Movers & Shakers
LATITUDE
free time, he promotes and pursues new and improved urban development projects. He has co-founded several groups responsible for driving the approval and support needed for such things as a 6.5-kilometre cycle track downtown, a bus rapid transit line, and better regulated secondary suites. As a founding member of the Beltline Neighbourhoods Association, Mr. Oliver helped pave the way for the Beltline Urban Murals Project and the Beltline Bonspiel, providing Calgary with two new festivals and showcasing art, promoting local businesses, and fostering community spirit. The success of those projects relied on thousands of his own volunteer hours, a donation Mr. Oliver was happy to make. “What we found was once we put our names out there and stuck our necks out, all these other people just came out of the woodwork and were in support of it all. You just needed someone to lead the marching band.” As Senior Vice-President of Water Project Delivery at Stantec , Ryan Roberts, P.Eng. , knows his H 2 O. But it wasn’t always that way. When he first interviewed with Stantec for an engineering position almost two decades ago, he noted that he was still wet behind the ears, water-wise. But he showed such a willingness to learn that he was offered the job, and he’s been climbing the corporate ladder ever since. Now, he helps keep clean water running across North America, leading around 2,200 employees through hundreds of projects a year. But his work is about more than personal success. Climate change and population issues are opening the doors to catastrophe, he says. “We’re definitely into a kind of age here where it’s a water crisis,” he told Avenue . “Either there’s too much, there’s not enough, or it’s not in the right place.” During the 2013 flood in Calgary, the Bonnybrook Wastewater Treatment Plant, responsible for treating the sewage of almost one million people, was flooded. Mr. Roberts spent the next six weeks in a trailer on site as he and his crew worked overtime to get the plant up and running. He’s committed to supporting Stantec on the outside, speaking to students and encouraging them to consider water as a career path. But he also helps improve the company from the inside, as the executive sponsor for Stantec’s Southern Alberta LGBTQ resource group.
Jil Macdonald, P.Geo., left -photo by Katherine Calnan Photography Ryan Roberts, P.Eng., right -photo courtesy Stantec
Three years later, the fruits of their labour have become obvious, with the company continuing to hum along. Mr. Coldwell is determined to continue proving his dedication to the community, working with the Boys & Girls Clubs Big Brothers Big Sisters (yes, that’s the full name) of Edmonton to hire kids at risk, give them the opportunity to work in the trades, and eventually own stock in the company as employees. He’s also committed to increasing diversity in the workforce, working with NorQuest College’s Alberta Indigenous Construction Career Centre to hire Indigenous professionals. Peter Oliver, P.Eng. , is a Calgarian through and through, having lived in the city for much of his life. But while dedicating his time as a community volunteer, something stood out for him. As he moved around the city, everything seemed disconnected. “People sort of drove home and rolled up their driveway and shut the garage door behind them,” he told Avenue . So Mr. Oliver began dreaming of a Calgary where people were less isolated. During the day, he’s lead product design engineer at General Dynamics Mission Systems —Canada, but in his
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