December 2007

Executive Director's Report

Steve McLean, P. Eng.

On behalf of PEGNL staff, I wish a Merry Christmas and happy and prosperous New Year to you and your families.

2007 has been a good year for PEGNL and for our professions. Similarly, it seems that 2008 will be a very positive and exciting period for engineers and geoscientists.

In his article, President Myers has covered a number of the important issues that have arisen since our last edition of Dialogue; however, I am able to add a few additional topics.

The Charlie Sheppard, P.Eng. Scholarship 

As you know by now, PEGNL Past President Charlie Sheppard passed away in September. A memoriam to Charlie is included in this issue of Dialogue. I was proud to count Charlie among my friends and I know many of you were too.

On Monday November 26, 2007, President Myers and I represented PEGNL at a ceremony at Memorial University where a scholarship was established in Charlie's memory.

Al Greene, Charlie's long time friend, colleague and business partner, announced that the consulting firm of Hatch, Mott, and MacDonald had donated nearly $70,000 to Memorial University as an endowment to fund two annual scholarships in the amount of $1,500 each for students in the undergraduate program in the engineering faculty. Al and Charlie had agreed that these scholarships should support students from outside St. John's who generally face higher costs to attend university.

Charlie's wife Roz, his children Chris and Jacqueline, with family members and a number of Charlie's colleagues from Hatch attended the ceremony. Dean Ray Gosine accepted the gift on behalf of MUN and Al Greene spoke of Charlie's and his careers together and about their support for students.

PEGNL Past Presidents Scholarship 

In 1994, PEGNL established the second past presidents scholarship, this one for earth science students at Memorial University. As with the past presidents engineering scholarship, funds were provided to MUN to create an endowment to support an annual scholarship of $1,000.

Since 2004, the endowment has not been able to sustain a scholarship of $1,000 and PEGNL has had to top up the amount from the endowment to allow the full scholarship value to be awarded. In 2004, PEGNL contributed $400; the amounts since have been $200 annually.

The endowment for the past presidents engineering scholarship has continued to sustain its $1,000 annual scholarship value. Because of the different dates of establishment of the two endowments, the original principle amounts were different, with the geoscience endowment being several thousand dollars lower than the engineering one.

In order to overcome this problem, I requested that the Past Presidents consider raising funds to make up the shortfall in the endowment for this scholarship. It was proposed by several of the past presidents that each president be asked to donate an equal share of the required funds and as a result all have been requested to do so. Donations are now coming in and we are more than half way towards meeting our target.

Thank you to all Past Presidents who have contributed!

Future SET - another great year! 

The Future SET Board of Directors recently met to hear a presentation from Ashley Reddy, Future SET Director, at the conclusion of operations for 2007.

Ashley provided the Board with a copy of the 2007 annual report which shows continued growth in the programs offered and in the number of students who participate. In all, more than 3,000 students attended Future SET programs over the past year.

PEGNL received very significant support for Future SET from MUN, Petro-Canada, NSERC, and Service Canada. Their assistance has been greatly appreciated.

Ashley and PEGNL's Director of Administration, Louise Pinsent Parsons, are currently in negotiations with Voisey's Bay Nickel concerning the possible development and delivery of Future SET programs in Labrador in the summer of 2008.

The Future SET Board of Directors consists of the following: 

• Dr. Cecilia Moloney, Director Professor, Memorial University NSERC/Petro-Canada Chair for Women in Science and Engineering.
• Geoff Emberley, P.Eng., Vice Chair Superintendent, Systems Planning, Newfoundland Power
• Louise Pinsent Parsons, Secretary/Treasurer Registrar, PEGNL
• Steve McLean, P.Eng., Chair Executive Director, PEGNL

The Future SET 2007 Annual Report can be found at www.futureset.ca

PEGNL Sponsors Standards of Disclosure Course 

In October, PEGNL sponsored a course on NI 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

Craig Waldie, P.Geo., Senior Geologist with the Ontario Securities Commission [OSC] was the speaker.

Prior to joining the OSC, Mr. Waldie spent more than 20 years in the mineral exploration and mining industry working for multinational mining companies such as BHP Minerals and Phelps Dodge.

The half-day short course included: 

• an overview of the Canadian Securities industry; 
• a review of NI 43-101 disclosure and filing practices; 
• the reporting process; 
• the format and obligations of the Qualified Person; and 
• examples of good disclosure.

MUN Engineering Students get Significant Boost from Record-Setting Donation 

Memorial University of Newfoundland has received the largest single donation from living individuals in its history - a generous gift that offers life-changing opportunities for students in the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science.

On December 10, 2007, Memorial President Axel Meisen, P.Eng. announced that Dr. Angus Bruneau, P.Eng. and Mrs. Jean Bruneau have donated $1,030,643 to create the Angus Bruneau Student Leadership and Innovation Fund in Engineering.

The program, which will be known as the Angus Bruneau Student LIFE Program, will recognize student leadership and innovation in three categories: 

• Community Service 
• Engineering Education and Enhancement of the Education Experience 
• Research

Dr. Meisen and Dr. Ray Gosine, P.Eng., Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, received the gift on behalf of MUN. They thanked the Bruneau's and commended them for their forward thinking and generous support.

© Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Newfoundland and Labrador