Every month, a different team within COLE holds a social hour to encourage employees to connect, chat, play games, have a little fun, and always, learn something interesting.
This month's social hour was organized by the Environment and Engineering Team and helped to launch COLE's newly-established Biological Services Group (BSG). The professional biologists of the BSG join COLE’s multidisciplinary team of more than 300 staff and their commitment to innovation and design excellence.
In keeping with the social hour’s theme, BSG members were on hand to discuss their current projects, including the assessment of potential amphibian habitat, acoustic surveys for bats and the monitoring (conducted in partnership with Bird Studies Canada) of Barn Swallow nesting structures. BSG members also hosted several special guests, including a Spotted Turtle, Gray Ratsnake and Northern Water Snake. All three animals are long term residents of Scales Nature Park and were present to provide social hour participants with a hands-on opportunity to learn about Ontario reptiles; three-quarters of which are species at risk. The animals also served as a springboard for BSG biologists to discuss opportunities with other staff to work together to improve the environmental sustainability of the firm’s current and future projects.