Manitoba Chapter THE THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE PUBLIC WORKS ASSOCIATION OF BRITISH COLUMBIA, THE AMERICAN PUBLIC WORKS ASSOCIATION, ALBERTA CHAPTER THE SASKATCHEWAN PUBLIC WORKS ASSOCIATION, THE MANITOBA PUBLIC WORKS ASSOCIATION, AND THE ALBERTA MUNICIPAL SUPERVISORS ASSOCIATION ROADRUNNER SPRING 2025 Canada Post Mail Publications Agreement Number: 40609661 Victoria’s OUR DWTN is Revitalizing the Garden City FIND OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ONLINEUp Front 8 A Message from the British Columbia Public Works Association 9 A Message from the Canadian Public Works Association, Alberta Chapter 10 A Message from the Saskatchewan Public Works Association 11 A Message from the Canadian Public Works Association, Manitoba Chapter 13 A Message from the Alberta Municipal Supervisors’ Association In Every Issue 14 Safety Report: Leading by Example: The Supervisor’s Role in Occupational Health and Safety 16 Safety Report: How Repetitive Strain Injuries Can Sneak Up on Workers 18 Safety Report: Building Survival Skills: Essential Knowledge for Public Service Workers 20 Upcoming Events and What’s New 23 HR Report: Revolutionizing Knowledge Transfer with Training, Education, and Mentorship 26 Legal Brief: The Relationship between the Owner and Subcontractor in a Construction Project 28 Investment Report: Simplify Your Life for Financial Gain 30 Community Highlight: North Battleford Modernizes its Water Infrastructure with Xylem 32 Community Highlight: Victoria’s OUR DWTN is Revitalizing the Garden City 35 Community Highlight: Taking an Offroad Approach to Monitor Winnipeg’s Sidewalks Tech Talk 36 Revolutionizing Landscaping: A Battery-First Future 38 Index to Advertisers Manitoba Chapter THE THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE PUBLIC WORKS ASSOCIATION OF BRITISH COLUMBIA, THE AMERICAN PUBLIC WORKS ASSOCIATION, ALBERTA CHAPTER THE SASKATCHEWAN PUBLIC WORKS ASSOCIATION, THE MANITOBA PUBLIC WORKS ASSOCIATION, AND THE ALBERTA MUNICIPAL SUPERVISORS ASSOCIATION ROADRUNNER SPRING 2025 Canada Post Mail Publications Agreement Number: 40609661 Victoria’s OUR DWTN is Revitalizing the Garden City FIND OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ONLINE Published For: The Public Works Association of British Columbia www.pwabc.ca Editorial Advisor: Pat A. Miller executivedirector@pwabc.ca The American Public Works Association, Alberta Chapter https://alberta.apwa.org Editorial Advisor: Peter McDowell Tel: 403-938-8928 The Saskatchewan Public Works Association http://saskatchewan.apwa.org Editorial Advisor: Andrew Stevenson Tel: 306-960-1624 The Manitoba Public Works Association http://manitoba.apwa.org Editorial Advisor: Darren Wanless Tel: 204-399-9477 Alberta Municipal Supervisors Association www.amsapw.ca Editorial Advisor: Christine Heggart Tel: 403-844-5678 Published By: Matrix Group Publishing Inc. 309 Youville Street Winnipeg, MB R2H 2S9 Toll Free: 866-999-1299 Toll Free Fax: 866-244-2544 www.matrixgroupinc.net Canada Post Mail Publications Agreement Number: 40609661 President & CEO: Jack Andress Operations Manager: Shoshana Weinberg sweinberg@matrixgroupinc.net Senior Publisher Jessica Potter Publishers: Julie Welsh, Christine Scarisbrick Editor-in-Chief: Shannon Savory ssavory@matrixgroupinc.net Editorial Team: Jenna Collignon, Paul Adair, Kaitlin Vitt Finance/Administration: Lloyd Weinberg, Nathan Redekop accounting@matrixgroupinc.net Director of Circulation & Distribution: Lloyd Weinberg distribution@matrixgroupinc.net Sales Manager: Jeff Cash jcash@matrixgroupinc.net Sales Team Leader: Andrew Lee Matrix Group Inc. Account Executives: Colleen Bell, Jackie Casburn, Chandler Cousins, Rich Cowan, Helaina Van Dommelen, Rob Gibson, Jim Hamilton, Frank Kenyeres, Sandra Kirby, Andrew Lee, Brian MacIntyre, Chad Morris, Lynn Murphy, Wilma Gray-Rose, Monique Simons, Joseph Ukaoha Advertising Design: James Robinson Layout & Design: Cody Chomiak ©2025 Matrix Group Publishing Inc. All rights reserved. Contents may not be reproduced by any means, in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of the publisher. Opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of Matrix Group Publishing Inc. On the cover: By expanding public spaces, introducing new recreational opportunities, and adding colourful placemaking, Victoria’s OUR DWTN revitalization program seeks to bring visitors to the city’s core throughout the year. Photo courtesy of the City of Victoria. 5 TABLE OF CONTENTST he year began with both snow and flooding response, a major watermain break in New Westminster, and the annual construction ramp-up – 2025 in British Columbia has been off to an excit- ing start. Because the efforts of public works respond- ing 24/7 to support their communities often go unnoticed, I wanted to start by recogniz- ing all your hard work and dedication and just say, ‘thank you.’ I am sure our team at the Public Works Association of British Columbia (PWABC) is not alone as we wait to see about any potential tariffs / counter-tariffs that may materialize, as well as their impact on our capital programs. I was fortunate to be on a mid-Feb- ruary call organized by American Public Works Association (APWA), which brought together ‘big cities’ from both sides of the border to talk about how things are going for all of us so far this year. We also heard from the Director of Los Angeles County Public Works, Mark Pestrella, about LA’s current recovery efforts following their devastating forest fire, where he was steadfast and thankful, but sounded so exhausted. What truly struck me during the call was that, regard- less of what is happening at our respective political levels, we are all the same – try- ing to figure out how to deliver the best service for our residents and businesses with the tools and funding we are given. The 2025 PWABC Board met early February for its strategic planning session, and members will be hearing more about those outcomes and priorities in the com- ing weeks. We hear clearly from our members about the content they want support in, so I would like to highlight some upcoming events that might be of interest: • 2025 7th Joint Annual Conference: Join us for an engaging and informa- tive three-day event happening October 6-8, 2025, in Whistler, British Colum- bia. The conference will feature a vari- ety of sessions, networking opportuni- ties, and the very latest in public works innovation. Continuing Education Units (CEUs) available. • 2025 Public Fleet Management Cer- tificate (Virtual) Dates : Happening A Message from the Public Works Association of British Columbia April 29-30, 2025, this virtual event offers an excellent opportunity for public works professionals to gain essential skills and knowledge in fleet management. Enhance your expertise and stay current with industry stan- dards by participating in this compre- hensive program. CEUs available. • 2025 Call for Public Works Indus- try Awards: It’s time to recognize the outstanding achievements and contributions of your peers in the public works industry. We encourage you to nominate deserving individuals and projects for our annual awards, which are given out at the Conference Awards dinner. We also have introduced job postings on our website, and some great positions across the province have been highlighted. So, please check those out if you are inter- ested. For more information on any of these exciting opportunities, check out our website www.pwabc.ca. I am looking forward to seeing many of you in person or virtually throughout 2025. As always, we are interested in your feed- back about what the PWABC association could do to provide value to our members, so please reach out. As we continue to navigate the chal- lenges and opportunities ahead, let us remain focused on our shared mission of enhancing the quality of life in British Columbia through excellence in public works. Your dedication and hard work are the driving force behind our success, and I am confident that together, we will con- tinue to achieve even greater milestones in the coming year. Taryn Scollard President Public Works Association of British Columbia Board of Directors & Staff PRESIDENT Taryn Scollard City of Vancouver PRESIDENT- ELECT AND APWA DELEGATE Alexander Christensen Westbank First Nations PAST PRESIDENT Meryl Ditchburn Heinz SECRETARY & TREASURER TBD DIRECTORS Devon Aaroe City of Dawson Creek Jason Adair City of Victoria Ryan Adams City of Surrey Matt Brown City of Surrey Jatin Chhibba Langley Concrete Group Ryan Coad Township of Langley Jules Looy City of Penticton Matt Stoltz Flow Systems Pat Miller Retired MEMBER AT LARGE AND ACTING EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Pat Miller executivedirector@ pwabc.ca 8 UP FRONTof Lacombe to the APWA Alberta Chapter as our newest board member. I am look- ing forward to working more with Doug as we move forward. If you are interested in contributing more to the APWA Alberta Chapter, we are still looking for help filling some committee positions. Do you have something you would like to share or have a training idea or maybe a job posting? We can help by posting it on our website. We were also able to arrange for some Lunch and Learns in 2025, so check the website to watch for emails. This is happening April 24-25, 2025. APWA Alberta Chapter will be in Edmonton for the Alberta Equipment Expo and don’t for- get National Public Works Week is just around the corner May 19-24, 2025, where we get the chance to highlight the good public works does in our communities. Make sure to visit https://alberta.apwa. org to see what’s happening in public works around Alberta. I know this season can be a very busy time for us in public works, but I hope you all get the opportunity to spend some time enjoying the warming weather with fam- ily and friends, and all the other things that matter most. Peter McDowell President American Public Works Association, Alberta Chapter I am sure that now that the warmer weather is here and snow is gone from most of the country, everybody is right in the middle of their spring mainte- nance activities. In February, I was fortunate to attend the American Public Works Association (APWA) Council of Chapters in Kansas City, Missouri, where it was very well attended, and they had great speakers on hand. While I was on vacation, I took the opportunity to take many pictures of dif- ferent public works projects and vehicles, including the Kansas City streetcar. I always enjoy seeing what others in public works are working on and how the do things. One of our greatest tools in public works is learning from each other and that is what I really enjoy about being part of an asso- ciation like the APWA Alberta Chapter; the ability to network with others when we get together in person. This brings me around to my next ques- tion. We used to host Idea Group Meetings around the province to share ideas and hold tours of new or modified equipment and new buildings, shops, and infrastructure. We would really like to get these Idea Group Meetings going again across Alberta but want to know – would you and your municipality like to host one? Let us know. On that note, we are also looking for Idea Group committee members. I would also like to take the time to welcome Doug Halldorson from the City A Message from the Canadian Public Works Association, Alberta Chapter Board of Directors & Staff You can learn more about the American Public Works Association, Alberta Chapter on their website: alberta.apwa.org. PRESIDENT Peter McDowell DIRECTORS Doug Halldorson City of Lacombe Steven Kennedy Town of Innisfail Azam Khan City of Cold Lake John Martineau Town of Hinton Wade Nellis City of Grand Prairie Charles Schwab County of Northern Lights Abdou Souraya City of Calgary Did you know that the Alberta Chapter was first founded in 1979 to enhance the services of the APWA to the Alberta public works community and to improve the quality of public works products and services to Canadian citizens. “One of our greatest tools in public works is learning from each other and that is what I really enjoy about being part of an association like the APWA Alberta Chapter; the ability to network with others when we get together in person.” 9 UP FRONTNext >