RemTech 2025
October 15-17, 2025
Fairmont Banff Springs
Silent Auction – Items Needed
Auction Opens – October 6th at 10 am
Auctions Closes – October 16th at 6 pm
RemTech 2025 will not only be a great learning and networking event, it will also be one of the largest charity fundraisers supported by the environment industry. Since its inception 24 years ago, RemTech delegates have raised over $1,250 million for charity. For 2025, we’re aiming to reach $1.3 million or more and we can’t do it without you.
If you were planning to donate an item this year, we’d love to hear from you. When you have a moment, could you please send a description and, if possible, a photo of the item? Getting these details in early really helps us get everything set up smoothly. The auction will be held via an online auctionplatform / app and will be open to all delegates and anyone else interested in supporting the 2025 charities. All auction interactions will be electronic, no paper bid sheets.
Suggested donations include, sporting event tickets, hotel stays, electronics, golfing, spa packages, gift cards for local business, unique experiences, etc. Be creative! ESAA may combine items into packages.
All donors will be highlighted on the conference website, on site and on the auction app.
We’re always incredibly grateful for your generosity. All funds raised go to support some truly meaningful causes, including:
- The Ilsa May Research Fund for Muscular Dystrophy
- The Wilder Institute / Calgary Zoo
- The Jane Goodall Institute of Canada – Roots and Shoots Program
New this year, we’re proud to add Little Warriors and The Be Brave Ranch to the list.
Little Warriors is dedicated to the awareness, prevention, and treatment of child sexual abuse. The Be Brave Ranch, by Ray LaBonte and Family, has provided healing support to hundreds of children, youth, and families impacted by abuse. Their unique, year-long, culturally-inclusive program combines onsite and outpatient treatment to improve mental health and build brighter futures.
The auction opens at 10 am on October 6th and closes at 6 pm on October 16th. To view the auction site and see what has been donated to date, visit: https://app.galabid.com/
To donate an item, contact Erin Ciezki @ Ciezki@esaa.org or Heather Harcott @ Heatherharcott@gmail.com
Upcoming ESAA Events – Save the Dates
- Mixer – Edmonton – November 26th – Christmas Planter Building – Register and Details
- Mixer – Calgary – December 3rd – Christmas Planter Building – Register and Details
- ESAA Edmonton PFAS Symposium – November 25th – Details Soon and Register
- ESAA Calgary PFAS Symposium – December 4th – Details Soon and Register
Canada invest into conservation and remediation at the S.S. Klondike historic site
(Source: Environment Journal) Parks Canada protects and presents national historic sites, national parks and national marine conservation areas in Canada, enabling people to discover and connect with history and nature, and helping sustain the economic value of these places for local and regional communities.
Today, Dr. Brendan Hanley, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Northern and Arctic Affairs and Member of Parliament for Yukon announced a $14.2 million investment for structural improvements and remediation work at the S.S. Klondike National Historic Site in Whitehorse, Yukon.
“National historic sites help us reflect on our shared history, telling the stories of who we are as communities and as a country,” said Hanley. “The S.S. Klondike was one of over 250 sternwheelers that worked the Yukon waterways for more than four generations, linking the territory to the outside world shaping the region’s society and economy. The Government of Canada is proud to invest in preserving one of the country’s few remaining steam-powered paddlewheelers and keeping Yukon’s riverboat history alive.”
This federal funding will support Parks Canada’s muti-year conservation project of the S.S. Klondike to protect this historic wooden sternwheeler by improving the structural stability and removing lead-containing paint, while rehabilitating and weatherproofing the vessel. A project on the neighbouring historic Atlin barge to reconstruct the hull, decking, and railings, and improve accessibility will be completed this year.
From the 1860s to the 1950s sternwheelers served as the main link between the Yukon and the outside world and were aided by the barges working alongside these vessels. Conservation efforts on the S.S. Klondike will be helped by a historic shipsaw—a large, specialized band saw that can create rolling bevels in one continuous cut, to cut pieces of wood to reinforce the curved angles of a boat. The artifact was moved from Bear Creek near Dawson City and retrofitted for use on this project.
Since 2015, federal investments have enabled Parks Canada to improve the condition of approximately 5,000 assets across the country. The S.S. Klondikeproject is part of funding announced by the Government of Canada for Parks Canada administered sites, including $557 million from Budget 2022 and $545 million from Budget 2024.
The S.S. Klondike,designated as a national historic site in 1967, commemorates inland water transportation in the Yukon from the 1860s to the 1950s and the role steam-powered river transportation played in connecting the Yukon to the outside world after the first vessel reached Fort Selkirk in 1866.
For further information, visit: S.S. Klondike National Historic Site website
Fort Chipewyan Métis Nation rejects Alberta’s oilsands tailings recommendations
(Source: CBC News) The Fort Chipewyan Métis Nation is rejecting a committee’s recommendations for managing Alberta’s oilsands water tailings, alleging “industry bias, lack of scientific integrity, and the absence of meaningful Indigenous inclusion.”
Alberta’s oilsands committee issued nine recommendations on tailings management. One of them is for Canada and Alberta to expedite the creation of standards to release treated oilsands mine water.
Fort Chipewyan Métis President Kendrick Cardinal said that can’t go ahead until independent Indigenous-led studies are complete, including a $12-million community health impacts study in his community, downstream from the oilsands.
“Our health is under-researched but the risks are undeniable,” he said.
“We’d like to have no release, none whatsoever. We should have immediate protective measures while research is underway and commitment from all levels of government to act on the findings.”
In May 2024, Alberta established its Oil Sands Mine Water Steering Committee. Its mandate is to assess options to safely manage water in oilsands tailings ponds, provide recommendations to accelerate plans for addressing oilsands mine water and tailings ponds, and protect the health of downstream communities and their environment.
In a Sept. 15 email to CBC News, Ryan Fournier, a spokesperson for Alberta’s environment minister, said that the committee’s advice is backed by “extensive study and analysis.”
“These nine recommendations have been accepted and we are exploring them further. Once the evaluation is complete, government will implement a safe and reasonable plan that is supported by science and protects communities in the region and downstream,” Fournier wrote.
The recommendations report states operators need alternative technologies to treat mine water. Recycled water is now highly salinated and “treatment options are becoming a challenge,” the report states.
It also recommends treating and releasing tailings water due to the risk of structure failure, and “accidental releases” of untreated mine water, which the committee said would threaten wildlife, aquatic ecosystems and people downstream.
A recent Canadian Medical Association Journal article disputes the safety of this plan and calls for a ban on potential release until a rigourous study on downstream health impacts is complete.
Cardinal agrees that until the study results are released, the federal government should explore alternatives including reusing tailings water for oilsands operations.
“If the water isn’t good enough for reuse in production, it’s not clean enough for our rivers,” he said.
Cardinal says communities downstream should rally together to ensure their voices are heard.
“I’ll do whatever I can to protect it, whether it’s standing at the front lines and put a blockade so nobody is allowed to go to industry anymore, I’ll do that,” he said.
Fort Chipewyan Metis Nation will work with the federal Crown-Indigenous Relations working group, which Cardinal describes as a “legitimate science and rights-based process.”
Cardinal says Fort Chipewyan residents’ distrust of Alberta’s process is rooted in what he describes as an ongoing lack of transparency.
“We have spills and there’s always been delayed reporting of incidents like tailings ponds leaks,” he said.
The Alberta Government maintains its oilsands monitoring program is the world’s largest, and keeps downstream communities informed about the safety of their air and water.
Cardinal said oilsands development affects his community’s physical and mental health — people in Fort Chipewyan fear their land-based foods are contaminated and make them sick.
Cardinal said Alberta should halt any movement on the Alberta working groups’ recommendations until it adequately consults affected Nations.
CBC News requested further information from the Alberta Government and its environment minister on criticisms of its oilsands committee recommendations but they declined further comment.
Yukon gov’t reviewing quartz licences, guidelines for mine waste management
(Source: CBC News) The Yukon government says it has started implementing recommendations issued by an independent review board earlier this year, for heap leach mining oversight.
The government says that “over half” of the board’s 56 recommendations can be resolved through revisions to the territory’s guidelines for mine waste management facilities. Those guidelines are now under review, according to John Streicker, minister of energy, mines and resources.
“We believe that the recommendations of the board are strong and we have begun work to implement all of them,” Streicker said.
The recommendations were issued in July by an expert review board tasked by the territorial government with investigating the heap leach failure at the Eagle mine in June 2024. The board concluded that heap leach mining — which involves using cyanide to extract gold — can be done safely, but it said companies and governments should step up oversight.
The government is also going to review all quartz mine licences, including existing licences, to ensure they align with the recommendations. Expert consultants are also being recruited “to help improve our regulatory and enforcement oversight,” Streicker said.
“Taking these steps quickly is an important part of rebuilding trust in the Yukon’s mining industry,” Streicker said.
Government biologists also shared an update on Thursday on remediation at the Eagle mine site on Wednesday.
Contamination levels are steadily going down in Haggart Creek downstream from the mine, according to water resources scientist Tyler Williams. He said levels of cyanide and nitrite, the two contaminants that pose most risk to fish health, are starting to trend below target levels.
“Contaminant concentrations in the creek generally improved. This is in part due to the collection and storage of contaminated groundwater that is effectively averting contaminants from reaching the creek,” he said.
Officials told reporters at a news conference on Thursday that they haven’t seen any more dead fish this year, and they don’t expect contamination to affect main waterways like the Stewart or Yukon Rivers.
Streicker said he’s expecting remediation to continue without interruption after the territorial election later this year.
“We hope the coming election has no impact on the work,” Streicker said. “The teams are in place, their work is to continue.”
The mine’s receiver, PricewaterhouseCoopers, still intends to sell the mine before the end of the year.
ECO IMPACT award, the Sustainability Trailblazer Award. In a nutshell:
The Sustainability Trailblazers Award celebrates 
expertise and leadership in reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Canada. The new award will recognize innovative, unique or groundbreaking efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions or enable others to do so. Nominations can be submitted for individuals, organizations, or communities.
Submission deadline is Sept 30 for now.
Part of the ECO Impact Awards 2026, this honour celebrates individuals, organizations, and communities across Canada who are leading the way in reducing greenhouse gas emissions through innovative, unique, or groundbreaking efforts.
Nominate yourself, your organization, or someone else who de
serves recognition for their climate leadership.
Winners will be celebrated at ECO Impact 2026, taking place February 19–20, 2026, in Calgary, AB.
http://bit.ly/3Kbjr8
Upcoming Industry Events
Canadian Dark Waters: PFAS Clean Up Solutions
Live EnviroClass Webinar
Thursday, October 2, 2025 • 12:00–3:00 PM ET • 3PDHs
This landmark event features Robert Bilott, the lawyer whose 20+ year legal battle against DuPont exposed one of the most significant corporate environmental cover-ups in history and inspired the major motion picture Dark Waters.
Alongside Rob, you’ll hear from leading companies and experts presenting practical PFAS cleanup solutions in Canada:
- Cornelsen — PerfluorAd / PerfluorAd+ application range & performance illustrated through a case study
- Sanexen — Filtration media performance review & Altra Foam Fractionation Technology
- EDCORP/ HCV Labs — Rembind application range & performance illustrated through a case study
- Intrapore — Intraplex B / Fluorolock application range & performance illustrated through a case study
Sponsored by: Jean Paré, Vice President of CHEMCO
Hosted by: Travis Bowman, Executive Director of EnviroClass
Registration Fee: $29 USD per person (non-refundable).
How to Secure Your Spot
️ Click the Register Now button below
️ Complete your registration — total: $29 USD
Seats are first come, first served—once they’re gone, they’re gone. Register today to make sure you don’t miss this rare opportunity to hear from Rob Bilott and leading PFAS experts.
Webinar: Road Impact Wetland Health Assessments in Northern British Columbia
October 21st, 2025
Katerina Sofos, M.Sc, Wetlands Practitioner – BC Wildlife Federation
The Road Impact Wetland Health Assessment Tool (RIWHA) was developed to raise awareness about the impacts of road construction and hydro development on wetlands. In northern B.C., wetlands often receive little attention regarding the effects of roads. The tool was first applied in 2023, focusing on the Williston Reservoir area, initiated by the Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program (FWCP). One of our key goals is to support restoration-focused wetland management. In 2023, we successfully identified and began restoration work at a site near McLeod Lake, just south of Mackenzie. This year, our focus has been on refining RIWHA by expanding its application beyond the Williston Reservoir and collaborating with additional northern B.C. communities. Through this effort, we’re learning more about how roads impact wetlands and how to advocate for better land use decisions. Common wetland impacts we’ve encountered this year include ditching, poorly installed culverts, lack of visual buffers, streambank erosion, debris from cutblocks, and disturbances from old seismic lines. Through partnerships and shared learning, we’re deepening our understanding of these issues and look forward to spreading this knowledge across the province.
Website Link To Register: https://www.cclmportal.ca/
GRF Fall Field Tour – SW Alberta
October 1st, 2025
A tour of montane and foothills grassland restoration projects, including Leitch Collieries, grassland recovery post fire and post seed harvesting, seeding techniques, and a tour of native plant nursery, Grumpy’s Greenhouse! A great opportunity to network and learn from what others are doing. Bus transportation provided. Register on the Grassland Restoration Forum website. This event sold out in 2024, sign up early to secure your spot.
Website Link To Register: https://
If you need to approve the event you can do so by clicking on the link below.
GRF Fall Field Tour – SW Alberta
ESAA Job Board
Check out the new improved ESAA Job Board. Members can post ads for free.
Current Listings:
- Senior Technical Specialist – Summit
- Reclamation Specialist – AECOM
- Intermediate/Senior Environmental Specialist – Summit
- Intermediate Environmental Specialist – Summit
- Intermediate/Senior Environmental Specialist – Summit
- Junior Data Entry Consultant – North Shore Environmental Consultants
- Project Coordinator – Pinchin
- Intermediate Level, Remediation and Risk Management Services – Remedx Remediation Services
- Junior Environmental Scientist – Arletta Environmental Consulting Corp