"We don’t need a candidate with big promises. We need a councillor who has experience, cares and can represent you effectively on council."
Nanda Layos Lwin
Nanda Layos Lwin, P.Eng., FEC, is running for East Central Councillor
BIOGRAPHY
About Nanda Layos Lwin, P.Eng., FEC
Professor, professional engineer, author, journalist
Nanda Layos Lwin is professor of civil engineering technology at Seneca College in Toronto, and is currently chair emeritus of the Willowdale/Thornhill chapter of Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO).
A licensed professional engineer in the province of Ontario, Lwin has dedicated himself to the betterment of the profession. He served as chair of Willowdale/Thornhill for four years, from 2011 to 2013, and again from 2018 to 2020, and has been an executive member since 2005, chairing the publications and government liaison committees.
Lwin sits on PEO’s East Central 30 by 30 Committee promoting gender equity and women in engineering. He is a member of the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers, and the Council of Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. In 2015, he was made a fellow of Engineers Canada in recognition of his contribution and service to the engineering profession, and was inducted into the PEO Order of Honour in 2022.
As an educator, Professor Lwin began teaching at Humber College in Toronto in 2003, and then at Seneca the following year. In his capacity as professor, he was a representative on Seneca’s Professional Development Committee, chair of the Academic Honesty Committee of the School of Environmental and Civil Engineering Technology, and co-founded the student-run Seneca Civil Society. In 2021, he established the Nanda Layos Lwin Civil Endowed Award to assist students in financial need.
Lwin holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Toronto, and a master's degree in engineering and public policy from McMaster University. He has worked in both structural and transportation engineering. While employed at NCK Engineering in Toronto, he fulfilled a childhood dream by working on the structural rehabilitation program of the CN Tower, then the world’s tallest free-standing structure.
Lwin is the author and publisher of eight reference books on contemporary music and wrote ChartTalk, a popular weekly column on music charts for canoe.com. His articles have also appeared in The Globe and Mail, and The Hamilton Spectator.
In his leisure time, he enjoys keeping track of music charts, listening to music, reading, writing, politics, and can often be found in a bookstore, museum or art gallery. He has also performed stand-up at a Toronto comedy club, and was recently president of the Ruskin Literary and Debating Society, one of the oldest debating clubs in Canada.
platform
What Nanda Stands For
Our profession, our way
• A push for greater self-governance: Whether it’s a move to mandatory professional development or fundamental changes to the chapters, engineers should be front and centre in the decision-making process. We need to take charge of our own affairs and make sure that the future of engineering in Ontario and our collective destiny lie exclusively in the hands of engineers, period.
• Support for new internationally-trained engineers: Too many times I’ve heard new Canadians choose careers other than their chosen profession. As a college teacher, I’ve heard too many of my students, trained outside of Canada, give up on becoming professional engineers. We can no longer let them slip through the cracks. Let’s work together to encourage, support, and license talented new Canadians with an engineering education.
• A better chapter system: I’ve been a PEO chapter chair for four years and I know that the advocacy component of our operations is slowly fading. Movie events, wine tours, and social events may become things of the past. Let’s innovate and develop a system that covers both governance and advocacy for our profession.
• Quality communication: As an author and journalist who wrote for websites, magazines, and newspapers in the past, I know the importance of communicating with an audience. I will prioritize regular correspondence between council and stakeholders through electronic media and newsletters.
• Effective representation for East Central: We don’t need a candidate with a bunch of promises. We need a candidate with experience who can meet the challenges of today. We need a councillor who has empathy and cares.
