Tom Davey
Environment Ontario Legacy, Vol. 11, No. 1 July 1982. Pg. 32
For water resources, no country on earth is as fortunate as Canada and no province can match Ontario in the size and diversity’ of its waters.
But Ontario is doubly fortunate: it has bred two understanding sons who were not only pioneer engineers, but environmentalists decades ahead of their time.
One of them was Willis Chipman. who was truly a giant in Canada’s environmental development. Born in Elgin, Ontario, in 1855, he graduated from McGill University with lop honors in civil and mechanical engineering. In 1881 . he obtained both dominion and Ontario land surveying commissions. Many land surveyors of those days had interests in hydraulics and other engineering disciplines.
From 1890 on. Mr. Chipman’ s record in the design of sewage systems and water treatment plants was remarkable. The Gore & Storrie publication “A Perspective on the Development of Consulting Engineering in Canada” names him as the originator of the separate system for sanitary and water sewers in Canada.
In 1901, he formed a consulting partnership with George H. Power. The firm was responsible for the design of many of Ontario’ s first sewage systems with over 50 projects or reports on record from Halifax to Victoria. Mr. Chipman’ s designs were based on the experience he gained studying water works and sewage problems in the U.S., Scotland and England.
He was a prominent member of the Engineering Institute of Canada and was most active in the creation of the Association of Professional Engineers of Ontario.
Willis Chipman died on January 3, 1929, and was buried at Brockville.
As the Chipman era faded, the career of another dynamic Ontario engineer had started to change the course of the province’s environmental destiny.
Albert Edward Berry, was born in St. Mary’s. Ontario, in 1895. He gained a B.A.Sc. from the University of Toronto, worked briefly for the Ontario Board of Health, then went to England as a second lieutenant in the Royal Engineers during World War I.
Britain was then a pioneer in sanitary engineering and Lieutenant Berry found much to intrigue him. The discovery of the activated sludge process in Britain still remains the single most important event in waste water treatment.
After the war. Dr. Berry returned to the Ontario Department of Health and took a master’s degree with a thesis on refuse collection and disposal. He agrees with amused irony that the subject of his thesis, written 65 years ago. is one of our most urgent contemporary problems.
When he decided to take a Ph .D . at the University of Toronto’s School of Hygiene, he encountered difficulties — engineers weren’t supposed to cross disciplinary lines. But Dr. Berry, a very determined man, got his way and gained his Ph.D. with a thesis on the viability of pathogenic organisms in milk.
This thesis later helped Dr. Berry to make milk pasteurization compulsory in Ontario. This legislation was the first of its kind in Canada.
In 1926. Dr. Berry was appointed director of the Ontario Department of Health’s division of sanitary engineering. He investigated a number of epidemics including TB, para-typhoid. and typhoid. Some were caused by contaminated milk, others were caused by waterborne bacteria.
In those days, the health department could compel municipalities to chlorinate, or to install water filtration plants. Some of these orders were strongly opposed. In one instance, an entire municipal council resigned rather than obey the order. When the council was replaced, the new councillors again resigned.
But they were fighting a man who was to become renowned for his obduracy and the order was eventually obeyed.
In 1 956 the Ontario Water Resources Commission was formed and Dr. Berry was appointed general manager and chief engineer.
While building the OWRC to a world-renowned body, he also found time to devote to professional associations.
Under his leadership, the OWRC spurred the construction of water treatment and distribution systems along with effective pollution projects that remain unmatched in Canada.
Officially. Dr. Berry retired in 1963. In reality he kept on working as consultant to the World Health Organization on projects in South East Asia.
In 1973. his many achievements were recognized by the award of the Order of Canada. The University of Toronto awarded him the Engineering Alumni Medal. In 1977, his name was placed into the Engineering Alumni Hall of Distinction.
In I9SI the Water Pollution Control Federation awarded Dr. Berry the Gordon Maskew Fair Medal for his contribution to engineering training . Dr. Berry, now in his 87st year, is still a legend in the most distinguished environmental and academic circles.
But Willis Chipman is almost forgotten. Like Dr. Berry. Willis Chipman was a man of many talents, one being a historical researcher. He was a member of the Ontario Historical Society and made some valuable contributions to its proceedings.
Mr. Davey is writing a book on the history of pollution control in Ontario. This article is excerpted from drafts of the book.
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Administrator Notes:
- Mr. Davey did write a book on the history of pollution control in Ontario. It is sadly out of print.
- Tom Davey was also a major contributor to the water environment industry in Ontario and founded Environmental Science & Engineering Magazine which still exists today.
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