As Europeans began to move and settle in Canada, there were new demands put on the land.  Long before these settlers came, the indigenous peoples of Canada developed goods and set up social systems that were in balance with the land.  Although these were useful to the settlers, their desire to build a new society required the help of traditional technologies.

For hundreds of years, “engineer” meant military engineer.  These engineers built defensive forts and military weapons.  A good example of the excellent skills of these engineers is the fortification of Louisbourg in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.  This fort, founded in 1713, used gunpowder to protect itself against attackers.  Visit https://www.fortressoflouisbourg.ca/history to read more on the history of this fortification.

The Royal Engineers were the longest serving British military unit stationed in Nova Scotia.  One of their activities in the last quarter of the 19^th century was to take photographs of the military landscape of Halifax.  Visit https://novascotia.ca/archives/royalengineers/ to read more about the Royal Engineers and view the photographs of the garrison city taken from 1870 to 1885.

During the 19^th century, more and more engineering became civil, non-military.  This was the beginning of the specialization in engineering.

The need to improve the transportation system through canals and railways highlighted the work of civil engineers in Canada.

The Rideau Canal in Ontario, built in 1832, is one of Canada’s greatest engineering achievements of that century.  This project was supervised by one of Canada’s greatest early engineers, Colonel John By.  This was a turning point for engineers in Canada.  It was the event that clearly defined what it meant to be a Canadian engineer.  When the engineers tried to build a dam at a narrow part of the Rideau River, European techniques failed them every time. Only when they started to use local materials and labour and they adapted the current technology to fit the local situation, did they succeed.  From then on, Canadian engineers used these principles as they worked all over the world.

Lock #5 of the Shubenacadie Canal System in Wellington, Nova Scotia represents a significant local achievement in civil engineering.  The lock, first build in 1828, was an important part of the 115 kilometer trans-province inland waterway that consisted of nine locks and seven lakes.  This canal linked the Halifax harbour to the Bay of Fundy.  Visit https://www.shubenacadiecanal.ca/blog-content/2016/12/28/the-history-of-the-shubenacadie-canal to watch videos and read more on the history of this canal.

Railways were the most important training ground for Canadian engineers.  Building railways such as the Canadian Pacific offered significant challenges. As a result Canadian engineers became known around the world for their ability to build railways quickly and inexpensively.

In 1887, a group of engineers formed the Canadian Society of Civil Engineers.  This was an important first step to establishing high standards and determining licensing requirements later on.

By the late 19^th century and into the 20^th century, the engineering profession in Canada increased in diversity and specialization with such projects as electric power development; transformation of mining; Trans-Canada Highway; grain elevators and petroleum engineering in Western Canada; aircraft for flying in the bush in Northern Canada; specialized snow and off-road vehicles; and many more.

During WWII, a female professional engineer, Elsie MacGill was the chief aeronautical engineer at Canadian Car & Foundry Co. in Ontario.  She supervised the production of over 2,000 Hawker Hurricane fighters.  She was a pioneer for women in engineering.

A post war boom required an increase in telecommunications technology.  The Microwave System and the Alouette satellites rank in the top ten outstanding engineering achievements of the 20^th century.