Rick Carvalho is an Instructor in the Piping Trades Department at Red River Polytech. Rick started at RRC Polytech in 2009 as an Educational Assistant / Shop Supervisor. Rick has taught classes in Apprenticeship Steam fitting, Blueprint Reading, Cross Connection Control, Low Pressure Steam and all four Levels of Apprenticeship Plumbing since 2011.

Rick is a Certified Red Seal Journeyperson Plumber (RSE), Certified Red Seal Journeyperson Steam Fitter (RSE), and a Certified Cross Connection Control Specialist Instructor. Rick is also provincially certified in Adult Education (CAE).

When not teaching in the classroom, Rick spends his time working on the development and upkeep of the Piping Trades Learn shells, creating content for courses and developing/designing practical projects for the Piping Trades Lab.

Prior to working at RRC Rick worked in the commercial and industrial sectors of the Plumbing and Steam fitting trade as foreman, General Foreman and was certified in numerous safety systems.

Course: 2020 Part 9 Plumbing Code

Trevor Dackow is an Instructor in the Technology Solutions for the Workplace at Red River College, where he teaches Code related courses. Outside the college, he is employed as Building Inspector and Fire Chief for the Rural Municipality of Morris. Trevor Has 15 years experience as a firefighter and six as a building inspector. He is MBOA accredited as a Certified Building Code Official for Part 9 Housing and Small Buildings. Trevor is a member of the Manitoba Building Officials Association, the Manitoba Association of Fire Chiefs, the National Fire Protection Association and the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs. He sits on the Building Codes Committee of the CAFC.

Courses: 2020 Intro to MB Construction Codes, 2020 Part 9 The House, 2020 Part 9 Small Buildings

Adam Ding has been an instructor with Red River College Polytechnic since January 2010. Prior to that, he had extensive experience in planning, estimating, and managing a variety of commercial, institutional, residential, heavy/civil, and infrastructure projects.

He holds a Master’s degree in Building Construction from Auburn University, a Project Management Professional certificate from Project Management Institute, a Professional Quantity Surveying diploma from Canadian Institute of Quantity Surveyors, a Gold Seal certificate from Canadian Construction Association, a LEED AP (BD+C) certificate from Green Building Certification Institute and a Competent Communicator certificate from Toastmaster International.

Course: Materials and Methods

Hal Hokanson is an Instructor in the Piping Trades Department at Red River Polytech, where he has taught all four Levels of Apprenticeship Plumbing since 2007.

Hal is a Certified Red Seal Journeyperson Plumber (RSE), a licensed Cross Connection Control Specialist and a licensed Gas Fitter. Hal is also provincially certified in Adult Education.

When not teaching in the classroom, Hal spends a majority of his time creating content for courses and developing practical projects for the Piping Trades Lab.

Prior to working at RRC Hal worked in the residential, commercial and industrial sectors of the plumbing trade and was a Confined Space Entry Specialist.

Course: 2020 Part 9 Plumbing Code

Dr Bright M. Ng’andu is an instructor in the Construction Management Degree Program at the Red River College Polytechnic. Prior to joining the college, he worked as a structural engineer at Crosier Kilgour and Partners in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Before then he worked as a design engineering and project planning consultant in Europe and Africa. He particularly has expertise in analytical and numerical modelling of (irregular) structures with non-linear material behaviour. Bright also possesses vast experience from years of research and teaching at the University of Zambia and the University of Eindhoven in the Netherlands.

Bright holds PhD and Master of Science Degrees in Structural Engineering and a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering. His PhD research was in modelling and development of design rules for steel frames infilled with ‘precast masonry type’ wall elements.

At the Red River College Polytechnic, Bright teaches courses in Structural Design of structural steel and reinforced concrete structures, Applied Research methods and supervises students in Applied Research Projects.

Course: Structural Design

Shannon is a past graduate of the Environmental Engineering Technology program at Red River College Polytechnic and has been teaching since 2019, with courses on Environmental Management, Supervisory Management, and Health and Safety. Prior to joining the College, Shannon worked at Dillon Consulting Limited as an Environmental Technologist gaining experience with phased site assessments, data analysis, report writing and working with clients to help achieve environmental compliance. Additional field experience including sample collection, remediation, and monitoring well installation provides her with first-hand knowledge of environmental procedures and best practices common to a variety of project sites.

Shannon is a Certified Engineering Technologist and is a member on the board of directors with the Certified Technicians and Technologists Association of Manitoba (CTTAM).

Course: Environmental Management

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Bahman has been an instructor in the Department of Civil Engineering Technology at RRC Polytech for the past 17 years, teaching courses such as Steel Design, Timber Design as well as Construction Inspection and Construction Risk Management. He also has taught Materials Testing, which is a laboratory-based course.
He earned his BSc and MSc degrees from The Department of Civil Engineering at Sharif University of Technology in Tehran, Iran and his PhD from Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada. His PhD research was about non-linear seismic behavior of concrete arch dams, in which he gained expertise in non-linear finite element modelling for dynamic analysis of concrete structures.

Prior to joining RRC Polytech, Bahman had worked in consulting firms in Iran as a designer of steel structures and power transmission towers. He was the assistant project coordinator for multi-disciplinary water transmission consulting projects. During his stay in Hong Kong, he was the technical coordinator of a project for the standardization of bridge parapets and roadside barriers in a research/consulting team from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

He has conducted research in the area of structural materials at RRC Polytech and abroad. Bahman holds the PEng designation in the Province of Manitoba.

Course: Structural Analysis

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Dave is the Lead Instructor for all Water and Wastewater treatment operator training & certification courses associated with RRC’s (Civil Engineering) Technology Solutions Program. Prior to joining RRC in early 2010, Dave spent 30 years in the industry, working for the City of Portage la Prairie and the Cartier Regional Water System, operating / maintaining & managing water and wastewater systems.

During this time, Dave was also involved in operational troubleshooting of a variety of systems in Manitoba, both individually, & in conjunction with several engineering firms. He is a Manitoba exam certified operator in Class 4 Water Treatment and Class 2 Water Distribution, Wastewater Collection, and Wastewater Treatment.

Dave is a former director & long-term member of the Manitoba Water & Wastewater Association (MWWA), with 30 years direct industry experience, and 13+ years of RRC’s training program delivery. He provides a comprehensive training experience that will benefit all participants.

Courses: Water and Wastewater Operator and Certification Training Courses

David is a past graduate of the Structural Engineering Technology program who completed his engineering degree at the University of Manitoba and spent 20+ years in industry in a variety of roles before joining the Civil Engineering Technology Department at RRC Polytech in 2022. He currently teaches courses across the Architectural Technology, Structural Engineering Technology and Architecture/Engineering Technology streams of the day program, including Building Structural Systems, Structural Detailing, Project Administration and AEC Industry in Practice.

Before becoming an Instructor, David spent time working as a Design/Drafting Technologist, Certified Engineering Technologist, Structural Engineer of Record, Associate and Entrepreneur/Business Owner at small and medium-sized Engineering firms in Winnipeg. He has extensive experience in producing designs and managing multi-disciplinary project teams on residential, commercial, industrial and multi-purpose recreation facility projects across Saskatchewan, Manitoba and northwestern Ontario at every stage from proposal/feasibility through construction and commissioning.

Courses: 2020 Part 4 Structural Design, BIM Training

Derrick Reykdal is an Instructor in the Civil Engineering Technologies Department at Red River Polytech, where he teaches Code related courses, as well as Project Management, Architectural Design, and Environmental Systems. In addition, Derrick teaches code related courses to industry professionals such as building officials, architects and engineers, as well as general contractors.

Derrick is a Certified Building Code Official (CBCO) with the Manitoba Building Officials Association.

Prior to moving to RRC, Derrick was the Manager of Codes and Standards for the Office of the Fire Commissioner.  During that time, Derrick was responsible for teaching code related courses and seminars for building officials, design professionals, contractors, and the general public, and he also worked on code development committees at the provincial level.  

In addition, Derrick is a senior firefighter in Manitoba.  He teaches fire rescue programs throughout the province and is on several local, provincial, and national response teams.

Derrick graduated from Red River College in what is now called the Architectural Engineering Technology program.  Post graduation, Derrick worked in the construction industry as a designer, estimator, project manager, and operations manager for over 20 years.

This unique blend of experience has given Derrick a unique perspective on building construction and performance under adverse conditions.

Courses: Part 3 Large Buildings, Part 3 Complex Buildings

Michael is an instructor in the Civil Engineering Technology Department where he has been teaching infrastructure related courses since 2008. Prior to RRC Polytech, Michael worked with municipal engineering consultants, contractors, and utilities.  His experience includes land development, design and construction of new surface and subsurface works, condition assessment of existing assets, and the rehabilitation of subsurface pipelines using traditional and trenchless techniques.

Michael holds a Diploma in Municipal Engineering Technology and a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, and is registered in Manitoba with CTTAM and EGM. His teaching areas include fluid mechanics, water supply, wastewater collections, stormwater management, pavement materials, roadway design, earthworks, and sustainable infrastructure.

Course: Infrastructure/Heavy Construction

Raven Sharma is currently the Manager of Utilities for the City of Selkirk and instructor at Red River College. She has worked in the water and sewer industry for 10 years and has operated and managed wastewater plants, water treatment plants, wastewater collection systems and water distribution systems for 8 years of her career. 17 years ago Raven laid her first watermain when working in Alberta for a year with a construction company. She has a Bachelor of Science, Geological Science, and Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Manitoba. She was a volunteer fire fighter for 6 years, and has recently been appointed to the board of directors and chair for the National Association of Sewer Trenchless Technologies. Raven also teaches environmental science and law in conjunction with the University of Manitoba and Manitoba Environmental Industries Association.

Her passion is mentoring and teaching operators throughout Manitoba how to trouble shoot and deal with on going issues with climate change and aging infrastructure. Raven’s research includes different optimization of removal of ammonia within wastewater. Raven was awarded a NSERC in 2010 under the Canadian Astrology Training Program for 2 years. Her primary research has been geotechnical and hydrogeology. Raven was part of a scientific research team who led rover simulations that would eventually go to Mars for NASA and Canadian Space Agency in search for water and life.  

Courses: Water and Wastewater Operator and Certification Training Courses

Justine is a Red River College Polytechnic grad from the architectural/engineering technology program. She has worked within the engineering consulting world for over a decade and has transitioned to property management in the last five years.

She has extensive experience on optimising both new and existing commercial buildings throughout western Canada. Her duties have included energy and water assessments, energy modelling, commissioning services and measurement and verification services. She has also successfully completed many LEED, BOMA BEST and Green Globes certified projects while also becoming a third-party reviewer for the CaGBC. Her current duties are now primarily overseeing energy and carbon reduction projects while supporting day to day building operations. Justine is a Certified Engineering Technologist and a Certified Energy Manager. She also has obtained her LEED accredited professional and a Qualified Commissioning Process Provider certifications.  

Courses: 2020 NECB Detailed Code Update, 2020 NECB, 2020 NBC Section 9.36 

Chris Urbanski is an Architectural Technologist and a faculty member in the School of Skilled Trades and Technologies at Red River College Polytechnic. He is the Program Lead and an instructor in the Architectural Technology Program, committed to delivering high-quality, multi-discipline technical training to meet the current and emerging needs of his students, industry partners, and community. Chris’ teaching focuses on current and emergent technologies utilized in the building design and construction sectors.

Prior to joining the faculty at Red River College Polytechnic, Chris provided architectural technology services to commercial, academic, medical, and residential clients as a member of LM Architectural Group. Chris participated in all phases of the architectural process, from schematic design through contract administration and project close out. During his time at LM Architectural Group, Chris played an instrumental role in the development, implementation, and enforcement of BIM strategies. 

Recognizing the vital link between academic training and the standards, expectations, and the role technology plays in the Architectural, Engineering and Construction sectors, Chris is dedicated to empowering students and industry professionals to embrace digital ways of working to support project design and execution.

Course: BIM Training

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Brea is an instructor in the Construction Management Degree program at Red River College Polytechnic. Prior to joining RRC Polytech in 2010, she worked with Halsall Associates Ltd. In Ottawa, Ontario as a Project Engineer specializing in new building design, retrofits, audits and seismic restraint of mechanical/electrical equipment.

Brea earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the University of Manitoba, carrying out research in the area of modular glass Fibre Reinforced Polymers (FRP) bridge decks. She completed her doctorate degree in 2004 at Queen’s University having completed her research in partnership with Fyfe Co. LLC and the National Research Council Canada studying the fire resistance of FRP-strengthened concrete beams and slabs.

Brea is registered as a Professional Engineer in Manitoba, and has earned her LEED AP BD+C and Envision SP designations.

Course: ACI Concrete Field Testing

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