Upload
hoangdang
View
213
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Road RunnerFROM THE MINISTER
Road Runner is the employeenewsletter for British ColumbiaMinistry of Transportation andHighways. It is produced andpublished quarterly by thePublicAffairs Branch. Published articlesappearing in RoadRunner may bereprinted only with permission ofthe Editor.
Editor: Betty NicholsonEditorial Assistant: Sharon Lund
Direct enquiries to:Road RunnerMinistry of Transportation
and HighwaysPublic AffairsSA-940 Blanshard StreetVictoria, B.C.V8W 3E6
Inthe last three months, Ihave had an opportunity totravel the province. My trips
have taken me to the NorthwestRegion to see, first-hand, theravages of Mother Nature in her assault on major highways in thatarea; to the Central Northeast,Kootenay and Thompson/Okanagan Regions to explain the process indeveloping theTransportation Plan; to the South Coast Region to open the PacificInternational Auto Show and tomeet Regional managers; to theVancouver Island Region for theWESTAC Annual Conference andthe recent meeting of the Associ ation of Vancouver IslandMunicipalities.
In all areas, input fromMinistryemployees has been tremendously positive. I appreciate your as-
sistance and wholehearted support. Thank you.
The Honourable Neil VantMinister
Transportation andHighways
In This IssueFROM THE DEPUTY MINISTER
2
Messages fromtheMinister and theDeputy Minister 2
Regional secretariesmeet 3Bruce McKeown discusses
planning and major projects .3The process of building a new
highway 4Letters 5Long service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Privatization progress report .. 6On the front lines with our
avalanche section 8Telecommunications branch 9Before &. after bluffs 9Radio room operators 10School presentation brings the
traffic to the kids 11A new look in signing 12In the past 13In the field 14Profile 16
The last three months wereextremely busy for Ministry staff. This past winter
has been agoodreminder of whatwinter is all about - heavy snowfalls, fluctuations in temperature,abnormal weather conditions.With Spring just around the corner, I wantto take thisopportunityto thank you for a job well doneunder stressful circumstances.
In bringing you up-to-date onthe status of the Ministryreorganization, I am pleased to reportthat over 100 jobs have beenposted since the beginning of theyear.Almost fortyof these areasadirectresult of thereorganization.I expect a great percentage ofmanagement level positions willbe filled within the next fewmonths as newpostings arebeingadvertised each week.
The process is lengthy and I appreciate your patience during thelastsixmonths.
Vince Collins,
Deputy Mini"., ITransportation andHighways
FROM THE EDITOR
Thisisoursecond edition ofthe newly designed RoadRunneh I hope that you
find the contents both interestingand informative. As we have observed before, ourMinistry is undergoing many profound longterm changes, so there is alwaysnews these days about newinitiatives and plans, along with ongoingprograms, to pass along toyou.
I have appreciated your comments and suggestions for theRoad Runner, and would liketo encourage youto send more, Pleaselet us know about any specialevents coming up in your region,or tip usoff about employees withinteresting talents, jobs or hob-
bies that we can interview andprofile. Anything at all that youthinkwill beof interest, wewouldlike to hear about. If you havequestions about the Ministry policies, plans, procedures, etc.- don't hesitate to ask usfor thefacts. We will endeavour to publish answers for you in futureissues.
In this issue, we have includedstories about some very interesting people doingimportant workthroughout the province, as wellas some detailed informationabout major programs presentlyunderway and upcoming.
Thank-you for reading! Pleasebe in touch.
BettyNicholson
Bruce McKeownDiscusses Planningand Major Projects
I ~
REGIONAL SECRETARIES MEET Bruce McKeown
Regional secretaries: From left to right (standing): Gwen Gordy, CentralNortheast in Prince George; Cathy MacDonald, Vancouver Island inNaneimo, Pauline Thomas, Thompson/Okanagan inKamloops; Bernice Lindal,South Coast inBurnaby, (Seated): Karen Shephard, ActingRegional Manager, Financial Services, Nanaimo; Thelma Campbell, Northwestin Terrace; Maureen McCrae, Kootenays in Nelson.
For the first time in the history ofthe Ministry, Regional secretariesgathered together this month fora day at Headquarters. Their major goal was to discuss concernsrelating to their roles in the neworganization and to identify pro-
cedures thatcould bestreamlinedor standardized in order to increase efficiency. By the end ofthe day, each secretary felt thewholeprocess had been extremely worthwhile and informative.
O ver the last severalmonths, the Ministryhas increased the em
phasis on transportation planningand strengthened ourplanning capability, both in the regional offices and at Headquarters.
The Headquarters Planning Division is under the direction ofBruce McKeown, Assistant Deputy Minister Planning and MajorProjects. This division is responsible for developing and refiningtransportation strategies, policies, programs and priorities, andprovides a consistent frameworkfor transportation planning beingconducted ineach Region. The Division is composed of twoBranches, Highway Planning andPlanning Services.
Inaddition, Mr McKeown is responsible for the management ofmajor highway projects and thedevelopment of Project management techniques and systems inuse both at Headquarters andRegions.
"There have always been formsof project management in theMinistry",hesays. "but theywerenot well developed. Lines of responsibility were not clear andthere was inadequate control ofbudgets and scope changes overthe multi-year life of major projects. Another majorproblem wasthe compartmentization of functions; planning, design, land acquisition, and construction. A keyprinciple now is to place the responsibility for all facets of theprojectwith one person whoisaccountable for the overallprogram."
Major Projects"A number of major projects willbemanaged out of Victoria, eachone in excess of $50million, withplanning, design and constructionspanning multiple years, and other complexities. "
The first of these projects - andone which will serve as a proto-
3
THE PROCESS OF BUILDING A NEW HIGHWAYBuilding a highway is not as simple as some would like tothink. Listed here are thevarious steps leading to thecompletion of a new highway system:
4
type - has been the OkanaganConnector, which will connect TheCoquihalla Highway to Peachlandin theOkanagan Valley, considerablyreducing thedrivingtimebetween Vancouver and the Okanagan. Gregg Singer is the ProjectDirector; under Gregg is the ProjectManager Rob Ahola. The costof the projectis $225 million.
"OVERALLMANAGEMENT ISTHE KEY"
"We're aiming to complete theproject in the fall of 1990",McKeown says. "Our original target was 1991 , but, following direction to expedite completion, itis now Fall 1990. New management techniques have made iteasier to achieve the earlier date,and with ourprojectmanagementsystem we are confident we havefullcontrol of allcostand scheduling implications.
"The director knows the statusof the project at all times, especially with thecash flow situation.He is responsible for the wholecost of delivery in accordancewith the overall and the yearlybudgets. This is a major changefrompast years, when theemphasis was annual. "
Othermajor projects describedby McKeown include:
• OkanaganHighway 97
A series of major improvementsand highway widenings will takeplace here to serve growingtrafficpatterns. Two jobsareunderway,one inVernon (the32nd Street extension), the second in Summerland (Widening the stretch ofHighway 97 fromBentley Road toTrout Creek). Rodney Chapman isthe Project Director.
• Vancouver IslandHighway
This very large package (With a$600million-plus budget) of Vancouver Island Highway improvements was announced last November. The work will includeupgrading the Pat Bay Highway(between Swartz Bay and Victoria) and a portion of the TransCanada Highway (justnorthof theCapital city) to freeway standard,the balance of the Trans-CanadaHighway to Nanaimo being upgraded to expressway standard.Around Nanaimo and North toCampbell River anewinland highway will bebuilt to freeway standards. The scope of the variouscomponents iscurrently being defined, planning and preliminarydesign are underway, cost estimates and schedules being confirmed. BillWeir has been retainedas Project Director with ProjectManager Richard James from theMinistry. The program is targetedto complete in 1996.
• Cassiar ConnectorThis $85 million project in EastVancouver will upgrade 2.3 kmofthe Trans-Canada Highway between the Second NarrowsBridge to the Freeway in Burnabyto full freeway standard. Two major interchanges will beconstructed as well asa 730 m tunnel for aportion of the freeway to minimize impacts on the adjacentcommunity.The consulting firmofFenco Lavalin is responsible forthe projectmanagement. Projectcompletion is scheduled for late1991.
• "Sea-to-Sky"Highway 99 - Horseshoe Bay toSquamish. This project is in theearly stage now,withstafflookingat the mostadvantageous strategy to improve the highway corridor. Design and construction to
follow. Ross Coates is the ProjectDirector.
• Burnaby FreewayGregg Singer is also responsiblefordeveloping astrategy tomaximize the Transportation capacityof the Burnaby Freeway betweenthe Cassiar Connector and thePort Mann Bridge area of theTrans-Canada Highway.
Planning"Planning has previously been primarily a headquarters function inthe Ministry", McKeown comments, "but we are shifting theemphasis. There will now be aplanning function built into thestructure of each region, to bemore responsive to local considerations. Each region will have aManager of Planning.
"The planning inVictoria will refocus its scope with emphasis onestablishing a framework forplan-
I . Request for Capital Project2. Determine design standards3. Preliminary design
A. Aerial photography ofproposed new section
B. Develop constructionalternatives andvariations on routing
C. Estimate costsD. Collect wide range of
related dataL Conduct environmental
and social impactstudies
F. Evaluate alternativesand choose optimum
4. Soil Studies5. Engineering survey6. Detailed design7. Property acquisition
ning at the regions, program development, policy, and projectplanning in support of major projects. This work will be the responsibility of Glen McDonald,who has recently been appointedto theposition of Executive Director of Transportation Planning."McDonald has two branches under hisdirection - Highway Planning and Planning Services - aswell as foursenior policyadvisorsand a legislative officer.
These transport advisors (Marine, Air, Rail/Pipeline and Highway), areeach responsible fordeveloping policies for thesemodes. Their staff will carry outresearch , provide advice andmonitor trends in their particularmode. A branch legislative officerwill provide material relating tolegislation.
The Highway Piannlng Branchhas fourworking areas:• Program Planning - with over-
8. Utility relocation9. Schedule construction
10. Obtain funding approval11. Tender12. Construction Phase
A. Clear and grub landB. Blasting (if required)C. Build roadbed, curbs
and gutters or pullouts,etc.
D. Construct bridges,culverts, retaining walls
L PaveF. Manage traffic during
construction withdetours, etc.
13. Fence, sign, landscape, etc.14. Open and schedule
maintenance standards
LONG SERVICE EMPLOYEESRECOGNIZED
view planning of the inter-regional trunk highway system, development of one and multi-yearprograms, and participation in inter-provincial and national highway studies.• Project Planning -where thefocus is on individual projects, withdetailed site planning; often insupport of Major Projects.• Highway Planning - whose roleistheprovisionof central servicesin support of planning goingon inthe Regions.• Municipal Programs - with responsibility for cost-sharing andpolicyprograms related to transportation and highways in themunicipalities.
The Planning Services Branchwill be responsible for providingrequired traffic information to allplanning offices in headquartersand in theregions. It has researchand analysis capabilities and willadminister the photologinventory.
In summary, Bruce says of allthese far-reaching changes, "Theoverall thrust is to put into placean organization that can anticipate changing conditions, assessouroptions, recommend theoptimum action program, and thendeliver the approved programwith tight compliance to established scope, budget andschedule."
Deputy Minister Vince Collins,in announcing the changes lastfall, said, "The transportationneeds of British Columbia arechanging rapidly. A knowledgeable and effective Ministry isakeyelement in achieving desirableeconomic progress. Our organization 's efforts focus our resources to meet the many challenges in providing B.C. with afirst-dass transportation system.These changes will also providemany new career opportunitiesand make our Ministrya rewarding place to build a future."
fAST AND fAIRDear Mr. Vant:Recently I sold my house and toclose the sale I subdivided theproperty into two parcels.
Before starting this venture, Ihad heard all sorts of commentsabout how slow and uncooperative were the employees of theHighways Ministry and the system they represented.
I want you to know this is nottrue! I have found the employeesresponsive, to beswift, theirconcernsgenuine, theprocedures fairand equitable; in short this hasbeen amost interesting and pleasantexperience.Particularly I would like to recognize these two employees:Mr. R.G. deGraffDistrict Planning TechnicianGibson, B.C. VON 1VO
Mr. Harold HunterRegional Approving OfficerBurnaby, B.C. V3N 4N8
Yours truly,Wayne Nesbitt
OnNovember 24, 56 longserviceemployees weretreated to a 'social hour' in Victoria by theMinistry, before heading to the dinnerat Government House. Transportation and Highways Minister NeilVant welcomed everyone andcongratulated all the employeeson thei r dedication togovernment.
Elaine Minnis, Brenda Tresidderand Shirley Duncan of Personnel ,Headquarters , presented eachguest witharedcarnation corsage
LETTERSMESSAGE fROM ATRAVELLERThis little poem was written byone of the truck drivers who useour facilities on a regular basis.
There you areinyourglassenclosure
Protected from nature andcertain exposure.
You are what we call a TollBooth Troll.
Your job is to collectahighwaytoll.
Through cold winternightsandhot summer days
You are there to make certainthat everyone pays.
To a weary driveryou're awelcome sight
With a nicewarm smile on acold winters night.
The job you're doing, youprobablyhate
But to all of us drivers, wethinkyou'regreat.
ChrisCoquihalla Toll Booth
or boutonniere.Double decker buses trans
ferred the honoured guests toGovernment House and returnedthem to theChateau Victoria afterthe dinner.
The followingemployees, havereached thequarter-century or 35year level with government:
Turn to p. 14 for ourcontinuousservice awards recipients in1988
STUDENTS LEARNABOUT TRAffiCSIGNALSOn January 31 st, Wayne Keiserand Tony Hrykobrought thetrafficsignal light system to my schoolfor grade sixes to observe.
The two men were veryefficientin setting up the apparatus (Withno disruption to the school) .Wayne's commentary to the students was very good. He wascautious in using language theywould understand.
Wayne and I had agreed to trythis "primary display" on gradesixes astheyhad justcompleted abasic unit in electricity. The ideawas worthwhile as the studentswere interested butelectronically,their knowledge is limited. As aresult, we would not attempt thepresentation with older elementary students again. For primarystudents, it is excellent.
I appreciate Wayne's flexibllltyinattempting to tryout theapparatus on older students. Wayneshould becommended forvisitingourschool aweek early inordertoassess thefacilities needed forhisdemonstration.
Tony's efforts in creating themodel lamps and inassisting weremuch appreciated.
I enjoyed meeting Tony andWayne. Thank you for allowingthem to make a presentation atour school. Their visit was definitelyworthwhile.
Yours sincerely,Chuck McNicholl
Science TeacherDavidOppenheimer
Elementary School \Vancouver
Editors Note: Please see articleon page 11 to learn more aboutElectrical Branch's informativeprogram.
5
PrivatizationProgressReport- The
Contractor'sView
Dave Senechal receiving key to Mainroad Contracting 'syard fromMLA for Delta, john Savage. From
left: RodFru, President; Hon. Elwood Veitch, Ministerof Regional Development; Hon. john Savage;
joe Wurz, Secretary-Treasurer; Bill Baker, DHH - LowerMainland; Dave Senechal; Bill Whittaker, U.P.
The privatization of roadand bridge maintenance isnow virtually complete, In
this issue, we present commentsfrom former employees and contractors we contacted around theprovince recently to get somesense of how they now see themoveinto privatization.
These opinions obviously donot represent any comprehensiveor final say on thematter- merelysome feedback at thisearly stageof thegame.
Dave Senechal E.quipment ManagerMainroad Contracting.New Westminster.
Mainroad - previously theNewWestminster District - is an employee-owned groupof 140or sopartners who went into businessas a company on November I.Equipment Manager Dave Senechal had previously held theposition of Mechanical Foreman forDelta and Cloverdale.
"It's been goingwell", hesays."It was a shock to startwith. Wethought we were all being fired!
6
Then wedecided thatwemightaswell make ourown jobs.
"It was a lot of work. We stillhada job to do with the government. It tookayearor soto complete the process - a stressfulyear, to put it mildly. Afterwegotrolling, three or fourmonths afterprivatization, things started toturn around. People began makingsuggestions about how we couldsave money, courses we neededand licenses that had to berenewed.
"Morale and motivation areexcellent now. Most of us areveryhappy with the way things havegone. Wehave bid ona couple ofjobs, and found that wecan compete successfully against othercompanies. We've been able tosay, 'Hey! Our workmanship isbetter!'"
Mainroad's three-year contractwith theMinistryincludes bridge,road and sign maintenance in theold New Westminster District, averybigarea, with thelargest andbusiest traffic flow in theprovince.
"We have a lot of special prob-
lerns", Senechal says. "There istoo much traffic for day work, sowedo a lot of it at night.Also, wehave fiveswing bridges, whichnoone else has to deal with, and ahuge number of signs in severalmunicipalities. We have the largest bridge crew in the province.Wehave to use ouringenuity; ourservice program has to begood;wedoalot of careful planning andlooking ahead.
"We're working well with thecontract managers. It's no longera family, it's now a business, butwestill have agoodworking relationship with them. "
According to Senechal, operations meetings are held once amonth with foremen, contractmanagers, the district highwaysmanager and the company's executive group, to discuss " thegeneral situation, problems andsolutions". Occasional shareholdermeetings areheldas well like the onelate in February - "tolet everybody know how it'sgoing.
"Many of us have long experience with government", Sene-
chal says, "and this has been awhole new ballgame. But we'reoverthehump now,and nobody'slooking back.
"We have more control overour own destiny. Local control iswonderful ; we can get answersand design solutions faster thanever before. We inherited a lotthat isvaluable fromgovernment.For instance, we feel we have oneof the best preventive maintenance programs in Canada; we'llkeep it up. We have some of thebest sanding equipment anywhere, and we'll stay with it.
"It's exciting and interesting tobe able to go out and compete.It's a greatway to keep our peoplemotivated; they feel more appreciated; theycan see theirownprogress. Some of them are findingcustomers forusontheirown;we haven't had to advertise .Some customers who arefamiliarwith ourworkknowthatwe knowwhat we're doing. Wetake prideinourwork,wealways have.Government gaveme and others excellent training, and we aren'thappy about losing that.
"Overall, however, we're really ment staff, they are the largest tions for theMinistryfor 14years, the future looks bright, and we
enthusiastic about privatization. maintenance group in the prov- says that th ings have been want to keep it that way. "
We'll be in business for years." ince in terms of manpower and "super. "equipment. "Weget agold starfrom every- Don Neilson - Vice-
Ken Smith - Road We spoke with Gordon Shan- bodyI talk to", hesays, "CBC Ra- President CapilanoForeman, Trendline non, Vice-President Operations, dio called usa prime example of Highways Services Co,Industries, Cranbrook inmidFebruary. Shannon had pre- the success of the newprivatiza-
viously been with Bel Construe- tion program. Capilano's contract mainte-Trendl ine is responsible for tion,aprivatecompany. "How'sit "We aim to match or exceed nance area is the old North Van-
bridge and road maintenance in going?" heresponded to our first past standards . If a problem /West Van - Squamish Whistler -the Cranbrook, Invermere and question. " Really well - i f it arises, we check the contract to Pemberton area, now called theFernie area. They went into busl- would stop snowing." see if we can do better. Moraleis Howe Sound Highways District.ness on October 20, with about Shannon describes theperiod prl- sky-high. We've assumed an ag- (The private company has just100people on the payroll. or to privatization as "confusing gresslve, posit ive posture, and been awarded a three year con-
" Lately, it's been excellent", and difficult." are getting better utilization of tract for the Sunshine Coast Dis-says Road Foreman Ken Smith, "The Ministry employees had equipment, despite the fact that trict effective, March 1, 1989).who held the same position pre- some heavy decisions to make it's been a record winter for pre- Capilano was a constructionviously with the Ministry. "It was prior to privatization", he says, cipitation. We're losing money company before taking over thevery stressful at the beginning, "and a lot of people were feeling butwewon't lowerourstandards. road and bridge maintenance con-not knowing where we werego- pretty insecure. Once they got The financial situation will lrn- tracts on November 15. Accord-ing. It was hard on everybody. past the initial transition period, proveonce the weather eases. ingto Vice-President Don NeilsonSince October 20th, a great (who was not a Ministryemploy-weight has been lifted off all our ee before privatization) the com-shoulders . Enthusiasm is up; " It's exciting and interesting to be able to go pany hired about 75 percent ofwe're incharge ourourowndestl- out and compete. It's a great way to keep our our former employees in thenies, and that's proved to be a Howe Sound area, bringing thatpowerful motivation." people motivated ... Overall we're really total staff complement to 80.
Trendline is owned by the No- enthusiastic about privatization." "We survived thewinter" Neil-hels Corporation of Sparwood, a son says, "whichwas quiteachal-construction company, with the lenge. Ournewmandate has beenstandard three-year Ministry things settled down nicely. Now "We've had some weird epl- a refreshing change for us as wecontract. we're getting good public feed- sodes to deal with this winter. At werealways involved inhighways
"Someotherworkhas begun to back, and concentrating exclu- onepoint, wewouldget 20cmof construction before. We've beencome ourway", Smith says, "and sively on our Highways contract. snow in the morning, then rain, helped greatly by the excellentwecan anticipate a lot morein the Wehaven't got thetimeor the in- then freezing, creating tremen- crew that came over from thefuture. But these days, we're in- clination to look for other work dously severe maintenance Ministry. They have been supertent on doing a good job for the right now. problems. - verysupportive, providing lotsgovernment, and haven't really "Morale is better than it ever "But as I say, crew morale is of positive input and energy.much timefor anything else. Gen- was. Company relationships area high. Less red tape, higher pay, We've been impressed with theirerally,we'reveryhappy about the lot more personal ; theelimination local control, opportunities for skills and theyhave helped uslm-way it's going." of red tapeand theestablishment overtime - all this has helped. measurably in dealing with a
of local control over day-to-day Gettingoutof thebureaucracy has rough winter.operations has been great." been verygood for us. "We've taken on some other
Gordon Shannon - Vice- "Sure, it was hard initially. We work, besides the contract with
President Operations, Bel Mike ZyliCI - General took over on December 1, and I Highways - some vehicle and
Maintenance Inc. (Nelson) Manager, North Coast lost a lot of sleep that week. So road maintenance, aswell as out-
Road Maintenance Ltd., did a lot of ourother people." sidesnowploughing and we'll beBel Maintenance is a privately- Terrace "Our relationship with the area bidding on smaller jobs for the
owned company that assumed managers is excellent. Ofcourse, municipalities astheyarise. We'rethe road and bridge maintenance North Coast has responsibility they are friends and colleagues in a stronger position than we'vecontract for the Kootenay Bound- for road and bridge maintenance fromtimes past; Wehaven't taken everbeen before, with the influxary, Selkirk and Central Kootenay in the Skeena Highways District. onany otherworkyet because we of experienced Ministry people.districts inOctober. Withapproxi- General Manager Mike Zylicz, don't want to compromise our We 're pleased to have acrewlikemately 450 hourly and manage- who worked in a varietyof posi- Highways contract. Right now, that around."
J
7
On The Front Lines 1. •. \ .'\.. ""
With Our Avalanche Section \I ,'. " .'
• ,I , ..... ,r
Heightof snowonHwy 37 reached a maximum' 4. ~
of 18metres andaveraged 15m. \.r~
The Ministry's Snow Avalanche Section has its work cut out for it;maintaining a province-wide avalanche management program.There are 40 different areas in the province with avalanche prob
lems, and about 1000 km of highway in 20 districts directly below avalanche paths.
The objectives of the section sound straightforward enough:
Snow Avalanche Section Staff, at the Victoria office.Left to right: BillMoffat.
Operations Analyst, Sylvia Preto, Data Analyst, AliciaGentile, OfficeAssistant.
MartinMadelung. Technical Officer, Janice'Johnson, Senior Technical Officer,
Carol Magee. Secretary.
8
• to maintainpublic safety onthehighways
• to ensureMinistry and contractpersonnel safety
• to minimize interruptions totrafficBut, of course, there is much
more to this important work thanfirstmeets theeye. The AvalancheSection was set up in 1974. Thestaff totals some 30 people inwinter, dropping to 24or25 inthesummer.The Victoriastaffof eightprovides direction and co-ordination to DistrictAvalanche Technicians and others throughout theprovince. This group includes
GeoffFreer, Head of the Section,Senior Technical Officer JaniceJohnson, Snow Avalanche Technician Randy Stevens, Gordon Bonwick, Nic Seaton, Bill Moffat,Martin Madelung, Carol Magee,Alicia Gentile, Sylvia Preto, andBrenda Madelung.
There aresixDistrict AvalancheTechnicians at work in the province. with from one to four areasto look after in their district. FourSnow Avalanche Technicians eachlook after a number of smallerareas in several districts.The jobsof the District AvalancheTechnicians and their assistants
arevaried.They include snow stability analysis and avalanche hazard forecasting. which involvesmonitoring weather forecasts.taking weather observations regarding avalanche occurrencesand goingup into the higher elevations to do snow profiles (lookingat thelayers inthesnow pack).Two people, bothwith theirindustrial first-aid tickets. travel together to carry out these tasks.They come upwith asnowstability analysis and determine if thereis a hazard to the highway. It'sthese people onthefrontlinewhorecommend preventive closuresto their District HighwaysManagers.
There are important steps thathelp to minimize avalanche hazards and meetsafety objectives:
Long Term• Location of aplanned highway- Is it in an avalanche area? Can itbemoved?• Building avalanche defensestructures - Mounds. stoppingdams. diversion dams or snowsheds (which areby far the mostexpensive)
Day to Day• Preventive closures - The mostfrequently used method in B.C.,
occurring when the avalanchehazard forecast ishigh. Roads arere-opened only when the hazardhas decreased.
Technicians inseveral areas alsocarry out avalanche controlthrough the use of explosives.and, when necessary. conductsearch and rescue operations.Various methods of control withexplosives may be utilized, depending upon location, snowpack, instability. etc.These methods include:• The "Avalauncher" - a devicewhich fires nitrogen-propelledtwo kilo charges of PEIN (a typeof explosive). with a maximumrange ofabout 1000metres. Usedin the Kootenay Pass, Bear Pass,and the Revelstoke area, but hasproblems in strong winds.• 105 mm recoiless rifles - themostcommon method.• Avalanche control ropeways(at two locations onlyin theprovince) which are similar to chairlifts.They carry a radio and a littlecomputer, and aresent up the hillto pre-set locations. They thenlower and ignite the explosives.These arethe first such devices tobe employed in North America.although they are common inEurope.• Helicopter bombing - explosives dropped directly into the
edge of a cliff 185metres aboveSiocan Lake. It narrows to onelane for 1 km at the bluffs whichrise 220moverhead. Plans for theroadway involve widening the 1kmsection to two lanes and rehabilitating a further 5 km portion.Improvements will include a continuous roadside barrier on outside shoulder, a 3.6 meter wideditch to catch falling rock andsnow, and 197metres of concreteretaining wall.
(Thanks to Jennifer Bruce, Geotechnical Clerk at Nelson, for theinformation and photo.)
Mike McCooey (right), Communications Technician Region 6, andassistant Les
Stapels, in the Cloverdale repair shop.
Phil Best, Art Barry, Greg Valksand Lome BonderoffofTraffic andDesign Branch , Kootenays Region, created a scale model ofwhat the Cape Horn Bluffs willlooklikeaftertheMinistryfinishesits proposed improvements. Themodel was builtwith a removablesection showing a "before and after" scheme and was partof apresentation in New Denver with theHonourable Neil Vant in midDecember.
The Bluffs arelocated betweenSiocan and Silverton on Highway6. The present road is builton the
BEFORE AND AFTER BLUFFS
LaryJoe (top) andMike Pepin,
Electronic Technologists, in the
communications radio labin Victoria.
Communications Engineer GarthShearing says of the Telecommunications Branch, "It's our jobto plan, design, engineer, buildand maintain radio communication systems employed by theMinistry. Eighty percent of ourworkisonmobile radio systems invehicles and offices. Efficientcommunications arecrucial, especially during emergency operationtimes.
"The planning, designing andengineering is done in Victoria.Our lab builds special items, andtakes care of paper work forengineering, licensing andadministration.
"The control centres ineach Regionarethenerve network of ourprovlndal radio system. Weprovide equipment and advice forthem, though they are administered bytheirregional people. Wego out into the field to aid in theselection of sites and installationof new equipment. The Cloverdalegroup is involved in all newconstruction. "
TELECOMMUNICATIONS BRANCH - MINISTRY HEADQUARTERS
"
avalanche path; can onlybedonewhen theweather allows thehelicopter to fly.• Case charging - bags of explosives are placed at the foot ofshort slopes and detonated.Shock waves moveup the slopeand dislodge the snow.
Snow and District AvalancheTechnicians are also heavily involved in training staff and contract maintenance personnel inavalanche awareness, safetymeasures, search and rescue procedures, and weatherobservation.
Janice Johnson, Senior TechnicalOfficer in Victoria, conducts a"storm watch" around the province. The officeacts asa communications co-ordination centre forsnow avalanche technicians in thefield.
"The winter of 88-89 washeavy untiltheArcticfrontmoveddown", she says. "More like the'normal' winters of 12or 15yearsago. Our people were really onthe go this season, with severalbig storm cycles coming through.We have had a break lately, butthe avalanche season will not beoveruntil lateAprilorMay,sowewill bestaying with it."
...."
\ " ",' \
.".
~ "
9
Radio Room Operators
For highways crews, theyare the reassuring voice in theregional office.
Inourlastissue, we briefly outlined theoperations ofthe Ministry's communications centre at the Burnaby Regionoffice. These include such things as functioning as thecentraldispatch office, collecting weather data and providing roadreports for the public and the media.
•Pat's radio equipment thatputsher
in touch with field staff.
throughout the Region are29 repeater sites and I000 mobile radios in vehicles, offices, shops,helicopters and aboard ferries.This Region covers the area fromOsoyoos to the Alberta bordereast-west, and fromthe U.S. borderto mile 194at theMicaaccessnorth-south.
There are several high passeshere, including the Rogers Passand Sarno-Creston, both over1800metres. Winter closures foravalanches are frequent. "When
iar to me, butwhose faces I don'tknow. I'm their regular link toheadquarters; I know what's going on right through the region.
"Theworkgetsheavy when theweather is dicey. Avalanches canbea problem in the Pine Pass andalong the Alberta border, fromRed Pass near Mount Robson toJasper. There is a steady flow ofinquiries and we put out regularupdates for radio stations and theRCMP.
"Irate calls come in once in awhile, with complaints about iceor snow. Sometimes, people justneed someone to talk to. It's almost like being a crisis linecounsellor in the winter,"
PatPickering is the senior operator in thecommunications centre in Nelson, Region 3. Scattered
to Sicamous. There arefive regularoperators in the Kamloops radio room, and one relief.
"I love it" , Annie says. "Thereareroutine aspects to the job, butno two days arethe same. All theguys outonthehighway arelikeasecond family to me. When it's2:00 a.m. out on the Coquihallaand a crewman is alone and lonely, it's important that they havesomeone friendly and familiarthey can relyon."
Emergency calls frequentlycome in to the radio rooms, concerning highway and other typesof accidents.
"It can be heartbreaking attimes", Annie comments. "Wetalk to some very upset people,and have toget rightonto thepolice and ambulance. We contactthehospital sotheyknowwhattoexpect.
"Some hilarious questions arephoned in, fromallovertheprovince, and as far away as Alaskaand California.They wantto knowwhat the road to Vancouver willbe like in two weeks, or theweather. I've even been askedhow much a marriage licensecosts. But we direct people asbest we can; that's what we'rehere for.
"I'm lucky; I enjoy communications somuch. It's a jobthatgivesyou a feeling of self-worth. I likebeing a public servant."
Doreen lambano is the radiooperator (with one relief) for Region4 at Prince George. The CentralNortheast region isthe largestin the province, stretching northto Fort St. John, south to WilliamsLake, east to the Alberta borderand west to Fraser Lake. Sheworks from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00p.rn., after which time Burnabytakes over.
Doreen has been on the job for10 years. "I like lt", she says."There is a whole family of folksout there whose voices arefamil-
Annie isveryenthusiastic aboutherjob,which she has been doingfor 15years. Region 2 covers thearea from 100Mile House in thenorthof Princeton and Penticton inthesouth; westto Lytton and east
Annie Collins, Radio Room Operator.
dedicated group of individualsupon whom maintenance crews sometimes located hundreds ofkm away in isolated locations depend for information, guidanceand support.
Annie Collins, radio operatorat Kamloops for Region 2, says,"We do a lot of what they do atBurnaby for our Region. We gatherweather observations and roadreports from foremen which aresent to other regions, answer allcalls fromthepublic and assist theRCMP."
Radio RoomOperators - Keypeople in RegionalCommunicationsWe interviewed several radioroom operators around the province forthisissue of theRoad Runner,and discovered thattheyarea
This information is relayedacross Canada to two companiesin Montreal and Halifax, andbroadcast throughout the day onthe national cable network Channel 23. In addition, BCAA receives the same information,which theypass onto theirmembers. Manyradio stations can access the centre by computer andreceive road and weather reportsvia Email.
The communication centre handles all these chores and more,and takes over radio room responsibility after hours (from approximately 3:00 p.m. to 8:00a.m.) intheCentral Northeast andVancouver Island region. Northwest, Thompson/Okanagan andKootenay regions however, operate a full service 24 hours a day,performing similar functions fortheir regions as the communication centre does for the lowermainland.
10
Wayne Keiser explaining the unitto Wayne Scott, Trade Supervisor withElectrical District inSouth Coast Region, whowill be teaching thenext session.
SCHOOL PRESENTATION BRINGSTHE TRAFfiC TO THE KIDS
that happens, it getscrazy here",says Pat, who, with the centre'sother operators, arebusy aroundtheclock. Inthesummer,onlyoneradio operator is needed until3:00 p.rn. when Burnaby takesover.
After 15 years on the job, Patstill finds it "enjoyable and interesting." "There is always something different going on", shesays. "It's rough when there arebad accidents, like in 1976whenthree cars were lost in an avalanche. Andnot longago, aman inTrout Lake cut his arm off with asaw and actually managed to callme. Weworkclosely with the police, ambulances and media.Sometimes there are dangerouscargo spills, and traffic has to bere-routed.
"Crew members in remoteareas callintotalkin themiddleofthe night. It's a pretty big worldwhen you're out there alone. Iknoweveryone bynumber: I don'tknowall theirnames. When Imeetthem atasocial, I say 'ohyoumustbe R307!'"
The Nelson communicationscentre also programs electronicoverhead signs at Golden and Revelstoke for the Rogers Pass, andothers at Salmo and Creston.Weather information is picked upfrom 45 stations, relayed to theDepartment of Environment inVancouver, as well as Americanand Alberta automobileassociations.
"It's a heavy job at times", Patsays. "But it's really great, verysatisfying."
(jordon Russell isaradioroomoperator in Terrace, Region 5. Hehas held similar positions in Nelson and Kamloops, moving toTerrace in 1981. The Region runsfromthe Yukon border to Kitimat,and fromthe Queen Charlotte Islands to Burns Lake.
"It's been a busy winter", Gordon says. "Three highways - 16,
37, and 37A - wereclosed inJanuary with avalanches, but wereopened soon afterwards.
"I enjoy the job. I liketalking todifferent people, and answeringcalls fromas faraway as Los Angeles, with people wanting toknow about whether they canbringthe motor homes, and howthe road will be in a few weeks.You have to keep yoursense of humour and be diplomatic whenyou're talking to the public. Itdoes get intense at times, especially when there are avalanchesdown.Then thenews media, localpeople and travellers areclamouring to knowwhat'sgoingon."
Alma Demmit also works intheTerrace radio room, thegraveyardshift (12:00 midnight to 8:00a.m.).
"This winter was a little moreexciting than lastyear ", she says,"with moresnow and a fair numberof avalanches."
Highways crews startcalling inweather observations to Almaearly in themorning, with the firstone coming in about 4:00 a.m.fromPort Clements. Calls from 15other stations continue over thenext couple of hours.
Like all radio room operators,Alma has her share of emergencies to deal with. In lateFebruary,forexample, there was alarge fueltruck spillon thehighway justoutof Terrace. She called the Provincial Highways Emergency Program and the RCMP, and helpedto co-ordinate for highwayscrews dealing with the cleanup.
"The graveyard shift is relatively quiet", she says. "Someone hasto bethere for theplowand sanding crews - a reassuring personwho can contact emergency people when required, or call out atow-truck. It's likeasecurity blanket for the guys up north on 37and 37A, where it's a long waybetween communities. Sometimes I'm theironlycontact."
Inanovel experiment, ourElectrical Branch has been bringing thetraffic to the kids. And the resultsareinteresting and encouraging.
Ray Reekie, Regional DistrictManager at the Electrical Branch,in Coquitlam, told us about theproject. Tradesmen in the shopbuilt a four-foot by three-footworking model of a typical urbanintersection, complete withmatchbox-type toy cars and electrically operated traffic lights. Apresentation was arranged at anelementary school inMapleRidgein mid-January, and repeatedtwice in late February.
"Theobjectof theexercise is toimprove the children's trafficawareness", Reekie says. "Themodel operates like a real intersection. We run the toy carsacross thedisplay board, and thatchanges the signal. We showthem how the push-button systemworks, and explain why theydon't have to panic at the flashinghand. We also explain what the
other signals mean. I observedthe first session, and thestudentsreally enjoyed it."
Shop Supervisor Wayne Keiseractually does the presentation,and will beseen onthevideothathas been made ofoneof hisrecentschool sessions.
"I enjoy it too, as much as thekids", Keiser says. "Typical questions concern advance warningamber lights - what does thatmean? They also want to knowwhat makes the lights change,what the flashing green arrowmeans, and what it means whenthe intersection light is flashingamber and red.
"The primary level children arethebestto workwith (grades 1-3)because they're still positive, enthusiastic and curious."
In the works for possible futureuse at other schools is the aforementioned video presentation,and abrochure to giveto thechildren to take home, which summarizes the information.
11
The Ministry implements a new program fortourist services, facilities and attractionsin B.C.
A New LookIn Signing
and attractions whileat the sametime strengthening our local andprovincial economies."
The Minister of Tourism andProvincial Secretary Bill Reidagrees thatthenewsigning policy"represents an important stage inour ongoing program to enhanceand develop British Columbia'stourism industry."
" I want to congratulate theMinistry of Transportation andHighways for taking theresponsibility for designing the signs anddevelopingstandards and eligibility criteria. They have done a terrific job, and we will soon haveoneof the best such signing systems in North Americain place.
"The system brings a newlevelof form and order to the sceniclandscape, showing thateffectivesigning can complement naturalsurroundings. On the highway,the new signs have been welcomed by thepublic, and have al-
addition, wewill effectively cleanup rights-of-wayacross theprovince by removing unnecessarysigns, and enhance their scenicvalue.
"Pilot signing projects havedemonstrated that thenewpolicylives up to our expectations. Thefirst signs were installed in theSpring of 1988 between Hopeand Cache Creek. They successfullymet the needs expressed byboth the service operators andthe public for clear, consistenthighway directional signing.
"The second pilot project.which commenced in July 1988,involved the installation of newsigns between Victoria and PortHardy. Again , feedback is positive. Asa result, we areproceeding quickly with implementationof the program province-wide." The benefits are two-fold: we
can better advise the travellingpublic of the location of facilities
Headquarters Traffic SectionStaff FUtch Wood andJanet Abramoff, will be
travelling around theprovince to assist RegionalCoordinatorsin introducing
thenewsign program to business operators.
TOURISTATTRACTION
er continuing programs such ascommunity welcome and areapromotion,aswellascombinationservice club and church signs. Radiostations signing ineach districtwill also receive a newlook.
"The Ministry of Transportationand Highways is one of the keyplayers in British Columbia'sgrowing tourist industry", comments ourMinister Neil Vant.
"Our new signing program represents an excellent step forward in providing clearer, betterinformation onsigns that areconsiderably larger than those previously allowed under permit. In
The new policy provides forstandardized signing in both ruraland urban areas.The main emphasis and change isintherural areas.where new. larger signs will display titles (such as gas, food,lodging, camping, tourist attraction), business name panels anddirectional markings. In urbanareas, new white and blue standardsymbols will identifyprovincially approved services whererequired.
Signs will be produced, installed and maintained by theMinistry of Transportation andHighways through each contractor with nocharge to thebusinessoperators.
To be eligible, businesses mustmeet the standards establishedby both Ministries and must beopento thepublic at least sixdaysa week. Permits covering privatesigns for existing lodging, camping and tourist attractions will becancelled as new signs are installed. Private signing, underpermit, will bemaintained foroth-
In a co-operative venture, the Ministryof Transportation
. and Highways and theMinistryofTourism and ProvincialSecretary have developed a new provincial sign policy
for tourist services and attractions. The new blue and whitedesigns provide clear, consistent information to helpmotorists find these facilities. Signs are directional and are not intended to promote any particular service or attractionbusiness.
12
The Way We Were - Cache Creek Changes
ready shown that theydo, in fact,impact positively on local businesses serving the traveller."
"Wedecided onthenewpolicyin 1987, after some years of experimenting with other systems,none of which wereentirely satis- I
factory", comments Traffic research Officer Neil Vickers. "Weproceeded with thedevelopmentof the symbols and the blue andwhite colour scheme, and liberalized the distance limitations especially for moreremote facilities such as guest ranches andfishing camps. Various systemswere looked at, most particularlythose fromQuebec and Washington State. The Washington Statepolicywas eventually chosen andadapted to ourneeds.
"Thenewpolicyisdesigned primarily to lookafter rural areas. Inurban areas, wewill provide symbols only for services onewouldn't normally find, such asboatlaunching,camping,marinas,and sani-stations. Gas, food, andlodging areeasily located inurbanareas, sosigns aren'treally necessary for travellers to find theseservices.
"Weareworking towardhavingall signs of interest to visitors inblue and white,and will beaddingawholerange of otherattractionssuch amuseums, galleries, hatcheries, ski areas and wineries. Thepolicy recognizes the need for amore extensive, standardized,easily recognizable signing systemin rural areas to guidevisitorsto services and attractions."
The new program has been setout ina brochure entitled "A NewLook in Signing", available province-wide at Ministry Regionaland District offices. Public meetings arebeing scheduled throughout the province to outline theoverall policy and give businessoperators a chance to ask questions about how the programaffects each of them.
IN THE PAST
Theupper photograph, taken 1945, shows CacheCreek at the junction of
Cariboo Road 10,with Trans Canada Highway 1. (The CaribooRoad later was designated asRoute 2, and in the 1950's it became Route 97). The buildingsamongst thetrees arethose of theCache Creek Motel, one of thefew business establishments inthearea at that time. ConstructionProject 12, Cariboo Highway,Cache Creek to Maiden Creek,sawthisjunction moveeasterly toits present location. The reconstruction of the highway, whichwas donebyGeneral Constructionof Vancouver, was completed in1946and gavethenewhighway apaved surface of 24 feet. At thetimeof reconstruction, there were10 lots surrounding Cache CreekJunction.
The lowerphoto shows theoldjunction as it is today. Both roadsare now within the Village ofCache Creek. The former TransCanada is known as Todd Road,while the old Cariboo Road is referred to astheTrans-Canada.Thelarge darkbuilding in thecentre isthe post office while those in theforeground areapartof theCacheCreek trailer park.
1947as partof Project 650(Ashcroft Manorto Cache Creek, a 10km project) The large building intheforeground istheOasis Hotel.
Thanks to Frank Clapp of Victoria for the photos and details.
13
IN THE FIELDCONTINUOUS SERVICE AWARDS RECIPIENTS 1988
From left: Betty Wilton, Neil Vickers. andjo -Anne Vickers.
john SheremetaKamloops
Alfred SimpsonBurnaby
Leonard ThonyPrince George
Neil VickersVictoria
john WattsCoquitlam
Dale WebbVernon
Glen WestmanDelta
Harold WildeKelowna
james WillisSalmon Arm
Richard YamaokaKamloops
Ross RobertsonDawson Creek
Gordon RodneyWynndel
Karen ShephardNanaimo
Albert Bilcik Eric Kramer Frank SpisakCreston Vernon South Hazelton
Kenneth Brookbank jackMakeiv Lloyd StellingwerffPouce Coupe Victoria Coquitlam
Dennis Chisholm john McKay Glen WileyKelowna Lytton Fraser Lake
Douglas Doidge Raymond Meeks Ronald WinbowVictoria Chase Surrey
Edwin Gaarden William SainsburyBella Coola Oliver
Years of Service: 35
john OakleyCecil Lake
Gerald RaymondLangley
Allan RhodesSicamous
David MartensRossland
Kenneth MatthiasLadysmith
john MawleParksville
john McCleanRichmond
Allan MorgenthalerSmithers
Edward MorleyQuesnel
Hugh NelsonClinton
john O'BryanKimberley
From left: john Marriott, Dan Doyle. Clark Abel andMal}' Abel.
From left: Tom Aarts, Karen Shephard, Har Grewal.
Antonius P. Aarts Harbhajan S. GrewalPort Alberni Nanaimo
Clark R. Abel Thomas P. HarknessSooke Victoria
Maurice E. Bagg John B. HeckerMcBride Kamloops
Peter Barnes John HollandNelson Clearwater
Leroy F. Briggeman Victor IrwinRobson Golden
Walter Cheveldeau Donald IsenorPenticton Langley
Thomas Churchill David jacobsFalkland Williams Lake
john H. Clark Leonard KlassenKamloops Clearbrook
Charles F. Conseiller Gerald KristoffSurrey Surrey
David Currie joseph KubekDuncan North Surrey
Donald Delainey William LalukDawson Creek North Surrey
Dallas j. Doyle james LinesRevelstoke Revelstoke
Brent Draper Eli MakeivKamloops Lytton
Christopher A. Gadsden john MarriottSardis Chemainus
Years of Service: 25
14
IN THE FIELDSANTA KEN ENJOYS HIS NEW CAREER
Patrick Shane MurphyMr. Murphy started with the B.C.Government August 1, 1971 as anEngineering Aide3 with the Construction Branch, located at theMcBride District Office. In 1978hewas promoted to an EngineeringAssistant. In 1981 hewas promoted to a Technician 1, locatedat Williams Lake and was thereuntilhisdeath in 1989. Hehad 17years of service with the Provincial Government.
We worked withyoufor molnY years.
We shared withyouourhopes ""d fears.
We shared a joke.weshared a smile,
We were a teamfor thelongest while.
Andyou're inourmindswhere 'ere wego.
john""d john. wemissyouso.
From the radio room staff inRegion 2.
various senior citizens homes andCanadian Legion pubs. He hasbeen invited home to play Santa Ifor many children, listened to thetroubles of people and stoppedthe show at a local bar when hestrolled in to give candy canes tothe stripper on stage.
"The highlightof all this", Kensays, "took place at TillicumLodge. I went up to an elderlylady, over80 years old, who wassittingina chair, head down, staring at the floor, completely unaware of any activityaround her. Itapped her on he shoulder, andshe looked up and said 'Santa!' Ilearned later from the nurse that I
she had not spoken for over ayear. This is the greatest kind of II
reward I could ever expect andmakes it all worthwhile. What Ikeep, I lose; what 1give away is I
mine forever." ~
I
canes and a newSanta suitmadefor meby my wife Dorothy.
"I have never accepted offersof remuneration or appeared before December 24 with the exception of 1988when ChristmasEve fell on a Saturday, and thiswas doneto accommodate asingsong and gatheringatTillicum Retirement Lodge."
He has called in at City Hall,
john L. Edgar
for 33 years, starting on February17, 1955 in an auxiliary positionasLabourer and Axeman in Kamloops Region. He was promotedto Clerk Grade 2 in 1961 andmoved to Golden District as aClerk Grade 3 in 1962. He returned to Kamloops in 1970 asTimekeeper and remained thereuntil his retirement on March 31 ,1988. john passed away on December 22, 1988.
john Epoch
John Joseph EpochMr. Epoch began service with theB.C. Government on October 21 ,1975asa radio and Teletype Operator inKamloops Region. Heremained in the radio room untilhisretirement on March 31, 1986.john passed away on january 22,1989.
John Leslie EdgarMr. Edgar was with the Ministry
Retired general office mailmanKen Wells has made quiteacareerforhimselfasSanta Claus inVictoria. Every Christmas season hedons his red suitand white beardand makes his rounds dispensingcandy canes and good cheer.
"I started in 1979", Ken says,"when I bought an inexpensiveSanta outfit and 300candy canes.Soon I was up to 1,000 candy
IN MEMORY Of
RETIREMENTS
December, t988Bill Alexander,
I Technician 2, BurnabyNorm McRae,Road FR. A., SaanichKen Daub,Tj Mech., Dawson Creek
January t989Pat Dunn,District Highways Manager,ChilliwackJim Onions,Rd. Fr. B., New DenverRon Wlnbow,DistrictHighways Manager,North Vancouverfrank Goring,MO 3, Lillooet
February, t989Peter Byrne,Surfacing Ops. Supervisor,Paving Branch, HeadquartersMaurice Bagg,Rd. Fr. A., McBrideHomer Good,DistrictHighways Manager,Grand ForksMorley Hyatt,Rd. Fr. A., NelsonSandy Murray,MO 4, SmithersGeorge Ash,Deckhand, New WestminsterErnie Elliott,MO 4, Prince Rupert
I November, t988Art Sankey,M07, SaanichRalph Towers,M07, SaanichJim McCreight,Lab., New WestminsterClifford McGillivray,
I Deckhand, NelsonEd Rusk,MO1, Penticton
15
---.,
PROFILE
"THE PENDULUM SWINGS SLOWLY,BUT IT DOES SWING"
Sharlie Huffman:Chairperson of the Women'sProgram Committee
" ... it is up to all staff, men and womenalike, to seize upon the opportunities as theybecome available."
meetings. In addition, she is amember of the Project Management Institute of B.C.
Sharlie is anarticulate and outspoken critic of stereotypes ontelevision and in day-to-day life."It's often said that it's a 'man'sgame' out there. But as women,we don't have to play it; it's notthe onlyway to go.
"My overall aim", she says, "isto helpspeed the process of slowchange from established and traditional role divisions. I want tosee amoreequal , more logicalorder taking place. The pendulumswings slowly, butit does swing."
Last November, Sharlie tookonthe role of inspecting bridgesmaintained by the contractor intheSouth Island District - 140inall, scattered throughout fourroad areas.
"The contractor is doing verywell so far", she comments. "Ofcourse, we're dealing mostly withthe same people who were withHighways before. Privatizationhas been very successful in ourarea, and it's been an interestingchange for me too."
Sharlie also keeps her hand inwith extra curricular activities inherchosen profession aswell.Sheis past chairperson of the Engineering Institute of Canada's Vancouver Island Branch, has servedas Secretary-Treasurer for severalyears, and isanactive member ofthe Professional DevelopmentCommittee of the Association ofProfessional Engineers (B.c.). Sheis frequently the only woman at
with advisors from other ministries and representatives of thesecretariat.
"Our job isto set- and hopefully achieve - goals", she states."And we share information, soas
not to bereinventing thewheel allthe time."
Through herworking life, Sharlie has displayed the kind of tenacity and talents that have beenresponsible for her successful career in an area traditionally dominated by men. She was in management with Bell Canada inOntario before coming to B.C. in1971. She then attended theUniversity of B.C. where she tookherCivil Engineering Degree, andjoined Highways in 1981 asbridge design engineer, one ofperhaps half a dozen women engineers in the Ministry.
equally supportive to this fineprogram. The Women's ProgramsCommittee is a sub-committee ofthe Executive group. The Executive representative is Dan Doyle,Assistant Deputy Minister, Highways Operations."
Sharlie observes, "the Ministryhas not in thepasthadawomen'sprogram committee. The Executive Committee has appointedone to deal with women's programand to work towarda morebalanced representation of women, especially in key decisionmaking roles."
"There will beseveral initiativesforthcoming, particularly in management training. We wanttheclimate to be better for women toadvance at any level. Ours isabigministry, with traditional malefemale role divisions. But this ischanging, like society at large."
Sharlie is also the Ministry ofTransportation and Highway'sadvisorto the Women 's Secretariat,which is part of the Ministry ofAdvanced Education and JobTraining. She attends meetings
S harlie Huffman, a bridgedesign engineer - nowseconded to the South is
land District asActingArea Contract Manager for Bridges - hasbeen appointed Chairperson ofthe Ministry's Women's ProgramCommittee. One of the committee's roles is to helpcarry out theMinistry's commitment to havemore women in senior management positions. "Ourgoal", Sharlie says, "is to advance toward amorebalanced representation."
Her comment is supported byDeputy Minister Vince Collins,who says, "I ammostpleased tosee the Women's Program takingon greater prominence. We havean enormously talented pool ofpeople within the Ministry, manyof whom arewomen. It isup to usto ensure thatequal opportunity isavailable to all our employees toseek their full potential. At thesame time, it isupto all staff, menand women alike, to seize upontheopportunities astheybecomeavailable."
"The executive committee is