Jason McBurnie is the Town of Amherst’s new transportation foreman
Jason McBurnie is the Town of Amherst Operation Department’s new transportation foreman.
McBurnie replaces Leonard Tower, who retired earlier this month.
“Jason brings many years of experience to his new position,” Interim CAO Jason MacDonald said, in announcing the hiring on June 4, 2021.
“Prior to joining the town in 2018, Jason had a strong history working in the oil industry. As such, he has significant skills related to safety processes and teamwork and has strong leadership qualities.
“We are confident that with his previous experience and his proven abilities and skills, Jason will do a great job as our new transportation foreman.”
Since joining the town, McBurnie has worked in the street, water and sewer sections of the Operations Department, which gives him a good knowledge of the town’s infrastructure.
Prior to joining the town, McBurnie spent 20 years working in the oil patch, 10 of them on oil rigs out west and 10 on off-shore rigs around the world, where he held positions such as derrickman, assistant driller and driller.
Those positions put him in leadership roles on the rigs where he improved his communications skills and learned to do things safely as well as effectively and efficiently as a result of the training he received.
He believes those traits will assist him in his role as the town’s transportation foreman.
That role includes supervising unionized employees who are engaged in the operation, construction and maintenances of the town’s infrastructure, assisting the operations manager in developing equipment specifications and procurement documents, assisting the safety compliance officer by monitoring and enforcing department job site safety, ensuring materials and equipment are available, respond to public service requests and for the general maintenance of the Operation Department’s garage.
“I have worked on all the town’s crews and with all employees side-by-side,” McBurnie said. “I believe the Town of Amherst is very lucky to have such a dedicated group of employees to look after its Operations Department.
“I look forward to working with each and everyone of them as well as all other town employees in my new role as the town’s transportation foreman.”
