Alberta Energy Regulator orders oil and gas company to abandon 36 sites
(Source: CBC News) AER’s order says it is needed ‘to protect the public and the environment’
An Alberta oil and gas company has been ordered by the provincial regulator to abandon 36 sites across the province.
The order means the company, which says it’s “financially broke,” will walk away from more than $2 million in abandonment and reclamation liabilities.
The Alberta Energy Regulator has mandated that Calgary-based Cycle Oil & Gas Ltd. abandon the 36 sites within two weeks of the Aug. 21 order due to its failure to comply with AER orders and the company’s financial inability to maintain and operate its facilities.
The majority of the 36 sites, including wells, pipelines, and facility sites, are located in Strathcona County and Lamont County northeast of Edmonton. The company also has sites near Red Deer, Millet, and Swan Hills.
The AER order said regulatory issues with the company began in June, when it issued an order to the company, partially due to concerns that Cycle was not providing reasonable care and measures to prevent impairment or damage to its sites.
The regulator found that Cycle had failed to fulfil the requirements of its initial order, and noted the company’s failure to follow through on the June order’s provision that Cycle abandon the wells that its mineral leases were expired for.
According to the Aug. 21 order, Perry Miller, the corporate director and 100 per cent shareholder of the company, said in an email to the AER on Aug. 6 that the company was “shut in and that there was no money to maintain [its] properties.”
The order also said Miller asked the AER what steps were required for the company’s sites to be taken over by the Orphan Well Association, which is an industry-funded, non-profit organization that closes oil and gas sites in Alberta that do not have financially viable or responsible owners.
The AER order shows that Miller then emailed the regulator on Aug. 10 and said the company was “financially broke with no money to operate or maintain [its] facilities.”
CBC was unable to reach the company for comment.
A group of landowners is part of a coalition taking on the Alberta Energy Regulator. They’ve filed a challenge attempting to get the AER to charge energy companies a larger upfront levy to pay for the cleanup of orphaned wells.
The AER’s manager of orphaning and insolvency, Kaitlin Szacki, deemed it necessary to order Cycle Oil & Gas to abandon its wells and pipelines in order to protect the public and the environment, as well as to conserve and reclaim the land the sites are located on.
The order said that Cycle must complete abandonment of its sites and submit a reclamation plan for AER approval within 14 calendar days of the Aug. 21 order.
It said that the company’s total abandonment and reclamation liabilities are estimated to be more than $2.2 million.
The regulator noted that the company’s intention to cease operations does not limit or relieve any of its regulatory responsibilities or obligations.
Reeve of Lamont County David Diduck said Cycle had nine active wells in the county, and still owes $279,000 in tax arrears for those sites.
Diduck said Cycle is adding to the increasing trend in his county in the past decade.
He said, in total, Lamont County has had to write off about $6 million in tax arrears from oil companies over the past six years.
“So the government asking [Cycle] to shut down their operations is gonna cost the county another $279,000 in lost taxes on top of what we’ve lost in the previous six years here,” Diduck said.
“Abandoned wells and associated liabilities continue to be a major issue for RMA members across the province,” said Kara Westerlund, the president of the Rural Municipalities of Alberta, in a statement to CBC.
She said rural municipalities in Alberta face a total of over $250 million in unpaid property taxes on oil and gas properties.
Westerlund said the RMA has been advocating to the province for years for a more proactive regulatory approach to take action against delinquent companies while they still have the resources to pay taxes and other expenses.
Alberta Energy Regulator CEO cancels public hearing for Grande Cache coal mine
(Source; CBC News) An environmental advocacy group says transparency and public interest have been sidestepped after the head of the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) cancelled a public hearing on an underground coal mine near Grande Cache, in a move both sides say is unprecedented.
Last week, AER CEO Rob Morgan cancelled a meeting scheduled about the coal mine for Oct. 21. Morgan’s decision comes less than a month after a panel of AER hearing commissioners denied developer Summit Inc.’s application to move forward without hearing the public’s concerns about the project.
“I recognize it is without precedent for a non-hearing commissioner decision maker to consider a reconsideration request,” wrote Morgan. “My decision should not be construed as a means by which parties can circumvent hearing or other AER decisions they disagree with.”
Summit Coal Mine 14 is an underground metallurgic coal mine project that’s been in the works since 2008. In 2022, the project was labelled as exempt from the coal development moratorium on Alberta’s eastern slopes by the provincial government.
The mine is located approximately four kilometres northeast of Grande Cache, about 430 kilometres west of Edmonton.
Morgan cited a lack of opposition to the proposal as his main reason, noting a majority of the groups listed as participants in the process support the project.
Four Indigenous groups in the area who previously opposed the project withdrew their statements of concern after signing impact benefit agreements with Valory Resources Inc, owner of Summit, in June.
The Municipal District of Greenview has welcomed the mine and its potential economic benefits with open arms.
“The project is expected to create approximately 150-200 high-paying jobs and provide additional benefits to the community through investments in infrastructure and community facilities,” wrote Greenview Reeve Tyler Olsen in a December 2024 letter to the AER.
“We advocate for the swift approval of the Mine 14 Project, recognizing its potential to drive economic development and job creation in the Grande Cache region.
“We firmly believe that the project has met all environmental requirements and that its positive impacts will far outweigh any concerns.”
The municipal district, which also submitted three letters of support for the project in 2024, declined to provide additional comment on the cancellation of the public hearing.
But representatives from two organizations, the Alberta Wilderness Association (AWA) and Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society Northern Alberta (CPAWS) have spent months preparing their opposition to the project.
Kennedy Halvorson, conservation specialist with the AWA, said she was “surprised and disappointed” by the decision, and the sudden cancellation of the public hearing goes against the AER’s mandate to defend Albertans’ best interests.
“The AER staff had many, many opportunities which they could have cancelled this all,” said Halvorson in an interview with CBC News.
“At every opportunity they made the decision that they should go ahead, that these are the people who should participate.
All new energy projects in Alberta must be submitted to the AER for approval. Before companies can submit an application, they undergo engagement with stakeholders, like locals, municipalities and Indigenous communities.
Applications are available for 30 days on the AER website to allow for public review, and organizations and individuals can submit written statements of concern detailing how the project may impact them.
Statements of concern are then considered in the AER’s full technical review of the project and how development plans address rules, regulations and policies. Developers may be asked to respond to statements of concern, which are also considered in review.
If necessary, a public hearing can be called to gather more information from stakeholders on all sides of the issue.
“It’s worrisome that the checks and balances that have been put in place can just be dropped and thrown aside so last minute by one person; one single person made this decision, and he is likely not privy to the months and tons of documentation that have led us to this point,” said Halvorson.
Valory Resources Inc. said in a written statement that the company is “excited to advance Mine 14 in Grande Cache with strong support from the community and surrounding Indigenous groups.”
The AER declined an interview on the cancellation of the public hearing and directed CBC News to Morgan’s statement.
Halvorson said the lack of a public hearing will mean important information about the mine’s potential environmental impacts, housed in lengthy written reports, won’t be accessible to most Albertans.
“By removing this portion of the public hearing, we’re losing transparency and accountability to the public,” said Halvorson. “The oral part of the process allows some really key concerns to be vocalized and … it gives the opportunity for everyone participating to cross-examine each other.”
Cost to clean up orphan wells in Alberta reaches all-time high
The number of orphan wells in need of cleanup nearly doubled over the last year to reach 3,388 compared to 1,719 the previous year.
In Alberta, any unsold wells, pipelines and facilities following the bankruptcy of an oil and gas company are declared orphans and become the responsibilities of the Orphan Well Association (OWA) to decommission and remediate.
The recent spike in workload for the OWA follows the end of Sequoia Resource’s insolvency process, which began in 2018. There are 1,800 Sequoia wells that need to be decommissioned, in addition to 565 sites requiring only reclamation.
“The Sequoia impact is huge. We kind of knew it would be huge. I still think it might be a little bigger than I expected,” said Drew Yewchuk, a former staff lawyer with the University of Calgary’s Public Interest Law Clinic who closely follows the issue.
As of March 31, 2025, the OWA estimate total cleanup costs to total about $1.12 billion, according to the organization’s annual report released this summer.
The OWA could face another rise in cleanup costs as another five oil and gas companies are in the midst of bankruptcy, which are expected to wrap up in the next year or two. The OWA is involved in the insolvencies and the organization anticipates the result will be an influx of orphans.
“It’s tough to predict exactly how much they’ll pick up from those bankruptcies, but it’s probably going to be in the few-hundred-million-dollar range,” said Yewchuk.
The OWA is funded largely through an annual levy determined by the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) and paid by the oil and gas industry. The levy was increased two years ago to $135 million.
Last year, the OWA estimated it would take until 2036 to clean up all the orphans. That timeline has now been extended, since it will more likely be between 2037 and 2040, said OWA president Lars DePauw in an interview with CBC News.
“That does depend on a number of components, such as what happens with the levy. The AER did increase it and we are expecting to see some other increases [in the future],” he said.
The number of orphans has continued to increase, although DePauw expects that trend to slow in a few years as regulatory changes by the AER are proving to be effective so far.
The record level of clean-up work facing the OWA underscores the need for increased funding for the agency, said Yewchuk.
The annual levy “should go to at least a few multiples of what it is now,” he said, since “there will be problems. It’s an up and down industry. There are lots of foreseeable problems for the oil and gas industry coming, and it’s aging in Alberta.”
“Instead of having these really long-term plans, the industry should be using periods of high prices to clean up and prepare for downturns. And instead they are still sort of assuming that good times will last forever, and planning to have long, long periods of good oil and gas prices,” said Yewchuk.
Some of the levy funds are used each year to pay back loans from the provincial and federal government, which currently total about $360 million.
In some previous years, the OWA has been able to decommission about 1,000 wells a year.
“That’s sort of our peak, and so we are expecting to ramp up to that level again,” said DePauw.
Nuclear in the mix for Alberta’s energy future
Alberta’s government is inviting Albertans, Indigenous communities and industry to join the conversation on nuclear energy in the province.
Alberta is launching a public engagement to explore nuclear energy’s potential to meet the future needs of families, businesses and communities. As part of the first phase, Alberta’s government is appointing an expert panel to engage with people across the province, as well as launching a public survey to help inform a nuclear energy roadmap for Alberta.
With increasing demand for electricity, fuelled by population growth, many jurisdictions in Canada and around the world are advancing nuclear energy development. As a source of safe, reliable, emissions-free energy, nuclear power has emerged as a viable option for growing energy needs while supporting responsible decarbonization goals. It also has the potential to enhance grid reliability and affordability, create jobs and help power new, energy-intensive industries and technologies.
“Alberta is at the centre of Canada’s growth, and with that growth comes the responsibility to secure the next generation of energy. Nuclear power has the potential to expand our grid, support new industries and keep pace with rising demand. This engagement gives Albertans a real voice in shaping our future, while positioning our province to lead the way in innovative, responsible energy development.”
“As demand for electricity grows, affordability and reliability must remain at the heart of our system. Exploring nuclear energy is about ensuring Albertans have access to dependable, emissions-free power that can support families, businesses and communities for generations.”
The Nuclear Energy Engagement and Advisory Panel will lead a range of engagement activities, gather input and deliver a report with recommendations on how Alberta could enable a nuclear energy industry. The panel will be chaired by Affordability and Utilities Parliamentary Secretary Chantelle de Jonge and includes five additional members with diverse experience and leadership in industry, academia and Indigenous government:
- Deron Bilous, senior vice-president of Western Canada, Counsel Public Affairs
- Tim Boston, principal, Boston Edge Strategies Inc.
- Stephen Buffalo, president and CEO, Indian Resource Council of Canada
- Rudiger Tscherning, fellow on Nuclear Law and Policy, University of Calgary
- Harrie Vredenburg, professor of Strategy and Global Management, University of Calgary
“Nuclear power has the potential to play an important part in meeting Alberta’s future energy needs. I’m proud to lead a panel that will provide people in Alberta with the opportunity to have their say and shape the future of energy in our province.”
The Nuclear Energy Development survey is available online and will be open until Sept. 25. Feedback will inform future engagement activities. Alberta’s government has also proactively reached out to Indigenous communities across the province to help determine the best approach for meaningful engagement and to foster early relationship building. Industry, municipalities, Indigenous communities and others are also invited to share their input through an online request for information which will be open until Oct. 25.
“Nuclear energy is ready to meet Alberta’s growing needs. We applaud the province’s forward-thinking leadership in exploring nuclear’s ability to provide a secure and prosperous energy future.”
The next phase of engagement will feature in-person meetings and engagement sessions with Indigenous communities, municipalities and industry and begin later this year. Engagement activities will continue into 2026.
Related information
Alberta Energy Regulator penalizes Terroco Industries Ltd. for contraventions
CALGARY, AB – The Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) has issued an administrative penalty totaling $448 980.49 to Terroco Industries Ltd. (Terroco) for contravening the Oil and Gas Conservation Rules(opens in new window). A copy of the decision(opens in new window) is on the AER’s Compliance Dashboard(opens in new window).
Following an investigation by the AER, it was determined that over a 40-day non-contiguous period, between June 27 and August 22, 2023, Terroco contravened section 8.150(3)(c) of the Oil and Gas Conservation Rules. The investigation also determined four contraventions of section 8.030(2) of the Oil and Gas Conservation Rules.
The contraventions include accepting waste not approved to receive; using a single-walled aboveground storage tank without secondary containment, leak detection, or a spill control device in use; and not having a foundation designed for an aboveground storage tank for which the AER assessed an administrative penalty of $150 000.
Terroco also generated revenue performing a prohibited act, which is considered an economic benefit while contravening 8.150(3)(c) of the Oil and Gas Conservation Rules, for which the AER assessed an administrative penalty of $298 980.49.
An administrative penalty is one of many compliance and enforcement tools the AER can use when companies do not comply with the regulatory requirements.
For more information on the AER’s investigation enforcement processes, please see the Investigations webpage.
B.C. magnesium mine won’t need environmental assessment, critics disappointed
(Source: CBC News) A new decision by the province will allow a proposed magnesium mine in B.C.’s west Kootenays to move forward without an environmental assessment — but opponents say they plan to take legal action in response.
The Record Ridge mine, owned by Calgary-based West High Yield (WHY) Resources, is planned as an open-pit mine near Rossland, B.C., a town of about 4,100 people. It would be located roughly five kilometres north of the Canada-U.S. border and almost 400 kilometres east of Vancouver.
The proposed production capacity at the site is low enough that the mine doesn’t require an environmental assessment, according to provincial regulations.
But earlier this year, two different groups, the Sinixt Confederacy and the Save Record Ridge Action Committee Society, petitioned B.C.’s Environmental Assessment Office to require one.
The province could end up in court over a recent environmental assessment decision. It involves the proposed Record Ridge Magnesium Project, southwest of Rossland. Our Kimberly Davidson is here to explain.
Their petition was unsuccessful, as Alex MacLennan, chief executive assessment officer of the Environmental Assessment Office, decided the project doesn’t require an assessment.
“I believe that the permitting process … can fairly, effectively and appropriately address the concerns raised,” MacLennan said in his decision earlier this week.
Elissa Ferguson, director of Save Record Ridge Action Committee Society, said the group is “very disappointed” in the decision.
She’s concerned that the current mine proposal is part of a larger project, which she said should go through an environmental assessment now rather than later.
“WHY Resources has been very clear that this is a two-year trial … and that, should it be successful, they have full intention to expand,” Ferguson said.
Ferguson said the committee is pursuing legal action with the province to ensure it gets an environmental assessment for the project.
WHY Resources originally submitted permit applications in 2019 with a proposed production capacity of 200,000 tonnes per year of ore, which would have automatically triggered an environmental assessment, according to MacLennan’s decision.
But the company amended its application in 2024 to propose a capacity of 63,500 tonnes per year, which does not meet the 75,000-tonne threshold requiring an environmental assessment.
MacLennan said the “relatively small footprint, operations limited to eight months of the year, an anticipated workforce of 30 to 40 people, and the lack of project infrastructure such as a mill and tailings storage facility” means it is unlikely the Record Ridge mine would result in impacts that similar to other projects that require an assessment.
He noted the project is still subject to permitting processes and must receive necessary authorizations before it can proceed.
MacLennan said if WHY Resources decides to expand its permitted area and production, it would have to remain compliant with provincial requirements.
He added any changes to the permit, if issued, would require the company to apply for amended permits and go through more reviews and engagement.
Concerns from opponents to the mine included impacts on sensitive ecosystems, such as the habitat for the threatened mountain holly fern, air and water quality (including asbestos and acid rock drainage) and dissatisfaction with community consultation, according to MacLennan’s report.
Shuswap Band opposed the Record Ridge mine project and requested an environmental assessment for the project in 2024. Splatsin also requested an assessment and the City of Rossland opposed the project.
The Osoyoos Indian Band has supported the project after conducting its own review and is working with WHY Resources.
WHY Resources says it is very pleased with the decision.
Barry Baim, corporate secretary for WHY Resources, told CBC’s Daybreak South the company will now continue with the mining permit process.
He said the ore at the mine site contains 94 per cent critical minerals made up of silica, magnesium, nickel and iron, which he said are key to the world’s transition away from fossil fuels.
Magnesium is considered a “critical mineral,” and can be used for automotive parts, according to a B.C. minerals atlas. WHY Resources says magnesium can also be used for energy storage, pharmaceuticals and agriculture, among other applications.
Baim said the mine is a “tremendous opportunity for First Nations economic reconciliation.”
He said the company is expecting to add about 40 to 50 jobs in the short term and more in the future.
As for any potential legal action, Baim said the company will respond when it happens.
Canada launches new Major Projects Office in Calgary to fast-track nation-building projects
How beavers could help fight wildfires
(Source: CBC News) For Canadians, the beaver is more than a buck-toothed rodent — it’s a national emblem, etched on nickels and central to the country’s origin story. Now, a new study from the U.S. suggests this symbolic animal can make arid Western landscapes more resilient by blunting drought, slowing floods and shielding areas from wildfire with the dams they build.
The study, conducted by researchers at Stanford University and the University of Minnesota and published in Nature, analyzed more than 1,500 beaver ponds across 40 streams in the western United States. The study found the size of those ponds wasn’t random. Instead, they followed predictable rules tied to dam length, stream power and surrounding vegetation.
The findings add weight to a growing body of evidence that beavers may be acting as ecosystem engineers, reshaping waterways in ways that benefit not just their own survival, but that of entire landscapes. By slowing streams and spreading water onto flood plains, their dams create lush pockets of habitat that can endure long after fire or drought has swept through.
And as climate change drives longer droughts, heavier floods and fiercer wildfire seasons, researchers and land managers are looking for low-cost, natural solutions to build resilience. The study suggests the Canadian icon could be part of the answer — stepping in where human engineering can’t.
To capture the full scope of beaver engineering, the researchers used aerial and satellite imagery to show how clusters of dams working in tandem can transform landscapes.
“Aerial imagery is such a different perspective,” Emily Fairfax, assistant geography professor at the University of Minnesota and one of the researchers in the study, told CBC News in an interview.
On the ground, beaver wetlands can take a full day to navigate, she said. But images from the air can reveal a landscape 10 times larger in minutes.
The study mapped more than a thousand beaver ponds in Colorado, Wyoming, Montana and Oregon, using aerial photos and water-detection algorithms. The ponds that worked together were then grouped into what researchers called “complexes” and analyzed for what environmental factors determined how big the ponds and dams got.
The researchers found that climate, soil and landform all played a big role, and that bigger dams reliably created bigger wetlands.
For example, ponds in the northwestern mountains were smaller than those on the Great Plains, likely because the mountains have narrower valleys and different water flow. The work helps explain where beavers can succeed and how big their ponds can get.
Beaver complexes create wetter, greener patches across a landscape. Fairfax likened the phenomenon to giving the landscape a patchwork of fire-resistant “speed bumps,” allowing wildlife a place to shelter and giving ecosystems a springboard to recover more quickly.
In a study from 2020, researchers found a visibly stark example of this during the 2000 Manter Fire in California, where an image showed that vegetation near a beaver pond stayed green while the surrounding areas burned.
This recently discovered power of beavers is a sharp turn from their historical role as a prized commodity in Canada’s early development. The animal’s pelt forged economic ties between European settlers and Indigenous communities and drew settlers westward.
At one point, over-harvesting of their thick furs drove them to near-extinction, but the animals have since made a remarkable comeback — and not just in Canada. In the U.K., where beavers were driven to extinction during the Middle Ages, their reintroduction has caused environmental damage and made them a nuisance.
“It’s incredibly original,” Marc-Andre Parisien, an Edmonton-based scientist who studies how wildfires spread across the landscapes with the Canadian Forest Service, said of the recent beaver pond study. He was not involved with the research.
“There’s hasn’t been that many studies about the actual … landscape-level effects,” he said. “There’s this fuel reduction that’s been created by those beavers just by virtue of having those dam and the wetter greener vegetation. So it can make a difference.”
However, he notes that given the size and intensity of some of the recent wildfires in Canada, not even the plucky beaver stands a chance of stopping one dead in its tracks.
“You’ve got a 50-metre wall of flame moving fast across the landscape; you can dump all the water you want in front of it. It’s like spitting in a campfire,” he said. “I wouldn’t say that you can count on beavers to stop big fires … but they fragment the landscape in terms of the fuel continuity, and you can work with that.”
Fire crews can treat beaver ponds as natural anchor points, Parisien said, using the wetter patches to stage operations and slow the spread of flames.
Initially skeptical about the impact of beaver wetlands, he said, “I think [the research has] convinced me of that.”
In Ontario, where dozens of wildfires have burned through thousands of hectares of forest this summer, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry said it won’t be bringing in more beavers to help.
“Beaver populations are already widespread and abundant in Ontario,” spokesperson Sarah Fig said in an email, adding the ministry isn’t considering any relocation or reintroduction efforts.
Threatened frog species on the road to recovery in Alberta
(Source: CBC News) One of Alberta’s most at-risk amphibians is making a comeback.
Provincial efforts to help northern leopard frog numbers bounce back have been successful in establishing new self-sustaining populations, according to the Government of Alberta.
The northern leopard frog, which has been listed as a threatened species in Alberta since 2004, was once relatively common in much of the province. A significant population decline, first noted in the 1970s and 1980s, led to the frog becoming a focus of conservation campaigns.
Brett Boukall, species at risk wildlife biologist with the province, said reintroduction efforts have centred around translocating the frogs, or releasing eggs into new areas to create new populations.
“When its translocation efforts were first put in place, the population of northern leopard frogs in the province wasn’t looking so good,” he said.
“Since then, we’ve been able to determine a wider distribution and a greater number of populations spread across the southern portion of the province.”
Reintroduction was successful at Battle River, Kinbrook Island Provincial Park, Beauvais Lake Provincial Park, Grainger, and Wyndham-Carseland Provincial Park, with biologists confirming the presence of self-sustaining northern leopard frog populations in those places.
“Translocating eggs proved to be quite successful in being able to establish new populations of northern leopard frogs at different reaches within their former range,” said Boukall.
The successful frog reintroductions, coupled with existing northern leopard frog populations naturally found in other parts of Alberta, mean the province won’t need to introduce more populations for the time being.
Between 2007 and 2010, and from 2013 to 2014, a total of 163,880 tadpoles were introduced as part of the translocation program.
“The growing sustainability we’re seeing in northern leopard frogs and their distribution might allow us to start saying, well, our population is recovering,” said Boukall.
The cause of the once-common northern leopard frog’s dramatic decline has not yet been confirmed by the province, Boukall said.
University of Alberta ecology professor emeritus Cynthia Paszkowski said there are “a lot of smoking guns” to consider when it comes to amphibian population declines.
“There’s a number of explanations for that, one being in some habitats, pesticides, herbicides, chemicals from the environment,” she said.
She pointed to other factors like disease, habitat destruction, and the stocking of fish into northern leopard frog habitats that previously had no fish, leading to limited oxygen in the water.
These factors can lead to fluctuations in amphibian populations across North America, Paszkowski said.
“Interestingly enough, there’s lots of areas in North America where the leopard frog has recovered from these historical dips,” she said. “But in Alberta, they really have not, and that’s why the province is trying to reintroduce them to areas where they think there’s still appropriate habitat.”
Paszkowski said the availability of suitable habitats in the frog’s historic range has been an advantage of the reintroduction program.
She pointed to three elements required for the frogs to establish successful self-sustaining populations: a breeding habitat, overwintering habitat, and then terrestrial habitat to feed in.
Alberta is home to eight frog species: the boreal chorus, Columbia spotted, northern leopard and wood frog, as well as the Canadian, Great Plains, plains spadefoot and western toad.
Remediation Technology News and Resource
(The following are selected items from the US EPA’s Tech Direct – http://clu-in.org/techdirect/)
Upcoming Live Internet Seminars
RemPlex: An Overview of Chalk River Laboratories’ Experience in Addressing Legacy Site Liability – Tuesday September 9, 2025, 11:00AM-12:30PM EDT (16:00-17:30 BST). The Chalk River Laboratories site, located in Chalk River, Ontario (Canada), includes several complex legacy landfills that present significant challenges for environmental characterization and remediation. Featuring presenters from Canadian Nuclear Laboratories, this seminar will offer a technical overview of current methodologies, lessons learned, and ongoing efforts to address environmental liability at legacy waste management areas within a regulated nuclear environment. Presented by the Center for the Remediation of Complex Sites (RemPlex). For more information and to register, see https://www.pnnl.gov/remplex-seminars.
ITRC: 1,4-Dioxane: Science, Characterization & Analysis, and Remediation Training – Tuesday, September 16, 2025, 1:00PM-3:15PM EDT (17:00-19:15 GMT). In 2020, ITRC’s 1,4-Dioxane team created multiple tools and documents that provide information to assist all interested stakeholders in understanding this contaminant and for making informed, educated decisions. Since the 1950s, 1,4-Dioxane has seen widespread use as a solvent stabilizer. The use of solvents through the 1980s suggests its presence at thousands of solvent sites in the US; however, it is not always a standard compound in typical analytical suites for hazardous waste sites, so it previously was overlooked. The U.S. EPA has classified 1,4-Dioxane as “likely to be carcinogenic to humans.” Some states have devised health standards or regulatory guidelines for drinking water and groundwater standards; these are often sub-part per billion values. These low standards present challenges for analysis, characterization, and remediation of 1,4-Dioxane. The 1,4-Dioxane: Science, Characterization & Analysis, and Remediation training is a series of six (6) modules. The six individual modules will be presented together live, and then archived on the ITRC 1,4-Dioxane training webpage for on demand listening. For more information and to register, see https://www.itrcweb.org or https://www.clu-in.org/live.
Virtual Technology Fair: Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) – Wednesday, September 24, 2025, 1:00PM-2:30PM EDT (17:00-18:30 GMT). The NIEHS Superfund Research Program (SRP) presents a “Virtual Technology Fair” featuring Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant recipients developing innovative solutions for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Speakers will give a “pitch”, showcasing the work underway and its value-added to disrupt the market. We encourage participation by and questions from potential end-users, customers, and other stakeholders to accelerate technology transfer of these promising approaches. For more information and to register, see https://www.clu-in.org/live.
New Documents and Web Resources
Technology Innovation News Survey Corner. The Technology Innovation News Survey contains market/commercialization information; reports on demonstrations, feasibility studies and research; and other news relevant to the hazardous waste community interested in technology development. Recent issues, complete archives, and subscription information is available at https://clu-in.org/products/tins/. The following resource was included in recent issues:
Practical Groundwater Science Guides: Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) (July 2025). This report provides easily digestible information for site assessment and remediation practitioners who work on PFAS-contaminated sites. Topics covered include PFAS evaluation of site-specific groundwater vulnerability from PFAS-impacted soil, groundwater sampling for PFAS, and ways that surface chemistry and surfactant properties of some PFAS may impact their transport and fate. The document compiles information from three technical briefs that were originally released internally by EPA. The intended audience includes geologists, hydrogeologists, risk assessors, RPMs, and others who work on PFAS-contaminated sites. Users should have a basic understanding of PFAS. The information provided in this document will also be of use to stakeholders such as state and federal regulators, Native American tribes, consultants, contractors, and other interested parties. View the report at https://www.clu-in.org/PFAS-GW-Science.
ContaminatedLand.info. With a focus on sustainable and risk-based land management, this platform offers information on best practices, regulatory considerations, and innovative solutions for addressing contamination challenges. To view these resources, visit https://contaminatedland.info/.
New ESAA Members
ESAA welcomes the following new members. If you are not a member of ESAA you can join now via: https://esaa.org/join-esaa/
Full Member:
Insitu Contractors Inc.
48 Dawson Road
Guelph, ON N1H 5V1
Phone: (519) 803-2669
John Oussoren
joussoren@insitucontractors.
Insitu Contractors specializes inGroundwater control and groundwater treatment.
Student Member:
Mohammad Zeytoon
Memorial University of Newfoundland
mohammad.zeytooni@gmail.com
Upcoming Industry Events
SMART is coming back to Alberta!
Date: January 22, 2025 from 7:30 am to 3:00 pm
Location: University of Calgary, Blue Room, 124 University Gate NW, Calgary, AB T2N 4V8
Details are on the SMART Remediation upcoming events page: Upcoming Events & Learning Seminars — Smart Remediation
Direct link to the registration page: SMART Remediation Seminar Series Calgary 2026 Tickets, Thu, Jan 22, 2026 at 7:30 AM | Eventbrite
For more information, please email us at info@smartremediation.com or visit www.smartremediation.com.
Excess Soils Symposium expands to Western Canada
Managing excess soil, especially in urban areas, presents both challenges and opportunities. The main challenge is ensuring safe and beneficial reuse while minimizing negative environmental and social impacts, such as contamination, dust, and traffic congestion. Opportunities exist to reduce landfill use, promote resource recovery, and potentially save costs by finding appropriate reuse locations for the soil. Environment Journal‘s annual Excess Soils Symposium explores these issues and more.
Expanding on the success of the Toronto edition, the popular event is expanding to Western Canada, beginning with Calgary on June 11, 2026. The agenda will include informed perspectives on the business of soils management, regulations impacting construction and cleanup projects, and innovative best practices.
Attendees will “get the dirt” and have time to connect with construction contractors, haulers, transfer site operators, land developers and technology providers. This event, which is supported by the Environmental Services Association of Alberta, will focus on the unique geographies, policies and issues facing practitioners in Western Canada.
Join us to dig into the issues and network with leaders in the industry!
Visit our website for details >>
The Call for Abstracts is open. Submit your ideas by November 28th, 2025.
CANECT West: Environmental Compliance Training Comes to Western Canada
Calgary – November 19-20
The CANECT Environmental Compliance and Due Diligence Training Event is expanding westward with the launch of CANECT West, taking place November 19–20, 2025, in Calgary. This new event is being introduced in response to strong interest and feedback from environmental compliance professionals in Western Canada.
For over 30 years, CANECT has been recognized as Canada’s leading event for professionals with environmental compliance and due diligence responsibilities. The CANECT West event will feature two full-day, interactive courses designed to provide practical guidance, case studies and regulatory & legal insights tailored to Alberta and Western Canada. Plus, attendees will earn Continuing Education Units and enjoy valuable networking opportunities.
Register today and take advantage of early-bird pricing until October 3rd: www.canect.net
ECO Canada’s Annual Virtual Career Fair
Sep 25, 2025
Join thousands of environmental professionals from across Canada for a dynamic day of networking, expert-led webinars, and direct access to hiring employers. Connect with leading organizations, attend live sessions designed to build your skills, and apply for jobs on the spot. Plus, gain valuable insights from industry experts and the ECO Canada team—all in one virtual space.
Website Link To Register: https://eco.ca/virtual-career-
ECO IMPACT 2026
Feb 19-20, 2026
ECO IMPACT brings together thought leaders, educators, innovators, and emerging professionals to explore the future of green careers.
Through dynamic learning sessions and an elegant awards gala, ECO IMPACT creates space for cross-sector dialogue, career development, and celebration of excellence in the environmental sector.
- 2 Days of Programming
- 12 Learning Sessions
- 10 Prestige Awards
- 300+ Attendees
Website Link To Register: https://ecoimpact.ca/
Event Name: Wetland Knowledge Exchange October 2025 Webinar
Start Date: Oct 21, 2025
End Date: Oct 21, 2025
Details:
Road Impact Wetland Health Assessments in Northern British Columbia
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/
Manual to Digital: How Environmental Consultants Can Work Faster & Smarter
Sep 16, 2025
Details: Webinar: Learn how environmental consultants can digitize GIS and project management
September 16th, 2025 – 9 AM PST
Hosted by Matidor
In today’s competitive environmental consulting landscape, your tech stack can make or break your efficiency, profitability, and ability to scale. But with so many options, custom-built software, off-the-shelf tools, or a mix, how do you choose the right approach?
This session is designed for owners, principals, and managers who want to:
Understand best practices for building a modern tech stack in environmental consulting.
Compare the pros and cons of building software in-house vs. buying solutions.
See how digitizing manual processes frees up time, reduces errors, and improves collaboration.
Learn a framework for selecting tools that fit your workflows and integrate seamlessly.
Key Takeaways:
How to evaluate your current systems and spot gaps.
Decision criteria for build vs. buy that align with your growth strategy.
Real-world examples of digital transformation in environmental consulting.
The essential tools every consultant should consider for GIS, project management, and budgeting.
RSVP here: https://us02web.zoom.us/
Questions? Contact us: info@matidor.com
Contact: Andrew Simms
Email: info@matidor.com
Phone: (833) 628-4367
Website Link To Register: https://us02web.zoom.us/
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
- Intermediate Environmental Scientist – Trace Associates
- Junior Data Entry Consultant – North Shore Environmental Consultants
- Director, Climate and Environment – City of Calgary
- Health and Safety Supervisor – Remedx Remediation Services
- Project Coordinator – Pinchin
- Intermediate Level, Remediation and Risk Management Services – Remedx Remediation Services