Canadian Galvanizing Day

Technical Sessions & Schedule

10:00 AM - 10:15 AM

Welcome to the First-Ever Canadian Galvanizing Day & Key CGI-IGC Updates

Hellen Christodoulou Ph. D ing. BCL, LLB, MBA · CGI-IGC

President & CEO / Présidente & DG

Key CGI Updates provides an overview of the Canadian Galvanizing Institute's latest initiatives, technical resources, design and specification tools, quality assurance programs, and strategic collaborations. Discover how CGI-IGC is helping engineers, architects, owners, and specifiers design more durable, resilient, and sustainable infrastructure while strengthening the Canadian galvanizing industry and reinforcing the competitiveness of Canadian steel.

10:15 AM - 10:30 PM

Galvanized Steel, Climate Change and its Sustainability

Margaret Antonanzas, B.Eng., CRM · Marsh

Managing Director, Head of Property Risk Consulting, Canada

TBD

10:30 AM - 11:00 AM

Designing with Confidence, Protecting with Evidence: Lessons from In-Service Corrosion Monitoring of an Ontario Bridge

Nafiseh Ebrahimi, PhD, P.Eng. · National Research Council of Canada (NRC)

Research Officer | Director, AMPP Board of Directors

Corrosion remains one of the most persistent threats to the durability and lifecycle cost of steel bridge infrastructure, yet decisions about design, materials, and protection systems are often based on generalized environmental assumptions rather than real-world performance data. This talk presents lessons learned from the in-service corrosion and environmental monitoring of steel elements of a bridge in Ontario, where custom-built corrosion measurement sensors developed at the National Research Council of Canada were deployed on the operating structure. The data revealed how micro-climate conditions, de-icing salt exposure, and structural details drive actual corrosion behavior, often in ways standard environmental classifications fail to predict. Drawing on this field monitoring program, the presentation explores how live performance data can guide the selection and expected service life of corrosion protection systems, and give owners, designers, and asset managers the confidence to make evidence-based decisions that extend infrastructure life while managing risk and cost.

11:00 AM - 11:30 AM

The Sucro Sugar Refinery Project

Steve Benson · Benson Steel Limited

CEO & Chairman of the Board

Boris Milman · MTE Consultants

Structural Engineer

The Sucro Sugar Refinery Project in Hamilton is an example of leadershipthrough informed choices. This is a project that demonstrates how galvanizing is the practical,Canadian-proven solution for critical industrial infrastructure! Projects ofthis scale reflect leadership across the supply chain. Fabrication, erection andgalvanizing were done by CGI members Benson Steel and Corbec. Selectinggalvanizing in a port environment is a deliberate decision that supportsdurability, performance, and responsible infrastructure investment. Thispresentation showcases best practices in action.

11:30 AM - 12:00 PM

Building for 2030

Ryan Zizzo · Mantle Climate

Founder & CEO

Introduction to embodied carbon, environmental product declarations (EPDs), and how these topics will be incorporated into the 2030 national model building codes of Canada.

12:15 PM - 1:00 PM

Lunch & Learn with Galvanizers
Roundtable Discussion: Design Do's & Don'ts for Hot-Dip Galvanizing

Éric Michaud · Corbec Inc.

Technical Director

Marc Burrows · Corbec Inc.

Vice-President Sales

Richard Court · Court Galvanizing

Sales Executive S & OP

Grant Arklie · Red River Galvanizing

President

Kyle DeBaets · Red River Galvanizing Inc.

Vice President

Ainsley Bond · Red River Galvanizing Inc.

Operations Coordinator

Blaine Melnyk · Red River Galvanizing Inc.

Plant Manager

Noam Sugarman · Norgalv - A SANDVIK COMPANY

Commercial Sales Manager

Join a panel of experienced Canadian galvanizers for an interactive roundtable discussion on the most common design, fabrication, and specification challenges encountered before, during, and after hot-dip galvanizing. Through practical examples and real-world experience, the panel will discuss topics such as venting and drainage, distortion, reactive steels, coating appearance, premature corrosion, fabrication details, and common specification mistakes. Rather than formal presentations, this open discussion is designed to provide practical guidance, answer questions, and share solutions that help achieve successful galvanizing results.

1:00 PM - 1:30 PM

The Radium Hot Springs Animal Overpass, BC.

David Wright · EIT

Technical Sales Representative

The Radium Hot Springs Animal Overpass is an engineered wildlife crossing being constructed just south of the Village of Radium Hot Springs, British Columbia, across Highway 93/95. This purpose-built structure is designed to reconnect fragmented wildlife habitat and significantly reduce fatal wildlife-vehicle collisions — particularly for the region’s iconic Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep population. The Sheep Population was being decreased 15% annually by vehicle strikes. The construction of the structure is the first of its kind in British Columbia and was a collaboration between the British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Transit, the Village of Radium Hot Springs, Parks Canada, Teck Resources Ltd., Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation, the Ktunaxa Nation Council, and the Shuswap Band. These partnerships reflect a shared commitment to public safety, wildlife protection, and Indigenous engagement in infrastructure design and execution.

A 35-metre-wide, 17m span arch overpass was designed for large mammal passage over the highway. The structure featured EPS berms for sound attenuation and approximately 6 kilometres of wildlife fencing and guiding gates on either side of the highway to funnel animals toward the overpass, increasing its effectiveness at reducing crossings on the road itself. There were two 7m tall Mechanically Stabilized Earth headwalls at each end of the structure.

1:30 PM - 2:00 PM

Gates Lane Modular Bolted Truss crossing over the Sissiboo River - Weymouth, NS.

Keaton Hicks · Algonquin Bridge

Technical Sales Representative - Atlantic Canada

Algonquin Bridge recently designed and supplied one of our heavy-duty T1000 Modular Bolted Truss Bridges for the 64 m Gates Lane crossing over the Sissiboo River near Weymouth, NS. The new bridge replaces a century-old truss bridge that had been closed in 2024.

2:00 PM - 2:30 PM

A1 to A3 is not the Whole Story

Hellen Christodoulou Ph. D ing. BCL, LLB, MBA · CGI-IGC

President & CEO / Présidente & DG

The Case for Galvanizing‍
An Overlooked Asset in Canada's Sustainable Construction Strategy

Canada's construction sector is under growing pressure to reduce embodied carbon, extend asset service life, and meet increasingly rigorous sustainability disclosure requirements. In that context, hot-dip galvanizing deserves a harder look than it typically gets. It is frequently treated as a commodity coating decision, made late in design, when in fact it is one of the more defensible corrosion protection systems available when measured over a structure's full-service life rather than its first day in service.

2:30 PM - 3:00 PM

The Glen Road Bridge

Gurinder Hundal · Mariani Metal

Project Manager

Fabrizio Stabile · Mariani Metal

Project Engineer

The Glen Road Pedestrian Bridge is an outstanding example of how durability, aesthetics, and collaboration can come together in a modern steel infrastructure project. Spanning one of Toronto's most scenic ravines, the bridge was designed to provide a long-lasting, low-maintenance connection while meeting high architectural expectations.This presentation will examine how hot-dip galvanizing and a duplex coating system were incorporated into the project to provide long-term corrosion protection and an attractive finish.

3:00 PM - 3:30 PM

Golden Oldie: Seeing is Believing!

Ray Wilcock · Corrugated Steel Pipe Institute (CSPI)

Executive Director

This session will highlight one of Canada’s oldest buried galvanized steel bridge structures, installed in 1934. Through this remarkable case study, attendees will see how galvanized steel has performed over decades in service and the valuable durability lessons it offers for today’s infrastructure.

Technical Sessions & Schedule

Join Us in Strengthening Canada’s Infrastructure