CAEES-ACGPS

2nd Annual VGS Legacy Lecture – A Foundational Force in Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering: The Legacy of a True Pioneer
2025-11-26 17:30 - 20:00 (America/Vancouver) | Executive Hotel, Lougheed Highway, 4201 Lougheed Highway, Burnaby, BC, V5C 3Y6, Canada
The VGS’s annual legacy lecture series is designed to honor the legacy of local geotechnical leaders. This year, the VGS is pleased to celebrate the legacy of Dr. Liam Finn.
Dr. Liam Finn, Professor Emeritus, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC
W. D. Liam Finn is a world authority in geotechnical earthquake engineering. He graduated from the National University of Ireland in 1954 with a B.Eng. in Civil Engineering and earned his M.Sc. and Ph.D. from the University of Washington in Seattle in 1957 and 1960, respectively. In 1961, he joined the University of British Columbia, where he founded Canada’s first program in geotechnical earthquake engineering and later served as Head of Civil Engineering and Dean of Applied Science. From 1999 to 2005, he held the position of Anabuki Professor of Foundation Geodynamics at Kagawa University in Japan. In 1975, Finn pioneered the development of the Martin-Finn-Seed model describing pore pressure buildup in saturated soils under cyclic loading, forming the basis for the first-ever effective stress-based dynamic analysis of earth structures—a framework that remains a cornerstone in the field. With over 350 published papers, his work has earned numerous accolades, including the CGS’s most prestigious Legget Medal and the H. B. Seed Medal from ASCE. He is an honorary international member of the Japanese Geotechnical Society, the Chinese Society of Soil Dynamics, EERI, and IAEE, and also serves as an honorary professor at the Institute of Building Construction in Beijing. In addition, he is a fellow of Churchill College, Cambridge, and of the Engineering Institute of Canada. From 2000 to 2008, he served as Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering. His leadership extended to chairing ISSMGE committee and contributing to the seismic design guidelines for port structures. For several decades, he participated in the committee responsible for seismic provisions in the NBCC and, from 2007 onward, served on the Technical Review Board for the Seismic Retrofit of BC Schools. Finn’s legacy blends visionary research, transformative contributions, global leadership, and a lifelong commitment to mentorship, advancing earthquake engineering and enhancing the seismic resilience of structures and communities.

Overview of NRC’s Newly Released Seismic Upgrading Guidelines (SUG) for Existing Buildings in Canada
2025-12-03 12:00 - 14:30 | Zoom Webinar
Abstract
Earthquakes are among the most destructive natural disasters, capable of causing severe casualties and significant economic losses. For building owners, assessing and mitigating seismic risks in existing buildings poses both technical and economic challenges. In Canada, there has long been a need for nationwide technical guidelines for seismic evaluation and upgrading. The National Research Council Canada (NRC) first addressed this in the 1990s by publishing Guidelines for Seismic Evaluation of Existing Buildings and Guideline for Seismic Upgrading of Building Structures. However, these documents were never updated and have since become outdated.

Currently, the National Building Code of Canada (NBC) Commentary L recommends ASCE 41 Seismic Evaluation and Retrofit of Existing Buildings as a reference for seismic evaluation and upgrading. While comprehensive, ASCE 41 is based on American design and construction practices, and its direct applicability to Canada requires careful consideration.

Recognizing this gap, the Seismic Resilience Team at NRC’s Construction Research Centre has spent the past seven years developing updated, Canadian‑specific technical guidelines—the newly released Level 3 – Seismic Evaluation Guidelines (SEG) and Seismic Upgrading Guidelines (SUG) for existing buildings in Canada.

Designed to help professionals apply these new guidelines for effective implementation, and to improve safety and resilience of existing buildings, a series of webinars and training workshops are being delivered by the NRC in partnership with CAEES.

While the SUG may be considered the Canadian counterpart to ASCE 41, there are several significant differences:

Linear analysis methods in the SUG are force-based and aligned with the NBC and CSA design standards.
A Canadian multi-modal pushover analysis method has been adopted for carrying out non-linear static analysis.
Modelling parameters and acceptance criteria for non-linear analysis of existing buildings have been adapted to the Canadian context.
Upgrading design details from existing standards and guidelines have been synthesized and adapted to suit Canadian construction practice.

Click this LINK for more details and to register.

Toward Resilience: Preparing for the Big One Cascadia Megathrust Earthquake
2025-12-11 08:30 - 17:00 | UBC Robson Square, Room C400, 800 Robson St., Vancouver, BC, V6Z2E7, Canada
The Earthquake Engineering Research Institute – BC Chapter (EERI-BC) is pleased to invite you to the 3rd Annual One-Day Symposium, taking place on Thursday, December 11, 2025, at UBC Robson Square in downtown Vancouver, BC.
Our inaugural symposium in 2023 and the second annual symposium in 2024 were great successes, well attended and well received. We are excited to announce our third symposium with an exciting program and hope you will join us.
This year’s symposium will focus on our theme: “Toward Resilience: Preparing for the Big One – Cascadia Megathrust Earthquake.” The event will bring together a diverse community of professionals, including structural and geotechnical engineers, geoscientists, planners, government representatives, and academic researchers. The program will feature keynote and invited lectures and an expert panel discussion.
As in previous years, attendance will be free for all accepted delegates to ensure the event remains accessible. We encourage broad participation from students, researchers, and practitioners across disciplines. Please note that advance registration and acceptance are required to attend the symposium.
This year, we are excited to feature keynote lectures by Dr. John Cassidy from Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) and Prof. Perry Adebar from the University of British Columbia. Experts will present invited lectures on topics aligned with or complementary to our theme, and will participate in a panel discussion focused on earthquake resilience in BC’s infrastructure — covering buildings, bridges, dams, and tailings storage facilities.
Attendees will gain insights into BC’s resilience to a megathrust earthquake from a leading seismologist at NRCan, and learn about emerging challenges in seismic design of buildings from an academic expert. The symposium will also include presentations on BC Hydro’s dam safety projects and management systems by its Director of Dam Safety, BC’s post-disaster response plan from a BC Housing official, and earthquake early warning systems from NRCan’s seismologist. Additional talks will address the seismic resilience of BC’s bridges from consultants involved in code development, and the challenges of ensuring earthquake resilience in tailings storage facilities.

Event Flyer
Attendance will be free for all accepted delegates to ensure the event remains accessible, however, prior registration and formal acceptance by the Symposium Committee via email is required. Please register online by clicking on the Event Website URL below by November 14, 2025.

Application of NRC’s Tier 1 and Tier 2 Seismic Evaluation & Deficiency-Based Upgrading Procedures to an Existing Canadian Building
2026-01-21 12:00 - 14:30 | Zoom Webinar
Abstract
Earthquakes are among the most destructive natural disasters, capable of causing severe casualties and significant economic losses. For building owners, assessing and mitigating seismic risks in existing buildings poses both technical and economic challenges. In Canada, there has long been a need for nationwide technical guidelines for seismic evaluation and upgrading. The National Research Council Canada (NRC) first addressed this in the 1990s by publishing Guidelines for Seismic Evaluation of Existing Buildings and Guideline for Seismic Upgrading od Building Structures. However, these documents were never updated and have since become outdated.
Currently, the National Building Code of Canada (NBC) Commentary L recommends ASCE 41 Seismic Evaluation and Retrofit of Existing Buildings as a reference for seismic evaluation and upgrading. While comprehensive, ASCE 41 is based on American design and construction practices, and its direct applicability to Canada requires careful consideration.
Recognizing this gap, the Seismic Resilience Team at NRC’s Construction Research Centre has spent the past seven years developing updated, Canadian‑specific technical guidelines—the newly released Level 3 – Seismic Evaluation Guidelines (SEG) and Seismic Upgrading Guidelines (SUG) for existing buildings in Canada.
Designed to help professionals apply these new guidelines for effective implementation, and to improve safety and resilience of existing buildings, a series of webinars and training workshops are being delivered by the NRC in partnership with CAEES.
Building on the preceding webinars that provided an overview of the Level 3 – SEG and SUG, this session demonstrates their practical application through a real‑world case study:

Tier 1 Quick Evaluation: Identify potential seismic deficiencies in the building.
Tier 2 Deficiency-Based Evaluation: Determine whether the identified potential deficiencies represent actual deficiencies.
Deficiency-Based Upgrading: Implement upgrading measures to address the confirmed seismic deficiencies identified in Tier 2.

Click this LINK for more details and to register.

Use of NRC’s Newly Released Seismic Evaluation and Upgrading Guidelines
2026-02-23 00:00 - 2026-02-24 23:59 | UBC Robson Square, Room C400, 800 Robson St., Vancouver, BC, V6Z2E7, Canada
Workshop Overview
Earthquakes are among the most destructive natural disasters, capable of causing severe casualties and significant economic losses. For building owners, assessing and mitigating seismic risks in existing buildings poses both technical and economic challenges. In Canada, there has long been a need for nationwide technical guidelines for seismic evaluation and upgrading. The National Research Council Canada (NRC) first addressed this in the 1990s by publishing Guidelines for Seismic Evaluation of Existing Buildings and Guideline for Seismic Upgrading od Building Structures. However, these documents were never updated and have since become outdated.
Currently, the National Building Code of Canada (NBC) Commentary L recommends ASCE 41 Seismic Evaluation and Retrofit of Existing Buildings as a reference for seismic evaluation and upgrading. While comprehensive, ASCE 41 is based on American design and construction practices, and its direct applicability to Canada requires careful consideration.
Recognizing this gap, the Seismic Resilience Team at NRC’s Construction Research Centre has spent the past seven years developing updated, Canadian‑specific technical guidelines—the newly released Level 3 – Seismic Evaluation Guidelines (SEG) and Seismic Upgrading Guidelines (SUG) for existing buildings in Canada.
Designed to help professionals apply these new guidelines for effective implementation, and to improve safety and resilience of existing buildings, a series of webinars and training workshops are being delivered by the NRC in partnership with CAEES.
Building on the success of previous webinar series, this two‑day in-person training workshop offers 10 hours of advanced training sessions designed to deepen your understanding and practical skills:

Hands-on exercise applying the Tier 1 Quick Evaluation Procedure of the Level 3 – SEG to a hypothetical building located in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Overview of Tier 3 Non-linear Static Analysis Procedure (NSAP) in the Level 3 – SEG.
Step‑by‑step demonstration of Tier 3 NSAP for a simple three‑storey steel moment‑resisting frame.

Workshop Program

Day 1: Monday, February 23rd, 2026

8:30-9:00
Registration

9:00:10:15
Lecture 1
Overview of Level 3 – SEG
Reza Fathi-Fazl

10:15-10:45
Coffee Break

10:45-12:00
Lecture 2
Overview of SUG
Farrokh Fazileh

12:00-13:00
Lunch Break

13:00-14:00
Lecture 3
Application of Tier 1 Quick Evaluation Procedure
Zhen Cai

14:00-14:30
Coffee Break

14:30-15:30
Lecture 4
Application of Tier 2 Deficiency-Based Evaluation & Deficiency-Based Upgrading Procedures
Farrokh Fazileh

15:30-16:00
Q&A and Discussion
Reza Fathi-Fazl, Farrokh Fazileh and Zhen Cai

Day 2: Tuesday, February 24th, 2026

9:00-10:00
Lecture 5
Overview of Tier 3 Detailed Evaluation Procedure
Reza Fathi-Fazl

10:00-10:30
Coffee Break

10:30-12:00
Lecture 6
Application of Tier 3 Non-linear Static Analysis Procedure (NSAP)
Farrokh Fazileh

12:00-13:00
Lunch Break

13:00-15:00
Lecture 7
Hands-on Exercice on Tier 1 Quick Evaluation Procedure
Zhen Cai, Farrokh Fazileh and Reza Fathi-Fazl

15:00-15:30
Coffee Break

15:30-16:00
Lecture 8
Discussion of Tier 1 Quick Evaluation Results
Zhen Cai, Farrokh Fazileh and Reza Fathi-Fazl

Presenter’s Biography

Reza Fathi-Fazl, Ph.D., P.Eng.
Senior Research Officer
NRC
(Gholam-Reza.Fathi-Fazl@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca)

Dr. Reza Fathi-Fazl, P.Eng. is a Senior Research Officer and the Director of R&D for the Sustainable Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (SRIC) unit at the National Research Council Canada (NRC). He leads national initiatives in seismic resilience, infrastructure rehabilitation, and low-carbon concrete construction, collaborating with government, industry, and academia across Canada and abroad. As a key contributor to NRC’s Seismic Resilience Team, he led the development of Seismic Screening, Evaluation, and Upgrading Guidelines adopted by PSPC and GAC. With over 50 publications and extensive applied research on major Canadian heritage and institutional retrofit projects—including Parliament Hill and the West Memorial Building—he bridges research and practice. Dr. Fathi-Fazl also serves as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Ottawa, teaching and supervising graduate research in earthquake engineering and resilient infrastructure.

Farrokh Fazileh, Ph.D., P.Eng.
Senior Research Officer
NRC
(Farrokh.Fazileh@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca)
Dr. Farrokh Fazileh, P.Eng. is a Senior Research Officer at the National Research Council Canada (NRC) and adjunct professor at University of Ottawa and Carleton University. With over 20 years of experience in structural and earthquake engineering, his work focuses on developing performance-based design guidelines and improving building resilience to earthquakes. He has served as research advisor for seismic design provisions of the National Building Code 2025 and 2030, and has developed and implemented innovative seismic retrofit products and technologies in several existing and heritage building rehabilitation projects.

Zhen Cai, Ph.D.
Associate Research Officer
NRC
(Zhen.Cai@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca)
Dr. Zhen Cai is an Associate Research Officer at the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) with over a decade of expertise in earthquake engineering. For the past eight years, he has worked closely with colleagues to develop a series of technical guidelines for the seismic assessment and upgrading of existing buildings. His recent research focuses on performance-based assessment and retrofit, aimed at improving the resilience of buildings against climate change and earthquakes. Dr. Cai also serves as a non-voting member on the Task Group for Extreme Winds under the National Model Codes Committee on Climate Change Adaptation.

Registration & Sponsorship
Attendees should apply for the workshop at this LINK, then will receive a registration confirmation closer to the event date. The workshop is complimentary, thanks to the sponsorship of the National Research Council of Canada (NRC). It is also supported by the Earthquake Engineering Research Facility (EERF) at UBC.

Click this LINK for the event flyer.

Utilisation des nouvelles lignes directrices du CNRC pour l’évaluation et le renforcement sismiques
2026-03-05 06:00 - 2026-03-06 13:00 | Polytechnique Montréal, pavillons Lassonde, salle M-1010, campus de l’Université de Montréal
L’ACGPS-CAEES, en collaboration avec le Conseil national de recherches du Canada (CNRC), organise un atelier de formation en présentiel de deux jours à Montréal (QC).

Titre : Utilisation des nouvelles lignes directrices du CNRC pour l’évaluation et le renforcement sismiques
Quand : 5 et 6 mars 2026
Où : Polytechnique Montréal, pavillons Lassonde, salle M-1010, campus de l’Université de Montréal, 2700, chemin de la Tour

Cliquez sur ce LIEN pour plus de détails sur l’atelier.

Risk-informed, performance-based design of seismic isolation systems for nuclear energy facilities
2026-03-19 15:30 - 17:30 | UBC Ceme, 1204 - 6250 Applied Science Lane, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada
This webinar is a hybrid presentation. Online attendees should pre-register to receive the Zoom Webinar Link. In-person attendees are welcome to attend at UBC CEME 1204 without registration.

Venue:
Online attendees: Zoom Webinar
In-person attendees: UBC CEME 1204 – 6250 Applied Science Lane, Vancouver BC. V6T 1Z4

Cost:
Online attendees: Free for members, $30 for guests and non-members
In-person attendees: Free

Speaker:
Andrew Whittaker, Ph.D., P.E., S.E.
SUNY Distinguished Professor, University at Buffalo

Abstract
Risk-informed pathways are being developed for the design and licensing of next generation nuclear facilities. This presentation will address one such pathway to implement seismic base isolation, which involves the development of a) isolation-system-specific seismic displacement demand curves from seismic hazard curves, and b) fragility functions for seismic isolation systems. Risk calculations result in a displacement, D50, that forms the basis for the prototype testing of isolators and dampers. Specific topics addressed in the presentation include the derivation of the displacement demand curves and isolation-system fragility functions, and calculations of risk.

15 years on: How the Christchurch Earthquake Shaped our Industry's Approach to Retrofitting URM Structures
2026-04-08 18:00 - 20:00 | Theatre C300 at UBC Robson Square, 800 Robson Street, Vancouver, BC, V6Z 3B7, Canada
The 2010–2011 Canterbury earthquake sequence caused widespread damage and collapse of unreinforced masonry (URM) buildings across Christchurch, resulting in significant loss of life and fundamentally reshaping the engineering profession’s approach to assessing and retrofitting these structures.
Fifteen years on, the industry has accumulated extensive knowledge through research, testing, and the implementation of retrofit solutions across hundreds of URM buildings. This presentation reflects on how lessons learned from the earthquakes, and subsequent research programs have translated into practical changes in engineering practice, design methodologies, and retrofit strategies.
The presentation will explore key developments that have emerged since the earthquakes, including improved understanding of URM failure mechanisms, advancements in anchorage design, and the adoption of targeted retrofit interventions aimed at mitigating life-safety hazards such as parapets, façades, and out-of-plane wall failures. It will focus on tangible and applicable learnings that can improve the quality and reliability of our retrofit designs.

Global Earthquake Model (GEM) Conference 2026
2026-06-23 00:00 - 2026-06-25 23:59
The GEM Conference 2026 event is almost here, and we’d like to share GEM’s press release ahead of the Day 1 public release on 23 June in Zagreb, Croatia.
At the conference, GEM will unveil a new generation of global seismic hazard and risk products, marking a major step forward from its first global release in 2018.
The 2018 release gave the world one of its first open, globally consistent views of earthquake hazard and risk. The 2026 release goes further by updating GEM’s core global hazard and risk models and widening the lens of earthquake risk analysis – from ground shaking and building losses to infrastructure disruption, future exposure, and the carbon emissions associated with earthquake damage and reconstruction.
Useful Links:

News page
PDF

How to watch the public release:
Day 1 of GEM Conference 2026 will be livestreamed on 23 June 2026. The viewing link will be made available on the conference event page and on the GEM homepage on the day of the release.
Conference event page: https://www.globalquakemodel.org/gemevents/gem2026-conference-from-faults-to-future-scenarios

2026 CAEES-ACGPS AGM
2026-06-29 12:00 - 14:00 | Zoom
Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Canadian Association of Earthquake Engineering and Seismology / L’Association Canadienne du Génie Parasismique et de la Sismologie for 2026.

13th U.S. National Conference on Earthquake Engineering (13NCEE)
2026-07-13 00:00 - 2026-07-17 23:59
The 13th U.S. National Conference on Earthquake Engineering (13NCEE) is on July 13 to 17. Join EERI in Portland to connect with other experts and learn from their vast technical program.
At the 13NCEE you will:

Learn from cutting-edge presentations. Extensive sessions on structural engineering and geotechnical engineering are supplemented by synergistic sessions on seismology, geology, geophysics, social science, public health, public policy, lifelines, planning, insurance, and risk analysis. Over 130 sessions will cover research, practice, policy, and innovation, including themes like:

Designing for Performance, Not Just Compliance
What Full-Scale Testing Is Telling Us About Real Buildings
Retrofit That Works: Practical Strategies for Existing Buildings
Dynamic Soils, Dynamic Demands on the Built Environment
Beyond the Building: Infrastructure, System-Level, and Regional Impacts
AI and Open-Source Tools in Earthquake Risk Reduction
Multi-Hazard Considerations: Designing for Complex and Cascading Risks
From Engineering to Policy: Turning Knowledge into Action

Network with diverse colleagues. Gain new cross-disciplinary connections with experts from the United States and around the world. 13NCEE attendees will include engineers, earth scientists, social scientists, emergency managers, and policy leaders to grow and strengthen your professional network.

Register and check out the full program!
