Boro Lukajic Full Interview

Geotechnical engineer Boro Lukajic immigrated to Canada after completing an engineering degree in what was then Yugoslavia. He became fascinated about the Canadian Arctic – impressing a Canadian Immigration agent at the Canadian Embassy in Vienna by sharing this fascination – and so was delighted to spend his first assignment in Labrador working on the Churchill Falls hydroelectric power development. He recalls his mentors, including an engineer he met while doing his military service in Yugoslavia who ignited his interest in engineering, and Dr. Ray Benson at Acres Engineering who improved his abilities in hydropower engineering. Mr. Lukajic worked as a consultant in the Canadian Arctic (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Northern Ontario), Latin America, Hong Kong, and the United Arab Emirates. He describes a six-week visit to Colombia where the had to climb mountains in a jungle invested with snakes and scorpions! His biggest professional transition came in 1977 when he left Acres to join Ontario Hydro and experience project management. At Ontario Hydro, he switched to nuclear engineering, designing cooling water tunnels under Lakes Huron and Ontario. He reflects on changes to the profession, particularly the development of automated tunneling technologies like tunnel-boring machines and smart drill jumbos.