Life Members

Life membership may be granted to current or former CDA members whose lifetime of dedication and achievement has contributed significantly to the dam industry in Canada. The CDA Honours and Awards Committee recommends individual(s) to the Board for receiving Life Membership. Generally, recipients will have retired from active work (beyond occasional individual consulting) and will have been active members of the CDA or its predecessor associations for at least 10 years. Life Membership includes complimentary membership in CDA.

Life Membership Application Form

Meet Tony Bennett, P.Eng., FEIC, 2024 recipient

Mr. Tony Bennett began his career in 1981 at Ontario Hydro, now Ontario Power Generation, where his first assignment was the geotechnical investigations for potential hydropower development in Ontario’s far north. In 1985 he became part of OPG’s original Dam Safety Program, eventually taking on the role of Director, Dam and Public Safety in 2002, a position he held until his retirement in 2024. 

Tony has maintained a steady engagement in the CDA throughout his career. As a member of the CDA’s Dam Safety Committee he was a major contributor to CDA’s Dam Safety Guidelines, Public Safety Guidelines and several of their supporting Technical Bulletins. He served on the Board of Directors for over 10 years, twice as President – 2008 to 2010 and again in 2016. In 1989 he volunteered to be part of the organizing committee for the 2nd Canadian Dam Safety Association’s Conference and has chaired the organizing committees for the 2004 and 2010 CDA Conferences, as well as the 2019 CDA committee that hosted over 1400 ICOLD delegates in Ottawa. 

Tony has advanced the work of the CDA at ICOLD, serving as Chair of ICOLD’s Committee on Public Safety and Emergency Management since 2010 – as well as through his participation in other forums including the Province of Ontario’s Dam Owners Advisory Council, the CEATI Dam Safety Interest Group, USSD, ASDSO and the National Academies of Sciences Committee on Dam and Levee Safety. The CDA has previously recognized Tony’s contributions with the Inge Anderson Award in 2012 and the Peter Haliday Award in 2018. He was elected a Fellow of the Engineering Institute of Canada and in 2022, he was bestowed Life Membership in ICOLD.  Tony continues to make contributions to the CDA through the Dam Safety Committee and as an instructor for several CDA Workshops delivered both in Canada and internationally.

Meet Regis Bouchard, M.Sc, P.Eng., FEIC, 2024 recipient

 Mr. Regis Bouchard has 47 years of experience in geology and geotechnical science, and has introduced new technology to upgrade the quality of site, dam and dyke investigations. With Atkins Réalis he is a technical expert for geology and geotechnical science. He was recognized as a Fellow of the Canadian Engineering Institute in 2012, and by the Canadian Geotechnical Society, Quebec chapter, as a leader in geotechnical science and investigation tools in 2018. 
                                

Meet Dan Curtis, M.Sc., P.Eng., 2024 recipient

Mr. Dan Curtis received his M.Sc. in civil engineering from the University of Waterloo, before going to spend 40+ years with Acres International and Hatch, specializing in static and dynamic stress and stability analysis of concrete dams. Dan retired from Hatch in 2021 and setup a consulting practice where he has undertaken reviews and Review Board assignments in Canada, the United States and Australia. Dan has a long involvement in CDA and contributed to the CDA guidelines as part of internal reviews within Acres. He is a member of the ICOLD dam computations committee and also authored many CDA conference papers.


 

Meet Richard Donnelly, M.Sc., P.Eng., 2024 recipient

Mr. Richard Donnelly has a post graduate degree in geotechnical engineering with over 46 years’ experience, and has served as a construction manager, resident engineer and designer of dams and waterpower facilities in 15 countries. Richard is a recognized leader in the field of dam safety and risk informed decision making, having undertaken the assessment of well over 400 dams, underground structures, and entire hydroelectric facilities. Hatch’s former global director for waterpower. Richard is now working as an independent consultant.  

The previous honourees are:

  • Inge Anderson
  • Bob Barnes
  • Mona Bechai
  • Leo Christl
  • Bill Duncan
  • Joe Farwell
  • Richard Gervais   
  • Phillip Gilks
  • Jim Gordon
  • Christian Guillaud
  • Garth Haack
  • Yousef Hammamji   
  • Charles Holder
  • Marion Houston
  • Barry Hurndall
  • Sayed Ismail    
  • Will Jolley
  • Allan Kirkham
  • Pius Ko
  • Guy S. Larocque       
  • Denis LeBoeuf     
  • Tim Little
  • Norbert R. Morgenstern 
  • John Morrison   
  • Huu Phong Nguyen
  • John Nunn
  • Jean-Jacques Paré
  • Bob Patrick
  • Garry Poole
  • Marty Puro
  • Clare Raska
  • Anthony (Tony) Rattue
  • Stephen Rigbey
  • Gordon Schellenberg
  • Richard Slopek
  • Grant Smith
  • Ray Stewart
  • Mai Phat Tai
  • James Tang
  • Tony Tawil
  • Michael Thompson
  • Richard Trimble
  • Jean-Pierre Tournier
  • Gérard Verzeni
  • Don Welch
  • Andy Zielinski