Congratulations to the many Canadians recognized at the 2024 ITE International Excellence in Transportation Awards during ITE’s Annual Meeting in Philadelphia!
Council Impact Award – Career Connect with Kate
ITE Canada is honoured to receive a 2024 Council Impact Award with Kate Whitfield for the Career Connect with Kate initiative. ITE’s Council Impact Awards recognize individuals and organizations for outstanding contributions to the transportation industry and the communities they serve.
ITE International bestowed this honour on Kate and ITE Canada with the following accolade in their release (PDF, 245 KB):
This award highlights the exceptional efforts of Kate Whitfield in creating a program that not only supports career development but also fosters a sense of community and inclusivity within the transportation profession. ITE Canada‘s commitment to fostering professional growth and inclusivity in the transportation field is commendable, as their backing of this initiative has significantly enhanced its impact and accessibility.
Conceived by Kate, a Principal at Alta Planning + Design, in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Career Connect began as a virtual networking video series to remove barriers to employment, provide practical job-seeking tips, and offer a platform for connection at a time when in-person events were not feasible. ITE Canada has since supported Kate with the production and distribution of 18 Career Connect episodes featuring 87 participants that have been viewed nearly 4,500 times as of July 2024. The initiative has also expanded to in-person events hosted by Sections, Student Chapters, and at the ITE Canada District Conference.
This long-lived and successful initiative is a unique innovation in educational programming and engagement for members (and soon-to-be members) at all stages of their careers. Career Connect also extends the opportunity for many professionals to join Kate in sharing their knowledge and time to grow the profession. Finally, it epitomizes diversity, equity, and inclusion—concepts that are fundamental to the purpose, approach, and execution of Career Connect with Kate.
Thank you to Kate and all of the panellists, participants, and viewers who have made this initiative a great success!
Learn more about the impact of Career Connect with Kate in our award submission, prepared March 2024.
ITE Transportation Achievement Award — Planning
Congratulations to the Design Guide for Bus Stops Adjacent to Cycling Infrastructure project team for winning the 2024 ITE Transportation Achievement Award in the Planning category!
TransLink, in partnership with the B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MoTI), retained Urban Systems, Toole Design Group, Universal Access Design, and EAP Consulting Ltd. to create the Design Guide for Bus Stops Adjacent to Cycling Infrastructure to guide communities in British Columbia on how to effectively design bus stops adjacent to protected cycling infrastructure to meet the needs of people with disabilities while also being comfortable for cyclists of all ages and abilities. This Design Guide is the first of its kind in North America and addresses a significant knowledge gap in the profession.
This project was also recognized at ITE Canada’s 2024 Annual Conference as the winner of the Stan Teply Outstanding Technical Project Award. Learn more about this award-winning project in this release from ITE International and stay tuned for a project profile coming soon in ITE Canada’s Summer 2024 Transportation Talk.
LeadershipITE
Congratulations to the Canadian graduates from the 2024 Class of LeadershipITE:
- Erica Bayley, Southwestern Ontario Section, Paradigm Transportation Solutions Limited
- Julia Salvini, Southwestern Ontario Section, Salvini Consulting + incoming ITE Canada District Director (2025-2027)
ITE Honourary Member
Bruce Belmore—one of three individuals named in 2024 as an ITE Honorary Member, the highest recognition of notable and outstanding professional achievement ITE presents to an individual—was also celebrated in Philadelphia.
Bruce is known to many in Canada, having served on the Saskatchewan Section and Canadian District Executives before becoming only the fourth Canadian President of ITE International, among many other contributions. Learn more about Bruce’s long career, achievements, and service in the January 2024 ITE Journal here.
ITE District Rising Star
Our 2024 Rising Star was highlighted as part of the overall class of District Rising Stars. Congratulations to Destiny Piper, ITE Canada Secretary and Treasurer from the Saskatchewan Section!
ITE Young Leaders to Follow
The 2024 Class of Young Leaders to Follow was highlighted and includes three Canadians:
- Mark Hearson, Manitoba Section, Stantec
- Destiny Piper, Saskatchewan Section, KGS Group
- Khelen Upadhyay, Greater Vancouver Section, City of Delta
More in Canadian transportation excellence
ITE Canada celebrated the great achievements of many more in the Canadian transportation field at our Annual Conference this past June. Meet all of the recipients of the ITE Canada 2024 Excellence in Transportation Awards here.