Sunny Wang is a Regional Engineer for Real Property Operations Pacific under the Department of National Defence (DND). The work that Sunny does ensures core infrastructure in British Columbia supports the operations of our Canadian Armed Forces.
Sunny’s path to DND began with an engineering degree from the University of Toronto, followed by five years in the Air Force. His role with DND is very similar to what he was doing when he was in uniform.
Now, he oversees multi-year infrastructure programs. His work ranges from developing smaller office buildings, completed in two to three years, to managing complex ship repair facilities that may take decades to deliver.
“I like to make an analogy – say you’re building a house – your initial construction phase is your capital investment. Once that is completed, ongoing maintenance is required – repairing roofs, sidings, and more. That’s what we call the maintenance repair phase,” he says.
Sunny also highlights the pride of ownership in public service engineering. Unlike contractors, in-house engineers see the long-term impact of their work. He stresses that retaining expertise within the public service reduces costs, improves safety, and fosters pride in work.
“When a public service in-house engineer develops their product, it usually stays with them along the entire lifecycle of the building. If anything goes wrong, they can learn from it and adapt,” he explains.
Despite increased funding, resource constraints remain a challenge.
“Even right now, we have a lot more funding coming to us. We still struggle with lack of people. Our lack of people is the number one impeding factor for us to deliver the programs,” he notes.
Safety, functionality, and supporting his colleagues are some of Sunny’s top priorities when it comes to work. The most rewarding part of the job, he says, is when clients acknowledge the work behind the scenes.
“Nobody calls a repair person when things are working,” he laughs. “When they say RP Ops is doing a great job despite the challenges, that’s very rewarding feedback.”
Beyond his engineering duties, Sunny is a labour advocate through his involvement with PIPSC. As President of the Victoria Branch, a regional executive member for the eNgineering, aRchitecture and Land Survey (NR) Group, and an active steward, he advocates for members’ interests and ensures early intervention in workplace issues.
“One of the members received a letter of expectation and had their acting role removed prematurely. I intervened, and in the end, the member received all acting pay and some leave to compensate for the inconvenience.”
Sunny’s work as an Engineer and a steward supports more than just his colleagues. His dedication to both engineering and workplace excellence ensures that Canada’s defence infrastructure remains safe, functional, and ready to meet the needs of Canadians.
“It doesn’t matter what you do in DND,” he says. “Our ultimate mission is to provide a safe and secure place to live and work. I’m proud to do my part.”
