21 Replies to “Today in Canadian Infrastructure”

  1. Intermission:
    All these public funds to special interest groups, especially ethnic ones, are just electoral bribes.
    Now, back to the sho …

  2. But, just imagine how much worse the systemic racism would be without these public funds.

    Unfortunately, municipal councils are the second step, school boards being the first, in the professional politician’s career path to a gold plated, indexed pension. These expenditures are just bribes to special interests, who will be motivated to turn out in elections, unlike the general public..

  3. From Martyupnorth, professional engineer:

    “I’ll repeat what I said over a year ago.”

    “The professional engineers who work for the city of Calgary have a duty to blow the whistle on the managers who are cutting corners when it comes to maintaining critical infrastructure.

    There were complaints filed with @APEGA_AB last year concerning the unprofessional conduct of some of its members who work for the city. APEGA took no action.

    Calgary just had another catastrophic water main failure. I think we’re going to have to file more complaints. Heads need to roll at city hall (that’s just an expression folks).”

    I haven’t checked to see if there’s a professional engineer named Hilary Clinton P.E. who works for the City of Calgary and has deleted all her emails.
    Those P.E.’s who may have addressed concerns to the APEGA may have copies of their emails, at least in their rarely seen “sent” files.

    1. It may help to point out that none, zero, of my showers will be reduced an iota due to this crisis as my water is not black, not Caribbean, not racist, not marginalized, not gay, nor does it ride in a bicycle lane.

      The city is responsible for domestic and fire suppression water delivery, waste drainage, fire and police, streets upkeep, parks and recreational areas BUT not municipal “art” next to a highway, or municipal buildings for professional sports franchises.
      My long term wish is that next time this sort of crisis occurs, it’s in the weeks just prior to a municipal election so “someone” perhaps Keean Bexte will ask The City where clean water fits into the city’s priorities.

      imbeciles.

      The link to the above commentary from Martyupnorth is here:

      https://x.com/Martyupnorth/status/2006452744186708340

    2. “The professional engineers who work for the city of Calgary …”

      Remember this: a camel is just a horse designed by government engineers.

      1. And the camels who graduate at the bottom of the camel class are referred to as “camels” the same as those who graduate first in camel class.

        Martyupnorth above commentary, I doubt he’s ever worked for the gov’t, and he said he’s seen some engineer’s complaints about the city employed camels.
        also,
        “sunlight is the best disinfectant” … always applies, never gets old.

        1. I left the conventional engineering profession decades ago because 1) Professional Ethics was an optional fourth year course, and 2) I watched multiple years of the undergraduate student government conspire to conceal their own criminal behaviour, aided and abetted by the faculty up to the Dean.

          Some years later I ended up working for an engineering design firm staffed by multiple licensed engineering PhDs, who somehow managed to be worse.

          1. I work for an engineering services firm, on the field side, I often get plans with mistakes and choices outside the standards, despite the 3 levels of checks that are supposed to take place.

      2. Lotsa “PE’s” put their stamp in a locked drawer, never to be seen.
        That’s why private PE’s do all the work, take the risk, whether working as consultants or contractors.
        And liability insurance doesn’t allow admission of fault.
        This piping is at least 45 years old. Calgary was maybe 500k population then?
        Both breaks in same general area, same pipe as prior rupture? Probably buried close to water table (Bow river).
        And roadworks done on that strip of highway in last decade.
        Combo of pipe deterioration and geotech shifting? Freeze-thaw, reduced cover, water table…

  4. This is a helpful suggestion to the fine people of Calgary. Don’t just replace the portions of the water main that have broken. Because something is wrong for 2 sections to break in 3 years. Maybe the line is too old. Maybe it’s buried too close to surface. Blame it on global warming. Just start replacing the whole thing.

  5. Grateful to now live somewhere I control my own water resources, but I have family on fixed incomes living in Calgary who are already getting stiffed with an extra $100 per bill to pay for the previous water main break.

    They needed to fire people the last time but instead all it did was cause the last few good Engineers to leave the City.

    These days voting for people who’d rather give you a tongue bath in woke ideology instead of boring you with details like pipe inspections and replacement plans, seems to be favored, to their obvious detriment.

  6. It’s P.Eng. in Canada, P.E. in the US.
    While City Hall is woke – thanks Spendshi, Gondyke (or is that Dykegone?), and the ‘White man need not apply’ mantra is HR policy, Calgary has some good engineers on staff but even the best techies have to work with the budgets they are given and buried pipes are not as sexy as rainbow crosswalks and bike lanes.

  7. Water is racist. Too colourless, and freezes white. Time too ban that crap! Up here in District 11, nobody uses water anymore. And the overpopulation problem? Solved.

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