CEQ Abstracts
October 14, 2020 Panel - New Methods for Managing Waste
The Boom in Household Waste and What our Garbage Tells Us About the COVID Economy
Presented by: Falice Chin, Senior Producer, Cost of Living, CBC Radio
Residential trash and recyclables spike as Canadians order online and use disposables. Some of Canada's biggest cities are seeing a surge in household waste thanks to myriad COVID-related trends, including the re-emergence of disposable goods, a summer full of home renovations and the continuous growth of online shopping.
Presentation: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1a0mLZGJuhmclLVq6XV_fagGdLWIGi-d0AuoBTxrAyOk/edit?usp=sharing
Other Ways COVID-19 is Impacting the Waste Management Industry
Presented by: Betsy Varghese P.Eng., Waste Management Specialist, Dillon Consulting Ltd.
The global pandemic has not only changed the way we live and work but has also impacted different facets of the waste management industry. Listen in to hear about some of the impacts that COVID-19 is having related to health and safety concerns, behavioural change, recyclable markets and reuse initiatives and businesses.
Unlocking the Value in Plastic Waste
Presented by: Elena Mantagaris, VP Plastics Division, Chemistry Industry Association of Canada
While plastics are essential to our sustainable way of life and have played a key role in the fight against COVID, the world continues to grapple with the growing problem of plastic pollution. Join us to learn about what the plastics industry is doing to build a world where plastic never becomes waste.
October 21, 2020 Panel - Adopting Environmental Methods for COVID-19
Meaningful Engagement in a Virtual Space
Presented by: Jenn Dorr, Impact Assessment Agency of Canada
Public participation is an essential part of open, informed and meaningful impact assessment processes. The Government of Canada recognizes that meaningful dialogue with Canadians strengthens the quality of major project assessments and decision-making. The Impact Assessment Agency of Canada is committed to delivering opportunities for effective public participation even in times of physical distancing, when many engagement activities have moved to a virtual format. This presentation will discuss some of the approaches and challenges to ensuring meaningful dialogue in the current evolving landscape.
Analysis of COVID RNA in Wastewater Solids
Presented by: Patrick D'Aoust, Environmental Technical Officer, University of Ottawa
Patrick will be discussing his current research on using wastewater surveillance to identify community COVID-19 infections through measurement of the viral RNA signal in wastewater systems. Wastewater surveillance is an effective tool for predicting the progression of community infections enabling public health authorities to effectively respond through timely intervention.
Trusted Spaces will Succeed
Presented by: Justin Downey P.Eng., LEED AP, WELL AP, RWDI/Songbird Life Science
Fear and anxiety in an uncertain world are driving actions and decisions. The places where people now choose to live, work, visit and shop are determined by how safe they feel there. Businesses must prove that they have taken proactive steps to protect people, in order to gain their trust. To succeed today, businesses and shared spaces must respond appropriately to offset COVID-19 risks and address public concern. Buildings and facilities that adapt quickly will be the ones to welcome back tenants, employees, and customers—and keep them for the long term, avoiding further economic disruption. In short, Trusted spaces will succeed.
Songbird Life Science helps you establish safer spaces, win users’ trust, and keep operations running. Songbird Life Science is a COVID-testing and monitoring program. In addition to offering onsite DNA-diagnostic results in minutes, our experts in ventilation and air flow, pathogen spread, and industrial hygiene help safeguard operations and people using a four-step approach designed to Assess, Test, Improve and Trust a space.
October 28, 2020 Panel - Long-Term Environmental Trends in a Post-COVID-19 Economy
Predicting COVID with Remote Sensing
Presented by: Ignacio Segovia-Dominguez Professor, University of Texas at Dallas
SARS-CoV2, the virus that causes COVID-19, differs from other viruses such as influenza, SARS, and MERS, in a number of important ways; in particular, in its response to weather conditions including temperature and humidity. Furthermore, since mortality due to COVID-19 may be closely linked to a prior history of lung and other respiratory diseases, ambient air quality might shed an important light on the expected severity of COVID-19 and associated survival rates. Hence, understanding the impact of atmospheric conditions and air quality on COVID-19 progression and associated mortality is urgent and critical, not only in terms of efficiently responding to the current pandemic (e.g., preparing an adequate health care response in areas with expected higher clinical coronavirus severity), but also in terms of forecasting impending hotspots and potential next-wave occurrences. We propose a new approach to investigate potential relationships between atmospheric conditions and air quality and COVID-19 dynamics using deep learning models coupled with topological information on weather factors. We discuss utility and limitations of the proposed methodology and highlight a particular role of uncertainty quantification in these biosurveillance tasks.
Cleaner Air from Cleaner Growth?
Presented by: Jonathan Arnold, Senior Research Associate, Canadian Institute for Climate Choices
Improving and protecting human health is a key part of a clean growth transition. Health and climate outcomes are linked by the emissions we release into the atmosphere: some are greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to climate change, while others are air pollutants that are harmful to human health. In many cases, these air pollutants and GHG emissions are emitted at the same time from the same sources. As a result, Canada has significant opportunities to improve health as it accelerates action to reduce GHG emissions in a post COVID-19 world.
The Future of Transportation
Presented by: Bob Larocque, President & CEO, Canadian Fuels Association
With the sharp drop in fuel demand resulting from the COVID-19 economic shutdown, Canadian refiners are looking towards the future of transportation and how the industry can be part of the climate change solution. Through innovation of refining process adaptations, efficiencies and investments in new technologies, a new world of transportation is on the horizon.
December 11, 2020 Annual General Meeting and Sponsored Speaker Event
A wind tunnel and field evaluation of various dust suppressants
Presented by: Colette Preston, PhD Candidate, Trent University
With the sharp drop in fuel demand resulting from the COVID-19 economic shutdown, Canadian refiners are looking towards the future of transportation and how the industry can be part of the climate change solution. Through innovation of refining process adaptations, efficiencies and investments in new technologies, a new world of transportation is on the horizon.