What is VIES?
The Vancouver Island Engineering Society (VIES) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting engineering students, practicing engineers, Engineers in Training (EITs), and professionals in related fields. Our mission is to build a thriving community of learning, mutual support, and knowledge-sharing.
VIES operates as the Victoria division of the Canadian Society of Senior Engineers, a Constituent Member of the Engineering Institute of Canada.
What Does VIES Do?
VIES hosts a regular speaker series on relevant engineering topics, offering members multidisciplinary insights and the chance to connect with industry experts. These events, held in partnership with Engineers and Geoscientists British Columbia (EGBC), allow practicing engineers to earn continuing education hours.
For Engineers in Training (EITs), VIES provides mentorship from professional engineers, supporting them on their path to full professional registration—even when direct supervision might be limited.
VIES also invests in the next generation by funding scholarships and awards for engineering students, including prizes for outstanding co-op term papers and Capstone projects. Our monthly newsletter keeps members informed of engineering news and events across the Island, strengthening our community’s connection.
Committed to fostering leadership, innovation, and inclusivity, VIES welcomes people of all cultures, abilities, and backgrounds to help build a diverse and equitable engineering community.
Board of Directors
Mike Shannon
Board Chair
Steve Richards
Board Treasurer & IT Director
Robin Black
Board Secretary
Scott Roberts
Board Vice Chair
Don Kjosness
Program Coordinator
Tom Tiedje
UVic Development & Scholarship
Ray Brougham
UVic Student Clubs & P.Eng Accreditation Support
Ken Putt
UVic Executive Liaison
Colin Smith
Fundraising & Development
Marcel Gingras
EGBC Liaison
History
Vancouver Island Engineering Society is the operating name of the CSSE/EIC Vancouver Island Branch.
In 1986 the EIC re-organized to become a federation of member technical societies and the Life Members Organization. In 1994, since the Vancouver Island Branch of EIC was the only unit still operating independently at that time, the Branch executive incorporated as a B.C. Not-for-Profit entity, with permission to use the EIC name, under the B.C. Societies Act. It was called, "The Vancouver Island Branch of the Member Societies of the Engineering Institute of Canada".
The Canadian Society of Senior Engineers (CSSE), La Société canadienne des ingénieurs séniors (SCIS), formerly the Life Members Organization (LMO), a committee of the Council of the Engineering Institute of Canada (EIC), was incorporated as a constituent Member Society of EIC on September 22, 2002.
Also in 2002, at an EIC VIB AGM, the group voted to become affiliated with the CSSE. Most of the members were senior engineers and it tied the Branch back to EIC. One of its purposes, as written in the VIB constitution (much like the CSSE's to encourage students to pursue an engineering education) was, "to support the activities of the independently incorporated "Vancouver Island Branch of the Engineering Institute of Canada Scholarship Society," created in 1986. Since 2002, most Society Directors were also CSSE members. It subsequently became known as the CSSE/EIC VIB.
Over time, it was desired to build upon CSSE and EIC VIB member support while expanding the scope to include all Vancouver Island engineers and business leaders of high tech or engineering firms by establishing the Vancouver Island Engineering Society (VIES) as CSSE/EIC VIB’s operating name to signal that openness to a broader cross section of professionals and a younger membership to assist with the futurity of the Society.