After entering the Saskatchewan market in 1953, Associated
Engineering has become a fixture at major infrastructure projects
By Pat Rediger
MEMBER PROFILE
Plenty has changed in the world over the last 70 years, but one
thing that has remained constant is the stable existence of consulting
firm Associated Engineering. Founded in Edmonton,
Alta., following the Second World War, Associated Engineering has grown
to become one of the Canada’s most significant long-serving engineering
consulting firms with 21 offices across Canada and employing more than
1,000 staff. The company is the largest of the privately held, employeeowned
engineering firms in the country, working with public and private
sector clients here and internationally.
“The fact that we are a private firm means we take complete ownership
of the work that we do, the relationships that we have with our clients and
the products that we produce,” said Paul Pinder, a professional engineer
and vice president and general manager of Associated Engineering for
Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
During the past 12 years, the firm has been awarded one of Canada’s Best
Managed Companies, earning Platinum membership status in the respected
national program. It has also been a carbon neutral company since 2009.
Associated Engineering provides community planning and engineering
services for water and wastewater, transportation, municipal and industrial
infrastructure, buildings and environmental projects. Beyond this, the
company also provides infrastructure management and certified operational
training and support to many clients, in the interest of public health
and safety, through its ATAP subsidiary.
The firm also provides in-depth environmental science and management
services for bridges, roads and highways, community and industrial
development, infrastructure rehabilitation and airports. Other services include
solid waste management, landfill design, composting, odour control
and environmental impact assessment.
Entering Saskatchewan
The company entered the Saskatchewan market in 1953, opening an office
in Regina to service clients in southern Saskatchewan. It quickly established
itself by providing the engineering work for the initial Buffalo Pound
project, which would supply water to Regina and Moose Jaw.
The company later expanded to offices in Saskatoon and Prince Albert
with the Saskatchewan head office situated in Saskatoon. Pinder oversees
all three offices, as well as the Winnipeg office and the ATAP subsidiary.
In Saskatchewan, Associated Engineering focuses on projects in the
transportation, municipal infrastructure, water, wastewater, intakes,
bridges, environmental, buildings and asset management sectors. The
Saskatchewan employee complement currently sits at 140 staff across the
three offices. Much of the firm’s work in the province is done in small communities,
Indigenous communities and smaller cities, complemented by
projects within bigger centres, such as Saskatoon and Regina.
“Many communities in the province are in need of an effective water
treatment plant or have an existing facility that is inadequate, have
insufficient capacity for the community’s size, are unable to consistently
meet drinking water requirements or may be so dated that they simply
need replacing,” said Pinder.
“Smaller communities and smaller cities are often in greater need of engineering
assistance from firms like ours as they don’t have the tax base of
the bigger cities like Regina and Saskatoon who are large enough to have inhouse
engineering departments. This is where we come in. We provide many
small communities, or even cities like Moose Jaw or North Battleford,
with the engineering expertise they need when they need it without being
a continuous financial load on their operating budget. The same can be
said of highly specialized and complex projects in the larger cities as well,
where our extensive experience and specific expertise, such as water and
wastewater treatment, can really be brought to bear.”
Associated Engineering also does a significant amount of work with the
Saskatchewan Ministry of Highways and Infrastructure on transportation
infrastructure design and construction.
“Everything that we do in this sector is engineer-based, either design engineering
or construction administration. When we are commissioned for
transportation infrastructure by the Ministry, we do an in-depth review of
what is required and come up with a detailed design solution and a tender
package. Then we also provide service in construction management
and operational assistance,” explained Pinder, a transportation engineering
specialist.
Associated Engineering also has a strong partnership with SHCA to assist
them in the work that they undertake.
“We work with SHCA with many contractors all the time. So not only
do they support us, but they are also a part of the process,” said Pinder.
Current projects
Currently, Associated Engineering is doing a significant amount of work in
Langham, a small community west of Saskatoon, including sewage pump
station upgrades, a lagoon upgrade and infrastructure assessment.
Another larger project Associated Engineering has been contracted
for in Saskatchewan is the development of The Greens on Gardiner,
a major residential subdivision located in southeast Regina. Associated
Engineering also led the design and construction of upgrades for the La
Ronge and Air Ronge municipal utilities to provide back-up systems to
keep tap water flowing during power outages – an issue many northern
communities face.
Associated Engineering has also been involved with the City of
Martensville Athletic Pavilion, snow management facility, the Avenue H
Reservoir, Raw Water Intake and Pump Station in Saskatoon, the Regina
Bypass, Chief Mistawasis Bridge and environmental site assessment for
the Town of Lumsden’s landfill. A listing of Saskatchewan projects can be
found on the company’s website at www.ae.ca.
thinkbigmagazine.ca | Quarter 1 2021 | Think BIG 37
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