Newsletter 2013 - Issue 1

PEOSC Newsletter – 2013 Issue 1 (Summer 2013)

www.scarborough.peo.on.ca

1

Chair’s Message Madu Suthanan, P.Eng. Chair, Scarborough Chapter – PEO

et me first thank you, our chapter members, for electing

the Board of Executives (BOE) and me as Chair. We hope to carry on the good work done by the previous BOE and improve on our services to you, and to the local community. For this we earnestly request your participation as active volunteers where you can spare your time as well as share your skills. Where you may be busy, we request at least your presence at our events.

On March 23, we celebrated our 10th anniversary of the Bridge Building Competition (BBC), for grades 3 to 8 students with yet another successful event. On May 25, we were to hold the second Mechatronics Car Contest (MCC) for high school students, with the contest expanded for grades 11 and 12, in addition to the grades 9 and 10 that participated last year. However, due to the date clashing with many school projects and exams, we have postponed it to November.

We are planning a number of technical seminars from June. For our active volunteers, we are also planning training programs, which can help them with their career advancement as well as enhance their contribution to volunteer work. We feel this training program is something the chapter can contribute to our volunteers to appreciate their contribution of valuable time and skills for the chapter. Our various programs are given elsewhere in this newsletter, as well as on our website: www.scarborough.peo.on.ca.

I wish to further enlarge on our request for more volunteer participation. Our volunteers are the backbone of our chapters. Volunteering provides an opportunity for you to participate in chapter activities, be team members and lead and join the Executives and rise in the management ladder of the chapter and of PEO itself. You have a say in directing the chapter and PEO to the needs of the members. Your volunteerism is recognized by the chapter and PEO with certificates, pins and other tokens of appreciation. You get a warm feeling that you belong to an important segment of the community, and that you are helping the community to improve, to stand-up, be seen and be heard.

We also welcome suggestions from you for how we can better serve you, our members. You may email us at: scarborough@peo.on.ca

Board of Executives 2013

Post Name

Chair Madu Suthanan, P.Eng. Vice Chair Jega Jeganathan, Ph.D., P.Eng. Past Chair N. Asogan, P.Eng. Secretary Syed Raza, P.Eng Treasurer Ranee Mahalingam, M.Eng.; P.Eng., FEC Executive David Dias, EIT Executive Lan (Victor) Lin, P.Eng. Executive Miles Mailvaganam, P.Eng. Executive Raji Puthurath, P.Eng.

How to contact the board: Email – scarborough@peo.on.ca.

Chapter Activities – Summary since January 2013

• February 23 – PEO Scarborough Chapter Annual General Meeting, Board Elections and Technical Talk

• March 23 – Bridge Building Competition • May 25 – Mechatronics (Postponed) • June 12 – Certificate Presentation Ceremony

(CPC 2013) • June 23, Seminar on “The Impact of the

Charismatic Leader”

Upcoming Events 2013

• Technical Seminar, July 25, 2013 • Annual Family BBQ, August 24, 2013 • Mathletics 2013 – October 05, 2013 • Mechatronics 2013 – TBD • Aspiring Engineer Scholarship Presentation – TBD • Volunteer Appreciation – TBD

Details of events can be found on the chapter website – www.scarborough.peo.on.ca

L

PEOSC Newsletter 2013 - Issue 1 2

PEO Scarborough Chapter, 2013 Annual General Meeting

Syed Raza, P.Eng. Secretary, PEOSC

he 2013 Annual General Meeting (AGM) of PEO Scarborough Chapter was held at Yee Hong

Centre, 60 Scottfield Drive, Scarborough, on Saturday, February 23. Around 60 members and volunteers attended the AGM.

The AGM started at 4:30 p.m. with registration, and networking. The chapter Chair, N. Asogan, P.Eng., called the meeting to order by welcoming all guests. Secretary Dr. Jega Jeganathan, P.Eng., presented the highlights of major events of 2012 in the Secretary’s report. Treasurer Murad Hussain, P.Eng., presented the audited Financial Report for the year 2012.

Search Committee Chair Denis Carlos, P.Eng., dissolved the existing board and conducted the elections. The incoming Chair, Madu Suthanan, P.Eng., introduced the Board Members for 2013.

All 2013 PEO election candidates were invited to attend the AGM to meet the chapter members. A number of candidates attended and presented their campaign to the members.

After dinner, a presentation on “Wealth Management and Retirement Planning” was presented by Greg McElroy and Russ Hoffman, Financial Consultants – Investor Group. The event was concluded at 8:00 p.m. with vote of thanks by incoming Chair Madu Suthanan, P.Eng.

National Engineering Month (NEM), Bridge Building Competition – 2013

Jega Jeganathan P.Eng. BBC 2013 Project Manager

he Scarborough Chapter of PEO held its 10th Popsicle Stick Bridge Building Competition

successfully on Saturday, March 23, 2013 in the Council Chamber of the Scarborough Civic Centre. This event was organized to promote awareness of engineering education as a career choice among junior students, as well as to enhance creativity and team building while having fun. This year’s event hosted 96 teams, approximately 250 students from the public, private, and Catholic schools.

The bridges were judged against the following criteria: student presentation and technical explanation, creativity, construction quality, construction technique and aesthetics. Following judging, the bridges were tested to destruction by an engineer-built load testing machine to determine the maximum load bearing capability.

Several dignitaries were in attendance, including Hon. Bas Balkissoon, MPP, Scarborough-Rouge River; George Comrie, P.Eng., CMC, FEC, then Vice President, PEO; Paul Acchione, P.Eng., then Vice President, Ontario Society of Professional Engineers; and Sam Sotiropoulos, Trustee, Toronto District School Board.

Certificate Presentation Ceremony, CPC – 2013

Raji Puthurath, P.Eng. Executive Member, PEOSC

he Spring Certificate Presentation Ceremony for the newly licensed engineers was held on

Wednesday, June 12, 2013, at Grand Baccus Banquet & Conference Centre, 2155 McNicoll Avenue, Toronto.

Guest of Honor was Hon. Brad Duguid, MPP Scarborough Centre, Minister for Training, Colleges and Universities. Abe Khademi, PMP, P.Eng., Senior Associate, The Municipal Infrastructure Group Ltd., provided the keynote speech.

The ceremony was also a good opportunity for all

the new professional engineers within the Scarborough boundaries to meet the chapter Board of Executives, and to share ideas about the involvement of the engineering profession in the community.

T

T

T

PEOSC Newsletter 2013 - Issue 1 3

Rear Row L-R: Bashir Bhana, P.Eng.; David Immanuel Alexander, P.Eng.; Frankie Chiu Kei Man, P.Eng.; Hashem Mohammed Abul, P.Eng.; Hrand Yeghiazarian, P.Eng.; Jack Moskalski, P.Eng.; Chi Hung Siu, P.Eng.; Wei Chung Jason Wong. P.Eng.; Ketan Prabhudas Miyani, P.Eng.; Kulothungan Jeganathan, P.Eng.; Michael-Anthony Clarke Tedesco, P.Eng.; Mie Takahashi, P.Eng. Front Row L-R: Muktimoy Paul, P.Eng.; Nedim Oren, P.Eng.; Norman Nuo Hua Tao, P.Eng.; Raqueeb Anwar, P.Eng.; Rene Antonio Siguenza, P.Eng.; Ru Min Lu, P.Eng.; Saieed Ahmed, P.Eng.; Sanjay Rameshku Ailani, P.Eng.; Xia Wang, P.Eng.; Ulet Satrio Roessaptono, P.Eng.; Yong Huang, P.Eng.; Md Zohurul Hoque, P.Eng.

Technical Article: Toronto Water Ranee Mahalingam, M.Eng., P.Eng., OMC, FEC Is my kitchen tap water safe?City of Toronto takes raw water from Lake Ontario and treats it through chemically assisted filtration and disinfection at its four water treatment plants (WTP) before distributing it to its users. The WTPs are operated as per the provincial legislation: Safe Drinking Water Act and associated regulations. The water quality is tested continuously during and after treatment and ensures its quality is within the Ontario Drinking water Quality Standard (DWQS). A tiny amount of chlorine is left in the water to ensure its continued safety as it travels from the treatment plant to your house.

If there are any concerns about the quality of the water, Toronto's Medical Officer of Health and the Ministry of the Environment (MOE) are immediately notified and remedial actions taken promptly. You can check MOE’s website for the city’s report card and the city’s website for the annual report. The lead test result from my kitchen tap was greater than 10ppb. Where does lead come from? The drinking water produced at Toronto’s WTPs has no measurable lead; in fact, it meets the MOE and Health Canada standards and is tested regularly for lead. Lead enters drinking water as a result of the corrosion or the “breaking down” of lead water services, pipes, lead solder or lead joints. If water is left in contact with lead materials for several hours (e.g. overnight or when you’re away from the home and the water is not being used), the water may accumulate lead. If you suspect that you may have A lead service pipe, call the City of Toronto for free water testing.

The Ontario Drinking Water Quality Standard has set the limit of 10 ppb for lead. If you have a lead service and your water was tested to be above the 10 ppb standard, it is recommended that you should immediately protect your health by taking the following

actions, particularly if you are pregnant or have a child in the home that is younger than six years of age. What should I do if the level of lead in my drinking water is greater than 10 ppb? Flush your water. Every time your water has not been used for more than a few hours, run the water until it is very cold, and then let it run for at least 1 minute. This is called “flushing” the pipes. Use cold water for cooking and drinking, even after flushing the pipes. Lead in pipes moves more readily into hot water than into cold water, so cold water is less likely to be contaminated.

Install a water filter. Look for filters certified by the National Sanitation Foundation that have “NSF-53 for lead removal/reduction” on the label. Check the NSF website at: www.nsf.org for a list of NSF-53 certified filters. Until you have a filter, consider using bottled water for drinking and making baby formula.

Replace the private portion of the service line (the portion of the pipe running from your property line into your meter) and apply to have the city-owned portion of the water service (the portion of the pipe running from the watermain to the property line) replaced. Applications can be made with the city for the replacement of the city-owned portion of the service lines.

Be sure to use a filter after partial or full water service replacement to protect from temporary increases in lead levels due to the disruption of the pipes, and to follow other precautions issued by Toronto Public Health. Replacement of the water service in homes with a high lead test result and post-replacement actions are especially important if you have children under the age of six or pregnant women in your home, as children and pregnant women (who can pass the lead onto their babies) are at the highest risk of health effects from lead exposure. Did you check your utility bill? The City of Toronto mails one utility bill that includes your water billing and your solid waste management fees. The water and sewer service portion of your utility bill pay for a number of services, such as the supply and delivery of water to your home or business, water treatment facilities, lead testing, water meter reading, sewer use/maintenance, water meter replacement/installation, service line repairs (up to the property line). The solid waste management fees pay for garbage, recycling, green bin, litter prevention, landfill management and other diversion programs.

In 2004, the water rate was $1.2295 for a cubic meter of water and it has gone up to $2.7137 per cubic meter. This is the eighth year of 9 per cent annual hikes to generate funds to fix aging water pipes. Despite the series of large increases, it is believed that Toronto still charges slightly less than other neighbouring municipalities: Vaughan, Markham and Richmond Hill.

PEOSC Newsletter 2013 - Issue 1 4

GLP Activities at PEOSC N. Asogan, P.Eng. PEOSC GLP Chair January 2013 – The then GLP Chair Urszula Adach,

P.Eng., participated in a New Year's levee with Parliamentary Assistant to the Attorney General Lorenzo Berardinetti, MPP (Scarborough Southwest).

February 2013 – PEO Scarborough Chapter

Volunteers Uthayan Thurairjah, P.Eng., and Andrew Cheng, EIT, with N. Asogan, P.Eng., participated in Youth Career Fair, organized by Margarett Best, MPP, to promote PEO and the chapter’s activities in the community.

March 2013 – GLP Member Madu Suthanan, P.Eng.,

attended “Friends of Bas Fundraising Dinner”, a fundraising event for Bas Balkissoon, MPP, Scarborough Rouge-River, with special guest speaker Hon. John Gerretsen, MPP, Kingston and the Islands, who is also Attorney General, Ontario.

June 2013 – GLP Academy and Congress

Scarborough Chapter was represented by Chapter chair and GLP Member Madu Suthanan, P.Eng., Chapter Past Chair and GLP Chair N. Asogan, P.Eng., volunteers Pompilian Tofelescu, P.Eng., and Uthayan Thurairajah, P.Eng.

At GLP Academy and Congress: From left to right in the photo are PEO Councillor Changiz Sadr, P.Eng., PEO Councillor Rob Willson, P.Eng., Scarborough Chapter Chair Madu Suthanan, P.Eng., Scarborough Chapter member Uthayan Thurairajah, P.Eng., Soo Wong, MPP (Scarborough-Agincourt), Scarborough Chapter member Pompilian Tofilescu, P.Eng., Scarborough Chapter GLP Chair N. Asogan, P.Eng., and PEO Vice President Thomas Chong, P.Eng.

June 2013 – GLP Chair N. Asogan, P.Eng., and GLP

Member Madu Suthanan, P.Eng., attended the nomination function of Hon Brad Duguid, , MPP, Scarborough Centre, Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, as the Liberal Party Candidate for Scarborough Centre.

Awards & Recognition

rder of Honour Service Awards are given to professional engineers and others who have

rendered conspicuous service to the engineering profession. Corneliu Chisu, FEC, P.Eng., MP for Scarborough-Pickering, also past chair of our PEOSC, was admitted to the honorary society of PEO in the category of “Officer”. The award was given to Corneliu at a Gala held in April 2013 at the Toronto Marriott hotel. N. Asogan, P.Eng., past chair of PEOSC and Madu Suthanan, P.Eng., chair of PEOSC, were recognized for their five years of volunteer services.

Certificates and the five-year Volunteer Service pins were awarded at PEOSC AGM 2013 by George Comrie, P.Eng, then vice president of PEO.

ngineers Canada recognizes PEO members for their volunteer services and makes them Fellows.

They are also allowed to use the designation FEC after their names. This year, Engineers Canada made Ranee Mahalingam, M.Eng., OMC, P.Eng., a Fellow. A certificate and a pin were awarded at the PEOSC AGM by George Comrie, P.Eng., then vice president of PEO. Raju Chander, P.Eng., a past chair of PEOSC, was recognized by the Ministry of Citizenship and awarded a five-year Ontario Volunteer Service pin for conducting Mathletics and other events, along with PEOSC volunteers, for Panorama India. The pin was presented by Hon. Michael Coteau, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, in the presence of Hon. Michael Chan, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sports, at a ceremony held in Markham in April 2013.

O

E

Editor: Syed Raza, P.Eng. We welcome our readers’ contributions: • Articles of engineering interest, and subjects of interest to the engineering community (within guidelines of PEO). • Suggestions for future events – seminars/technical visits/ workshops, etc. • Suggestions for improvement of newsletter/website.

Contact: editor@peoscarborough.ca; website: www.scarborough.peo.on.ca.