OSPE - The Voice - Spring 2020 - 4

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

As I look back on my tenure as OSPE President,
I'm invigorated when I think of the strides we've made
towards developing a healthy and sustainable future for our
profession and community as a whole.
One of the reasons I'm optimistic about
our future is the steps we've taken towards
considering engineering as a creative
profession and not just one focused on the
nuts and bolts of problem solving.
The potential problems of the future
are daunting: environmental degradation,
economic instability, an aging population,
and the uncertainty of technology all
loom large on the horizon. Engineers, of
course, are involved in all these areas;
from developing housing solutions that
cater to an older population, to devising
new methods of carbon refueling, to
the maintenance of infrastructure.
What I'm proud to see developing
is long-term, creative thinking that
incorporates practical minded solutions
when considering how to address these
problems. It means placing a value on
outside the box thinking and dreaming
up solutions that not only respect the
bottom line, but enhance our standard of
living, and respect our relationship to the
environment. Evidence based, strategic
thinking, that engineers have rightly
cultivated a reputation for, must be applied
creatively to truly address the multiplicity
of problems arising in the future.
Our weekend program, How to Change
the World, was formulated with crosscollaboration, open-ended thinking, and
community building in mind. Inviting not
only engineers, but policy professionals
and students, we aimed to promote wide
ranging systems thinking that looked for
holistic solutions to engineering issues.
We don't need to be engineers just for the
sake of building, but as a profession that

4

THE VOICE Spring 2020

is coming to this world? We are building
has a real mission to solve the problems of
the future of society, and are capable of
humanity right now.
steadying the ship during tumultuous
As we look towards the seventeen UN
Sustainability goals, we know that we
times. The people with these qualities are
can apply engineering principals and
the ones we want as engineers and leaders.
systems thinking to the broader picture.
Those with ambition, the creative thinkers
The technical solution to a problem is
and doers, are the ones who will lead the
only a small sliver of the truth-what is
profession in this new decade.
the context that our work is being done
in? How do our solutions
affect the culture at large that
Who wants to be part of the good
we're participating in? The
that is coming to this world? We are
environment? By embracing
building the future of society, and are
holistic solutions, we embrace
capable of steadying the ship during
our potential to be change
tumultuous times.
makers in the world.
Along with embracing
creativity, the profession is undergoing
changes as it looks to implement
comprehensive equality, diversity, and
inclusion concepts. I believe that this
can be one of our greatest strengths- not
only when it comes to problem solving
engineering solutions but leading the way
in the manner in which our workplaces are
organized. When we begin to apply acrossthe-board thinking that places a priority
on these pillars, we tap into unrealized
strengths, ideas, and imaginations, that can
lead us towards a stronger future.
By applying these ideas to our
engineering, we get much better solutions,
and actually exercise the strength of what
it means to be Canadian: to be open and
Dr. Tibor Turi, Ph.D., P.Eng.
inclusive. By joining this country and
PRESIDENT AND CHAIR,
choosing engineering as the pathway for
your skills, you can make an impact on the
world around us.
Who wants to be part of the good that

Ontario Society of Professional Engineers
OSPE - The Voice - Spring 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of OSPE - The Voice - Spring 2020
