Canadian Consulting Engineering Awards

Since 1967, ACEC has been presenting annually «The Canadian Consulting Engineering Awards», in collaboration with Consulting Engineer Magazine. The Awards of Excellence and Merit recognize Canadian excellence and innovation in engineering, regardless of the discipline or field of expertise. (In 2007 the Association of Consulting Engineers of Canada changed it's name to the Association of Canadian Engineering Companies.)

Since 1981, ACEC has presented the Schreyer Award to the designers of the project with the highest technical merit. The Award is named in honour of former Governor-General Edward Schreyer.

Since 1984, lifetime contributions to the advancement of the profession and the industry have been rewarded with the Beaubien Award to individuals nominated by their peers. The following is a text from the 1984 archives of ACEC announcing the creation of the Beaubien Award.

Dr. James deGaspé Beaubien, C.B.E.
1881- 1969

On the eve of the Diamond Jubilee of the Association of Consulting Engineers of Canada, this Annual Report is dedicated to the memory of the late Dr. James deGaspé Beaubien, Consulting Engineer, Commander of the Order of the British Empire, Founding President of the ACEC (1925-49) and Honourary President of the Association (1954-69).

Dr. Beaubien was born in Outremont, May 18, 1881, son of Hon. Louis Beaubien, M.P., M.P.P., Speaker of the Québec Legislative Assembly (1876-78) and Québec Minister of Agriculture & Colonization (1891-97), and Suzanne Lauretta Stuart. His paternal grandfather, Hon. Pierre Beaubien, M.L.A., M.D. (University of Paris), had represented the City of Montréal and the County of Chambly in the Parliament of Canada before Confederation. His maternal grandfather, Sir Andrew Stuart, served as Chief Justice of the Québec Superior Court (1885-89). His ancestor, Jules Trottier de Beaubien (1590-1665), landed near Trois-Rivières in 1650.

Dr. Beaubien graduated in Electrical Engineering from McGill University in 1906 and became a Founding Member of the Corporation of Professional Engineers of Québec in 1920. Upon graduation, he taught at his Alma Mater for two years and, in 1908, he worked for the Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company, at East Pittsburg, Pennsylvania.

He also opened a consulting engineering practice in 1908 and, in 1922-27, was joined by James Leonard Busfield in the firm Beaubien, Busfield & Company. Beaubien Limited was established in 1927.

He was a Member of the Electrical Commission of the City of Montréal (1912-57); National Joint Chairman of the Canadian War Savings Committee during World War II; Member of the National Research Council of Canada (1951-54); President of Beaubien Limited; Chairman of David et Frères, Limitée; Vice-President and Executive Committee Member of the Canada Starch Company; Director of Howard Smith Paper Mills Limited, Westburne Oil Company, West Canadian Colleries Limited and several other Canadian corporations.

On May 26, 1925, the Government of Canada granted the ACEC its Charter and, three weeks later, on June 18, Dr. Beaubien was elected President at the first Annual Meeting. His partner, James Busfield, was one of the fourteen Founding Members. Dr. Beaubien continued as ACEC President until 1949 when he was succeeded by another Founding Member, Dr. Arthur Surveyer.

On January 1, 1944, His Majesty King George VI bestowed on him the rank of Commander of the Order of the British Empire for distinguished voluntary service. In March of the same year, he was elected President of the Engineering Institute of Canada. In 1945, the University of Manitoba awarded him an Honorary Doctorate of Science.

He married (1st) Gabrielle Dandurand, daughter of Rt. Hon. Raoul Dandurand, P.C., K.C., Speaker of the Senate (1905-09), Commander of the French Legion of Honour (1912), Member of His Majesty's Imperial Privy Council (1941); had one son, Dr. Jacques Beaubien, psychiatrist, and two daughters, Claire (married to Dr. Jacques Bruneau, surgeon) and Andrée (married to Dr. James Charles Bonar, transportation executive). Married (2nd) Angéline Rodier. Our founder died at home, in Outremont, May 3, 1969, at the age of 88.

On March 13, 1984, the Board of Directors of the Association of Consulting Engineers of Canada created "The Beaubien Award" in his honour to be conferred as the highest mark of distinction to Canadian consulting engineers "who have served the Association in an exceptional way either by diligent work within the Association or by contributing to the stature of consulting engineering by their general accomplishments".

There is no question that the key elements of the ACEC motto "Experience Integrity Service" governed Dr. Beaubien's life-long service to the profession.


Royal Galipeau
ACEC Director of Communications
Ottawa, June 4, 1984

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