I would like to offer a response to Brian McLeod’s commentary titled "Safety a concern for foreign workers" (St. Albert Gazette, Sept. 24). Let me begin by introducing myself. I am an Egyptian-born, Canadian-raised, educated and trained mechanical engineer. I am the mechanical engineer of record for several notable buildings in Edmonton including the Edmonton Clinic North (on the U of A Campus) and the Royal Alexandra Hospital Orthopedic Surgery Centre. In addition, I have designed high-end bio-containment facilities in Canada that handle some of the most dangerous viruses in the world. Furthermore, my father was instrumental in developing occupational health and safety standards in Saskatchewan. He developed and pioneered the WHMIS system throughout North America. But, that is enough about my credentials.
I found your article to be very uninformed and somewhat insulting. Your article states that an on-site interview with a mechanical engineer found that the engineer did not have training as an engineer but was in fact an accountant. If this is truly the case, this person should immediately be reported to the Association of Professional Engineers & Geoscientists of Alberta (APEGA). It is in fact, a criminal and prosecutable offence to pass yourself off as an engineer without the actual accreditation from APEGA.
Your article insinuates that all engineers in Alberta are unqualified and are poor designers. I can assure you that APEGA has very high standards for admitting engineers and takes a very stringent view of foreign-trained engineers in particular. Canadian engineers are in fact some of the most highly trained and sought after engineers in the world. In fact, Canada ranks fourth in the world for exporting engineering design and talent. Engineers in Canada are required as part of their code of ethics to ensure safety of the public as paramount in their designs.
Furthermore, your article alludes that all buildings in Alberta are poorly constructed and full of design defects. Admittedly, there are engineers who make mistakes. In fact, I would suggest that all engineers make mistakes at varying levels. They are in fact human. In addition, I believe there are poorly designed buildings in Alberta. However, I don't believe that the number of problems is disproportionate to the rest of the country. In fact, considering the amount of industry and number of dangerous facilities in this province and the lack of major incidents, I would suggest that we are below the national average for problems with buildings. We don't have a "leaky" condo situation like B.C. had years ago or bridges that have collapsed like Quebec. Further, I have seen absolutely no evidence of corruption that has occurred in Quebec and is currently being investigated by the Charbonneau Inquiry.
With respect to your safety concerns for foreign workers, I offer the following comment. Foreign workers are subject to the same safety regulations and training as non-foreign workers. They have the same rights as non-foreign workers including the "right to refuse" to do anything that they feel is dangerous. This "right to refuse" also provides protection against discriminatory or prosecutorial action for refusing this work. In addition, the foreign workers are entitled to the same safety training as non-foreign workers. It sounds to me that foreign workers are not being properly informed of the safety standards required in this province nor are they being educated about their rights.
Your article did not mention if the two gentlemen were working as professional engineers. I suspect not. I also suspect that they may not have been granted licenses by APEGA. Generally, it sounds as if the two gentlemen you spoke to are somewhat bitter about their situation and found one or two poor conditions to speak out about.
If you would like to speak further, or would like to see some facilities that are engineered by Canadian Engineers, I would be pleased to meet with you.
S. Migo Kelada, P.Eng., St. Albert
