Trenchless Technology Canada – Association Updates Winter 2020

Editor’s Note: In each quarterly issue, Trenchless Technology Canada features the “Association Updates” section to highlight the happenings in the various associations across Canada related to the trenchless field. Information is provided by the associations.

To submit information for our Spring 2021 edition, email managing editor Mike Kezdi, at mkezdi@benjaminmedia.com.

Centre for Advancement of Trenchless Technologies (CATT)

Due to COVID-19 the Trenchless Technology Road Show in May 2021 will be a virtual event. Currently we are working on the reformat of the event and will announce the new show format shortly. We will also continue with the Virtual Trenchless Technology Road Show webinar series that highlights presentations from the Road Show.

Heading into winter, CATT’s Seminar Committee has developed another extensive series of seminars that will be offered online using GoToWebinar. CATT is now offering a certificate of attendance from the University of Waterloo and CATT to all seminar attendees. CATT will also be offering its Water Infrastructure Asset Management, Microtunnelling, CIPP and Horizontal Directional Drilling short courses. These eight-hour courses will be offered – via Microsoft Teams – in two-hour time slots twice a week. In 2021, CATT will also be launching CATT-UNITRACC e-Learning courses and new educational modules.

Despite the pandemic, CATT research continues. Currently, we are working with the City of Sault Ste. Marie to evaluate the United Kingdom based Resiline SIPP watermain lining product that was developed to replace the former 3M watermain product. We are also starting a new study to evaluate the subsurface utility engineering (SUE) practice rate of return on investment. We also continue with our research on CIPP pressure pipe liner testing and research which is focused on bringing the plastic pipe HDB design approach to the CIPP liner industry. Research also continues into gravity pipe CIPP lining styrene exposure health risk assessment tools and methods. This research shows styrene exposure risk is not a health hazard and can be easily be controlled during a CIPP lining project.

More information on all these activities can be found at catt.ca.

Consortium for Engineered Trenchless Technologies (CETT)

Students have returned to courses at the University of Alberta and research activities continue. While almost all interactions are still online, close collaborations continue with industry partners, including those involved in the NSERC Industrial Research Chair in Underground Trenchless Construction (The Crossing Group, TELUS Communications, UniqEnergy Solutions, BGC Engineering and INROCK). Some on-campus research activities and field visits also continue, with proper safety precautions in place.

A highlight of the fall was the UofA/TELUS 2020 FTTx Virtual Series hosted by CETT, sponsored by AFL, Encepta and Ledcor Technical Services (LTS). Sessions were held biweekly in October and November. Presentations included information about new cutting-edge technologies and provided perspectives from industrial and public sector leaders on current risks and challenges to successful fibre construction projects. The theme was timely, as demands on broadband systems continue to increase with many work (and social) interactions held online due to the current pandemic. More than 200 people registered for the four sessions. Planning for the 2021 annual FTTx series is under way, with more details to follow about the dates and format.

In early 2021, CETT and its partners will be conducting the Water Main Condition Assessment and Rehabilitation Survey. More information will be available in the January issue of Trenchless Technology. If you have any questions about CETT opportunities or initiatives, please contact Lana Gutwin at gutwin@ualberta.ca.

NASTT BC

It has been an interesting summer and fall as we continue to navigate the impacts of COVID-19 and adapt to a ‘new normal.’ Throughout the pandemic, the NASTT BC Chapter board has continued to meet monthly to continue our work to provide guidance, promote and advocate for the use of trenchless technology. NASTT BC has partnered with several organizations to provide educational content to further the understanding and advocate for trenchless technology use and other general topics related to engineering and construction. These organizations are: CATT, Utility Engineering & Survey Institute (UESI) Canada, Canadian Common Ground Alliance (CCGA), Ontario Works Public Works Association (OPWA) and Ontario Regional Common Ground Alliance (ORCGA). The full listing of these educational events and contact information is available at nastt-bc.org/events.

For the CCGA 10 Session Virtual Summit, NASTT BC sponsored 10 British Columbia municipal or provincial scholarships ($199 per scholarship) to any municipal or provincial employee who lives in the province. The chapter also donated an award to Camosun College’s School of Trades & Technology 2020 Award. Receiving the award were Ryan Hildebrandt, Amy Lafontaine, Megan Rathwell and Garwit Kapoor in the Civil Engineering Technology program for their report “Trenchless Technology – Trenchless Methods in Asset Rehabilitation.” The group undertook research case studies to investigate four trenchless technology methods: CIPP, HDD, pipe bursting and glass reinforced plastic sliplining.

NASTT NW

The Northwest Chapter is disheartened that, due to the current pandemic, the 2020 No Dig North Conference in partnership with the Canadian chapters of NASTT was postponed. We are thinking positive and adapting in our everchanging world as we plan the 2021 No-Dig North which will take place at the Vancouver Convention Centre, Nov. 8-10, 2021. The call for abstracts is now open with a deadline to submit by March 31, 2021. For updates as they become available on registration, sponsorship, pre-event courses, technical program and exhibitors, visit nodignorth.ca.

The Chapter’s 2020-2021 Technical Lunch Program in both Edmonton and Calgary has been converted to virtual events. Calgary has already held one virtual technical lunch and Edmonton is in the final steps of planning one prior to the end of the year. If you have a specific topic or project that you would like to see us spotlight in the future, please reach out and let us know. For more information, email gtippett@nastt-nw.com.

UESI CANADA

With the appearance of COVID-19 this year, we, like everyone else, have had to adapt to the new normal. Even throughout the pandemic, the UESI Canada Alberta-BC and Ontario GTA chapter boards have been meeting on a monthly basis attempting to pivot to provide guidance to still promote and advocate for advancement of ASCE’s Utility Engineering Surveying Institute (UESI).

UESI Canada has collaborated with several other organizations CATT, NASTT BC, the CCGA, OPWA and ORCGA to provide educational content to further the understanding and advocate for utility engineering and other general topics related to engineering and construction. The full listing of events is available at uesicanada.org. UESI Canada sponsored 10 municipal or provincial scholarships for the CCGA 10 session virtual summit. The scholarships, limited to one per province, were open to any municipal or provincial employee in Canada.

UESI Pipelines 2021 will be in Calgary Aug. 3-6. We are actively looking for volunteers for the event. To volunteer, visit https://asceforms.wufoo.com/forms/uesi-pipelines-2021-volunteer-form.