Not long after flood waters heavily impacted Canmore, the City of Calgary declared a state of local emergency on June 20, 2013. Shortly after, evacuation plans were ordered for 26 low-lying communities along the Bow and Elbow Rivers. Dangerous circumstances arose, when the Bow River tripled its regular flow rate to 720m3/s and the Elbow River reached inflow rates 40 times higher than the normal rate [1]. Under these circumstances, downtown Calgary was evacuated, nearly 75,000 residents told to leave their homes. Disruptions to school, transit, power, water and road services also occurred. Despite these disruptions, the loss of productivity and damage to infrastructure, Calgary’s emergency response system and municipal government were admired both locally and nationally for their professional and well-executed response.
Immediately after the flood began to recede, Calgarians volunteered to clean-up and help those in need to recover from the damage and devastation caused to homes, communities and public areas. Media reports showed flood damage to major Calgary landmarks including the Zoo, Saddledome, Stampede grounds and various parks. Overtime, clean-up efforts have turned into mitigation plans for increasing preparedness for future floods.
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Ross has extensive executive experience in Operations, Governance, Information Technology and Strategy at the board and senior management level including Mancal Corporation, Mancal Energy, Highridge Exploration and Atlantis Resources. He has worked in Oil and Gas, Coal, Commercial Real Estate, Portfolio Management, Recreation, Retail and Water and Wastewater Treatment. His experience is also geographically diverse having overseen operations in Canada, the United States, United Kingdom and Northern Ireland. Additionally, he has been on the board of companies with operations in Argentina, Azerbaijan, Barbados, Kazakhstan, and Russia. He has served on numerous Public, Private and Not for Profit Boards across a number of industries.
Ross has been active on several industry Boards and committees including the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) and The Schulich School of Engineering Industry Advisory Council at the Schulich School of Engineering.
Brian is a seasoned Cleantech entrepreneur with a proven history of successfully bringing complex water technologies to the market. With over 25 years of experience, he has led various organizations to achieve significant milestones in the industry.
Having started as the founding CEO of the Pressure Pipe Inspection Company (PPIC) and later taking the helm at the Water Technology Acceleration Project (WaterTAP), Brian’s entrepreneurial spirit has been instrumental in driving innovation and growth within the sector.
He is an active investor in the cleantech sector and has served on many boards including the Ontario Clean Water Agency.
Actively engaged in industry associations like AWWA, WEF, IWA, and ASCE, Brian enjoys collaborating with fellow professionals to promote advancements in the field.
Brian holds an undergraduate degree and a PhD in Physics from Queen’s University, which has provided him with a solid technical foundation. As a member of the Institute of Corporate Directors, he brings valuable insights to corporate governance.