Tunnelling Association of Canada
Association canadienne des tunnels
Association canadienne des tunnels
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| Date | Location | Event | Contact |
| Oct 01, 2026 | Virtual - Microsoft Teams | Digitizing Underground Mapping and the Careers Around It Join TACym for our next Tunnelling 101 webinar! How does underground mapping and inspection data shape the decisions that keep tunnel projects moving? Join us on Thursday, October 1, 2026 for a virtual session featuring Shelby Yee, Kyle Havlick, and Ziad Khalifa. The session will cover: - How ground-condition data is captured and digitized - How observations inform engineering, budget, and schedule decisions - How this data is used across reports, models, and project meetings - Career paths from engineering into technical customer success, product management, and entrepreneurship - An open Q&A with the presenters | Register HERE! |
| Oct 07, 2026 | Steamworks Brewpub - 375 Water St, Vancouver, BC | TAC BC Talk - Digitizing the Underground: From Field Mapping to Project Reporting Join the Tunnelling Association of Canada (TAC) BC on October 7, 2026 for an evening exploring how digital technologies are transforming underground projects—from field mapping and data capture to project reporting and decision-making. Presented by Shelby Yee, CEO & Co-Founder of GroundedAI, the talk will explore the role of digital tools in tunnelling, mining, and infrastructure, and how better field data can support more efficient project delivery. | Click Here to Register |
| Oct 22, 2026 | Lone Star Texas Grill - 930 Dixon Rd, Toronto, Ontario | TAC ON TALK: PROTEX SYSTEM - INNOVATIVE SOLUTION FOR SEWER TUNNELS Discover the PROTEX System – Innovative Solution for Sewer Tunnels Join us for an engaging technical presentation by Gustavo Bomben, Founder and Legal Representative of FAMA, as he introduces the PROTEX System—an innovative solution designed to protect tunnel segments and provide hydraulic sealing in contaminated environments. With five levels of sealing and weld-free installation, the PROTEX System offers: | REGISTER HERE |
| Nov 03, 2026 | Steamworks Brewpub – Uber Room, 375, Vancouver, BC, V6B 5C6, Canada. | Failures and Catastrophic Failures of Tunnels in Sand and Similar Soils Join the BC Chapter on Tuesday, November 3, 2026 for our next social event! Date: Tuesday, November 3, 2026 Location: Steamworks Brewpub – Uber Room, 375, Vancouver, BC, V6B 5C6, Canada. Time: 5:30 p.m. (Registration) 6:15 p.m. (Presentation) Registration: TAC Members: $5 Non‐Members: $10 Synopsis: Unsupported sand exhibits a range of possible behaviours in a tunnel, depending on factors such as the water pressure, fines content and the nature of those fines. Possible classes of sand behaviour include flowing, running, cohesive running or ravelling. Other soils that exhibit comparable behaviours include gravels, combinations of silt, sand and/or gravel, uniform silt, and some saprolites (weathered rock). Model tests and numerical analysis show that a tunnel failure in sand initially results in a narrow chimney to the ground surface. However, major failures of tunnels in sand have resulted in massive sinkholes with thousands or tens of thousands of cubic metres of ground lost, extending over a wide area. Although the modelling shows the initial failure surface, in practice the behaviour after the initial failure can result in massive expansion of the initial failure. While failure at the face of a pressurized TBM can generally be sealed off quickly to prevent further ground loss, failures behind the TBM or with open face tunnelling methods are very difficult to seal. The initial failure can cascade into a much more widespread and damaging failure, including sequential failure of multiple tunnel lining rings. A study of 13 sequential lining failures shows where and why such failures can be triggered, and the range of ground conditions involved. Biography: Nick Shirlaw worked for over 50 years in geotechnical and tunnel engineering, about half of that time employed by Golder Associates. Most of his career was spent in Singapore and Hong Kong. He worked in Ontario for 6 years, including the St Clair River tunnel and TTC expansion projects. In Singapore he was a founding director and office manager of Golder Associates (Singapore) Pte Ltd. For 7 years he helped teach the Underground Space course at the National University of Singapore. He now takes on occasional expert witness appointments and is a Member of the Academy of Experts. He has been a member of TAC for over 30 years. | Register HERE! |
| Dec 03, 2026 | Bellvue Manor – Greater Toronto Area (8083 Jane St, Concord ON L4K 2M7) | TAC Workshop & Year End Social Join us for Energy Underground: Canada’s Energy Tunnelling Opportunities — the 2026 TAC Workshop & Year‑End Social at Bellvue Manor! The one‑day workshop featuring engaging sessions and opportunities to connect with colleagues from across Canada. The program brings together leaders from energy, tunnelling, utilities, policy, and finance to explore the opportunities shaping Canada’s next major infrastructure frontier. The workshop will examine the expanding role of underground infrastructure in pumped hydro energy storage, nuclear‑related tunnelling and waste repositories, underground transmission and utility corridors, hydrogen and thermal energy storage, and trenchless and pipeline systems. The workshop will examine case studies from coast to coast. | Register HERE! |
