OSPE - The Voice - Fall 2020 - 21

COVER STORY

Mark Frayne, P.Eng.

Paula Hutchison, P.Eng.

Unlike most companies, we continued to be busy and hired
individuals during this time. The recruiting, onboarding, and
introduction to the organization for new hires is significantly
different in the age of "work from home". A recently hired employee
expressed that his experience was much more personal, and while
there are certain benefits to working from home, they certainly
miss spontaneous conversation and the opportunity to connect
with team members in person."
- Mark Frayne, P.Eng., OSPE Board Director, Manager, Mine
Engineering Services, BESTECH

and Canada as a whole, will mitigate the impact of COVID-19 and
any potential future crises.
To achieve economic recovery and future prosperity, Ontario
and Canada must focus on sustainability, talent, and innovation.
The recommendations presented in our letters clearly exemplify
these principles, with clear focus on the importance of a transition
to a greener and more environmentally sustainable economy, to
the significance of educating, upskilling, and reskilling engineers,
and to the significance of investing in research and development
through a focused approach.

"As a Principal Engineer, team manager, wife, mother of a schoolage boy, daughter, sister, friend, teammate, and volunteer, every
aspect of my life has changed. All of these facets of my life are
interrelated, and patience and flexibility are necessary to continue
moving ahead in my professional and personal pursuits."
- Paula Hutchison, P.Eng., Member, Diversity and Inclusion Task
Force, Principal, Geosyntec Consultants

OSPE'S COVID-19 ECONOMIC
RECOVERY WORKING GROUP

lthough it is difficult to predict the long-term effects
of the pandemic, our members have expressed that
some of the changes may be here to stay. For some,
the changes have been positive, however, we must
acknowledge that for others there have been points
of stress and anxiety. The economic uncertainty is a concern for
many who have unstable job security. Therefore, OSPE has made
economic recovery a top advocacy priority. We believe that a
focused and strategic approach to economic recovery for Ontario

As part of OSPE's efforts, we launched a COVID-19 Economic
Recovery Working Group, whose purpose is to provide the
Ontario and Canadian governments with concrete and actionable
recommendations for the immediate, short, and long-term
economic recovery of our province and country. This will be an
ongoing effort to determine the best ways engineers can help
Ontario and Canada prosper, while also creating sustainable wealth
and jobs.
Engineering knowledge and talent is ready to lead Ontario's
industries into the future and to play an important role in the
immediate, short and long-term economic recovery of our
province. The province must support the engineering community
in rebuilding the engine that powers Ontario and the rest of the
country.
To ensure preparedness for future events and build a robust
economy, it is imperative that new government funding allocations
ensure a targeted focus on building sustainability, investing in
talent development and retention, and fostering innovation.
Providing sustainable economic benefits for our diverse, future
generations, must remain a priority.
The engineering community believes that Ontario's economic
recovery plan will deliver tangible results if it is considered from
a three-phase approach:

OSPE - The Voice - Fall 2020

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