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Boris Martin
CEO of Engineers Without Borders

In the face of global challenges like climate change, a rising population and dwindling resources, engineers – like most other professionals – have to rethink their views and principles in order to make a meaningful contribution to creating a thriving and sustainable world.

Across Canada, over 280,000 engineers solve tough problems every day. Still, socioeconomic challenges persist locally and globally despite their technical expertise and technological advances. What's missing?

Good intentions are not enough. In fact, in isolation they can cause more harm than good, as is evident in failed international development projects that relied on good intentions but addressed the problem too narrowly. Engineering needs to ask tough questions of itself and deepen its understanding of the systems that cause poverty. That means focusing not on its technical expertise, but on serving society in all its complexity. This is imperative because the challenge of ending poverty requires more than Band­-Aid solutions – it demands ambitious, thoughtful actions that effect change at a profound, systemic level.

The engineering profession has long been symbolized by the iron ring, a reminder of an engineer's ethical duties. I believe that its meaning should include that the engineer understands his or her place in the complex systems of today's society.

For translating good ideas into action, see https://www.ewb.ca/ideas/engineering-change-lab.

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Leah Lawrence
President and CEO of Sustainable Development Technology Canada

Engineers and scientists applying their know-how to clean technologies is all about tackling climate change while meeting the needs of a growing global middle class in a resource-constrained world.

In this, many Canadian leaders come to mind: At the Pictou shipyard in Nova Scotia, Open Hydro and Emera are working to develop the Cape Sharp Tidal project, an effort that will see the deployment of a tidal turbine array in the Bay of Fundy, near Parrsborro. In Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Quebec, CO2 Solutions is working on an enzyme-enabled carbon capture technology. In Toronto, Ontario, the entrepreneurs at QD Solar are working on ways to use quantum dots to boost the efficiency of conventional solar photovoltaic panels. In Squamish, British Columbia, Carbon Engineering is working on a project that will gather CO2 from the atmosphere and transform it into calcium carbonate, a common substance found in rocks and snail shells.

At Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC), as a funder and supporter of these efforts, we are proud to see these great Canadian ideas transformed into well-engineered demonstration projects each and every day.

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Kevin Goheen
Executive Director, Canadian Academy of Engineering

Engineering skills are an important component of solutions to the exceptionally difficult public policy challenges Canada faces. In 2015, the Canadian Academy of Engineering (CAE) performed a joint study with the Institute for Research on Public Policy on how engineers and scientists could best do this. The report called on decision-makers to acknowledge that a careful balance must be struck between engineering evidence and other considerations.Of course, evidence should weigh heavily in the balance, but it will not necessarily trump budgets, citizens' concerns, campaign commitments and other considerations. The challenge is to create an en­vironment in which the public debate is appropriately informed by engineering and science.

As an example of how engineers could inform such a debate, the CAE and its partners have recently completed the Trottier Energy Futures Project, a study on Canada's GHG reduction challenge. The study is the first to acknowledge that the commonly stated goal of reducing our GHG emissions by 80 per cent relative to now will be exceptionally difficult, requiring governments and citizens to make difficult choices. Engineers are ready to find solutions to the gaps that we identified.

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John Gamble
President and CEO of the Association of Consulting Engineering Companies - Canada

The Association of Consulting Engineering Companies - Canada applauds the Liberals' first budget for its focus on immediate and long-term growth of the economy through investments in infrastructure and innovation.

Study after study demonstrates a link between infrastructure investment and economic performance; infrastructure investment grows the economy, strengthens communities and protects the environment. Furthermore, public infrastructure is a core business of government and vital to Canada's prosperity. Infrastructure enhances the economic, social and environmental quality of life of all Canadians. However, it is critical the government resists focusing on short-term "stimulus" spending aimed at so-called "shovel-ready" projects merely for the sake of speed and expediency. The real value proposition and the greatest return on investment require a long-term, strategic approach.

The key will be picking the "right" investments. We urge the federal government and municipalities to be strategic and focus on projects that are truly productivity-enhancing, long-term in nature and that will boost long-term economic growth. If we are able to accomplish this, the government, and more importantly all Canadians, will reap the rewards.

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James Dyson
Chief Engineer, Dyson

Engineers learn early on an important skill: failure. Designing something that solves a real problem takes time, careful thought, relentless testing and, inevitably, failure, from which you learn.

Canadian engineers are rising to this challenge. My foundation holds an annual international competition – the James Dyson Award – that invites post-secondary students to design something that solves a problem. The task is vague and the projects that are entered are expansive and thrilling.

Last year, a Canadian team from the University of Waterloo took home the international top spot with their project, Voltera V-One, a custom circuit board printer that allows a user to go from concept to creation quickly.

These students dedicated two and a half years to engineering the printer, designing dozens of prototypes that spanned three major design revisions. Their perseverance paid off. As an engineer, I understood the frustration of waiting for a circuit board to be printed, and this project elegantly solved that problem.

It's this next generation of engineers and designers who think differently and take risks that will change the world.


This content was produced by Randall Anthony Communications, in partnership with The Globe and Mail's advertising department. The Globe's editorial department was not involved in its creation.

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