The Voice - Summer 2021 - 22

NEWS & EVENTS
OSPE's Annual General
Meeting and Board of
Directors Elections
On Saturday, May 8, 2021, OSPE's Annual General Meeting
(AGM) was held virtually. The morning began with OSPE's
President and Chair, Réjeanne Aimey, P.Eng., and CEO Sandro
Perruzza describing the many successes OSPE accomplished
with regards to the Strategic Plan's Lead, Care and Unite pillars.
" 2020 was the year we positioned engineers as leaders - rising
to the challenge of addressing the impacts of COVID-19, " Aimey
said. " My proudest accomplishment as President was bringing
OSPE members together to create a COVID-19 Economic
Recovery Working Group. This was a historic opportunity to
showcase our skills that can solve many of society's challenges. "
Aimey and Perruzza highlighted only some of OSPE's major
accomplishments in 2020:
Combatting COVID-19
* Submitted short, medium and long-term recommendations to
provincial and federal governments to support engineers and
spur economic growth to get Canada back on track
* Worked with the Ministries of Infrastructure, Labour & Skills
Development, Municipal Affairs & Housing, Transportation
and the Attorney General's Office to convene a COVID-19
Infrastructure Working Group, creating new health and safety
protocols to protect workers and sort through project delays
and disruptions
* Presented to the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic
Affairs regarding the impacts of COVID-19 on the engineering
sector in Ontario
* Conducted industry-wide research in partnership with U of T
to manage future pandemics in Ontario's construction sector
* Called on government to focus efforts on dealing with the
airborne transmission of COVID-19
Bringing Engineers Together
* Hosted roundtable on Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems and
released Growing the Drone Industry report
* Hosted How to Change the World, a two-day experiential
education program bringing engineers together to brainstorm
22
THE VOICE June 2021
solutions to the world's biggest challenges
* Launched the Ontario Engineering Academy to help engineers
pursue lifelong learning
* Transitioned E3s to Virtual Engineering Employment Events
(VE3s)
* Introduced ENGtalks, a video series featuring OSPE members
and partners presenting topics of interest for engineers
* Hosted three virtual Town Halls with OSPE's President &
Chair
* Hosted virtual Trivia Nights and ENGgames for engineers to
meet peers and complete puzzles together
* Hosted annual Diversity & Inclusion virtual conference with
more than 1,500 attendees online
* Launched ENGage Forum, a members-only discussion platform
where you can post your work and share messages with your
fellow OSPE members online
Addressing Issues within the Profession
* Consulted with members around the misuse of an engineer's
seal, resulting in a CBC news investigation that uncovered
forged engineering documents for 12 large scale construction
projects across southern Ontario
* Released detailed analysis of year-end data from IESO and
OPG, finding that the province wasted enough electricity to
power 720,000 homes in 2019, resulting in more than 100 news
stories across the country
* Launched Engineering for Change, a campaign to
solidify OSPE's commitment to diversity and inclusion,
and a four-point action plan (details can be found at
www.engineeringforchange.ca)
* Met with the federal department of Women and Gender
Equality Canada to highlight funding opportunities and points
of collaboration
* Hosted a women in engineering virtual panel with U of T and
SpinMaster and the OSPE Exchange Hubs
* Continued work on OSPE's DiversifySTEM app, adding 16 new
lessons (visit www.diversifySTEM.ca for the latest)
http://www.engineeringforchange.ca http://www.diversifySTEM.ca
The Voice - Summer 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Voice - Summer 2021
