TNCAER

Dan Murray from GHD made a presentation on “Environment Best Practices in Emergencies – Evaluating Data Needs During an Incident”

The Modelling Process begins with a scoping phase: identifying the need for the modelling; assigning a SME/team; selecting the right model; verifying inputs and outputs; gathering information for inputs; building & running the model; presentation formatting; and presenting & documenting findings and specifying the assumptions & limitations.

Sampling and monitoring environment data is needed to make operational decisions and monitor conditions. This is completed by developing sampling plans & monitoring plans for media of concern to characterize and monitor environmental impacts. Sampling environmental media involves: soil, water, waste, air, biota and background sampling.

The site map or diagram from should include general information, wind direction, north arrow, objects (i.e. roads), possible product migration paths, area of release and location of air monitoring equipment.

If you have a spill, you will have waste and should plan for it in advance. The Waste Management Plan should: identify waste streams & alternatives for management early in the planning cycle; provide input to minimize waste generation; facilitate feasibility study & alternatives analysis; ensure compliance with applicable regulations; supervise & document; and anticipate daily requests for mass balance and recovery volumes.

The Waste Management Plan should include: number & name of waste streams; accumulation areas; transportation of waste; disposal facilities; and tracking table. The Response Framework in order of priority is: to control at source & on water/land/groundwater; protect resources at risk; and treat. Remediation includes: conceptual site model; site characterization; remedial objectives; feasibility study/evaluation; and implementation/ monitoring.

A Conceptual Site Model (CSM) is: a tool for identifying threats to human health and the environment; helps guide investigation, baseline risk assessment & remedial design; helps with engagement with stakeholders; evolves with site characterization & risk assessment; and is the basis for establishing remedial objectives.

Site Characterization includes: delineating source areas & impacted media; collecting information on surface & subsurface conditions to allow modelling & risk assessment; technologies & techniques available; and a sampling & analysis plan.

The Sampling and Analysis Plan’s key components are: site background; sampling rationale; data quality objectives; investigation locations; field sampling procedures; sample containers, preservation, packaging, shipping & integrity procedures; decontamination procedures; management of waste; and laboratory analytical methods.

Remedial Objectives may be driven by: risk management; regulatory or stakeholder considerations; natural considerations; and historical contamination.

Munir Maani from IBM made a presentation called “Cloud Computing & Quantum Computing”.

Munir talked about cloud-based services that go well beyond storage including sharing applications with customers, providing middleware or other services. To access cloud-based services, the user needs an operating system, middleware, servers, storage, network connection and back up storage for disaster recovery. The cloud can provide most of these services. It can provide infrastructure as a service.

You can utilize services and infrastructure of the cloud provider by renting runtime, middleware, OIS, virtualization, servers, storage and networking. Renting these services provides scalability to upsize or downsize as the company size and number of customers changes. Expansion costs such as new equipment, middleware, servers, hardware and networking, etc. is done by renting rather than purchasing. You can also expand into new territories by renting cloud services.

Security is enhanced with multiple layers of security reducing the vulnerability to ransomware, theft, outages and their associated costs. In terms of power outages, you can still operate during outages from another powered area where you can deal with disaster recovery. There are budgeting advantages allowing pay as you use, elasticity, reconciliation and forecasting. Tools allow you to track the services being used.

The future is Quantum Computing where super computers which are 5,000 times faster than existing computers. You can interact with a quantum computer without having one. At the moment, these types of computers can easily to hacked. Programmers are working on better security for these super computers.

Gauravi Saini of Reclay Steward Edge Inc. made a presentation called “Introduction to Sustainability”.

Gauravi defined Sustainability as “Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” She provided several examples of company sustainability such as being energy renewable, recycling packaging materials, using recycled packaging and reducing carbon emissions all by selected dates.

She talked about sustainability in the supply chain, including providing transparency.

Supply Chain Sustainability should be based on the ESG (Environment, Social and Governance) principles (non-financial variables) including:

• Minimizing the impact of people & the planet, energy savings and reduction of pollutants.
• Reviewing working conditions, relationships with clients & suppliers and human resource management.
• Looking at the appointment & renumeration of executives and having respect for shareholders.

COVID-19 was a key disrupter in supply-demand activities. Supply Chain Management is not inventory management or cost cutting. It is redesigning for efficiency, cutting carbon emissions and increasing resilience. Companies should introduce sustainability by:

• Starting small by educating staff about trends and tools.
• Learning what the big players are doing.
• Looking at consumption of energy, fuel & water.
• Starting the sustainability conversation with first-tier suppliers.
• Measuring your carbon footprint.

Kapil Ghai of Toronto Board of Trade made a presentation on “Communication, Networking &; Team Building”. He talked about building relationships virtually and transitioning to going back to a hybrid or fully back to work. It is important to know how to transition from working from home to a hybrid situation. He believes in networking throughout the organization. You need to know the champions on each team in the organization. You should especially try and connect with new people on the team. One of his favourite expressions is “teamwork makes the dream work”.

Lisa Bolton and Zack Lebane from Sherrard Kuzz Employment & Labour Lawyers made a presentation on “COVID 19 Vaccination and the Workplace”. Lisa reviewed of the changing Federal and Provincial COVID requirements.

Zack talked about when a vaccination policy reasonable. In a unionized workplace, a vaccination policy should meet the “KVP Test”: it must be consistent with the collective agreement; reasonable; clear & unequivocal; brought to the attention of employees; employees must be notified that a breach of the policy could result in discharge; and it should be consistently enforced.

Zack talked about a number of legal decisions about “reasonableness”: The takeaways from Zack’s presentation included:

• If indoors and in-person, a vaccination or test policy is likely reasonable.
• In a workplace with higher risk of transmission, higher consequences and/or history of outbreaks, vaccination or leave of absence policy is likely reasonable. Discipline or termination can be contemplated as a later step.
• Expect more vaccinate or terminate policies in the coming months in the health care sector.
• Trajectory of COVID-19 will impact reasonableness.
• Employers should be prepared to amend or update policies as needed.

Lisa concluded the presentation on vaccination and religious objection. Most human rights-based exemption requests are based on religious beliefs. Several legal decisions were reviewed. As a takeaway, Lisa suggested several questions to ask to support an accommodation request:

• What religion/creed do you practice?
• How long have you practiced this religion/creed?
• Why does your belief in this religion/creed prevent you from being vaccinated against COVID-19?
• Have you previously been vaccinated against any other illnesses? If so, why were those vaccinations permissible under your religion/creed?
• Do you have objective documentation to support the position you are unable to be vaccinated?
• Critically review information received since it is unlikely that claims based on an employee’s conscience will be sufficient, even if claim is that religion protects the ability to follow one’s conscience.
• If accommodation is required, employees are not entitled to ‘choose’ a remote work arrangement if another arrangement is feasible (i.e., testing).

Ryan Wheeler of Trans-Northern Pipeline Inc. (TNPI) made a presentation on “A Summary of Trans-Northern 2021 Exercise Program”.

Ryan mentioned the 4 pillars of Trans-Northern Emergency Management Program as prevention/mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery. Ryan summarized TNPI annual exercise program which includes:

• A full-scale exercise every 3 years.
• Regional table-top exercises.
• A business continuity/disaster recovery planning table-top exercise.
• Quarterly drills testing TNPI’s call answering service.
• Participation in the Western Canada Spill Services Cooperative drill/exercise.

The Full-Scale Exercise postponed in 2020 due to COVID-19 was held in November 2021. TNPI uses the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security Exercise Planning Model. The exercise focused on a security event at the Edmonton International Airport. A key lesson learned indicated that in the event of malicious activity an organization must consider the impact of law enforcement and crime scene management which will likely cause significant delays in site access and response.

Regional Table-Top Exercises focused on initial strategies and tactics for spills into bodies of water. The exercise was used to review existing aerial surveillance, how industry resources could improve capacity, and notifications with regional stakeholders. In the exercise used a Mentimeter to facilitate a quiz approach.

Regional Preparedness Exercises focused on responding to a stalled pipeline inspection gauge (PIG).

The Business Continuity/Disaster Recovery Planning Table-Top Exercise evaluated a cyber security threat to its operational technology and included a presentation on best practices promoted by Canada’s Cyber Security Centre. The exercise also tested mitigation, response and recovery measures to protect and recover critical business operations.

TNPI also does quarterly Call Answering Service Drills and is involved in the Western Canada Spills Services Oil Spill Cooperative Drills.

Julia Lok of the Ontario Workplace Safety & Prevention Services made a presentation “COVID Best Practices at the Workplace”. Julia went over the legal requirements related to COVID including the Occupational Health & Safety Act, Reopening Ontario Act, Regulation 364/20, Employment Standards Act and local health orders and measures.

A COVID-19 safety plan includes screening, physical distancing, limiting capacity, cleaning & disinfection, PPE and face coverings. Safety plan best practices include:

• Following current requirements & advisories.
• Using Safety Plan Builder (www.workplacesafetyplanbuilder.labour.gov.on.ca).
• Providing clear & current info.
• Utilizing various communication options such as postings, email, etc.

Best practices for screening include:

• Screening all workers & non-workers before they enter including a questionnaire, RAT and self-monitoring tool.
• Screening visitors before arrival and on-site.
• Maintaining attendance records.

Risks can be controlled by limiting capacity in any congregating areas, utilizing outdoor spaces, using surgical & procedure masks, and using the ventilation checklist (www.ohcow.on.ca/posts/ventilation-checklist-covid-19/) and ventilation calculation tools (www.ohcow.on.ca/posts/classroom-ventilation-calculation-tool/).

Where there is a potential exposure you need to determine the contacts using cohorts & attendance information under Public Health guidance, communicate the exposure and have response procedures and return to work programs in place.

To manage risks you must regularly identify, access, recommend controls and evaluate hazards and potential harassment, threats & violence to workers and factors contributing to negative mental health.

To evaluate if your COVID safety plan is working you should have scheduled reviews, worker feedback, involve the health & safety representative and committee, and conduct monthly inspections.

WSPS COVID-19 Resources are available at (https://covid19.wsps.ca/) and on the WSPS website (https://www.wsps.ca/).

Rob Read of Environment Canada made a presentation on “Public Notifications under the E2 Regulations”.

Rob Read began the presentation on companies that E2 Regulation apply to having a substance on the list over prescribed limits. The responsible person for E2 should have detailed info including a description of measures. To communicate to the potentially impact areas of the potential consequences and the measures taken if an environmental emergency occurs. The presentation focused on the requirements under E2 Regulations for public notification.

Notification is required for the possibility and potential consequences of an environmental emergency, a description of the measures taken to protect life, health and the environment and the measures to communicate with the public during and after an emergency.

Before an emergency, the public that may be impacted outside of the facility by an emergency should be notified of potential emergencies, consequences and measures that will be taken if there is an emergency. Notification could include door to door, phone calls, email, town hall meetings and mailing pamphlets, etc. ECCC doesn’t prescribe how notifications are done. Examples of notifications prior to an emergency were shown including a Superior Propane notification letter and a Nestle plant notification in a newsletter. Rob said that notifications during and after an environmental emergency should include the measures taken and actions to reduce harm. He mentioned a text alert from Nuclear.