Editor,
Today is an exciting day for engineering and science. NASA engineers and scientists successfully achieved powered, controlled flight of a helicopter. On Mars. As far as we know anyway, this is the first time an aircraft has flown on another planet. The engineers at NASA should be celebrating. It was one heck of a historic feat of engineering.
Unfortunately, back on Earth in Meaford Ontario we have Professional Engineers questioning whether their fellow P.Engs are capable of safely building a very large swimming pool, an underground pumping system that won’t wake the neighbours, a spillway that won’t wipe out the Town if it overflows the pool, and a cut out switch to turn off the power to the pumps and open the doors in a crisis.
It’s being done safely every single day all over the world. In many of the most environmentally conscious countries in the world. But apparently it just cannot be done in Meaford. I wonder if NASA could spot us a couple of engineers?
It now seems obvious to me that Professional Engineers Ontario needs to look at the job they’ve been doing certifying the engineers it has in the Meaford area. Since the P.Engs here don’t see a problem as long as the project is built somewhere else – not near their homes or their buddies’ homes as it works out – see, they don’t oppose the Project as long as it goes somewhere other than Meaford – it seems that Professional Engineers Ontario’s certification process only fails in Meaford. Tough to accept, but difficult to dispute with the evidence in front of us.
Unless of course there’s something besides engineering safety going on here? You know. In reality we probably have access to as many competent engineers in Meaford as the rest of the world does. Maybe not NASA quality, but solid nonetheless. Maybe we’re not really dealing with engineering concerns in Meaford at all?
Bruce Mason, Meaford
