May 2023 saw the rollout of more Envision Canada training to CSCE Sections. On May 11th, Negin Tousi delivered an Envision 101 presentation to the CSCE Northern BC Section. Negin is a Project Manager at David Nairne and Associates Ltd., delivering on a range of infrastructure projects for Indigenous communities throughout BC and across Canada. She had previously spent 6 years delivering on water and wastewater treatment and conveyance projects for rural and urban municipalities throughout BC. She has delivered on a range of projects including conceptual design and studies, system management planning exercises, and design and construction projects in the role of project engineer, inspector, resident engineer, project manager, leading to a holistic understanding of project delivery. She obtained her designation as an Envision Sustainability Professional in 2020. She is currently developing internal standards for application of Envision principles on the projects delivered at DNA.

On May 31st, Antonio Castro delivered an Envision 101 presentation to the CSCE Vancouver Island Section. Antonio is an Assistant Project Manager with RAM Consulting. He has several years of experience in civil construction, working on a variety of projects including the design of a vehicle overpass as well as the installation of a storm water diversion sewer. Antonio acquired his ENV SP in 2022 and is working to expand the use of sustainability practices in civil construction throughout Canada.

Jen Johnston, Clément Boisselier, and Greg Zilberbrant appeared on stage for the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering Conference Envision Panel in Moncton, N.B. last month, in a wide-ranging discussion about the growing use of the framework to achieve sustainability goals. Speaking to an audience of some 600 civil engineering professionals, the panel offered owner-, supplier- and academic partner- perspectives on Envision application and provided examples from illustrative projects from across the country. The May 25 event was moderated by Lourette Swanepoel, Envision Canada Program Manager and Principal, Calibrate Collaborative Inc.

Jen Johnston, P.E., manager at the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, spoke from the infrastructure owner’s perspective, and discussed Envision application in the context of the Envision Platinum Award-winning Centerm Terminal Expansion and South Shore Access Project. Use of Envision facilitated the development of sustainability goals right from the beginning of this project, and went on to inform design-build requirements, permitting requirements, teamwork and collaboration, and many other essential aspects. Envision kept sustainability “at the forefront at every stage of the project.”

Clément Boisselier, Specialist, Sustainability and Environment at Aecon Group Inc. contributed a private contractor perspective and highlighted different projects that have used Envision, such as York Region’s 2nd Concession Improvements Project. Envision use brings so many outstanding benefits when applied early on project teams, not least in ensuring that teams works collaboratively with stakeholders, in providing clarity around sustainability goals, and in “showing commitment to a certain level of sustainability that is measurable,” Boisselier noted.

Adding an academic partner perspective to the discussion was Greg Zilberbrant, Ph.D., an Adjunct Professor and the Program Lead for the Circular Economy and Climate Change Program at McMaster University. He said that by developing their understanding of the Envision system, his students in the dual-certificate program at McMaster gain a tremendous asset they can apply professionally in their sustainability careers. With Envision, there’s an opportunity to tie together many of the program’s key sustainability topics and themes, including about the role of infrastructure decisions on climate mitigation and adaptation; lifecycle assessment and circularity principles; and the climate resilience of infrastructure, Zilberbrant explained.

The speakers together brought valuable lessons and insights on how the Envision framework has been used to achieve better project outcomes for sustainability. The result has been a shift in the way teams can plan, design and deliver infrastructure, setting projects on a path towards higher sustainability performance.

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CSCE & ISI Partner to Accelerate the use of the Envision® Sustainable Infrastructure Framework in Canada

Washington, D.C., December  7, 2021 – Communities across Canada are looking for ways to improve the sustainability and resiliency of the built environment, address infrastructure deficits, spur economic recovery, and meet climate change commitments. Recognizing the importance of these crucial goals, the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering (CSCE) and the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI) are pleased to announce their partnership to accelerate the use of the Envision® sustainable infrastructure framework more broadly in Canada.

View the entire announcement in English & French.

La Société canadienne de génie civil et l’ISI s’associent pour accélérer l’utilisation du cadre Envision® pour les infrastructures durables au Canada

Les collectivités de partout au Canada cherchent des moyens d’améliorer la durabilité et la résilience de l’environnement bâti, de combler les lacunes en matière d’infrastructure, de stimuler la reprise économique et de respecter les engagements en matière de lutte contre le changement climatique. Consciente de l’importance de ces objectifs cruciaux, la Société canadienne de génie civil (SCGC) et l’Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI) sont heureux d’annoncer leur partenariat visant à accélérer l’utilisation du cadre Envision® pour les infrastructures durables à plus grande échelle au Canada.

View the entire announcement in English and French.