Author: Procurement Engineer

Mailing Address: Box 186, 7305 Woodbine Ave. Markham, ON L3R 3V7
www.peoyork.com

Annual Chapter Newsletter
Fall 2021

2021-2022 Executives

Front Row:
Sharon Chen, EIT, Reza Mahmoudippour, P.Eng., Lui Tai, P.Eng.,
Annabelle Lee, P.Eng., Marcia Lim, P.Eng., Elven Tsui, P.Eng.,
Anita Eisakhani, P.Eng.
Back Row:
Hannah Ehtemam, P.Eng., Shahd Elshafei, EIT, Tian You Si Tu, P.Eng.,
David Yin, P.Eng., Darren Verasammy, P.Eng, Oliver Xiao, P.Eng.
Missing: Jennifer Lu, P.Eng.

Chair’s Message
Since PEO completed the regulatory performance review a few years ago, PEO has undertaken some changes and transformation to improve as a professional, modern regulator. In this past year, York Chapter continued to support PEO's regulatory and governance activities. We are a self-regulated profession and we have relied on a network of professionals, like yourself, to share their specialized knowledge and expertise to govern and regulate the engineering profession. I would like to call on you to participate in the profession to better improve the regulation and governance of engineering and to protect the public interest.
How can you help? The easiest way for you to get involved is to participate in the PEO Council Elections and to volunteer within your chapter.
PEO Council provides the overall direction for the association and the profession. We have had a low voter turnout rate where less than 10% of York Chapter members voted in the last council election. Please vote in the upcoming council election in February and also ask your engineering colleagues to do the same. York Chapter is fully run by volunteers and provide an important link between professional engineers/EITs and PEO Council. It provides a forum for members to exchange knowledge and ideas and offers professional networking opportunities. The chapter also provides the opportunity to promote the value of engineering to local communities. Please consider giving back to your profession and volunteer within the Chapter. We are also open to feedback on how to continue organizing events that are relevant and engaging to you.
This year, the chapter continues to support Engineers Canada 30 by 30 initiative by promoting engineering to high school students in our first ever Hackathon event, supporting high school students in their journey to study engineering through university entrance scholarships and organizing mentorship programs and workshops to help newly graduated engineering students and foreign trained professionals to support them in attaining their engineering licenses.
It was a pleasure in serving as the Chapter Chair for the past two years and as I reach the term limit, I would like to thanks the team of executives and volunteers for their dedication and contributions to the chapter.
Annabelle Lee, P.Eng. Chair, PEO York Chapter chair@peoyork.com

Vice Chair’s Message
During the global pandemic, we have all been challenged in our daily lives. We have all been working through the pandemic using online tools to continue with our programs and meetings. However, the wait for in-person meetings are over. PEO has announced that in-person events and meetings can once again resume. We are excited that once again, the Chapter can become a physical space where our members can meet and network to spark new ideas and opportunities. However, we understand that some may still be limited in their ability to attend in-person events. Our Executives are currently working on solutions to help merge online and in-person events. Stay tuned for more information in this regard and our upcoming in-person License Presentation Ceremony (LPC) since the beginning of the pandemic.
We are clearly seeing a demand from the membership to developed programs to help support those who are trying to enter the workforce including EITs, foreign trained engineers, and those who have unfortunately experience a loss of job. York Chapter Executives are working together to develop relevant programs that build on one another to help all our members. We also continue to champion Engineers Canada’s goal of achieving 30% female representation amongst newly licensed engineers by 2030 as part of PEO’s 30 by 30 Action Plan. Of course, all other activities within the Chapter continue, having done several online workshops, events, LPC and received support from local MPPs on all the great work our volunteers do.
As one of the largest chapters in Ontario, we are always looking for volunteers like you to help diversify our ideas, programs, and work that we do. If you would like to take an active role in the future of the engineering profession, you can start by attending one of our monthly meetings to see which committee you’re most interested in getting involved with.
I want to take this opportunity to thanks all the Board Executives for doing a stellar job in these difficult times. Wishing you all have a wonderful Holiday Season and a Happy New Year.
Shahandeh Hannah Ehtemam, P.Eng.
Vice Chair
vicechair@peoyork.com

Important Dates!
January 20, 2022 - Application deadline for Engineering Project of the Year Awards
February 12, 2022 - Last day to stand as a candidate for executive election
February 26, 2022 - Annual General Meeting

Program News
This year the Program Committee organized events of various technical and interpersonal development sessions. We have hosted a diverse range of presentations this year to inform engineering professionals and young engineers.
This committee hopes to collaborate with more organizations and other professionals in the future to host more interesting and engaging discussion and presentations.
Jennifer Lu, P.Eng. Program Director program@peoyork.com

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion News
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee continues it’s focus on PEO’s 30 by 30 Initiative, to increase the number of newly licensed engineers that identify as women to 30% by 2030. In Ontario, 17.9% of newly licensed engineers were women in 2018, 18.2% of newly licensed engineers were women in 2019, and as of December 31, 2020 the percentage was 20.7%. Studies show that greater innovation and ingenuity is achieved with diversity in organizations. Equity is important to ensure the outcome of engineering which is beneficial for all.
Women are not a diversity group but instead comprise over 50% of the population. We need to start tapping into the full talent pool in servicing the public’s best interest. The committee hosted one major event this year: a collaborative event between the East Central Region Chapters to engage engineering employers.
The interactive PEO East Central Region Chapters 30 by 30 Employer Engagement Webinar (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2H707YjoNE) was held in September 2021 and included opening address from the PEO President and PEO’s 30 by 30 Task Force member, Christian Bellini, P.Eng., FEC. The committee will continue to collaborate with other PEO York Chapter committees, and hopes to collaborate with more organizations including hosting an East Central Region Chapters 30 by 30 Employer Engagement webinar, and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion events focusing on internationally trained engineers and women-in-engineering in 2022.
The Diversity & Inclusion Committee would like to extend our appreciation to all volunteers for their time, efforts and contributions, and encourage future volunteers to participate in our events.
We can do great things together! Help each other and stay safe.
Marcia Lim, P.Eng. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Director diversity@peoyork.com

Certificate News
The Certificate Committee had a very successful 2021 AGM. Our team was able to successfully pivot a typical in-person AGM event to a virtual gathering via Zoom due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The AGM was held on Feb 25, 2021 and totalled over 80 participants and broadcasted on the Chapter’s YouTube channel. Following the aftermath of the 2020 US Presidential Elections, extensive effort was undertaken by our team to prevent voter fraud during the Executive Elections. Additional intake of technology platforms and add-ons had provided extensive experience to our Chapter members who have the professional and interactive experience. Our PEO East Central Region Councillor Arthur Sinclair concluded the AGM by sharing his thoughts on the challenges of the past year and the status of PEO.
With COVID-19 restrictions loosening toward the second half of 2021 and the Government of Ontario allows in-person gatherings, the Certificate team have decided to host an in-person Fall LPC event on the first week of December. That being said, safety is the Chapter’s first priority and the Certificate Committee will continue to monitor the situation and periodically update our license holders on the status of their ceremony dates.
David Yin, P.Eng. Certificate Director
certifcate@peoyork.com

2022 Annual General Meeting and 2022-2023 Chapter Executive Elections
The Chapter's Annual General Meeting (AGM) and election for the 2022-2023 Executive Board will be held on Saturday, February 26, 2022 @ 6:00PM.
For more details on the AGM and elections, please visit: www.peoyork.com/agm
Who is eligible to run for election?
Be a member of good standing with PEO and have no criminal record;
Recommendations via email by two professional engineers (P. Eng.s) and a short write-up on how you can contribute, including the position you are interested in, needs to be submitted to nominations@peoyork.com
On election day at the AGM:
Each candidate will provide a short, 1-minute speech on why they are running and if elected how they will serve the Chapter.
Deadline:
Please note that the nomination deadline is 2 weeks before the AGM. To be eligible to run for the election, nomination needs to be submitted to nominations@peoyork.com by February 12, 2022.

Mentorship and EIT News
2021 was another successful year for the Mentorship & EIT Committee (MEC) as we provided guidelines and help for EITs with their licensure journeys and engineers with their career developments. The most significant change for this year's event planning was the introduction of the new Licensure Assistance Program Series (LAPS). In the past, LAP was an independent event that assisted EITs in their licensure applications, and it was recommended for P.Engs. to spend 2 hours/month to assist EITs. This was not sufficient according to the recent feedback from EITs. Therefore, we enhanced the program by adding sub-events under the main program to resolve the need for help. Sub-events will be open for York Chapter members, and the topics will vary based on the demand from the members. Registered LAPS EITs are prioritized.
For example, one sub-event held was the Demystifying the PEO Licensure Interview Requirements, which was held in June. The purpose of this event was to demonstrate the Academic Requirement Committee (ARC) and Experience Requirement Committee (ERC) interview processes for members who graduated from non–Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB) engineering program or had engineering experience from overseas. The event was very successful and we will host it again in 2022.
MEC launched an Additional Licensing Workshop in September 2021 to explain licensing requirements and application process, and Q&A was held throughout. This event was fully registered, a similar workshop will be held in 2022.
I truly believe that MEC will continue to host more meaningful events to help our members in 2022. I would like to sincerely thanks all volunteers who contributed their time and effort to organize all the events, and we encourage more volunteers to join our team. Together, we will work towards a better future!
Tian You Si Tu, P.Eng. Mentorship & EIT Director
mentorship@peoyork.com

Past Chair’s Message
In my 2nd and final year of being the Past Chair, I was able to take a back-seat to the day-to-day operations of the Board, and focus on mentoring and empowering the Board. The Past Chairs Advisory Committee (PCAC) was successful in nominating (and winning) two of our board members to the Order of Honor Award and the G.M. Sterling Award last year. Congratulations to Annabelle and Sharon.
The Past Chair is also responsible for the annual election which takes place at the AGM. This is part of our succession planning at PEO York Chapter. The purpose of the election is to provide an opportunity for our members to serve on the executive board for a period of 1 year. We actively seek out the right candidates to run for election at PEO York Chapter.
Lui Tai, P.Eng. Past Chair pastchair@peoyork.com

Awards and Recognition News
The Awards Committee has launched the annual PEO York Chapter Engineering Project of the Year Award (EPOTYA) and Engineering Research Project of the Year Award competition for 2021. We’re looking for your project submissions! The Awards Committee aim to promote the practice of the engineering profession by recognizing outstanding projects of a technical nature within York Region and the surrounding GTA. The Engineering Research Project of the Year Award aims to showcase innovations within the research and development of new engineering technologies, products, and/or services that may not have reached the market implementation stage yet. This opens up the award to academic institutions and research and development companies that are conducting cutting edge engineering research.
On behalf of the Awards Committee, I would like to congratulate the 2020 winners and thanks all the applicants for their engineering successes and contributions towards their local communities. The 2020 first-place winners were:
2020 Engineering Project of the Year Award:
Resilient Consulting Corporation (Small Project Category)
WSP Canada Inc. (Medium Project Category)
York Region Rapid Transit Corporation (Large Project Category)
2020 Engineering Research Project of the Year Award:
HydraTek & Associates
This year’s award will be evaluated in four categories which considers organizational size. Projects from all engineering disciplines are welcome! The deadline for abstract submission for the 2021 Engineering Project of the Year Award is January 27, 2022. The application form is very easy to fill out. Please check www.peoyork.com/potya and www.peoyork.com/rpotya to download the application package and for awards details. We look forward to celebrating your successes!
We are accepting nominations for Distinguished Volunteers who have contributed exceptionally to the Chapter's success. The committee has submitted our 2021 Chapter Volunteer List to PEO Headquarters to recognize our volunteers for their active contributions to York Chapter. I would like to encourage more members to participate and volunteer in York Chapter activities and serve our fellow York Chapter members.
Anita Eisakhani, P.Eng.
Awards & Recognition Director anita.eisakhani@peoyork.com

Education News
PEO York Chapter received many scholarship applications from York Region students who completed Grade 12 studies with honours and are attending the first-year engineering studies at an accredited engineering school in Canada. The Chapter reviewed the applications for the three scholarships, and the result was announced in December 2021. Each scholarship is valued at $1,500 to help students with their first-year education costs.
The annual AMD Mathletics competition is about having fun by applying math skills to solve engineering problems. The event has two levels and was attended by 161 students this year. The junior level is for grades 7 and 8, and the senior level for grades 9 and 10. Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) continued to be our title sponsor in 2021. The AMD Mathletics was held on Saturday, November 13, 2021 using Zoom and Quizizz. The top 15 students in each competition received prizes ranging from $50 to $100 in value.
PEO York Chapter would like to thanks all students who applied for the award and AMD for their contribution to the program.
Sharon Chen, EIT Education Director Sharon.chen@peoyork.com

Business and Community Outreach News
This year, the Business and Community Outreach Committee has continued its regular work on building business relationships but has also grew its new role in community outreach. Despite the widened committee mandate, its goals remain to be raising engineering awareness, enhancing the profession’s image and building strong relationships with engineering businesses, professional associations and academic institutions in York Region and the surrounding communities. The committee’s key mandates include outreach to professional associations to discuss PEO's regulatory role, and importance of licencing; as well as collaborate with academic institutions and universities to advocate PEO governance and licencing values to students. We also promote licencing to companies in new engineering fields and facilitate strong and on-going relationships with engineering businesses within York Region and the GTA.
The committee’s major activities this year included building a strong bond with OACETT York Chapter and collaborated on multiple events. We maintained strong relationship with Ryerson University through the undergraduate student’s office and supported bilateral activities. We facilitated the 2021 virtual PEO Council Election all candidates’ debate. Moreover, we completed the commission of 400 children’s face masks following last year’s Face Covering Design Challenge and made donation to local established autism charity school and clinic, Autism In Mind. Finally, we supported the 2020 EPOTYA activities, judging and Awards Ceremony.
The Business and Community Outreach Committee is always looking for new volunteers to join and participate in committee activities such as consolidating and promoting relationships between the engineering community and the local businesses, institutions and organizations.
Oliver Xiao, P.Eng. Business and Community Outreach Director business@peoyork.com

Research Project of the Year Award

Project of the Year Award