David Zimmer first MPP honoured with PEO's President’s Award

May 2, 2008

Professional Engineers Ontario will honour David Zimmer, LL.B., Parliamentary Assistant to the Attorney General and MPP Willowdale, with its President’s Award on Friday, May 9 at the St. Clair Centre for the Arts in Windsor. The award annually recognizes outstanding Canadians who have supported and contributed to advancing the engineering profession in Ontario.

“Through his background in law, David entered public life in 2003 with an appreciation for the value of self-regulated professions,” said PEO President Walter Bilanski, PhD, P.Eng.

“Now, through his work in the Attorney General’s office, he has demonstrated a fierce commitment to ensuring that his Queen’s Park colleagues continue to recognize and support PEO’s policy direction and regulatory mandate, including our contributions to maintaining the highest level of professionalism among engineers working in the public interest.”

The presentation to Mr. Zimmer will be held in conjunction with the events of PEO’s annual general meeting weekend and will precede its Order of Honour Awards Investiture, at which outstanding dedication to the profession by 13 professional engineers will be celebrated.

“As the point person in the Ontario Government for several of the major professions, David has helped to build important relationships for PEO,” added association CEO/Registrar Kim Allen, P.Eng. “In several cases, he worked with ministries such as the Attorney General, Citizenship and Immigration, Environment, Government and Consumer Services, and Municipal Affairs and Housing to dismantle roadblocks, improve public service and better protect the public.”

PEO presented its inaugural President’s Award to Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion in 2007.

PEO will also stage an Engineering and Public Policy conference on May 9 where experts from both sides of the Canada/U.S. border will examine the role of the engineering profession in developing public policy, and the effects of public policy on engineering. Attorney General Chris Bentley, MPP, and Economic Development and Trade Minister Sandra Pupatello, MPP, are among the dignitaries scheduled to participate. PEO’s 86th annual general business meeting will follow on May 10.
http://www.peo.on.ca/agm/agm_home.htm