February 2022 Virtual Session: BC Flood Recovery - Part 1

In late November, British Columbia experienced a significant weather event that caused catastrophic damage to communities, highways, and infrastructure.  The weeks that followed resulted in stories of resiliency, hard work, and heroic efforts in support of BC’s highway network and much needed infrastructure to support our supply chain and connection between communities.  There remains a long road ahead for the full reinstatement and hardening of infrastructure for communities and highways.  However, this “BC Flood Recovery - Part 1” breakfast session will offer a glimpse into the emergency recovery efforts that took place, and a chance to celebrate the exceptional efforts from the industry when it was needed most.  

Meet our panelists:

Bowinn Ma, British Columbia’s Minister of State for Infrastructure and the MLA for North Vancouver-Lonsdale. Bowinn is a licensed Professional Engineer (P.Eng.) with a degree in Civil Engineering (BASc), a Masters from the UBC Sauder School of Business (MM), and a certified Project Management Professional (PMP). Bowinn previously served as Parliamentary Secretary for TransLink and as the Chair for the Select Standing Committee on Crown Corporations, leading an all-party committee to develop recommendations for Transportation Network Services in British Columbia. She has also served as a member of BC’s Treasury Board since 2017. Prior to being first elected, Bowinn managed terminal expansion and redevelopment projects for the Vancouver Airport Authority. Visit Bowinn's LinkedIn profile for more information.

Jennifer Fraser, Executive Project Director, Highway Reinstatement Program, BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure. Jennifer has a passion for taking on big challenges and creating results. Over the span of her 25+ years in the forest and transportation industries she has led multiple teams, delivered hundreds of millions of dollars in infrastructure improvements and developed expertise in delivering major projects in BC. Jennifer is currently the Executive Project Director for the Highway Reinstatement Program leading the reconstruction of Highways 5, 8 and 1 following the November 2021 atmospheric river event. Jennifer was formerly the Director of the Trans-Canada Highway program in British Columbia and continues, in her current role, to have responsibility for the expansion of Highway 1 from two lanes to four lanes between Kamloops and Golden. Visit Jennifer's LinkedIn profile for more information.

Kelly Scott, President, BC Road Builders & Heavy Construction Association. Kelly is a senior business executive in the heavy equipment industry with 35 years' experience in Western Canada, Yukon, Scotland & England. He is a graduate of Simon Fraser University and Banff School of Advanced Management. The BC Road Builders & Heavy Construction Association is the recognized advocate for investment in resilient core infrastructure in BC and  represents over 250 companies in the road building, maintenance, and heavy construction industries in BC. Visit Kelly's LinkedIn profile for more information.

Patrick Wilson, Operations Manager, Kiewit, Western Canada District. Patrick (Pat) Wilson has been a part of the Kiewit team for over 14 years, since graduating from the University of British Columbia in 2007. From his first years at Kiewit, and throughout his rapid rise to positions of increasing responsibility, Pat has used his natural leadership qualities on Kiewit’s projects to positively impact not only our clients, but his colleagues, craft, and subcontractors. Through his roles on some of Kiewit’s most challenging infrastructure projects, including the Port Mann Highway 1 Improvement Project, Pat has demonstrated that he is a true leader. In his role as the Segment Manager for a $500 million component of the design-build Turcot Interchange project, Pat managed the design and construction of 45 new bridges within five years. Recently, Pat was the Project Manager on the Fraser River Big Bar Landslide project where he collaborated with the client, designers, and stakeholders to ensure the project goals were met. Pat's open and transparent collaboration with the client was a key contributor for Kiewit having the opportunity to gain additional work on the project. Pat’s most recent accomplishment includes working as the Project Director responsible for Kiewit’s design-build emergency repairs to Highway 5 (Coquihalla) following the destruction caused by the 2021 flood event. Pat oversaw a team of over 290 design and construction personnel working around the clock to facilitate the accelerated re-opening of this critical transportation link with the Lower Mainland in about a month’s time from the initial mid-November storm. Visit Pat's LinkedIn profile for more information.

Thank you to our sponsor!