Ralph has Bachelor degrees in Education and in Geography awarded by the University of Montréal. Also, he has studied at the graduate level in Transportation Geography at Québec City’s Laval University. He attended Transport Canada’s Senior Transportation Management Course and he holds a Canadian Commercial Pilot’s Licence (CPL) with multiengine and instrument endorsements.
Between 1968 and 1979, he worked as a teacher at the high school level and as a curriculum specialist for the Montréal school commission. From 1979 until 1983, he was active as a geographer in the Planning branch of the Province of Québec’s Ministry of Transport. Finally, from 1983 until his retirement from the civil service in June 2000, he worked for the Ministry’s Air Transport Service as senior advisor in the field of aerodrome design, certification, operation and maintenance of airports. At that time, the Province was owner/operator of 27 airports and 11 heliports.
Ralph was a member of many Transport Canada committees and working groups dealing with standards and recommended practices for aerodromes and heliports, and with airport operations. He his a past Chairman of the Aviation Standing Committee of the Transportation Association of Canada which regroups airport and aviation representatives from the ten provinces and the three Canadian territories
Since his retirement, Ralph has been working as a civil aviation consultant, more specifically in the field of airport operational studies and in the training of airport operations personnel. He has participated in the training of Transport Canada’s airport safety inspectors, is currently course director for IATA’s Airport Certification Course and facilitator for IATA’s Airport Safety Management and Airport Operations Courses, and has completed many airport operational studies for the Québec Government, municipalities, consulting firms and private companies.