Robbie Fraser
Robbie Fraser M.Sc., P.Eng.
Founding Partner, Senior Structural Engineer
Robbie Fraser is a Structural Engineer with 26 years of progressive experience in the structural design and construction implementation of bridges, marine works, and offshore and industrial structures. Since 2000, Mr. Fraser has participated in the design of over 400 bridge projects, and hundreds of construction engineering projects. Over the course of his prestigious career, his work has received national acclaim, earning multiple awards across a wide range of projects. In 2008 he and Greg MacDonald launched Harbourside Engineering Consultants (HEC). This would later expand to become the Harbourside Engineering Group.
“If you do good work, there will always be more work. No one is perfect, but if we AIM for perfect, our work will always be exceptional.”
— Robbie Fraser, Founding Partner of Harbourside Engineering Group.
Primary Office:
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
Registrations:
Association of Professional Engineers of Nova Scotia, Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists Newfoundland & Labrador, Association of Professional Engineers of Ontario, Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Saskatchewan
Professional Activities:
Canadian Highway Bridge Design Code technical committees: Section 3 (Loads), Section 10 (Steel Structures), and lead to the sub-committee for Section 10.22 (Piles)
NSPW Standard Specification (Division 5, Structures)
Robbie’s Projects
About Robbie
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In 1998, Robbie Fraser achieved his Bachelor of Engineering. He would later complete his Master of Science in Structural engineering in 2000, followed by his P.Eng in 2002. This marked the formal start to his professional journey.
At over a quarter-century of experience, Mr. Fraser has a staggering number of professional accomplishments to his name. Not least of which was the founding of his own consulting firm in 2008 (Harbourside Engineering Consultants). While managing the demands of a (growing) small business, Robbie would continue to earn national and international recognition for his involvement in bridge projects, marine works, offshore and industrial structures. This dedication to excellence would later allow the company to expand, becoming the Harbourside Engineering Group.
Expansion has enabled the company to service a variety of sectors, including transportation, geotechnical engineering, materials testing, and project management. Robbie’s vision for the company was always to build lasting infrastructure, and strong partnerships throughout the Atlantic region. The method to achieve this would be through innovative design, and practical solutions. In Mr. Fraser’s own words:
“If you do good work, there will always be more work. No one is perfect, but if we AIM for perfect, our work will always be exceptional.” — Robbie Fraser, Founding Partner of Harbourside Engineering Group.
Robbie’s dedication to quality workmanship in the world of consulting goes hand-in-hand with his desire to foster engineering talent in Atlantic Canada. It is no secret that many professionals seek their opportunities outside of the Maritimes. Mr. Fraser’s vision for Harbourside stands in defiance of the “Brain Drain Crisis”.
To support this claim, Robbie himself, and the projects in which he has personally been involved, have earned no less than 23 distinct awards for excellence in the fields of construction and engineering.
This number does not include awards earned by those mentored directly by Robbie, nor the award-winning projects of the Harbourside Engineering Group as a whole.
In short, Mr. Fraser has cultivated a “culture of excellence” within his firm. Not only does this raise the bar for what it means to be an engineering consultant in Canada, but it also positions the Maritimes (and Harbourside) as the benchmark for engineering talent.
Over such a prestigious career, Robbie has worked on over 400 bridge projects, and hundreds of construction engineering projects. It would be impractical to list each of these in detail. A recent project of note, however, would be Mr. Fraser’s work on the twinning of Highway 104. He was the lead bridge designer for 29 new bridge structures along a 38 km stretch of the Trans Canada Highway between Sutherlands River and Antigonish NS. In addition to the new bridge designs, Mr. Fraser also provided services during construction for all bridges, as well as various construction and demolition engineering assignments on an as-needed basis to the P3 contractor, DNA (Dexter-Nova Alliance). The twinning of Highway 104 would go on to earn the CCPPP National Award for Innovation & Excellence (GOLD) in 2023, and later the Nova Scotia Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Engineering Excellence in 2025.
Other notable projects on which Robbie was design lead include the Port Lands River Bridge Erections (2023), The Burgoyne Bridge Replacement (2017), The Vimy Memorial Bridge Erection (Formerly Strandherd-Armstrong Bridge, 2014), and the Cheticamp River Bridge Erection (2011).
Each of these projects has won its own share of awards and accolades, helping to paint a picture of Robbie and his legacy. In the world of engineering consulting, that legacy will be one defined by the excellence, lasting infrastructure, and the exceptional talent cultivated within the Maritimes.
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Beyond his decorated career as a consultant, Robbie is also an active member of multiple Canadian Highway Bridge Design Code technical committees. Specifically, Section 3 (Loads), Section 10 (Steel Structures), and is the lead to the sub-committee for Section 10.22 (Piles). Mr. Fraser is also an active technical member for Division 5 (Structures) of the Nova Scotia Department of Public Works Standards Specification.
Prior to this, At the University of Alberta, Mr. Fraser conducted research, under the supervision of Dr. G.Y. Grondin and Dr. G.L. Kulak, on the Behaviour of Distortion-Induced Fatigue Cracks in Composite Bridge Girders. Mr. Fraser undertook a full-scale fatigue and low temperature fracture-testing program on a series of 36-foot long composite bridge girders that were recently taken out of service by CN. The main objective of the research program was to provide CN Rail with valuable information about the behaviour and remaining life of similar bridges that are still in service throughout North America.
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Through Harbourside, Robbie has been an active supporter for multiple causes, charities, and events. Over the years, he has committed hundreds of pro-bono engineering hours to community projects such as:
The Orenda Canoe Club in Lake Echo NS. A focal point for young kids and families which has helped shape active lifestyles and develop confidence and leadership for hundreds of youths. Harbourside has donated over 300 hours of engineering design time to help bring the new addition to the club house to construction and support throughout construction.
The BridgeCAT Centre in downtown Dartmouth (now known as the MacPhee Centre for Creative Learning) offers arts and technology training to kids between the ages of 12 and 19. The programs offered focus on the use of creative arts as an innovative educational method of training for kids who are not thriving in a traditional classroom environment. Harbourside became involved in the project, specifically in regard to the assessment of their newly acquired building and the changes required to create a space that accommodated the needs of the centre.
Harbourside has also donated engineering design time and effort for the design of the new cemetery site in Sackville for the Saint Antonio’s Orthodox Church.
In addition to this pro-bono work, Harbourside organizes a yearly toy drive called Treats for Tots in conjunction with the Salvation Army. The aim is to provide new, unopened gifts to underprivileged kids during the holiday season.
Aside from what Mr. Fraser has contributed through his firm, he also gives back to his community via his other great passion in life: coaching hockey.
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Robbie’s dream of fostering engineering talent in Atlantic Canada is brought to life through the mentorship and guidance he provides to junior engineers, EITs and Co-Op students who come through Harbourside’s doors.
Hosting a regular lunch-and-learn for the younger staff, Robbie bolster’s the next generation of engineers with his expertise and insight.
In addition to the hands-on training he provides, Robbie also encourages problem solving amongst the junior staff. Recently, he began the Junior Engineer Challenge within the Dartmouth office.
This program was aimed at juniors, EITs, Co-Ops, and drafters within the structural division to develop new tools and processes the company could potentially use. They were encouraged to work as a team, and to pitch their ideas and findings to Robbie as if they were presenting to a client. In doing so, they’d be developing not only their problem-solving skills, but their ability to present, explain, and defend their process under scrutiny.
The initial challenge was incredibly successful and quickly established itself as a recurring event.
“He has a particular way of seeing things and explaining things. Ten minutes talking shop with Robbie made things clearer than an entire semester at school. He’s a really good teacher. I bet they [engineers] would line up if he did that full time.”
— Junior Harbourside Engineer
