Breaking New Ground—Stories from Defence Construction Breaking_new_ground | Page 146

J.R.L. (Lorne) Atchison
1985–1996
Lorne Atchison, the organization’s third President, began
working for DCL in 1959, immediately after graduating in
Civil Engineering from McGill University in Montreal. He
began as the assistant to the Assistant Engineer in Charge
of Army Projects, but after approximately a year, he stepped
up to become Assistant Project Engineer in North Bay for
the construction of the Bomark Missile Base. He worked
there for another year before being sent to Saint John, New
Brunswick on loan to the consultant who was working on
the BRIDGE project.
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Lorne progressed on loan to Army Headquarters to wind up
the BRIDGE program. In 1964, he moved to Head Office
as Engineer in Charge of Army Projects, with additional
responsibilities for the Heavy Civil projects. His last position
with the Corporation before leaving to pursue his career in
the private sector in 1973 was as Senior Project Engineer
in Valcartier.
In the private sector, he joined Bail Construction, which
was involved in the construction of institutional buildings
in the mid-Canada latitudes and of Hydro Quebec’s Baie
James. Three years later, Lorne went into business for
himself, first on a joint ventures basis with Bail and then,
three years later, with a partner. He returned to DCL as
Vice-President (Construction) in 1982. In January 1985,
he was appointed President, expertly shepherding the
Corporation through a series of government reviews and
changes in defence priorities.
BREAKING NEW GROUND
DEFENCE CONSTRUCTION CANADA