Landslides. Debris flows. Erosion. Floods. Scour. The Earth’s surface on which we live, build, and develop, is constantly changing. At times, these changes are merely inconvenient—at other times, disastrous. With over 25 years of geotechnical experience, Rick leads a group of specialists who provide practical, science-based solutions to clients who face geohazard threats. Collectively, the Geohazards team helps clients understand, diagnose, monitor, and mitigate the potential impacts to lives and infrastructure, including roads, pipelines, power lines, mines, facilities, parks, and urban settings.
Rick assesses the causes and impacts of geomorphic systems including slopes, shorelines, and rivers. He specializes in the quantification of landslide run out and mobility, hazard and risk assessment, climate change impacts, hydrologic changes, and the impacts to and from development.
With a personal commitment to reducing the impacts of geohazards on communities, infrastructure, lives, and the environment, Rick believes that the best solutions combine leading-edge science and innovation with a deep understanding of today’s physical environment and the environment of tomorrow. Through Rick, Stantec’s Innovations Office and the Geohazards team are developing a suite of geohazards tools, including DebrisFlow Predictor and STORM.
Rick’s training and background have taken him around the world, from the high mountains of Russia and Peru to the islands of the Philippines and Indonesia, from very slow landslides in Alberta’s river valleys to extremely rapid rock avalanches, such as Canada’s biggest historical landslide (Mount Meager). Passing along his passion for geomorphology, Rick and his family explore the physical world, hiking, climbing, skiing, and biking wherever they can.
