Algonquin Chapter 2025 AGM

Algonquin Chapter 

2025 Annual General Meeting (AGM)

Program Schedule

5:30pm: Reception and networking (cash bar)
6:15pm: Welcome; Chapter Annual General Meeting (AGM)
7:00pm: Dinner
8:00pm: Acknowledgement of Guests
                        Dave Unrau, P.Eng. - City of Pembroke Chief Admin. Officer
                        Guy Boone, P.Eng.  PEO VP elect
                        Chantal Chiddle, P.Eng. – PEO Eastern Region Sr. Councillor
8:10pm: PEO Licence Certificate Presentation
                        Kyle Verch, P.Eng
                        Abel Raath, P.Eng.
8:15pm: Keynote Address by Lee Perkins, PWM, MBA, CET
                        "Best practices & procedures for ice & snow control in Renfrew County"
9:00pm: Departure

PEO Algonquin Chapter - 2024 Chapter Board

Officers

• Chair: Vincent Donato, P.Eng.
• Vice Chair: Gabriel Josafat Hernandez Vazquez, P.Eng.
• Secretary: Vitali Kovaltchouk, P.Eng.
• Treasurer: Lawrence Lupton, P.Eng., FEC
• Past Chair: Bob Radenovic, P.Eng.

Members-at-Large (Executives)

• Paul Ballentyne, P.Eng.
• John Dranga, P.Eng.
• Aneesh John, P.Eng.
• Sreeyuth Lal, P.Eng.
• Kaitlyn Nagora, P.Eng.
• Mike Pinet, P.Eng., FEC
• Uditha Senaratne, P.Eng.
• Joseph Van Meter, P.Eng.
• Dylan Verberg, P.Eng.  (partial year)
• Sasha Harpe, P.Eng. (partial year)
• Stephanie Thomson, EIT (partial year)

Call for Nominations: If a Chapter Member wishes to nominate a fellow Chapter Member for a position on the 2025 Algonquin Chapter Board, such nominations shall be received by Bob Radenovic, P.Eng. and Kaitlyn Nagora, P.Eng., Nominating Committee, on or before March 20, 2025 via email at [email protected].  Nominations must bear the signature of two (2) nominators who are eligible to vote at the AGM, and shall indicate acceptance of the nomination by the nominee.

PEO License Certificate Presentation

During the AGM, Abel Raath, Civil Engineer and Kyle Verch, System Engineer, received their PEO License certificates from the PEO President Elect Fred Saghezchi and Chapter Chair Vincent Donato.

 Photo above: PEO Algonquin Chapter Chair Vincent Donato (left), Abel Raath and PEO President Elect Fred Saghezchi (right). 

 Photo above: PEO Algonquin Chapter Chair Vincent Donato (left), Kyle Verch, and PEO President Elect Fred Saghezchi (right).

2024 Algonquin Chapter Past Chair Report

                                                          - Vincent Donato -

When you elected me as your chapter chair in April 2024, I highlighted 4 main objectives for our upcoming year as follows:

•    Improve our outreach program to introduce engineering to our region’s schools as well as to the regional public at large and to reach more of our regions’ P.Engs & EITs
•    Build a new bridge buster – portable, light and compact to fit in car trunk
•    Build a heat pump demonstration unit for display to the general public
•    Continue with our tech talks

We have made some very positive strides in our outreach program.  The education committee has compiled a list of all of our regions’ schools & key contact persons.  This list will enable us raise awareness about our Engineering Scholarships for high school graduating students planning to pursue Engineering at an Ontario University.   Moreover, it will also offer us the opportunity to visit these schools and introduce engineering to them.  Short 10 – 15 min presentations are being prepared for presentations at these schools.

As for reaching out to our chapter’s engineers, we’ve had a very successful chapter BBQ with 47 attendees.  Almost double the previous year’s attendance.  Through this event, we’ve attained 2 new volunteers, one of whom is joining our board.

The new compact and lightweight bridge buster has been built and tested by Kaitlyn at her most recent bridge busting event.  Moreover, we have transferred the bridge busting program to our new Dell computer and simplified access to the program.   We now have two bridge busters with the program on 2 computers and  can hold 2 bridge busting events at different locations simultaneously.

As for the heat pump demo unit, we could not find an air-to-air unit available to purchase and therefore have to purchase the components and assemble it ourselves.  This has not been done yet but funds have been approved and we’ll proceed over the next few months.

Lastly, we hosted one technical presentation during the year and helped inform our region’s members about upcoming tech talks presented by our members.

2025 Algonquin Chapter Incoming Chair Report

                                                  - Vincent Donato -

Thank you for your vote of confidence in electing me as your chair for 2025.  This year I plan to continue the work we started last year.  Moreover, given the current talk about freeing inter-provincial trade in goods and services I plant to encourage PEO council to work with both our provincial govt and Engineers Canada in promoting the  acceptance of a P.Eng. to work anywhere in Canada without having to be licensed by that province.  The objectives I’d like our chapter to pursue therefore can be summarized as follows:

•    Continue to improve our outreach program 
•    Build a heat pump demonstration unit for display to the general public
•    Continue with our tech talks
•    Promote acceptance of P.Eng. licence holders to work anywhere in Canada without having to obtain a separate licence for each province & territory they work in

Our education committee will be encouraged to start visiting our region’s schools in Sept. 2025 and visit at least 1 school per month.  Likewise, our Event’s committee will be asked to consider holding the family BBQ as this has been an excellent opportunity for our members to network and expose them to the opportunity to volunteer.

We have the funds approved to build the heat pump demo unit and will endeavour to have one build within the next 3 months.

Technical talks will continue and we have our next one scheduled for late April with two others for late Spring and early Fall.  Moreover, I will encourage our Events committee to arrange for at least 2 off-site visitations to areas of interest.

Regarding my desire to have a licenced engineer from one province being able to work anywhere in Canada without having to get a separate licence for each province and territory, I realize this is a big challenge.  It requires both the will of the various provincial and territorial Engineering Associations as well as the revision of our provincial & territorial laws.  This will be neither easy nor quick but we do have to get the ball rolling.  Hopefully the current talk about abolishing the existing inter-provincial trade barriers in goods & services will give this objective a much needed push.