This month The Professional Edge chats with Eric Quail, P.Eng., a civil engineer working with the City of
Saskatoon Roadways and Operations Division.
Tell us about your personal and professional background.
Saskatoon, born and raised. I grew up in Saskatoon, went to Aden Bowman and then went to the U of S straight out of high school.
Why did you choose to go into engineering?
I’ve always been drawn to construction, heavy equipment, projects and building things. I also enjoy working outdoors and being active. I did a lot of camping with Boy Scouts as well as fishing and canoe trips growing up. Working in construction, power plants and the Saskatoon Water Plant and Roadways was and is a good fit for me.
What was your biggest challenge in college?
University in general was very difficult. Nothing ever comes easy for me so I definitely had to hunker down. It was a tough haul but well worth the rewards when I was done.
One of my first summer jobs was tree planting which had a pretty big influence on me. It was one of the biggest challenges I had. With tree planting you love it or hate it – nothing in between.
What was your first job after college?
I worked with SaskPower in Regina designing power lines. I did that for five years. My first large project was the Regina to Saskatoon 220KV power line. After that I worked on many of Saskatchewan’s coal, wind and gas power plants. When my daughter was born I looked for something more permanent and stable. I landed a job with the City of Saskatoon and have been here ever since in various capacities.
While in the field, I learned many of the lessons that made me the engineer I am today. It taught me about working collaboratively within a team environment to identify issues, work through the options and determine the best solution. In addition, I learned to embrace mistakes as opportunities to learn, improve and move forward.
What do you feel was your single greatest accomplishment as an engineer?
It’s hard to point to one accomplishment. If I had to pick just one, I’d say the Water Treatment Plant long term plan and facility upgrade was the biggest challenge for me. I was able to apply much of what I learned from construction within an operations and maintenance plant environment.
What are your interests outside of work?
The outdoor life continues to be my preoccupation. My wife, two kids, three horses, three dogs and six cats all live on the acreage and keep us busy. In winter, we snow mobile and go tobogganing. In summer we go camping, fishing, walking, gardening and all of those acreage chores. On the volunteer side of things, I’ve recently become a Director of the Saskatchewan Public Works Association.
What is your favourite vacation spot?
For the most part, we stay in Saskatchewan and Alberta because of we don’t want to stray too far from our animals, so camping in places like Lake Diefenbaker, Big River and Waskesiu work well. New for this year we are heading to Cypress Hills and Kenosee. We occasionally dabble our toes into Alberta where my brother lives.
Who has had the greatest influence on your life and career?
On the career side, Ken Cairns, P.Eng helped me a lot. He was the SaskPower Construction Manager for projects I worked on in Estevan, Swift Current and Saskatoon. Because of Ken and the experiences we shared I don’t just see safety as a priority, I live it as a value that guides my professional and personal life. Ken’s biggest words to me were to be firm but fair and that no good deed goes unpunished.
As for my life in general, I would say my wife. She helps me me keep things in perspective and keeps me balanced. Our decision to buy an acreage, for example, was one she drove but for me it was the best decision – it was the move that helped me keep my 50/50 balance for outdoor living.