What is VIES?

VIES is a not for profit organization focused on supporting engineering students, practicing engineers, engineers in training (EIT’s) and other professionals in related disciplines with the intent of creating a community of learning, mutual support and information exchange.

Vancouver Island Engineering Society (VIES) is the operating name of the Victoria division of the Canada Society of Senior Engineers which in turn is a Constituent member of the Engineering Institute of Canada.

What does VIES do?

VIES presents a regular speaker series of pertinent topics that allow multidisciplinary exposure to participating members. This is in cooperation with Engineers and Geoscientists British Columbia (EGBC). By participating in a number of these speaker events, VIES provides opportunities for practicing engineers to acquire required continuing education hours.

In circumstances where direct professional engineering supervision or oversight is tenuous or absent, VIES provides, by way of providing Engineers in Training (EIT’s) with mentoring by professional engineers; an opportunity to complete their professional engineering registration.

VIES donates funds in the form of scholarships and prizes to support engineering students.

VIES promotes the development of leadership and innovation skills by providing awards for Co-op terms papers and Capstone projects. VIES supports gender equality and diversity in society by welcoming people of all cultures, abilities, and voices.

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.