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