He received his commission in 1974, having articled with Morgan Stewart and his father Jack, who were practicing land surveyors. Gary saw a lot of the country, highlighted by assignments in Yellowknife, working with Falconbridge Mines and working for the Legal Surveys Division of the BC Government in locations in southern British Columbia.

The first legal survey Gary participated in was the legal survey of Highway 1 from the north side of Nanaimo to Lantzville. Subsequent highway surveys were located at Shawnigan Lake, the Pat Bay Highway, Highway 1 at Thetis Lake, and a section near Agassiz.

“My personal career highlight” said Gary “was undoubtedly working with the innovative developers who designed Saanich’s Broadmead community.  Merv Mawson and Gordy Ralston brought innovations to lot and road design which resulted in new standards in Saanich.”

“That is one of the joys and challenges of the business” he said.  “You interact with such a broad spectrum of people. From architects, engineers, roadway design people to Indian Affairs and public officials it’s never dull.  Finding your way through these regulations and getting the very best results for the client is always the goal.”

J.E.A. is the kind of place where ideas are listened to. Most recently, surveyor Ken Kyler while working in the remote Kyuquot area on Vancouver Island, had the idea of creating a new survey pin that had the tribal emblem of the band on it, rather than the usual crown symbol.  He got the approvals and that unique pin was proudly pounded into the earth in the village of Kyuquot with native leaders and special ceremony completing their land claims settlement.

There are 8 partners presently at J.E. Anderson and Associates.  “It’s been a small miracle” observed Gary.  “We all work really well together. Right from the beginning there’s always been a family feel about the company.  Everyone has something different to offer, working in a different style.  The partners have always accepted this, respected it and recognized that this philosophy is what makes J.E.A. strong. Partners are carefully chosen with this spirit of cooperation in mind.”

What is Gary trading in his safety vest and GPS for?  Maybe it was all those years of peering through the crosshairs of the theodolites that prompted him to take up photography as a hobby.  Exactly two days after he officially retires January 31, he and his wife Bonnie Lee Wilkes head for Los Angeles to board the Carnival Splendor for a 48 day cruise circumnavigating South America. Friends will be treated to some stunning images when they return.

Said Gary “My wife and I are looking forward to more travel, enjoying music and movies and looking forward to more family time.”

J.E.Anderson & Associates has now been operating for 54 years. The firm has solid mix of both experienced and young professionals which will permit the firm to provide excellent service for many more years to come.

J.E. Anderson and Associates was founded in 1959 and has expanded to include busy offices in Nanaimo and Parksville.

The newest commissioned surveyor at JEA, Peter joined the firm in late 2002. Peter is a graduate of the Geomatics program from the British Columbia Institute of Technology. He received his certificate of completion from the Western Canadian Board of Examiners for Land Surveyors in 2006.

Peter is grateful to his mentor Mike Manson, BCLS for the numerous hours spent sharing interesting and unique surveying scenarios and helping to prepare for exams. He is also thankful to his fellow co-workers for their encouragement and providing an excellent working atmosphere.

The variety of tasks on his desk includes surveying for house layouts and building certifications, fee simple and bare land strata subdivisions, topographic surveys and construction projects including ongoing upgrades for the Department of National Defense and the Esquimalt Graving Dock. Prior to working with JEA, Peter gained experience surveying in the oil patch in northern B.C. and Alberta and has also been involved in First Nation’s land claims surveys including the landmark Nisga’a treaty settlement.

When not in the office or in the field, Peter enjoys family adventures with his wife and two children and stays active playing soccer with the Cordova Bay Bobcats Alumni’s as well as participating in corporate runs with coworkers such as the Times Colonist 10k and Good Life Fitness runs.

Nanaimo now has a workable, citizen-based Community Plan, thanks to professional and citizen input over many meetings and debates. In August 2011 Council adopted Zoning Bylaw 4500, which replaces the previous bylaw 4000.  Because of its significance and the forward-thinking changes, we draw your attention to it here and congratulate everyone involved.  To see the bylaw in its entirety, please visit http://www.nanaimo.ca/assets/Departments/Current~Planning/Publications~and~Forms/FAQBylaw4500.pdf

Summary of Highlights – Bylaw 4500:

• Reduces the typical single family residential lot size from 600 square metres to 500 square metres.
• Creates a new zone to allow for non-strata townhouse ownership.
• Rewards ‘green’ development with additional density.
• Lists sustainable landscaping guidelines.
• Creates new zoning designations for corridors with minimum required height and maximum setbacks.
• Allows 11/2 storey detached secondary suites.
• Encourages mixed-use development and allowing residential use in all commercial zones.
• Promotes laneways through lot size and frontage reductions.
• Allows front porches to project into the front yard setback.
• Supports local foods by allowing urban food gardens in all zones.

This spring Ross Tuck, P.Eng, one of our senior engineers and Urban Development Institute (UDI) board member, went on a working visit to Portland for a tour of that city’s award-winning re-development of its South Waterfront area. With him as a one-on-one tour guide was Lew Bowers, Director of the Portland Development Commission. The planning process for their two-block Old Town district, multi-use buildings, permanent housing, sustainable transit and social housing echoes the challenges facing Victoria and other Island communities.  “Through researching, making connections and examining firsthand the obstacles and the success of Portland, we can better contribute to our community,” said Jeff Tomlinson, Manager, Engineering, J.E. Anderson & Associates (JEA).

As a follow up to this event, the local branch of the Urban Development Institute invited Lew Bowers to speak at their annual luncheon on December 6. UDI president Mike Miller said in a Times colonist article, “Portland is one of the most progressive cities in North America when it comes to development, sustainability and mass transit, so his perspectives are extremely relevant to Victoria.”  JEA is a proud supporter of the UDI and a gold sponsor of the UDI’s upcoming holiday event.

JEA is proud to sponsor the event because developing in the Greater Victoria region tends to be a long and complex task making developer collaboration extremely important. The event provided a unique opportunity for members to see and discuss those challenges with their colleagues.

The Urban Development Institute is a national association that works with developers and local governments to provide news, policy, research and a forum for discussion. “Events like the Development Tour in Victoria strengthen communication among its local members and make it easier for them to come together to address common problems or obstacles,” says senior engineer Ross Tuck, who is also a representative on the UDI Victoria board of directors.

For the sold out crowd it was a chance to discuss or walk through a number of interesting local projects. For the featured companies, it was a chance to showcase their best efforts in ground-breaking layout, design and technologies.

Truckloads of oranges and grapefruits have been arriving from California and are available for sale and donation. Buy some for yourself or have the club deliver the fruit to a local charity of your choice. The Rotary Club of Nanaimo North reaches out to charities all over the world, says the club’s fundraising director Ian Thompson. “We’re happy to deliver your fruit to whichever local charity you choose to support,” he adds.

Beneficiaries of the Citrus for Charity Program in Nanaimo include The Salvation Army, Haven House and local food banks. The club is half way to their Christmas goal of raising $10,000. from the program and are taking orders until December 9. “JEA is a terrific supporter of The Rotary Club of Nanaimo North all year round,” says Thompson. “Indeed, next year Jeff will become our president,” he added.

“We were bulging at the seams” said owner Gary Anderson.  “We’d been working full-tilt solving other people’s problems while our own space was becoming jammed up.   It was time.”  Gary didn’t have to look far for a creative lead on the project.  Jeff Smith, of the multi-award winning Smith Designs was happy to be given the task of creating a beautiful yet functional space. www.smithdesigns.ca. The new addition expanding the space from 3,000 to 4,650 square feet began to take place.

A good contractor makes all the difference in how a job goes and Gary couldn’t have been happier with Story Construction. www.storyconstruction.ca.  “They were fantastic.  They were right on budget, right on time and even found ways to save here and there.”  Danny Carrier shouldered the responsibility of ensuring the goals of JEA were achieved by both Story and Smith.  Under his guidance communication was excellent and the inevitable small problems solved quickly and amiably.

Outside, the problem of an expanded driveway called for a sustainable solution.  JEA Partner Peter Gericke designed a “rain garden” that efficiently filters out the pollutants from driveway and roof run-off water directed to the area to be soaked back into the aquifer.

JEA was well represented by the fleet-footed Ryan Hourston, BCLS, Colin “Speedy” Grover, BCLS and “Stamina Man” Chad Marier (Party Chief). Minda Riley, BCLS Michael McIlvaney Land Surveying, was instrumental in getting the team together along with Bronwyn Denton, BCLS, Focus Corporation.

Meet Ryan Hourston – The latest member of the J.E. Anderson team to be commissioned as a B.C. Land Surveyor.

Ryan joined JEA in 2003, honing his skills completing a wide variety of projects including building certificates, road design layouts, right of way surveys and many other legal survey assignments (including the Uptown Shopping Centre) from Victoria to the Cowichan Valley.  A graduate of the University of Victoria in Geography he credits JEA’s commitment to mentorship as a major reason for his success.

Mike Manson was assigned to help him get to the level of a certified B.C. Land Surveyor. “Mike put in many hours helping me prepare for the exams and supporting me, for which I am grateful” he said.  “So many of my co-workers also took an interest in my progress. There are not many places where you truly feel you are part of a family”.

When he is not out in the field, he can be seen on the soccer pitch, playing three times a week for the Cordova Bay Bobcats.  A father of two, he enjoys time with his wife and children playing at the beach and exploring the local parks.

“Summertime, and the livin’ is easy! Fish are jumpin’…” goes the old Gershwin tune, and at the 6th annual Consultants’ Invitational Fishing Derby on August 20th the J.E. Anderson team made the most of the sunny weather, while raising money for charity. 

This year, the derby enjoyed both excellent weather and record attendance – our late summer gave us warm sunshine and still waters. 260 participants took part this year, so the Prestige Oceanfront Resort was chosen to accommodate us all. 

We’re particularly proud of our team member Ashley Lloyd, who caught the largest bottomfish, a 6.7 lb. lingcod, pictured here. No it’s not as pretty as a salmon, but the taste is still great! And the J.E.A. team was extra lucky since farther out on the water, one of our competitors, Dave Brewer of Team Robar, pulled in a whopping 57 lb. halibut. However, he didn’t make it in to the weigh scales on time, so the victory is ours. 

Of course, the real winners at this invitational derby are the charities that we raise money for: the Sooke Salmon Enhancement Society and the Goldstream Volunteer Salmonid Enhancement Association. Particularly after the devastating fuel truck accident in Goldstream Park last winter, the salmon need all the help they can get. Together with the other participants, we raised $10,000 for Sooke, and $5000 for Goldstream. What a great accomplishment! 

Fellow engineers, we hope you can join us next year for another great event!