Special Edition The Operators Seminar, held in Banff, is the marquee event for Alberta water and wastewater professionals. This year was our 40th anniversary event and there were many special moments during the seminar. Popular workshops and technical sessions included: impacts of extreme events on utilities, environmental liability for water systems, drinking water regulation updates, and various industry presentations. There were many opportunities to network with operators from across the province and to see the latest in technology and services displayed at the 136 trade show booths. Alberta Environment & Sustainable Resource Development staff were on hand to answer questions about regulations, training and certification. Nearly 100 operators took the opportunity to write their provincial certification exams. The fun Casino Night was a hit, as were the prize draws leading up to the $1,000 travel voucher grand finale. The Thursday night banquet and awards presentation was well attended. The hypnotist Wayne Lee had the banquet audience in stitches. Verne Browne receives his 30 year membership award. Finally, 100 people proudly received their 10, 20 or 30 year AWWOA membership recognition awards. ● Nearly 1,000 in attendance, including about 600 delegates ● 136 trade show booths ● New AWWOA executive board elected ● ESRD proposed significant regulation changes ● Workshop on Environmental Liability ● Launch of AWWOA’s new logo and branding ● Video interviews with operators This year at the seminar, AWWOA and its members raised over $20,000 for Water School and Water for People Canada charities. There was a silent auction, 50/50 draw, and presenters were thanked with a charitable donation in their names. These projects make a real difference in local communities. Thank you for giving so generously. The AWWOA seminar has evolved over the past 40 years: ● It has grown from small schoolroom talks to auditorium presentations highlighting the most-up to-date water and wastewater industry news, training and technologies. ● The week long event has expanded to include workshops, a trade show, key speakers, Executive meetings, charitable donations activities, and certification exams. ● There are more networking opportunities for delegates including lunches, a guest program, a social evening, a banquet and awards presentations. ● In addition to operators, it now also attract engineers, lab specialists, suppliers and environmental representatives. Nancy McAteer Bert Miller Quentin Syryda Andy Bebbington Ryan Ropcean Ed Spohr Al Kendrick George Wybenga Garth Carl Dwayne Cikaluk Norm Grexton Paresh Dhariya Dave Harrison Tim Gourlay Darren Demchuk Kathy Abramowski - Chair Vice Chair Past Chair Finance Chair Comms. Chair Seminar Chair Nominations Chair Training Chair Director Director Director Director Director Director NAIT Rep ESRD Rep. (back, left) George Wybenga, Ryan Ropcean, Dwayne Cikaluk, Dan Rites, Garth Carl, Kathy Abramowski, Bert Miller Jr., Al Kendrick, Dave Harrison. (front, left) Scott Chant, Kim Fath, Andy Bebbington, Nancy McAteer (new Chair) Quentin Syryda (past Chair), Norm Grexton, Darren Demchuk “There was something for everyone at the AWWOA seminar and trade show.” A special thank you to our dedicated sponsors for their generous contributions: ● Alberco Construction ● Aquatera Utilities ● BioMaxx ● IVIS Hypnotist Wayne Lee works the crowd. Plenty of displays and demos ● MPE Engineering ● MSSA ● Spartan Controls ● Stantec ● Xylem Many volunteers helped out. Many people enjoyed banquet night. Young operators show their vogue. Casino Night with funny money A supplier brings Hawaii to Banff. Those Were the Days My Friend… The Operators Seminar has always provided an opportunity to renew old friendships and make new ones. We have had the Executive shave their heads twice; enter a pie-throwing contest (as the targets), having the membership guessing the total weight of the Executive, all to earn charitable donations. Sadness came when we lost Tom Duglosz from Slave Lake, who was serving on our Executive board and seminar committees. Also, we were proud to re-name the AWWOA Service award after long-time member Ron Bayne. We’ve had presentations from government , engineering firms, suppliers, water experts and wastewater specialists and some very brave operators. One high point in a past seminar was when Burt Hingley from the Village of Lamond gave a presentation on “The Small Town Operator.” As nervous as Burt was, he did a great job and received a standing ovation, never duplicated again. Well there you have it, a very brief view into our AWWOA seminar past, just imagine what lies ahead for us over the next 40 years! Doug Thorson Alberta Water & Wastewater Operators Association 10806-119 Street, Edmonton, Alberta, T5H 3P2 Toll free: 1-877-454-7745, Local: 780-454-7745 Email: [email protected] Website: www.awwoa.ca Visit us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Google+ Alberta Operators circa 1973 The AWWOA Operators Seminar, as well as the water and wastewater industry, has come a long way in the past 40 years. Operators in 1975 did not have a computer or automated systems, government regulations were less strict, and there wasn’t a strong focus on Health, Safety and Environment. After work, the typical operator likely wore bell bottom jeans, listened to Led Zepplin, and enjoyed closet disco dancing. In 2055, operators will no doubt look back and laugh at our technology and fashion sense. But they will still relate to an operator’s dedication to the essentials of clean drinking water and responsible wastewater management. Dan Rites, C Tech AWWOA , Executive Director
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