an unofficial capacity working with other allied groups to advocate, educate and promote utility engineering. The time has come to become an official, not for profit organization, and the official voice of Canadian utility engineering professionals.

This milestone has been made possible through the hard work of the East (Ontario) and West (Alberta and British Columbia) boards. These volunteers have worked diligently and given their hard-earned time to get UESI Canada to this point.

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These volunteers embeddded themselves to promote and initiate quality education and social activities in conjunction with other allied organizations like the North American Society for Trenchless Technology British Columbia Chapter (NASTT BC), the Ontario Right of Way Management committee and the Centre for Advancement of Trenchless Technologies (CATT).

The UESI Canada Board members have represented the two Canadian chapters at many conferences providing subject matter expert-led sessions. Just a few of the many examples: GoGeomatics Expo, Association of Ontario Land Surveyors, LNG Canada, Transportation Association of Canada conference, No-Dig North and the former Trenchless Technology Road Show and have led many regional utility education workshops across Canada.
To help lead UESI Canada, Ophir Wainer, a co-founder of the organization, has taken on the role of executive director.

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Wainer has more than 25 years of work experience in project management, locating-designating and subsurface utility engineering (SUE). Wainer has experience in the management of large projects with a variety of government and private sector clients throughout North America and has taken the lessons learned over the past 25 years and applied them to leverage the new technological changes and pivoting to a digital world. He is presently the vice president of market expansion and education at GeoScan Subsurface Surveys.

UESI Canada

Pipelines Conference 2024

Divided into four divisions – Pipeline, Utility Risk Management, Surveying and Geomatics and Asset Management – UESI provides various activities to support its members’ professional and technical growth. One of those activities is the annual UESI Pipelines Conference, which takes place July 27-31, 2024, in Calgary, Alberta.

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The Pipelines 2024 Conference, with its theme of “Utility Infrastructure: Moving Onward to a Sustainable Future,” is the premier forum for pipeline engineers and practitioners from all around the world to share their experiences and gain valuable knowledge related to planning, designing, constructing, renewing, operating, managing and maintaining pipeline assets.

Registration information is available at pipelinesconference.org/registration. The early bird discounted rate ends June 6.

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Co-chairs for the 2024 event are Jason Lueke, Ph.D., P.Eng., national discipline leader trenchless technologies; and Jeff Shoaf, P.E., PMP, F.ASCE, principal engineer at San Diego County Water Authority. Lueke and Shoaf, the UESI staff and a group of dedicated Program Committee volunteers work diligently to assemble a top-notch technical program, workshops and recreational and technical opportunities, to make this a must-attend event.

The Pipelines Conference has become the conference of choice for utility and pipeline owners, design and consulting engineers, contractors, manufacturers, suppliers, students, educators, researchers and pipeline professionals. The conference will also include surveying as it relates to pipeline and utility projects.
For a full run-down of the workshops, technical sessions and other conference events, visit pipelinesconference.org/program.

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Top Reasons to Attend the UESI Pipelines Conference

  • Expand your knowledge base to enhance the success of your projects at this leading industry event for practitioners covering the most current state-of-the-art engineering technologies for pipeline and utility infrastructure.
  • Take advantage of this platform to network with your peers, potential clients, sponsors and project team leads.
  • Earn Professional development hours (PDHs) via thought-provoking interdisciplinary education, inspiring and enlightening keynote speakers, and short courses on topics relevant to pipeline and trenchless technologies in water, wastewater, storm drainage, gas and oil pipeline systems.

Sponsorship and Exhibit Opportunities

Increase your company’s visibility by sponsoring and/or exhibiting at UESI’s Pipelines Conference, the best ongoing specialty conference on pipeline engineering. Spotlight your company’s products and services, heighten your profile, and gain unique access to this niche market.

For sponsorship and exhibit opportunities at Pipelines 2024, contact Sean Scully at 703-295-6154 or sscully@asce.org.

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With the UESI Pipelines 2024 Conference coming to Canada, this is the time for Canada’s utility engineering professionals to come together to help further the advocacy and recognition of the sector. Wainer encourages volunteering, attending, participating and networking with all the subject matter experts and utility professionals who will be in attendance.

UESI Canada

Get Involved Locally

Pipelines 2024 isn’t the only event that UESI Canada will be involved with this year, Wainer notes. On our website we will be promoting many events that have impact on the utility engineering community and look forward to seeing as many professionals participating as possible.

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The UESI Canada East and West chapters and its board members are looking for volunteers, participants and advocates in the Canadian utility engineering industry. Have your voice heard in advocacy for your profession. Be a part of the leadership and an advocate for a solution when promoting utility engineering excellence.

UESI has a broad range of manuals of practice (MOPs) and a great deal of standards that can be used to guide your day-to-day activities within the utility engineering profession. These are all available on the ASCE bookstore.

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“Of course, being a Canadian group, and wanting to have a voice in what happens in Canada, we need Canadian participants. We need Canadian advocates, and we need Canadian leaders,” says Wainer. “One of these aspects where you can shine is participating and becoming active in the Canadian UESI chapters. If you would like to participate in UESI Canada activities it is as simple as reaching out to us by e-mail info@uesicanada.org.”

Summary provided by UESI Canada.

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