September 29, 2025, Vancouver, BC, Canada – Knight Piésold Canada celebrated 50 years of excellence with a reception at the Vancouver Aquarium on September 11. The celebration brought together nearly 300 attendees, including employees from the Vancouver and North Bay offices, members of the Global Management Team, and special guests.

The evening began with a sea lion training experience, followed by cocktails, speeches, and an interactive trivia challenge that engaged attendees with fun facts about key company milestones.

“What makes tonight truly special is having our Vancouver and North Bay teams together under one roof for the first time in our history,” remarked Craig Hall, Managing Principal of Knight Piésold Canada, during his welcome address. “Tonight represents the culmination of 50 years of perseverance and teamwork—a legacy we all built together and share with pride.”

The company’s story began in 1975 when Bruce Knight opened an office in Vancouver to tap into the Canadian mining industry. Knight, who had worked with WLPU in Zambia, moved to Vancouver in 1964 to work on the Mica Dam project and later established WLPU in Australia in 1972. When he returned to Canada, he established Knight & Piésold Ltd. in partnership with David Piésold, a senior partner at WLPU in the UK. This collaboration made history as the first company in the global group to use both names, and all other operating companies in the group followed suit in the 1990s to take the Knight Piésold name. The company name was later simplified to Knight Piésold Ltd. in 1992, as it is known today.

A few years later, the company secured its position in the Canadian mining industry with its first major project in 1978, designing the tailings dam for the Key Lake uranium mine in Saskatchewan. By the late 1980s, Knight Piésold Canada expanded into hydropower, beginning with the detailed design of a 1.2 MW facility for the Sulphurets gold mine in British Columbia.

Continuing its growth trajectory, the company opened an office in North Bay in 1994 to increase its presence in eastern Canada's mining industry. What began as a small team of six has since flourished to over 55 professionals, contributing to Knight Piésold Canada’s overall expansion to 225 employees across both offices.

Over recent decades, Knight Piésold Canada has taken on even larger and more challenging projects across the country and internationally, spanning from environmental studies and permitting through to detailed design and construction monitoring. The company has made significant contributions to mining projects such as permitting, design, and construction of the Eskay Creek Revitalization Project, and the recently commissioned Blackwater Gold Mine—the first greenfield gold mine developed in British Columbia since 2017. Recent contributions to hydropower and water projects include the 1,100 MW Site C Hydroelectric Project, Salton Sea Species Conservation Habitat Project, and Klamath River Renewal Project—the largest dam removal and restoration project in US history.

“Throughout our history, it's always been our people—their expertise, dedication, and collaborative spirit—that have defined the company,” said Sam Mottram, Managing Principal of Knight Piésold Canada. “Every challenge overcome, every innovative solution, every successful project delivery has been the result of talented individuals coming together as one team.”

As the company looks to the future, it is moving toward even greater integration, strengthening collaboration both within its Canadian operations and with colleagues around the world. “We've always hired the best so we can be the best at what we do,” said Ken Embree, President of Knight Piésold Canada. “We’ll continue to work together, bring out the best in each other, and provide the support and expertise our clients value so much.”  

Embree added, “Looking ahead, I’m very excited about what the future holds. With our deep roots in mining and hydropower, we're well-positioned to face the two megatrends of sustainable mining and renewable energy. We’ll continue to grow thoughtfully and lead the way forward, always looking after our clients, and working together as one team.”