Engineering Institute of Canada : In 1887, an Act of Parliament established the Canadian Society of Civil Engineers, an engineering society. The society was the creation of such eminent Canadian engineers as Thomas Coltrin Keefer, Samuel Keefer and John Davis Barnett. One of the reasons for its creation was the founders' concern with the low level of competence and professional conduct of some individuals who called themselves engineers. It was hoped that the creation of a recognized body of Civil Engineers with admission by peer approval would elevate the standards of engineering in Canada and provide a body of engineers in whom the public could have trust.
As a reflection of the broader activities of Canadian engineers, the Canadian Society of Civil Engineers changed its name to the Engineering Institute of Canada (E.I.C.) in 1918. The Engineering Institute had 55 branches in five regions. In order to help meet the needs of various specialized engineering fields, the E.I.C. has four Constituent Societies: the Canadian Geotechnical Society, The Canadian Society for Mechanical Engineering, the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering and The Canadian Society for Electrical Engineering.
The aims of the Engineering Institute of Canada are: (a) to advance the quality and scope of Canadian engineering, (b) to stimulate the application of engineering to the benefit of mankind, (c) to promote the creation, exchange, diffusion of, and access to technical and other information relevant to engineering for both technical and public interest, (d) to complement the provincial licensing associations and corporations in serving the national, regional, and local needs and interests of members, (e) to co-operate with and provide assistance to all levels of government and with their regulatory bodies on matters concerned with, or involving the use of engineering technology and the practice of engineering.
Further aims of the Institute are: (f) to direct study and make report on matters of national, regional and local interest affected by engineering technology, (g) to collaborate with universities and other educational institutions to advance the relevance and effectiveness of engineering education at all levels, and (h) to foster intranational and international contacts and co-operation in engineering and allied fields.
Forster, John Wycliffe Lowes, 1850-1938 : John Wycliffe Lowes Forster, painter, born 1850 Norval, Ontario, died 1938, Toronto, Ontario. J.W.L. Forster was the son of Thomas Forster, a local justice of the peace. He studied painting with J. W. Bridgman in Toronto, 1869, as well as sharing a studio with him for many years. He is known principally as a portrait painter. Forster painted portraits of many Canadian Governors-General as well as Prime Ministers along with portraits of the Emperor and Empress of Japan as well as several prominent Canadians from all walks of life.
Gzowski, C. S. (Casimir Stanislaus), Sir, 1813-1898 : Casimir Gzowski (1813-1898), a Polish immigrant, was one of Canada's significant early engineers and a key member of the 1871 Commission that studied Canada's inland water routes. Gzowski urged the building of the St. Lawrence Seaway as a feasible engineering project. He was the first chairman of the Niagara Parks Commission and planned the park system on the Canadian side which became world famous. He established the gold Gzowski Medal which is awarded each year for outstanding written contribution to engineering. He also supported the development of music in Toronto by being president of the Toronto Philharmonic Society.
