MOOSE JAW — After years painting houses, working in carpentry and travelling across Canada in a self-renovated camper van—kayaking at every opportunity—Connor Armitage never expected his love of water would lead him to Saskatchewan Polytechnic or to being named Co-operative Education Student of the Year.
Being on and near the water is what he enjoys most. After completing high school in Warman, Armitage worked various jobs to fund his passion for camping and kayaking. While camping he received a sign—literally. Saskatchewan Water Security Agency signs were posted at many of the lakes, rivers and reservoirs he was adventuring at.
“I figured that if I was always spending my free time around water and people actually worked there, it was something I should pursue,” he said.
He contacted the Saskatchewan Water Security Agency (WSA) and applied for a job but without formal training, he couldn’t be hired. They pointed him to the Sask Polytech Civil Engineering Technologies diploma program with options in civil construction and water resources.
“I enrolled and I just finished my co-operative education work term with the Water Security Agency.”
Civil Engineering Technologies is a diploma program based in Moose Jaw that builds core skills in surveying, hydraulics, materials testing, project management and municipal infrastructure. After two semesters of foundational knowledge and an eight-month work term, students specialize in either construction or water resources.
“I didn’t even hesitate. Water was always the obvious choice,” Armitage says.
“If you enjoy being outdoors and want to make a difference in how we protect the world’s water, this is the program for you,” says Dean Massier, program head, Civil Engineering Technologies. “Only a handful of programs in Canada offer this level of specialization in water. Graduates are highly sought after and employed right here in Saskatchewan.”
Armitage’s experience in the classroom and labs has been overwhelmingly positive.
“My classmates are great. The instructors are fantastic. I’m enjoying every minute.”
Armitage’s eight-month co-op work term with the Water Security Agency in Moose Jaw was everything he hoped for and more.
“It feels like everything came full circle. I got to combine work with something I love doing. It doesn’t get better than that.”
He reminisces about one of the many stand-out experiences during his work-term where he was involved in a technical inspection of a bridge to examine how water flow could scour its surface. He spent four days on the water surveying riverbed conditions around bridge piers using sonar equipment. When aquatic plants jammed the propellers of the remote-controlled survey boat, Armitage pulled out his own kayak that he brought initially for fun and towed the equipment himself. He conducted the survey alongside WSA’s senior hydrometrics engineer Brett Watson, making the experience even more meaningful.
“Connor proactively identified opportunities to improve data collection efficiency, collaborated seamlessly with team members and maintained meticulous records that enhanced the accuracy of our reporting. His professionalism reflected the high standards of Sask Polytech’s program,” says Cameron MacDonald, Hydrometric Field Operations supervisor at WSA.
Now back in the classroom for his final year, Armitage has shifted his focus to exploring a topic for his capstone project. Building on his passion for Saskatchewan’s water systems, he is considering a project on the Quill Lakes, a saline system that does not drain to the ocean. He will examine solutions to the rising water levels that could pose potential flood and contamination risks.
His proposed solution involves designing a series of catchment basins to contain and evaporate overflow, preventing saltwater from reaching other watersheds and even capturing commercially valuable minerals left behind.
“It’s a perfect intersection of what I care about—water, environmental protection and engineering.”
Just as water shaped his travels, his studies and his coop placement, it has now shaped his success. Winning the Co-operative Education Student of the Year award is a testament to the way Armitage immersed himself in every opportunity including in the classroom, on the river and across the province’s waterways. Wherever he paddles next, the current is clearly moving him forward.
The Co-operative Education Student of the Year award is part of National Co-operative Education and Work-Integrated Month, an initiative led by Co-operative Education and Work-Integrated Learning Canada (CEWIL Canada). CEWIL promotes the value of co-operative education programs at 79 universities, colleges and polytechnicals across Canada.
