Over 160 guests gathered at The Forth in the city’s east end, on Saturday, October 28th for the 15th Annual Claudette-MacKay Lassonde Fall #WEACForum.
Organized by OSPE’s Women in Engineering Advocacy Committee (WEAC), the #WEACForum is the focal point for OSPE’s advocacy efforts related to women in engineering.
Entitled “Navigating the Glass Obstacle Course,” the full-day conference focused on the glass barriers – or the implicit, unseen, subtle, and unanticipated challenges – many women experience throughout their engineering careers, as well as the initiatives various stakeholders have developed to support the retention of women in engineering, and strategies women can employ to overcome these challenges.
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Dr. Valerie Davidson, P.Eng., University Professor Emerita, School of Engineering, University of Guelph set the landscape for the conference.
Dr. Davidson provided an update on OSPE’s new “Breaking Barriers” project, funded by Status of Women Canada. The project will address the systemic barriers facing women in STEM and develop technology-driven learning tools and resources to support and retain women in STEM fields. To learn more, visit letsbreakbarriers.ca and take our survey!
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Left to right: Vivian Yoanidis, Director of Diversity and Inclusion, Hydro One; Amee Sandhu, Head, Compliance Operations, SNC-Lavalin; Erin McConahey, Diversity and Inclusion Lead for Arup North America and Principal, Mechanical Engineering; and Tom Murad, PhD, P.Eng., FEC, SM.IEEE, Head of Siemens Canada Engineering and Technology Academy Siemens Canada Limited (SCETA).
Emanuela Heyninck, Ontario’s Pay Equity Commissioner, joined us to provide an overview of the gender wage gap in Ontario and to share insights from her work on the Gender Wage Gap Steering Committee.
The gender wage gap equates to $18 billion in foregone income per year for all working women in Ontario, or about 2.5% of Ontario’s annual Gross Domestic Product.
In 2016, WEAC contributed feedback to the province’s Steering Committee, with the goal of helping close the wage gap for women in engineering and moving towards women’s full economic empowerment.
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Left to right: Dr. Tracey Adams, Professor and Chair of Sociology, University of Western Ontario; MP Mark Gerretsen (Kingston and the Islands); Julia Serink, P.Eng., Principal, GHD; Tanya van Biesen, Executive Director, Catalyst Canada; and Mélinda Nycholat, P.Eng., Vice-President, Operations —Procurement, Defense Construction Canada (DCC).
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Left to right: Dr. Cristina Amon, P.Eng., Dean, Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering, University of Toronto; Dr. Thomas Duever, P.Eng., FCIC, Dean, Faculty of Engineering and Architectural Science (FEAS), Ryerson University; Marisa Sterling, P.Eng., FEC, Assistant Dean, Inclusivity and Diversity, Lassonde School of Engineering; Dr. Mary Wells, P.Eng., Incoming Dean, College of Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of Guelph; and Annette Bergeron, P.Eng., MBA, FEC, President-Elect, Engineers Canada.
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Left to right: Karen McCardle, CPA, CA, Director, Professional Issues and Research Support Services, Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada; Barbara Murchie, Partner, Bennett Jones and Bencher, Law Society of Upper Canada; and Persis Lam, Architect, Diamond Schmitt Architects, and Executive Committee Member, Building Equality in Architecture Toronto (BEAT).
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Our friends at Venngo engaged OSPE members throughout the day and shared their MemberPerks program.
By signing up for their mobile app members can take their discounts with them, wherever they are!
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Platinum: SNC-Lavalin, ARUP, and GHD
Gold: University of Toronto Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering
Silver: CPA Canada, McEwen Mining Inc., UOIT, and Venngo Inc.
Corporate Table Sponsor: Diamond Schmitt Architects, Siemens Canada, Seneca College, and the University of Guelph School of Engineering
To view more highlights and photos from this year’s #WEACForum, check out our Facebook album.
