BBA’s story begins in Beloeil in 1979, when engineers Réjean Breton and Andrew B. Sturton, who knew each other from Shawinigan Engineering, founded the firm Sturton, Breton & Associates. Incorporated on February 8, 1980, the firm was eventually renamed Breton Banville & Associés and finally BBA.
From 1980 to 2000, the firm made its mark by being involved in several major energy projects, including the interconnection of the Québec and Ontario power systems in 2000, the development of the Québec wind farm in the 2000s and the ancillary services of several hydroelectric power plants for Hydro-Québec, such as Rapides-des-Cœurs (76MW), Grand-Mère (230MW) and Toulnustouc (800MW).
In the 2000s, BBA’s presence expanded across Canada, with offices in Montreal (2004), Vancouver (2007), Labrador City (2010), Quebec City (2011), Calgary and Toronto (2012), Sudbury (2017), Val-d’Or (2018) as well as Terrace and Edmonton (2019). Dedicated to supporting companies in the power and natural resources industries, the firm has added many areas of expertise throughout the years to its service offering through strategic hires and acquisitions, namely, automation and industrial technologies, mining and metals (2004) and environmental stewardship (2018).
Proud to have had an impact on the history of Canadian industry through its cutting-edge energy expertise, BBA is still involved in its evolution with a team of nearly 1,000 employees who strive for excellence from pre-project to onsite operational support. Some of BBA’s milestone projects include:
- 1994: Involved in refurbishing a power system in Kigali, Rwanda
- 2004: Commissioned the first variable frequency transformer between the Hydro-Québec and New England power systems at the Langlois substation
- 2005: Bloom Lake Mine EPCM project for Consolidated Thompson Iron Mines Limited
- 2007: Detour Lake Mine EPCM project for Detour Gold
- 2007: Osisko Mining’s Malartic Mine project
- 2007: Implementation of national control centres for Brookfield Renewable
- 2011: Line 7 expansion project for the Mont Wright Mine
- 2015: Clean energy project from non-recyclable waste with Enerkem Alberta Biofuels
- 2017: Optimization of the cogeneration plant at the Meadowbank Mine in Nunavut.
- 2018: Carbone capture project with CO2 Solutions
- 2018: Detailed engineering for the cogeneration plant at Agnico Eagle’s Méliadine Mine
- 2018: Design of Canada’s northernmost diesel power plant in Grise Fjord
- 2019: Commissioning of the Narrows Inlet 33MW power plant in British Columbia
These mandates echo BBA’s new mission statement at the dawn of its 40th anniversary: “We are proud professionals who positively impact society’s development by providing practical and technologically advanced solutions in a mindful way.”
As BBA celebrates its 40th anniversary, a significant milestone in its history, a sense of pride inspires the team, which is keeping an eye on the future to help industrial companies meet their challenges.