MEIA News and Announcements
Earn ECO Canada Professional Development Credits Through MEIA Programming!
MEIA has partnered with ECO Canada to collaborate on events, training, seek joint funding for projects, and to provide mutual support to build a strong environmental workforce in Manitoba. Part of this collaboration includes recognizing MEIA training as eligible for ECO Canada Professional Development (PD) Credits.
EP® designation is right for you if you have been working on environmental projects for 5+ years and have specialized knowledge. After a rigorous review of your credentials and examination, EP status is awarded.
MEIA training, conferences, and networking events are eligible for ECO Canada Professional Development (PD) Credits that registrants can claim towards maintaining their Environmental Professional designation with ECO Canada. Check MEIA event listings for available PD credits: “Registrants for this event are eligible to claim x PD credits towards maintaining their EP designation with ECO Canada”.
The Rock Circle Radio Show
Tuesdays at 6:00 pm on 105.5 NCI FM
MEIA is proud to support The Rock Circle Radio Show. The first episode airs on 105.5 NCI FM – The Spirit of Manitoba on Tuesday, August 10 at 6pm (CT). The Partners of Team Rock Circle will be having an open conversation about resource development in a reconciliation way. This show will dive into important issues of resources in a respective way. Each show will have the Guest Dialogue portion, a Did You Know story and a Job Board. 
Tune in every Tuesday for a brand new episode!
Upcoming MEIA Training & Events
Certified Energy Advisor Program
Manitoba Environmental Industries Association (MEIA), in collaboration with Red River College, is pleased to offer an Energy Advisor training program. The next Energy Advisor Foundation Level Training course begins September 7, 2021. Click here to register
The part-time micro-credential program was developed to meet the need for Energy Advisors (EAs) to help deliver the one million EnerGuide rating services for eligible homes in Canada, as per the federal government’s Greener Homes initiative.
The EA courses are offered in a blended learning environment — a mix of online, in-person labs at RRC’s Notre Dame Campus and in-field experience (subject to Public Health guidelines). For more information, or to register now, click here.
Soil Sampling and Potable Water and Groundwater Sampling Courses
In Partnership with the University of Manitoba
Soil Online: September 14 at 8:00am – 12:00pm
Water Online: September 15 at 8:00am – 12:30pm
Field Portion: September 16 at 8:00am-4:00pm
The Soil Sampling course will provide hands on field instruction in soil sampling and drill rig safety. Participants should expect to gain practical experience in aspects of environmental soil, water, and air sampling. There will also be an overview of provincial and federal regulations as they pertain to environmental site assessments; and a discussion on laboratory analysis of parameters commonly considered in Manitoba.
The Potable Water & Groundwater Sampling Course is designed provide students with an understanding of typical groundwater impacts focusing on the differences between light and dense non-aqueous phase liquids (LNAPL and DNAPL). The course will include the theory behind groundwater well installation, groundwater development, and purging and sampling including groundwater well volume and recharge related calculations. Students will assist with development, purging and sampling of an on-Site groundwater well and will collect potable water samples from on-Site. Supplies: Students require a calculator and must be dressed appropriately for the weather.
Registration per course
MEIA Member $150.00
MEIA Student Chapter Member $80.00
Non-member $250.00
Students $160.00
Soil Sampling Registration – Click here
Water Sampling Registration – Click here
Take both courses for 1.5 credit hours
(ENVR 2010) for University of Manitoba students under the coordination of Mark Hanson, Department of Environment and Geography. Please note that if you are taking this course for credit hours you must also register through the University of Manitoba.
Industry Aboriginal Cultural Awareness & Engagement Workshop
In Collaboration with Okimaw Community & HR Solutions
September 14 & 15
8:30 am – 4:00 pm CST
Online
MEIA Members: $100
Non-Members: $400
Understanding the history and culture of Canada’s Aboriginal Peoples’ is critical to moving forward as a business and as a nation. This understanding is especially pertinent in natural resource extraction, mining, and forestry, but Aboriginal relations have far reaching financial and social impacts in any industry. Whether your focus is in recruitment, business development, or training, this workshop will help you and your team build informed, effective, and respectful relationships with Metis, First Nations Peoples and communities.
Click here to register
HAZWOPER/NFPA 472
Monday, Sept 27 – Thursday, Sept 30
8:00am – 4:00pm
1000 Waverly, Training Room 104
$850
In support of industry during a difficult year, MEIA is pleased to be able to offer this course at a reduced rate to help everyone get back into a safe work environment.
The 4-day HAZWOPER/NFPA 472 course offered by HAZ-MATTERS falls within the recently approved Essential Services mandate across Canada and substantially improves employee hazard understanding at the worksite while empowering a technician level of response competency for employees exposed to any form of chemical hazards. Delivered by Bart Taylor, a senior HazMat Specialist, this course unifies internationally used “Best Practice” techniques employed by Industry, Fire Services, First Responders and CBRNe technicians and provides a clear understanding of the entire process.
Requirement: Students must bring a laptop/tablet with them each day of the course to access course materials. Participants will receive a USB Drive that has the student manual and all pertinent supplements included.
*If public health restrictions limit the ability for this class to move forward in-person, it will be moved to online delivery.
ISO 14001:Environmental Management System – Awareness Course for Senior Executives
In Partnership with ECO Canada
Leadership and commitment of management team is critical to the success of the Environmental Management System in an organization. The management team is not only required to participate in the implementation of EMS and allocate resources for effective implementation also need to demonstrate their commitment to sustainable practices. ISO 14001:2015 standard requires explicit commitment and participation from the organization’s leadership in not only setting the context but also plays a key role in continual improvement in the environmental performance of the organization.
The ISO 14001 awareness session course is designed to provide high level overview of the standard, share leading practices and provide insights on how the leadership team can participate in design, implementation and maintenance of an effective Environmental Management System of an organization, and lead by example.
Date and registration portal coming soon!
Member News and Announcements
ECO Canada Wage Funding Applications Now Open
Up to 80% in Wage Funding Available to Grow Your Team this Year
ECO Canada’s full-time wage funding programs are now open and offer up to 80% in wage subsidies (to a maximum of 25K) for employers hiring young professionals working in environmental & natural resources jobs. Additional funding for wraparound services (including training costs) is also available.
Applications are open for the 3 full-time employment programs, the Science and Technology Internship Program and the Science Horizons Program, are open to employers hiring eligible staff age 30 & under facing barriers to employment. In addition, ECO Canada now has additional funding in the Digital Skills for Youth program for those seeking to add digital talent to their teams.
These programs assist employers to strengthen business operations while saving on hiring and training costs.
Learn more about these funding programs & apply. Email [email protected] with any questions.
Funding is provided by the Government of Canada: Natural Resources Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada, & Innovation, Science & Economic Development Canada
Efficiency Manitoba: Enhancements to the Small Business Program
Efficiency Manitoba’s Small Business Program is a full-service solution that helps your business become more energy efficient. You can get free basic energy-saving products, a free energy-efficiency opportunity assessment, and financial incentives on lighting and insulation upgrades.
The following enhancements to the Small Business Program and Indigenous Small Business Program eligibility criteria:
- Buildings can now be up to 15,000 square feet (up from 10,000 square feet)
- Businesses can now have up to 10 locations in Manitoba (up from 6 locations)
- Municipal buildings are now eligible to participate
Also included are new products and technologies for both the Basic and Premium upgrades including:
- showerheads (Basic);
- Type B TLEDs (Premium);
- smart thermostats (Premium); and
- insulation (Premium).
To participate, get in touch with Efficiency Manitoba to request your free assessment and energy-saving devices. Their service provider, Ecofitt, will work with you and a local sub-contractor to install your energy-efficient upgrades.
Don’t qualify for the Small Business Program? You may be interested in the Business Lighting Program.
Manitobans Break Their Own Recycling Rate Records
Presented by Recycle Everywhere & Canadian Beverage Container Recycling Association
Recycle Everywhere recently completed its annual recovery rate audit and is pleased to announce that in 2020, 71 per cent of all empty beverage containers and 79 per cent of all PET plastic beverage containers sold in the province were recovered.
Recycle Everywhere has introduced new initiatives to help move the needle as recycling efforts inch closer to the government mandate. An incentive program and mobile app were recently launched in an effort to give back to Manitobans. The program encourages good recycling habits and offers cash and prizes of up to $25,000. Click here to view the full news release.
Other News and Events
Driving Diversity in Canada’s Water Industry
August 18, 2021
10:00am – 11:00am CST
Online
Increasing diversity can help to drive creativity, generate new ideas, and support succession planning. This webinar will explore why it’s important to encourage diversity, what the current barriers are, and what strategies can be used to increase diversity.
Click here to register
Contract Opportunity: Development of Canadian Water Quality Guidelines for Nickel
The Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) is now accepting proposals for the following contract opportunity: Project 656-2022 – Development of Canadian Water Quality Guidelines for Nickel.
The Contractor will develop:
- user-friendly bilingual biotic ligand model (BLM) software that can derive short-term and long-term nickel (Ni) freshwater guidelines based on user inputs of water chemistry data for Canadian waters
- Canadian Environmental Quality Guidelines (CEQGs) for the Protection of Aquatic Life (PAL) for (1) long-term Ni freshwater guidelines, and (2) short-term Ni benchmark in freshwater, using the BLM approach referenced in the Protocol for the Derivation of Water Quality Guidelines for the Protection of Aquatic Life (CCME 2007)
- PAL CEQGs for (3) long-term Ni guidelines for marine water, and (4) short-term Ni benchmark for marine water, using other approaches in the CCME 2007 Protocol.
Proposals will be accepted until August 25, 2021, 12:00 noon CDT. Click here for details.
All Hands on Deck: An Assessment of Provincial, Territorial and Federal Readiness to Deliver a Safe Climate
Presented by the Pembina Institute
To measure readiness to act on climate, this report assesses the performance of provinces, territories, and the federal government on 24 policy indicators across 11 categories. The indicators represent foundational climate policies and measures to reduce emissions in key sectors of the economy.
The analysis shows that there have been important examples of climate leadership and success across the country. Yet, progress made has been offset by emissions increases elsewhere. In particular, emissions from transportation and oil and gas production have been on a steady upward trajectory since 2005. As a result, Canada’s overall greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have dropped by only 1% between 2005 and 2019.
BAM Leadership Development Program 2021/22 September Intake
Presented by Bioscience Association Manitoba
Sept 1, 2021 to Feb 9, 2022 – two classes a month. Dates emailed once registered.
8:30 AM – 4:00 PM
1000 Waverly, Training Room 104
Registration: $3,500
MEIA Members: $3,000 – Register through MEIA to receive member pricing!
This in-person 72-hour program is accredited by the University of Manitoba toward a certificate in Applied Management.
The Leadership Development Program is designed for individuals who aspire to become effective leaders, to develop new leadership skills, those transitioning to a leadership role or wish to become a leader. The program consists of 17 different topics over ten days to enhance your personal and business life, and now offers one-on-one personal coaching and mentoring.
Learning outcomes include: change management, emotional intelligence awareness, coaching for performance, succession planning, decision making, succession planning, communication skills, leading high-performing and inclusive teams.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND
This program is designed for individuals who aspire to become effective leaders, develop key
leadership skills and transition into leadership roles. Ideal for new and newly
promoted managers, supervisors, or team leaders.
Click here for more information and to register
Call for Proposals – Green Heat: Low Carbon Energy Generation for Heating Existing Buildings
The deadline for submitting Step 1 Proposals is 2 pm EST on Tuesday September 7, 2021.
The Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces (DND/CAF) are seeking a large-scale, low carbon energy generation/transfer system for heating existing buildings by integrating with their current hydronic heat distribution systems. A test building has been selected in Kingston, Ontario for a Design-Build team to design and install an innovative system, in order to assess the effectiveness and the costs of these integrated technologies, with the aim of reducing the energy demand and carbon footprint of DND/CAFs infrastructure portfolio. The potential funding for the Design-Build contract component of the project has been established in the range of $5,500,000.
The Government of Canada is committed to reducing its absolute Scope 1 and Scope 2 Green House Gas (GHG) emissions by at least 90% below 2005 levels by 2050. Currently, 60 percent of the energy requirements in DND facilities is for space heating, of which 90 per cent is generated from the burning of fossil fuels. Given that DND has more than 10,000 buildings in its portfolio, the need to address the GHG emissions of these buildings is essential. The challenge is in finding ways to convert these buildings to low carbon heating without requiring a major building retrofit, which would be cost prohibitive.
Click here for more information and to apply
Provincial Water Management Strategy Seeking Feedback
Feedback deadline is August 13, 2021
Click here to provide feedback
The Minister of Manitoba Agriculture and Resource Development is leading the development of a Provincial Water Management Strategy for Manitoba. The last comprehensive provincial water strategy was completed in 2003. Much has changed over the last 20 years and a new water strategy will ensure effective and sustainable management of our water resources.
Feedback from all Manitobans is integral to building a strategy that works for all. Please review the strategy framework for further details about the strategy development and water management in Manitoba and to provide input. This framework highlights the vision statement, guiding principles and key focus areas that will be the foundation for the water strategy.
To take part in the engagement, please visit: https://engagemb.ca/water_management_strategy. The deadline for feedback is August 13, 2021.
Padraig’s COACH Approach to Leadership Workshop
Tuesday, August 31, 2021
Online
Non-members: $489
MEIA Members: $369
By using some of the techniques that professional coaches use, you will learn to empower employees to solve problems and to buy-into the solutions. This is going to be essential as you and your staff sort through what the “new normal” looks like.
In one day, you will learn how to bring a COACH approach to your day-to-day work. As a result you’ll help colleagues and staff to reach greater heights, learn a questions-based approach in your interactions with your team that empowers them to solve problems and buy-in while removing much of the weight off your own shoulders.
Building a coaching culture leads to enormous corporate gains – organizations have used this fantastic workshop to introduce the coach approach to decision making, to handling complex relationships and to raise awareness about the kind of questions coaches ask. Click here for more details and to register. MEIA Members, register through MEIA to receive Member pricing – contact us at [email protected] or (204) 783-7090.