The mining industry is changing the face of northwestern Ontario's economy.
TBT Engineering Limited (TBTE) is responding by adding some coveted expertise and experience in positioning itself to take advantage of a wave of new infrastructure that's sure to come.
With mine development and expansion underway in the region and the prospect of greater things ahead with mineral deposits in the James Bay lowlands, the Thunder Bay-based firm has hired Dr. Jag Mohan as a Senior Vice-President and Director of its new structural engineering division.
The former dean of Confederation College's School of Engineering, Technology and Trades who has forged a 30-year career in structural and civil engineering is both an educator and entrepreneur.
Mohan ran his own Toronto-based engineering consulting firm for more than 20 years, and was involved in the construction of more than 300 buildings, while simultaneously serving in professorial, associate dean and dean positions at Brampton's Sheridan College and Toronto's Centennial College.
“I always tell people engineering is my profession and education is my passion,” said Mohan. Coming to northwestern Ontario is reminiscent of his days working as a structural engineer for Stantec in Alberta's oil patch in the early 1980s.
“Western Canada is demonstrating a continued growth that we in northwestern Ontario can only dream of, and honestly the dreams are very strong here because of the mining,” said Mohan.
Mohan considered bringing his consulting company north or hooking up with an existing local firm to focus on his engineering practice after 23 years of concurrent contribution to engineering and post- secondary education.
“When I looked at the profile of TBTE, they were very diverse from a civil engineering perspective. What was missing was a structural engineering perspective – particularly building engineering services.”
At over 120 full-time employees, he joins northwestern Ontario's largest independently-owned civil engineering consulting firm. Installed as part of the senior management team, he's a key figure in planning, assessing and developing conceptual strategic plans for the corporation.
The company was established as Thunder Bay Testing, a construction materials testing lab, by Rob and Liana Frenette in 1995.
TBT has since grown and diversified into a multi-disciplinary firm engaged in services that encompass buildings, mining, transportation, environmental, renewable energy, contract administration, and total project management.
Mohan's skill set will complement TBTE's existing expertise while providing a research and development capacity on possible projects such as cold weather testing of concrete mixtures and various building materials, a specialty that should click with clients working in remote areas.
“The testing lab is ideal for me because the research cannot happen without that capacity,” said Mohan. This past year provided numerous highlights for TBTE and 2013 is shaping up to be “a banner year,” according to Frenette.
“I've not seen this much potential opportunity, excitement and change in the industry since 1998,” when the company diversified into multiple divisions.
Last year saw the completion of the first section of the four-laning of the Trans-Canada Highway between Thunder Bay and Nipigon.
TBTE provided the construction contract administration for the sixkilometre stretch which included a partial cloverleaf interchange.
That experience managing Ministry of Transportation (MTO) highway projects is being transferred into the mining sector.
The firm is shepherding the new tailings facility at North American Palladium's Lac des Iles mine, north of Thunder Bay.
“Construction is my background and there are plenty of benefits to having an established method by which change during construction can be administered,” said Frenette.
“We're bringing in a level of organization that's been very successful for us on MTO projects using tools and techniques in administering a mine construction project.”
TBT Engineering's list of mining clients include Treasury Metals, Rainy River Resources, Osisko, Cliffs Natural Resources and Detour Lake Gold, the latter providing one of TBTE's crown jewel projects.
The firm is performing quality control testing of soil and aggregates used in constructing earthworks for the tailings area of Detour Lake's operating gold mine.
To support continued growth in the mining industry, TBTE further wants to provide expanded building structure services to those same clients.
“That's critical that we have a whole gamut of things as a onestop shop here,” said Mohan, who is an expert in LEED-certified buildings, a green building system he hopes to better promote in Northern Ontario.
In addition to mining application, both Mohan and Frenette find there's room for these technologies to take root in building sustainable and low-cost housing across the North, and TBT Engineering can be at the forefront.
“We want to lead the way,” said Frenette.
