Ed de Bruin appointed Associate Vice-President, Facilities

trevor.kenney — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 20:37:20 +0000

A respected voice in project management and facility operations at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge has been appointed to a new role on campus. Ed de Bruin, who brings more than 28 years of progressive leadership experience across complex facilities, engineering and capital environments, including senior roles in post-secondary education and earlier experience in international aerospace engineering organizations, has been appointed Associate Vice-President, Facilities.

“Ed is a highly respected leader with deep sector expertise in facilities operations and a strong track record of leading through change,” says Deborah Lucas, Vice-President, Finance and Administration and Chair of the Search Committee. “He brings a rare combination of technical credibility, operational excellence and collaborative leadership. His understanding of the institution, coupled with his commitment to transparency, accountability and service position him well to lead Facilities into its next phase.”

In this role, de Bruin will provide strategic leadership for facilities operations, capital planning, campus development and major project delivery. He will guide long-term infrastructure planning, advance sustainability and climate resilience initiatives, and lead culture and service renewal across the Facilities portfolio.

Excited about the opportunity, de Bruin emphasizes how important it will be for him to establish an atmosphere of culture, trust and equity in the work ahead.

“Facilities plays a critical role in shaping how people experience the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ every day,” he says. “The work ahead is not only about infrastructure but about strengthening trust, building relationships and ensuring our services support an inclusive and welcoming campus. I am committed to listening, being visible and accountable, and working alongside our teams and campus community to deliver spaces and systems that truly support learning, research and well-being.”

Currently Director of Facility Operations and Maintenance at ULethbridge, de Bruin leads a team of approximately 95 employees and oversees an annual operating and capital portfolio exceeding $10 million. De Bruin holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Aerospace Engineering from Queen Mary College, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of London, and a Bachelor of Education from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge.

De Bruin will officially commence his new role on April 20, 2026.

Monumental task of snow removal looming for Grounds Maintenance team

trevor.kenney — Fri, 15 Nov 2024 17:34:28 +0000

We’ve all been through it — you’ve just finished clearing your driveway and front walk of snow and with a satisfied grunt you toss a last heavy load onto the pile — only to look back to the top of the driveway to realize you can start all over again. Now, imagine being responsible for clearing all campus roads, parking lots and 14 kilometres of pathways while the snow just keeps falling.

The small but mighty Grounds Maintenance team is responsible for clearing all campus roads, parking lots and 14 kilometres of pathways.

Such is the responsibility of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s Grounds Maintenance team every time Mother Nature decides to blanket the sprawling Lethbridge campus with a fresh carpet of powder.

“Every year we receive a lot of questions about our snow clearing process and how we prioritize our work,” says Ed de Bruin, Director of Facility Operations & Maintenance. “We do the best we can with the people and the equipment we have available to us, always trying to make sure we create as safe an environment as possible for our campus community as they make their way around the grounds.”

For any snow event, de Bruin says Facilities has six to seven grounds staff available to clear the walkways, roads and parking areas. This includes two persons working the snow clearing gators, another two on the road and parking lot clearing machines and up to three people hand shovelling the various entrances around campus. And with an influx of employees and students hitting campus early in the morning, the crew’s staggered shifts can begin at 4:30 a.m., or even earlier in extreme weather scenarios.

“We have specific pre-planned routes that cover high traffic entrances and sidewalks first, before moving onto other areas,” he says. “Our intention is always to make one pass of the entire set of campus routes before we circle back to clear snow for a second time — if time permits.”

Of course, if it continues to snow, the crew is challenged with keeping up to what nature is throwing at them.

“There may be times in harsh weather events where snow begins to build back up in areas that have already been cleared. We really do the best we can, but with a small team for a large campus, it can be difficult to keep pace,” adds de Bruin.

Given we have all likely experienced that scenario at our own homes, a little patience and understanding from the campus community seems like a reasonable request.

If you notice a particularly icy or snow covered area, please contact the Facilities Service Desk (403-329-2602) facility.servicedesk@uleth.ca, or submit a work request through their online system: /facilities.

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Ed de Bruin appointed Associate Vice-President, Facilities

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Monumental task of snow removal looming for Grounds Maintenance team

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