On April 25, 2017, #AnEngineerWasHere took over Queen’s Park as OSPE hosted its 9th Lobby Day and MPP Reception. Bringing our Political Action Network (PAN) volunteers and Task Force and Committee members together with elected officials, staffers and leaders from various sectors, the reception celebrates the important relationship between Ontario’s Professional Engineers and Members of Provincial Parliament.
Building on the success of last year’s Queen’s Park Reception, OSPE was pleased to welcome 40 MPPs from all political parties.
Ahead of the reception, a number of OSPE volunteers, OSPE CEO Sandro Perruzza and OSPE President and Chair Michael Monette, P.Eng., were all graciously introduced to the House by their respective MPPs.
In addition, OSPE Policy and Government Relations Lead Patrick Sackville and Senior Research Officer Lee Weissling, met with Ernie Hardeman, MPP (Oxford), PC Critic, Municipal Affairs and Housing, and Nathalie Des Rosiers, MPP (Ottawa–Vanier) at Queen’s Park to discuss OSPE’s forthcoming stormwater management report and the implications for Ontario municipalities.
The focus of this year’s reception was the development of resilient and sustainable communities, with the preliminary release of groundbreaking research on Ontario municipal stormwater systems.
OSPE, in partnership with Consulting Engineers of Ontario (CEO), Residential and Civil Construction Alliance of Ontario (RCCAO) and Ontario Sewer and Watermain Construction Association (OSWCA), conducted a study on the condition of stormwater infrastructure and the type of asset management planning being done in municipalities across Ontario. The survey results and subsequent recommendations are intended to guide policymakers and ensure that municipalities continue to enjoy effective and environmentally sustainable infrastructure for years to come.
To formally open the reception, Sandro Perruzza provided greetings. Falling in the midst of National Volunteer Week in Canada, OSPE’s Queen’s Park Reception was the perfect backdrop to thank our dedicated volunteers who contribute their time and expertise to OSPE’s many policy papers, reports and submissions, and who keep our elected officials up to date on policy issues that affect the engineering profession.
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Michael Monette, P.Eng., noted that the evening’s sizeable gathering is a testament to the important work OSPE has undertaken to showcase the value proposition that engineers and engineering offer not only to government decision makers, but to society as a whole.
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OSPE was pleased to welcome several representatives from partner organizations including Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO).
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To learn more about the stormwater infrastructure/asset management study and initial recommendations to government, click here.
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Left to right: MPP Lou Rinaldi (Northumberland—Quinte West), MPP Percy Hatfield (Windsor—Tecumseh), OSPE President and Chair Michael Monette, P.Eng., OSPE CEO Sandro Perruzza, and MPP Ernie Hardeman (Oxford).
Throughout the evening, guests were eager to partake in OSPE’s #AnEngineerWasHere campaign by sharing their photos with our vibrant yellow tags on social media.
