Located in southern Saskatchewan, Kahkewistahaw First Nation envisioned developing land as a legacy for future generations. Leaders conceived a commercial development on their 16-hectare urban reserve in Saskatoon to attract and support First Nation businesses and entrepreneurs, diversify the Kahkewistahaw economy, and provide permanent jobs for their people. However, a number of complex challenges stood in the path of development.

Located close to Saskatoon’s John G. Diefenbaker Airport, strict zoning regulations governed development of the land. Building height restrictions to ensure safe runway approaches would need to be relaxed, but regulatory approval of new airport zoning regulations could take up to five years, delaying development.

The Kahkewistahaw First Nation retained Associated Engineering to provide project management, land-use planning, and engineering expertise to develop the land and help realize Kahkewistahaw’s vision for a business park near Saskatoon’s airport.

Project Manager, Bill Delainey, tells us, “Associated Engineering participated alongside leaders and members of the Nation to develop a project vision, learn the Nation’s goals, understand the limitations of the site, and agree on what could be built. In collaboration with the Nation, the team undertook site and infrastructure planning, including developing complex approaches to overcome regulatory aviation restrictions and infrastructure issues.”

City of Saskatoon infrastructure was needed to service the site, in particular, a stormwater pond, which was projected to take years for the city to design and construct. Furthermore, Associated Engineering determined that the neighbourhood pond could not service an area in the northeast corner of the site. As well, to comply with Transport Canada regulations, the stormwater ponds had to drain within 48 hours.

In addition, the project had to meet the expectations of the First Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN), which had purchased land on the site and were anxious to construct their new headquarters.

As lead consultant, Associated Engineering led communication and collaboration efforts with stakeholders to facilitate the approvals required for the project to proceed, as well as undertaking project management, planning, design, and construction administration. Our team engaged in consultation and negotiation with the City of Saskatoon, the Airport Authority, NavCanada, and Transport Canada, along with contractors, utilities, and other stakeholders, all the while keeping Kahkewistahaw fully informed and in control.

“To address the lack of municipal stormwater infrastructure, we designed an interim stormwater system that can easily be converted to eventually connect to the city’s permanent stormwater system, once constructed in the future. Advanced modelling was conducted to inform the design, and facilitate a successful transition to a future, permanent infrastructure network.”

The temporary ditch system can be filled-in without affecting any paved surfaces or buildings. The site was divided to store some of the stormwater by directing it to the northeast. A portion of the land was allocated to build a stormwater retention pond so that the area to be developed would be drained by ditches into the pond.

The Kahkewistahaw Landing Business Park opened in November 2022, delivered on time and within the Nation’s $4 million budget. Kahkewistahaw First Nation realized their dream for a business park that provides economic development opportunities, offering jobs and long-term economic security for their people.

The post Collaboration with Saskatoon Airport Authority, City of Saskatoon, and other stakeholders helped fast-track Kahkewistahaw First Nation’s commercial development first appeared on Associated Engineering.

Bill Delainey embarked on an interesting journey as an athlete and a small business owner before beginning his career as an urban planner. Entering university, Bill had athletic aspirations, playing football and running in track and field. Bill credits his parents as his biggest life influences. With his father’s guidance, Bill found his educational passion and graduated with a degree in rural and urban development from the University of Saskatchewan. Bill then operated a small business for 20 years before launching his career in planning with the Rural Municipality of Corman Park. 

Bill shares, “I was hired at Corman Park at the same time as Glen Grismer; he was instrumental in my career development. At the time, I didn’t have much practical planning experience, but as a mentor, Glen respected my business experience. I was given many opportunities to work on major projects that allowed me to gain valuable planning experience.” This experience led to Bill’s promotion to Director of Planning at the Rural Municipality of Corman Park.

One of the highlights of Bill’s career is his contributions to introducing a new level of planning to Saskatchewan communities. Bill explains, “Through my research in preparing a District Plan for Saskatoon and Corman Park, I developed terms of reference for a secondary planning process. Over time, more Saskatchewan communities have adopted this process, despite the process not being specifically enabled by provincial legislation. It is exciting to work in various jurisdictions and see how widely my work has been adopted by planners and communities.”

Bill joined Associated Engineering in 2012.

“I had a very positive experience working on a project with Associated on behalf of Corman Park. The team’s approach and commitment to client service aligns with my own philosophy.”

Bill says, “My first memorable project with Associated was preparing the Discovery Outline Plan for Lethbridge’s southeast sector.” Since then, our planning practice has grown in Saskatchewan and Alberta, and expanded to Ontario and BC. 

Bill advises, “I have been fortunate to have been given the freedom to manage and build the planning practice, which is both exciting and challenging.” Recently, to complete a project to inventory the lands available to the City of Regina, Bill had to conduct a level of market analysis – work that is very unique for Bill. The final report was well received and Bill found the experience to be tremendously rewarding.

As Manager of the Urban Planning team in our Saskatoon office, Bill has mentored several young planners seeking their professional planning designation and found the process and relationships to be very rewarding. He says, “It’s not until you are put into a position to provide advice to a more junior team member that you realize that you have acquired valuable knowledge that can enhance the careers of others.”

Bill believes that to be a successful consultant, you need to be observant, capable of assessing and analyzing situations and client needs, and able to maintain focus on project objectives. 

“An effective planner needs to be able to understand a situation and draw from their experiences to provide a tailored solution, as well as being focussed on client service.”

A long-term volunteer, Bill has served two terms on the Board of Directors of the Saskatchewan Professional Planners Institute, including a term as President. He also served two terms on the Canadian Institute of Planners Board of Directors.

Outside of work, Bill is an avid Toronto Blue Jays and Indianapolis Colts fan, and enjoys going to watch live games. He also enjoys being physically active; typically, you can find him riding his e-bike to work each day, and working out or running during his lunch breaks. In the summer, he enjoys wakeboarding, wake surfing, and swimming at his family’s cabin. In the winter, he enjoys snowmobiling and cross country skiing.

The post Bill Delainey leverages business acumen to build successful career in urban planning first appeared on Associated Engineering.