Anant Prasad (1936 – 2016)

We are saddened to announce the passing of a friend and former Terracon colleague, Anant Prasad, on July 6, 2016 at the age of 80. Anant worked with Terracon for 14 years and retired in July 2015 as the Vice President HSE & HR, a Director and a Shareholder. He played an instrumental role in shaping Terracon’s values, and, alongside all our employees, is one of the main reasons Terracon has earned a reputation for its unwavering commitment to safety and quality. He was a man of wisdom, integrity, professionalism and loyalty, and he inspired a generation of employees who understand that these traits are fundamental to a long and rewarding career.

Anant’s career spanned over 50 years holding senior technical and management roles in both industry and government at organizations which included Imperial Oil, Kaiser Resources, and the Iron Ore Company of Canada. Prior to joining Terracon, Anant was the Director and Chief Inspector of Mines for the province of Alberta where his primary responsibility was to oversee health and safety in the mining industry and to enforce the Occupational Health and Safety Act and Regulations. During his career at Terracon, Anant was instrumental in developing, implementing and maintaining Terracon’s HS&E program while being a key member of the Company’s Board of Directors and Senior Management Team.

Anant will be missed by all of us, but we will always remember him and all that he did for his profession, and for his family, friends and colleagues.

Terracon’s Fort McMurray Office is Open for Business!

We don’t think anyone will soon forget the Fort McMurray wildfires that caused so much devastation to many of our friends, family and colleagues. We are encouraged by the determination of the many strong and capable men and women of our Ft. McMurray community who have the firm resolve to rebuild their home and community. We are proud to work beside them and share this resolve. We would like to thank all our employees, clients, vendors and colleagues for their patience and support as we continue ramp back up our business and services to our clients.

Terracon’s office and lab facilities have been cleaned and are open for business! We are happy to report that our employees and their families are returning back to Fort McMurray and are eager to get back to work. We intend to share this good fortune as we actively seek opportunities to contribute to the restoration and reconstruction of our community. Let’s all work together to rebuild this great city we all call HOME!

Fort McMurray Strong!

After a difficult and challenging week, Terracon can happily report that all of our 115 local employees and their families are safe and have successfully evacuated the Wood Buffalo region. Throughout this disaster, our primary goal has always been the safety and health of our employees and their families. Despite the devastation our region has experienced, it’s heartwarming to see the support that fellow Albertans and Canadians have provided to us in a time of need. It’s a reminder of the generosity and kindness that exists in today’s world. We would also like to recognize the absolutely heroic efforts of the men and woman who have been fighting this fire since day one. It is due to those efforts that every single battle to protect particular areas and infrastructure was successful. The bridge that connects the north to the south of town, the hospital, water treatment plant, airport and many more, are all still standing because of those people. We would also like to take a moment to applaud and thank the various industry accommodations, travel coordinators, families, friends and fellow employees who have aided in the successful evacuation and subsequent safety housing of our Terracon family.

On a positive note, according to local authorities the RMWB’s initial damage assessment shows that the majority of our community’s infrastructure is still intact and functioning. From these reports we can surmise that Terracon’s regional office in Fort McMurray is still standing and will be operational once the authorities allow us to enter the city. At this point and until further notice, all operations will be run out of our Calgary office. We are still able to provide all services and look forward to continuing to support our clients both within the Oil Sand community and across Western Canada.

We look forward to returning home and continuing to support and rebuild the community that we have been a part of for the last 33 years. During this difficult time, we encourage that each of you focus your time on your family, friends, and loved ones. In the meantime, please contact our Calgary office if there is anything that we can do to help at 403.266.1150

Beauty Amongst the Flames

Despite the devastation and incomprehensible loss that Fort McMurray and its citizens have suffered this past week during the #ymmfire, Terracon is pleased to be able to share the positive and joyous news that one of our Managers, Jordan Boudreau, is a proud new father of a beautiful baby girl! Claire Daisy Boudreau was born May 4th, 2016 after being evacuated from the Northern Lights Regional Hospital to an industrial camp north of the city before eventually being airlifted to Edmonton. Claire is happy and healthy and we cannot be happier for both Jordan and Nicole! Congratulations!

Service Expansion – PDA Testing

Terracon is pleased to announce the addition of Pile Driving Analyzer® (PDA) testing to our service offerings. Terracon team members have recently undergone training and certification which allows us to deliver high-strain dynamic testing programs to our clients, performing independent verification testing and analysis. PDA services can provide clients withfoundation cost savings through time and material efficiencies. Terracon PDA services include Driveability Study, Wave Equation Analysis (WEAP), Dynamic Pile Testing (PDA), Signal Matching Analysis (CAPWAP®), Hammer Performance, Pile Damage Identification, Total Ultimate Static Resistance (Bearing Capacity), Engineering Recommendations (Driving Criteria), Independent Verification Testing

Triple Crown of Safety

Terracon is both proud and honoured to announce that it has been awarded Syncrude Canada’s 2015 “President’s Award for Contractor Safety Performance”. Terracon is especially proud to win this award for the 3rd consecutive year and 7th time since 2000. This award is given to the small or medium sized company that most exemplifies outstanding safety culture and statistics while working on Syncrude’s lease site.

“Syncrude’s recognition of safety and presentation of this award reitterates their value of safety. We are very pleased to be working with an organization that ensures safety is at the forefront of their culture and strategic plan. On behalf of the senior leadership team, I would like to thank all our employees for their ongoing dedication and impressive attitude towards safety. We understand that 2015 was a trying year for everyone and we thank everyone for continuing to work hard and to promote Terracon’s core value of safety. By winning this award for an unprecedented 3rd consecutive year and 7th time overall, I believe it is an outstanding indicator of our HSE program, our professionalism in the field and our passion and commitment to safety. We look forward to continuing to provide Syncrude and all our clients with exceptional quality service coupled with the highest standard and priority for safety.” ~ Lee Nichols, PEng, PGeo. President

The award presentation was made at the recent “Loss Prevention Symposium” at Syncrude Site in Fort McMurray and was received by the Terracon team of President Lee Nichols, General Manager Erin Fleming, Operations Manager Ian MacNeil and Operations Manager Ernest Arsenault.

2016 Oil Sand Lease Maps Now Available

Terracon’s annual “Oil Sand Lease Map and Safety Schedule” has been released. Each year Terracon Geotechnique publishes an up to date lease map in an effort to keep both our employees and clients apprised of the changes in our industry. In addition to the map, we include a calender of our safety meetings. Each client employee is committed to attending a detailed safety meeting each month and our clients are also given the same opportunity. If you have any questions or would like to learn more, please email us at terracon@terracon.ca.