MONDAY, APRIL 30, 2012

Morning – 8:30 am – 12:00 pm
An Introduction to the Selection of Appropriate Environmental Quality Guidelines in Canada - Overview of Environmental Quality Guidelines in Canada

The selection of the “right” environmental quality guidelines (EQGs) can have a significant impact on the management of federal contaminated sites. It will directly affect the overall remedial approach/technology and more importantly the cost associated with future work, divestiture considerations, or due diligent management responsibilities.

The purpose of this session will be to briefly present an overview of the federal framework surrounding the creation and applicability of EQGs for both soils and water (surface and groundwater) for all land uses. There will be an emphasis on the derivation of the three typical tiers (Tier I, II, and III) for the various guidelines and standards, their use and restrictions, their applicability and recent trends/updates. The workshop will also briefly discuss provincial guidelines and their application/use on federal lands in comparison to the suite of federal EQGs, legal implications, and challenges faced by federal custodians and their consultants in working under both jurisdictions.

• Guidelines, Standards, Criteria – What are they? Where do they come from?
• The authors and mandate of the various applicable guidelines, standards and criteria.
• An overview of the key guidelines (Federal and an overview of available provincial/territorial).

PLEASE NOTE: This morning session provides fundamental information for the follow-up afternoon “Selection of Applicable Environmental Quality Guidelines for Managing Federal Contaminated Sites in Canada” session. Both sessions can be taken separately but are recommended to be taken in sequence. The morning session will provide a generic federal contaminated sites context. The afternoon session will allow workshop participants to work through a few case studies specific to FCSAP scenarios in order to apply principles and knowledge gained earlier in the day.

Afternoon – 1:00 pm – 4:30 pm
An Introduction to the Selection of Appropriate Environmental Quality Guidelines in Canada - Selection of Applicable Environmental Quality Guidelines for Managing Federal Contaminated Sites in Canada
François Lauzon, C.D., M.Eng., P.Eng., ing., LEED AP BD+C, Principal, Environmental Services Practice Leader, Stantec Consulting Ltd.

The selection of the “right” environmental quality guidelines (EQGs) can have a significant impact on the management of federal contaminated sites. It will directly affect the overall remedial approach/technology and more importantly the cost associated with future work, divestiture considerations, or due diligent management responsibilities.

The purpose of this session will be to review the most common considerations related to the selection of EQCs including:

• TB Policies
• Human and Ecological Health Risk
• Real Property
• Stakeholders
• Federal 10-steps process

This session will also contain group exercises evolving different role playing as various stakeholders in contaminated sites projects (contaminated site manager, federal regulators, provincial regulator, property owner, potential buyer, consultants and communities). PLEASE NOTE: This afternoon session will build on the morning “Overview of Environmental Quality Guidelines in Canada” session. Both sessions can be taken separately but are recommended to be taken in sequence. The morning session will provide a generic federal contaminated sites context. The afternoon session will allow workshop participants to work through a few case studies specific to FCSAP scenarios in order to apply principles and knowledge gained earlier in the day.

Morning – 8:30 am – 12:00 pm
Afternoon – 1:00 pm – 4:30 pm
Environmental Statistics in Support of Risk Assessment of Contaminated Sites Making Sense of Nondetects
Dennis Helsel, PhD, Practical Stats

Measurements of trace chemicals in environmental media (water, air, soils, biota) frequently result in values reported only as less than the laboratory’s reporting limit (“less-thans”, “nondetects”, and “qualified values”). The most commonly-used method for statistical analysis of data with nondetects is to substitute one-half the reporting limit and continue as usual. Substitution obscures patterns and trends that are present, or creates those that are alien to the original data. Several examples will illustrate the potential errors.

Two alternate and fairly familiar methods that avoid the problems with substitution will be discussed in detail. The objective is to produce descriptive statistics, perform hypothesis tests, and compute regression models for data with nondetects. More complex procedures from the field of survival analysis will also be introduced. These procedures explicitly handle data with multiple detection limits and ‘qualified values’ between detection and quantitation limits, without substitution. This workshop is based on the forthcoming second edition of Dennis Helsel’s textbook Statistics for Censored Environmental Data (formerly called Nondetects and Data Analysis), published by Wiley.

Morning – 8:30 am – 12:00 pm
Environmental Due Diligence and Reasonable Care in the Context of Federal Contaminated Sites
Heather Goudreau, Counsel, Legal Services, Public Works and Government Services Canada

We see and use the term due diligence on a daily basis, but what does it really mean? Why is it important? And how does it affect each and every different sector?

The term due diligence is somewhat ambiguous, but could be defined as the steps a person or organization should be taking to protect themselves, legally. The exact description of what due diligence is required will depend on the situation, but it may include keeping records of certain actions or decisions; or gathering and analyzing certain information. In the environmental field, this may mean, for example, taking reasonable care to prevent releases of hazardous substances, and documenting the steps that have been taken towards such prevention. But how do you know what steps you should be taking? And how should these steps be documented?

This half-day professional development session will focus on the legal requirements for conducting proper environmental due diligence. The panel format will include presentations and open discussion on: what you need to be doing, what you should be doing, and what you need to be keeping, for how long, and why? The expertise from the diverse panel of experts including legal counsel and environmental advisors will combine to provide you with the tools and tips you need to make the correct decisions regarding due diligence in your day to day work.

Afternoon – 1:00 pm – 4:30 pm
Tool for Risk Assessment Validation and Site Closure Tool
Chris Ludwig, M.Eng., P.Eng., PMP, Principal, Franz Environmental Inc.

Public Works and Government Services Canada and the Federal Contaminated Sites Action Plan (FCSAP) Secretariat at Environment Canada, supported by the science-based Expert Support Departments (Health Canada, Environment Canada, and Fisheries and Oceans Canada), have developed a tool for site closure to provide a consistent federal approach. Environment Canada, in its Expert Support role, has developed a supporting tool to validate risk assessments conducted at federal contaminated sites where remediation and/or risk management activities are being undertaken. The intent of these spreadsheet based tools and associated guidance will be to assist federal custodians in providing quality assurance as the project progresses, ultimately culminating in the demonstration and the documentation that no further action is required at a federal site. This professional development session will provide delegates with a detailed understanding of the Tool for Risk Assessment Validation (TRAV) and the Site Closure Tool (SCT) within FCSAP.

Morning – 8:30 am – 12:00 pm
Afternoon – 1:00 pm – 4:30 pm
Ecological Risk Assessment Guidance for Federal Contaminated Sites
Ute Pott, Senior Program Scientist, P&Y Environmental Protection Operations Directorate, Environmental Stewardship Branch, Environment Canada
Al Hodaly, Senior Program Scientist, P&Y Environmental Protection Operations Directorate, Environmental Stewardship Branch, Environment Canada

This course will provide participants with detailed information on how to conduct ecological risk assessments on federal contaminated sites that meet the requirements of Expert Support and the Tool for Risk Assessment Validation. Participants should have a basic understanding of ecological risk assessments.

The Federal Contaminated Sites Action Plan (FCSAP) provides funding to federal custodians to assist with the management of human health and ecological risks associated with contaminated sites under their control. Ecological risk assessments (ERAs) are often relied on in the management of FCSAP-funded contaminated sites. The FCSAP Ecological Risk Assessment Focus Group is developing comprehensive ERA guidance to support federal custodians and their consultants when conducting ERAs on federal contaminated sites.

This training course highlights FCSAP risk assessment guidance for the four main elements of risk assessment: problem formulation, exposure assessment, effects assessment and risk characterization. Emphasis is on planning the ERA and characterizing risk using a weight of evidence approach. This course is intended to build on the participants’ basic understanding of ERAs by outlining FCSAP Expert Support expectations and requirements for ERAs on federal contaminated sites. ERA practices that are recommended to meet the requirements of the new Tool for Risk Assessment Validation (TRAV) are also discussed. Participants have an opportunity to apply the FCSAP ERA guidance to several case study scenarios.

Morning – 8:30 am – 12:00 pm
Executing Social Media in a Government Setting: Building from the Ground Up
Daniel Morier, Chief of Social Media, Health Canada

Join us for a brief primer on social media and how the Government is leveraging these new technologies and communications approaches to interact with our stakeholders. This 1/2-day session will be a combination of lecture, small group discussion and some hands on with emerging technologies. Presenter Daniel Morier will also discuss opportunities for use within the participants’ work in contaminated sites.

This session will help participants understand:

• What is social media?
• Developing the framework required to support Web 2.0
• Integrating social media as a complement to traditional communication approaches
• Managing risk and understanding the issue of control in the social media environment
• Addressing senior management and client expectations
• Discussing key findings of departmental initiatives
• Exploring emerging technologies such as mobile phone applications and how they will change the way we will interact with our stakeholders

Afternoon – 1:00 pm – 4:30 pm
Aboriginal Cultural Awareness from the Contaminated Site Perspective
Terry Bernhardt, Senior Manager of Aboriginal Business, Golder Associates Ltd.

This professional development session on Aboriginal Cultural Awareness is targeted at managers whose projects include Aboriginal stakeholders. It will start with a background to enable the participant to understand how impacts of disease, residential schools, 60’s scoops and other events in the recent past have shaped the Aboriginal people’s perspective. It will describe the significance of land and water in the indigenous worldview and the impact of contaminated sites on Aboriginals and their use of the land and water.

Aboriginal approaches for conflict resolution, consensus building and understanding will be shared with the participants. Suggestions on how to engage First Nations communities at key phases and aspects of Contaminated Site work such as Remedial Options Selection, Activity Planning and Implementation will be made. If space and numbers permit, the trainees will have the opportunity to participate in the Circle Process for sharing insight, and information.

Morning – 8:30 am – 12:00 pm
Project Cost Estimation and Cost Management
Gino Dalla Coletta, M.Sc., MPM, P.Geo., Hydrogeologist-Project Manager and Associate at Golder Associates Ltd.
Tim F. Whalen, M.A.Sc,. P.Eng., Senior Environmental Engineer and Principal, Golder Associates Ltd.
Eric Wilson, P.Eng., PMP, Senior Environmental Engineer and Project Manager, Golder Associates Ltd.

This half-day workshop delivered by Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) will address the related topic of project cost estimation. PWGSC has developed several project management (PM) tools applicable to federal contaminated site management, including Project Cost Management Guidance for Federal Contaminated Site Remediation/Risk Management Projects, based on the Project Management Institute’s Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK). During the course of this training session, project managers will enhance their understanding of the Cost Knowledge Area as defined by the PMBOK (including Earned Value Management) and develop a consolidated understanding of remediation project cost management within the federal context.

Afternoon – 1:00 pm – 4:30 pm
Framework for Addressing and Managing Aquatic Contaminated Sites under the Federal Contaminated Sites Action Plan (FCSAP)
Dr. Peter M. Chapman, Principal and Senior Environmental Scientist, Golder Associates Ltd.

Contaminated site management in the Federal Contaminated Sites Action Plan (FCSAP) program has historically followed the guidance provided in the Contaminated Sites Management Working Group (CSMWG) ‘Federal approach to contaminated sites’. Although the ‘Approach’ has proven to be an effective management tool for terrestrial contaminated sites, it lacked specific guidance on addressing contaminated aquatic sites and sediments. In order to address some of these guidance gaps, a risk-based framework for the adaptive management of contaminated aquatic sites was developed by the Aquatic Site Working Group (ASWG) for use by FCSAP practitioners. The ‘Framework for Addressing and Managing Aquatic Contaminated Sites’ reflects the 10 steps employed by the ‘Approach’ and incorporates weight-of-evidence (WOE) guidance for assessing contaminated sediment. The Framework is designed to be sufficiently prescriptive to standardize the decision-making process at aquatic sites while still allowing for necessary site-specific flexibility.

This half-day professional development course will present an overview of the Aquatic Sites Framework document and provide participants with the opportunity to complete a practical exercise in weight-of-evidence based decision-making using a contaminated aquatic site case study.

8:30 am – 4:30 pm
Port Hope Site Tour

The Port Hope Area contains approximately 1.6 million cubic metres of Canada’s historic low level radiation waste (LLRW) consisting primarily of soil contaminated with early waste material dating back to the 1930s. The LLRW was generated from a radium refinery located in Port Hope which extracted radium from pitchblende ores for medical and industrial applications. Consolidated LLRW is stored in several licensed and unlicensed interim storage locations in the area, pending the long-term management solution. This guided tour will start in Toronto and head to the Port Hope Area Initiative (PHAI) Management Office in Port Hope where an overview of the project will be presented. From there, the group will start on a tour of the Port Hope waste sites starting at the Harbour and ending at the Welcome Waste Management facility, the site of its long term resting place. After lunch, the group will head to Port Granby to visit the Port Granby Waste Management Facility.