Dick Walters was born in Calgary and spent his early years in Lethbridge before moving to Edmonton. He obtained a B.Sc. and an M.Sc. in civil engineering from the University of Alberta. His full-time career began as a structural design engineer with B.W. Brooker Engineering Ltd. In 1984, Dick and his partners founded Walters Chambers & Associates Ltd. where he continues his structural engineering practice. He led teams meeting the design challenges for the Edmonton LRT and the Shaw Conference Centre. Dick provided structural services internationally on several petroleum industry projects in Ecuador, Pakistan and the Arabian Peninsula.

Dick has been actively involved in APEGGA affairs since 1990 serving on the Discipline Committee, Practice Review Board, Professional Development Committee and Practice Standards Committee. Dick also served on the Edmonton YMCA Board and as the public representative on the Registration Committee for the Institute of Chartered Accountants. He represented APEGGA for 10 years on the Building Technical Council of the Safety Codes Council. Dick served as a member of the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology’s architectural technology advisory group. He currently serves as the Chair of his condominium board.

Dick and his wife, Marilynn, live in Edmonton. They have adult children, Richard (Pamela) and Kathy and two grandsons, James and Duncan, living in Edmonton. Dick and Marilynn spend their free time at their Pigeon Lake cottage enjoying boating, sailing and the outdoors.

APEGGA Activities

Vice-President (2009-present)

Council Liaison, Consulting Engineers of Alberta (2009-present)

Chair, Finance Committee (2008-2009)

Member, Finance Committee (2007-present)

Member, Governance Committee (2008-2009)

Member, Council (2006-present)

Member, Audit Committee (2006-2007)

Member, Strategic Planning Committee (2006-2007)

Chair and Member, Practice Standards Committee (2000-2006)

Chair and Member, Professional Development Committee (1997-2003)

Chair and Member, Practice Review Board (1994-1997)

Member, Committee on Continuing Professional Development (1994-1997)

Member, Discipline Committee (1990-1994)

Member (1964-present)

Affiliations, Corporate or Community Service

Alternate Warden, Camp 6 Iron Ring (2003-present)

Member and Chair, condominium board (1997-present)

Public Member, Institute of Chartered Accountants Registration Committee (1996-1999)

Member and Vice-Chair, Building Technical Council (1995-2006)

Member, American Concrete Institute (1966-present)

Member, American Society of Civil Engineers (1966-present)

Is the concept of professional self-regulation of engineering and geosciences an outdated concept or an efficient and effective means of protecting public safety and well-being and the environment?
The system of self-regulation is very efficient, providing a valuable service to the public at little or no cost to the taxpayers. Self-regulation has the advantage of having the qualifications for admission and standards of practice set by members of our professions (our peers) and this provides a great advantage over other systems.

Should the need to facilitate international mobility of skilled knowledge workers to ensure Canada’s continued well-being and prosperity outweigh the need for due-diligence in evaluating the education and experience of internationally educated applicant for professional licenses?
The short answer is no. We must not allow the need for improved mobility to outweigh the need for protecting the public. Processes must be developed to improve the response times to applicants along with encouraging them to apply for professional status before arriving in Canada.