j o u r n eys
Journeys
Celebrating BIPOC contributions to transportation in Canada WESTERN CANADA
Throughout Canada’s history, Black, Indigenous, and people of colour have made meaningful contributions to society often under less-than-ideal circumstances. The following stories celebrate some of these Canadians who were builders, engineers, executives, and users of Canadian transportation systems. Hopefully, their stories inspire us to learn more about our collective past and encourage us to pursue an inclusive future that acknowledges the strength of Canada’s diversity. We invite you to explore some of the milestones in equity, human rights and anti-discrimination struggles and policy in Canada’s history to provide some context for these stories. The University of Alberta has assembled a timeline of events in this Focus on Visible Minorities: Key Equity & Human Rights Milestones in Alberta & Canada (PDF, 341 KB) where one can learn more about Canada’s progress. Follow the links in the articles to dive deeper into the stories, communities, and eras of these influential individuals.
Growing up a Cowtown: Oliver Bowen and the Calgary LRT Amber Valley, Alberta was founded in 1905 by black settlers from the southern states looking to escape racism and segregation and the violence that it brought. Oliver Bowen’s father, Obadiah, and grandfather, Willis, arrived in 1913, filed for their homestead then settled the land, becoming part of one of the original black communities in Western Canada. Amber Valley would send its sons to serve in the First World War with the No. 2 Battalion. Then, in 1942 during the Second World War, when Oliver was born, the town would send its sons again to serve. Oliver’s future, however, lay elsewhere. Maybe he figured the square mile homesteads ran on 80 x 80 chain lengths or that the imperial grid system would create spacing challenges in laying out a transportation network in metric. In 1965, Oliver had graduated from the University of Alberta’s civil engineering program and was hired as a special projects engineer at the City of Calgary with a population of about 311,000 (PDF, 137 KB). The 1960s brought the construction of skeletal roads like Glenmore Trail, Anderson Road, and Shaganappi Trail, as well as the passing of Calgary’s streetcar era. The city was looking for a more balanced approach for the future of its transportation system, and the endeavour to deliver a new public transit system began in earnest. At the helm of the project was Oliver Bowen who took on the management of the LRT division with a $144M budget in 1977. Construction of the CTrain system began in 1978, with the first 10.9 km from Anderson Road to 7 Avenue S.W. officially opening on May 25, 1981. It was a city-shaping project that came with risks—both political and technical—at a time of growing economic uncertainty in Calgary. Nonetheless, Bowen was known for his strong work ethic and openmindedness when approaching challenges. He was well received and respected by his peers and the CTrain was completed under budget and on time. He remains an important figure along the continuum of black engineers, shining a light on black excellence. Get to know Oliver Bowen in this CBC Calgary article and learn more about his contributions in this Calgary Public Library video.
SPRING 2022 | TRANSPORTATION TALK
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