Innovation Summer 2025

Century-old Iron Ring ceremony modernized

Calling history The origin of the Iron Ring dates to one of the deadliest engineering accidents in Canadian history: the collapse of the Quebec Bridge. On August 29, 1907, the south section of the clear span cantilever bridge collapsed. The accident killed 76 workers, including 33 Mohawk workers. The loss of Mohawk workers was especially devastating to the Kahnawà:ke community (near Montreal) from where they all hailed. Shara explained the bridge collapse was the fault of American engineers. “Those American engineers never visited the site, not in the design stage, not during construction, and certainly not afterwards,” Shara shared. The accident shook the Canadian engineering community to its core.

As the Iron Ring ceremony approached its centennial, a significant transformation was launched to bring the revered tradition into the modern era. The Seven Wardens Corporation spent more than two years collecting feedback and developing a new, modern ceremony. Kipling “was a product of his time, and was very respected at the time,” said Michelle Mahovlich, P.Eng., P.Geo., Chief Warden of Camp 23. As camp warden, she oversees and administers the Iron Ring ceremony in Victoria. “But now, we are trying to modernize the ceremony.” In 2025, recipients will experience a new ceremony for the first time in 100 years, marking a pivotal moment in the history of the Iron Ring.

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Summer 2025

Innovation