Tunnelling Association of Canada
Association canadienne des tunnels
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| Date | Location | Event | Contact |
| Sep 18, 2025 | Lone Star Texas Grill, 930 Dixon Rd, Toronto, Ontario | TAC Ontario Talk: Lower Carbon & Cost in Sprayed Concrete Tunnelling Join the TAC Ontario Chapter for our upcoming September Presentation Event, "Lower Carbon & Cost in Sprayed Concrete Tunnelling" with ROSS DIMMOCK, NORMET VICE PRESIDENT – TUNNELLING. Talk Title Lower Carbon & Cost in Sprayed Concrete Tunnelling Abstract This presentation offers a perspective on advancing sustainability in sprayed concrete tunnelling. While sprayed concrete is essential for safe and rapid ground support, its production is carbon-intensive due to high cement use, steel reinforcement, diesel-powered machinery, and waste from over-excavation and over-spraying. To address these challenges, a holistic approach is needed, combining material innovation, equipment electrification, and digitalisation. On the materials side, progress is being made with low- and ultra-low carbon mixes, enabled by cement replacement strategies and chemical accelerators that provide early-age strength. Laboratory-scale spraying systems now allow rapid testing and scale-up of new binder technologies for tunnel applications. Electrification of tunnelling equipment, particularly battery-electric vehicles, offers more than 95% reductions in CO₂ emissions when powered by renewable energy. These technologies also improve health and safety by removing diesel particulates and heat, while reducing operational costs. Digital tools, including smart scanning, automated spraying, and digital twins, further enhance efficiency by ensuring accurate profiles, reducing waste, and supporting a future optimising real-time monitoring and operator assistance. Case studies from Norway, the UK, India, and Australia demonstrates innovative approaches such as spray-applied waterproof membranes and thin lining systems. Ultimately, carbon and cost reduction go hand in hand, making sustainable tunnelling both environmentally and economically viable. ROSS DIMMOCK Biography Ross has over 37 years’ of tunnelling experience primarily relating to the design and construction of permanent sprayed concrete linings for urban underground infrastructure projects. Over the last 14 years he has been with the Finnish company Normet, and currently is the Vice President for their Tunnelling business, having a focus on steering the tunnelling industry towards more sustainable solutions. Through leading roles and exposure to the many facets of the international tunnelling industry, Ross has acquired a valuable, well-rounded “End to end” perspective of this challenging industry. He fully appreciates the technical demands of modern tunnel projects, and the need to establish a healthy balance between risk management and value engineering activities to determine the best outcomes. Ross actively contributes to numerous industry standards and best practice guidelines on its further development and related technologies, with his recent focus on sustainable tunnelling. Ross is the chairman of the ITAtech Activity Group focused on new technologies for tunnel waterproofing and more efficient lining design. He also is a Board Member for the newly formed SubSpace Energy Hub based in Switzerland, focusing on low carbon tunnelling and underground green energy storage. Registration coming soon! | Register HERE! |
| Sep 18, 2025 | Virtual - via Teams | ITAym Save the Date: Webinar on AI & Automation in Tunneling Save the Date: Webinar on AI & Automation in Tunneling We’re excited to invite you to our upcoming international webinar on Artificial Intelligence & Automation applied to tunneling. Date: September 18th 2025 Time: 13:00 to 14:30 (CET) This live online event brings together 3 young professionals from around the world to share their experiences applying AI and automation technologies in tunnelling projects. In addition, 2 special guests from Working Group 22 (WG-22) of the ITA-AITES will present the group’s global initiatives on implementing and advancing AI and automation in tunnelling. Speakers: Hanan Samadi – Iran Philip Chin Fung Tsang – Australia Jure Česnik – Slovenia Wojciech Mleczko – Poland Mengqi Zhu – China Moderator: Aida Santos – Spain Don't miss this opportunity to learn, connect and exchange your experiences with other professionals. Teams link (free attendance): https://lnkd.in/d2zUj5yw | More Information Here |
| Sep 24, 2025 | University of Alberta Faculty Club (11435 Saskatchewan Dr NW, Edmonton, AB T6G 2G9) | TAC Alberta Chapter Talk: Geological and Geotechnical Conditions for Microtunneling in Jacko Lake Date: Wednesday, Sep 24, 2025 Time: 5:30 pm - 8:00 pm Location: University of Alberta Faculty Club, 11435, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2C5, Canada. Topic: Geological and Geotechnical Conditions for Microtunneling in Jacko Lake Presenters: Niels Rasmussen, P.Geo. (Thurber Engineering) & Xiaobo Wang, Ph.D., P.Eng., P.Geo.(Thurber Engineering) Registration Cost: $10 - TAC Members $20 - Non-members $5 - Students Presentation Overview: The Trans Mountain Expansion Project (TMEP) extends from Edmonton, Alberta, to the Westridge Marine Terminal and the Chevron refinery in Burnaby, British Columbia. The expansion is essentially a twinning of this existing 1,150 km pipeline and involves the construction of 980 km of new pipeline, 193 km of reactivated pipeline, 12 new pump stations, 19 new tanks, and three new berths. The Jacko Lake area along the TMEP alignment, located in Kamloops, British Columbia, was identified by Indigenous groups as a spiritual and sacred location. To minimize surface disturbance, the new pipeline installation in the Jacko Lake area was completed with trenchless technologies, including microtunneling and horizontal directional drilling. The geotechnical investigations for the trenchless design and construction in the Jacko Lake area included geological and geotechnical background study, detailed geotechnical site investigation and geophysical surveys, geotechnical instrumentation and monitoring, and extensive laboratory testing programs. Challenging geological conditions included rock of varying strength and fracturing, clay, sand and gravel layers under muskeg terrain, and fault zones along the tunnel alignment. This presentation provides an overview of the geological and geotechnical conditions for the microtunnelling design and construction in the Jacko Lake area. Meet the Speakers: Niels Rasmussen, P.Geo. Mr. Rasmussen is a geologist with Thurber Engineering Ltd. with over 15 years of geological and geotechnical experience. Mr. Rasmussen has a Bachelor of Science degree in Geology and is registered as a professional geologist in Alberta. He has been involved with managing drilling programs, conducting desktop studies, installing geotechnical instrumentation, and interpreting instrumentation data. His expertise includes geotechnical site investigation; geotechnical instrumentation, monitoring, data reduction, and interpretation; air photo interpretation; trenchless utility installation; highway studies; and recreational parks and trails. Xiaobo Wang, Ph.D., P.Eng., P.Geo. Dr. Wang is a senior geotechnical engineer with over 25 years of experience in geological and geotechnical engineering. He joined Thurber Engineering Ltd. in 2007. Dr. Wang has extensive experience in the fields of geological and geotechnical engineering involving natural resources, infrastructure, transportation, municipal and industrial developments. His expertise includes geotechnical site investigation and material characterization; foundation analysis and design; slope engineering and retaining system analysis and design; landslide investigation and mitigation design; pile load testing and dynamic analysis; geotechnical analysis and design of underground structures (pipeline, tunnels, shafts, and culverts) and trenchless installation; numerical modeling of geosystems; seismic site response analysis and soil liquefaction assessment, seismic analyses of slopes and earth structures; frozen ground engineering, thermal analysis, and engineering practice; geotechnical instrumentation, monitoring, data reduction, and interpretation. | Register HERE! |
| Sep 30, 2025 | Virtual via Teams | TACym Tunnelling 101 Learning Series: Water Management of Retaining Walls and Underground Structures The TAC Young Members’ Committee is excited to announce the next session in our Tunnelling 101 educational series. Focused on introductory topics, the webinar series strives to teach basic tunnelling themes not often taught in school but beneficial to those working in the industry. Whether you’re a student, just starting your career, or someone who likes to continually learn, you’ll be sure to pick up something new. Topic: Water Management of Retaining Walls and Underground Structures When: Tuesday, September 30th at 12 pm (EST) / 9 am (PST) Where: Hosted through MS Teams (link provided after registration) Speaker: Johnny Poulsen, CEO, Dolenco Tunnel Systems With over 25 years of experience of building markets for waterproofing and concrete repair solutions, he has founded and managed businesses in distribution and subcontracting of a wide range of specialized solutions. Johnny Poulsen has during this time accumulated know how and expertise on tunnel and underground structures on the international market. With his experience, he has been leading the development of new, innovative business solutions, to accommodate the changing needs in underground construction and continues to develop and adapt in the increasingly changing conditions for construction. Abstract: Managing groundwater in underground construction remains a persistent challenge for engineers. Water ingress and the resulting hydrostatic pressure can cause long-term damage to tunnel linings and retaining structures, leading to deterioration, corrosion, and costly maintenance. Methods of managing water pressure is a difficult discipline and soil conditions can be uncertain and risky, both during construction and over the lifetime of the structure. The webinar explores an approach to addressing water pressure in underground structures using a systematic, continuous drainage approach, integrated in monolithic shotcrete layers. The design enables water to be redirected before it accumulates behind the lining, helping drastically reduce construction time, cost and CO2 consumption and maintain structural integrity over time. The webinar will present examples of how this approach can be applied in different construction methods. | Register HERE! |
| Nov 16-18, 2025 | Vancouver, B.C. | 2025 TAC Workshop: Health and Safety in Tunnelling We are excited to announce the TAC Workshop on Health & Safety in the Canadian Tunnelling Industry, set to take place from November 15-18, 2025, in Vancouver, B.C.! The 3-day hybrid workshop will focus on the critical topic of safety in tunnelling through engaging sessions that explore real-world challenges and innovations in the field. Whether you're in engineering, construction, regulation, legal, or insurance, this is the event to attend. We hope to see you in 2025 to experience the best that TAC and Vancouver, British Columbia, have to offer! Registration is OPEN! See all the Workshop details including the preliminary program on the event website: https://site.pheedloop.com/event/EVEDFJBGYXABH/home | Visit the Workshop Website |
| May 15-21, 2026 | Montréal, Québec, Canada | The WORLD TUNNEL CONGRESS 2026: Montréal Planning is underway for the WTC 2026! Get excited to join us in Montréal to meet high-profile leaders, decision-makers, and influencers from around the world. The Call for Abstracts will be launched in March 2025 followed by Registration in June 2025. In the meantime, be sure to join the conversation! We are excited to launch the www.wtc2026.ca website, distribution list as well as the World Tunnel Congress 2026 (WTC 2026) LinkedIn page! These platforms will keep you updated on all things related to the World Tunnel Congress in Montréal, including the theme "Connecting Communities through Underground Infrastructure / Connecter les communautés au moyen d'infrastructures souterraines." Stay tuned for the latest news, insights, and opportunities to engage with fellow tunnelling enthusiasts in 2026! Let’s connect and shape the future of our industry together! Exhibitor & Sponsorship opportunities are now available. Visit the event website for all the details! | https://wtc2026... |
| Jul 20, 2026 | Copper Creek Golf Club (11191 Highway 27, Kleinburg, ON. L0J 1C0) | SAVE THE DATE - TAC Ontario Chapter 2026 Golf Tournament Join the TAC Ontario Chapter for its 3rd annual golf event in 2026 at the Copper Creek Golf Club. Show your skills with the club and ball and enjoy a relaxed evening with industry colleagues. Space is limited (only 70 slots available). Registration will be on a first-come, first-served basis. Details: - Monday, July 20, 2026 - Copper Creek Golf Club (11191 Highway 27, Kleinburg, ON. L0J 1C0) Registration will open in early Spring 2026. Registration includes: • Golf fees and dinner. • 18 Holes of Golf including Power Carts, Short Game Driving Range, Locker Room Usage, and Scoring • Dinner menu: will be sent by email for selection upon registration. --- Be a part of our event – get in touch about a sponsorship opportunity! • Bronze sponsorship - $1,000 (includes 1 free entry) • Gold sponsorship - $2,000 (includes 2 free entries) • Platinum sponsorship - $4,000 (includes 4 free entries) Sponsors will be recognized on the course and the TAC website. Get in touch with admin@tunnelcanada.ca today! |
