Readings
LATITUDE
Rocks, Ridges, and Rivers: Geological Wonders of Banff, Yoho, and Jasper National Parks BY DALE LECKIE, P.GEOL., PHD $27.95, www.brokenpoplars.ca
Dr. Leckie, an adjunct professor at the University of Calgary and a former scientist with the Geological Survey of Canada, delves under the surface for a detailed exploration of this beautiful region, hitting the hot spots along popular routes through Banff, Yoho, and Jasper—and giving GPS coordinates and other helpful travel advice for each location. He combines facts with analysis, giving not just the story of what you’re seeing but why you’re seeing it, and he peppers his pages with photos, maps, and artwork. Cognizant that we’re not all geoscientists, Dr. Leckie shares what he knows in a way that’s digestible and easy to understand. It works as a guidebook to carry with you on your next mountain adventure and just as well as a reference book in your home library. If you’ve enjoyed the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks but wanted to deeply understand what they’re all about, this book is for you. It’s a marriage between a geologist’s technical view of the world around us and a layperson’s gentler one, and it works. What’s changed since the 1980s? For one, the referenced value of an acre of land has gone up. Just as noticeable is the new array of 10 headshots on the cover. Where there were no women depicted, this time there are four. Mr. Kelly dedicates his first chapter to profiles of female developers, among them Karin Finley, P.Eng., a former VP with Qualico Communities in Calgary. Even in the late 2000s, it wasn’t always conceivable to the men in the room that Ms. Finley was in management. Upon joining a meeting, she would sometimes be asked whether she was in marketing. In the years covered in the first book, the professional roles of women would rarely be mislabeled; most of the time, clerical and sec- retarial work was as close as they got to management. One thing that hasn’t changed is the basic integrity of land developers. Mr. Kelly, who has more than 40 years of experience in the industry but is now semi- retired, says that the cartoonish, villain developers and home flippers of lore don’t lineup with his experience. “Developers are good people,” he writes. “We’re among you and sometimes we’re your best friends. We’re thoughtful, caring and wanting to do the right thing.” After more than 300 pages of tales about developers of various ages and disciplines, the reader will no doubt agree.
SCIENCE, HISTORY, AND ARTISTRY IN THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS
Dale Leckie, P.Geol., PhD, is a captivating guide as he offers the average traveller a scientist’s view of the Canadian Rockies. Explaining the hidden story behind three of the four national parks in the UNESCO World Heritage Site called Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks, Dr. Leckie takes you on an expedition you won’t soon forget, from the mountains and the valleys to the rivers and the glaciers.
$200,000 An Acre: More Stories from the Albertans Who Built Our Neighbour- hoods (1980s-2017)
BY DOUG KELLY, P.ENG. $24.95, www.dougkelly.ca
THE NEXT CREW OF LAND DEVELOPERS INCLUDES—WAIT FOR IT—WOMEN
Most of us can mentally list the major industries that got Alberta where it is today. Oil, of course, is the big one—especially when its subsets and spinoffs are considered, not the least of are the research and technological breakthroughs that created oil sands mining. But there are others, including agriculture and agri-food, renewable energy, forestry, and tourism. It’s through a different lens, however, that Doug Kelly, P.Eng., an APEGA life member, looks at his province’s success: one that studies our neighbourhoods, along with the lives and stories of the people who created them. His writerly journey down this path began with $100,000 An Acre: A Candid History of Alberta’s Land Development Industry (1950s–1980s) , so this most recent outing is the sequel.
40 | PEG SPRING 2018
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