Associations Pitch in to Aid
Red River Flood Relief
Wendy Ryan-Bacon, P.Eng., Interim President of the Canadian Council of Professional Engineers (CCPE), and Malcolm Symonds, P.Eng., President of the Association of Professional Engineers of Manitoba (APEM), announced on July 10, details of an Engineering Services Compensation Fund that supports community restoration in the Red River flood plain of Manitoba.
Flood victims may qualify for up to $1,000 to offset the cost of services
provided by professional engineers retained in the reconstruction of property.
The Engineering Services Compensation Fund is being established in
response to a challenge posed to the CCPE associations by the Ordre des
ingénieurs du Québec during the annual meeting of the CCPE
board on May 23-24, in Halifax. During the meeting, the ordre announced
it was contributing $10,000 to kick-start a Manitoba emergency fund based
on a similar compensation model established by Quebec engineers in July,
1996 in the wake of Saguenay flood disaster.
CCPE constituent associations have answered the challenge. APEGGA Council
responded in June by approving a $7,500 contribution to the flood relief
fund. As of mid-August, professional engineering associations across Canada
had contributed $46,200. The CCPE is donating an additional $40,000.
"The professional engineering associations/ordre and the CCPE
are establishing the fund as an acknowledgment of the tremendous efforts
undertaken by Manitoba professional engineers throughout the crisis,"
Ms. Ryan-Bacon said. "The fund offers immediate assistance to homeowners
and businesses which are rebuilding from the worst flood this century in
North America."
Mr. Symonds explains that the APEM has established a volunteer committee
to administer the fund. "We intend to immediately utilize the fund
to help Manitobans restore their properties and lay engineering plans to
help reduce the risk of significant flood damage in the future," he
said.
APEM began processing applications on July 14. The deadline for filing
is Dec. 1.
"The Manitoba and Saguenay disasters remind us of the powerful
forces of nature," Ms. Ryan-Bacon said. "They also serve as symbols
of the strong bonds of support and dedicated efforts of many people across
the country who have come to the aid of others who are attempting to rebuild
their lives." 