MEIA News and Announcements
Emerging Issues 2020 Virtual Conference Wrap Up and Thanks
Thank you to everyone who joined the MEIA Emerging Issues 2020 virtual conference! We had an amazing lineup of speakers and panelists with lots of great networking and connections made. A conference is truly made up of all who attend – speakers and registrants alike – so thank you for helping to make this conference a success!
None of this would have been possible without the dedication of our volunteer Planning Committee. Thank you to:
Committee Chair Rob Brogan, Bureau Veritas
Lori Stewart, Axiom Exploration Group
Dennis Cunningham, Assiniboine Credit Union
Derek Earl, World Trade Centre Winnipeg
Michelle Michalchuk, ALS
Dana Shewchuk, ALS
MEIA would like to extend a very special thank you to our Emerging Issues 2020 sponsors. Below is a list of specific products, initiatives or services they offer that we want to help celebrate.
ALS
The ALS laboratory in Winnipeg provides a diverse scope of analytical services on soil, water, air, wastewater & biota matrices. ALS’s full-service testing laboratory offers a comprehensive range of environmental testing and technical support that delivers service, value, and reliability to industries and consultants throughout Manitoba. Click here for more information.
Bureau Veritas Labs
Manage your sampling program online through the Bureau Veritas Customer Portal. The Customer Portal provides access to real-time information from the convenience of your laptop, tablet or smartphone. With the portal in your pocket, you can stay up to speed, order, submit and review while on the move. Click here for more information.
ECO Canada
Live Virtual Event: ECO Impact Awards & Learning Series 2021
People, Planet, Profit: Finding the Balance
Not your average virtual event! Join ECO Canada on January 28 for a day of learning, networking, and celebrating. We promise you will love our innovative, interactive platform and discover new ways to come together with your professional peers from coast-to-coast. Click here for more information.
The FIRST 100 to register will receive a surprise gift. Early bird pricing ends Dec 11 so register today to secure your spot. Click here to register.
Manitoba Hydro
Manitoba Hydro released its first Corporate Social Responsibility Report November 19, 2020, detailing the Crown utility’s contribution to the province goes beyond supplying renewable hydroelectricity and clean-burning natural gas.
The 54-page Corporate Social Responsibility Report focuses on the utility’s efforts to reflect the values of Manitobans, such as protecting the environment, diversity in hiring new employees and strengthening relationships with Indigenous communities. Read the full report.
Pinchin
Pinchin Ltd. has partnered with eleven-x Incorporated to deliver an integrated solution for deployment of LoRaWAN building sensors, analytics, and web dashboards to support building owners and operators in monitoring parameters that reduce the airborne risk of the SARS-CoV-2 in buildings. Click here for more information.
Telpay
Telpay’s comprehensive electronic payment system allows companies to streamline their accounting processes as well as lower their carbon footprint by eliminating paper cheques. Telpay’s dual signature remote authorization option has proven to be more useful than ever at this time of remote work. Telpay’s Environmental Action Plan, Telpay Trees Campaign and as founding corporate members of BizforClimate, Telpay is a great choice for all businesses looking to build an environmentally stable and bright future.
Special offer to MEIA members and connected businesses! Schedule a call to learn more about how we can work together and we’ll send you holiday treat coffee card. We will waive our set-up fee for MEIA members who sign up for T4B – Telpay for Business our premium B2B service. Please email Louise May, [email protected] to schedule a call. Click here to view the video of the Telpay booth presentation at the MEIA Emerging Issues Conference in case you missed it.
University of Winnipeg
The University of Winnipeg has a new Master’s program in Environmental and Social Change. In the two-year program, students focus on human roles in the environment by engaging in cutting-edge research at the intersection of natural and social sciences. This unique interdisciplinary training experience fosters the knowledge, skills, and professional abilities to address complex human environmental issues. Click here for the MESC student info brochure, or click here to visit the University of Winnipeg website.
Upcoming MEIA Training & Events
Managing Waste Plastics in Manitoba – Challenges, Opportunities and New Developments
In Partnership with the 2020 MARR Forum
December 10, 2020
9:30am – 11:30am CST
Online
Non-members: $40
MEIA & MARR Members: $20
(MEIA Members – Choose “MARR Member” when registering to receive member price)
MEIA is partnering with the Manitoba Association of Regional Recyclers (MARR) to present the 2020 MARR Forum. The Forum will be delivered this year as a series of 5 webinars. The second webinar in the series is Managing Waste Plastics in Manitoba and will include:
- Canada’s proposed ban on six harmful single-use plastic items and Integrated Management Approach to Plastic Products to Prevent Waste and Pollution (Environment and Climate Change Canada, presenter to be determined)
- Plastics Recycling Markets: Insights and Perspective from a Manitoba Processor/Broker (Stephanie Sidler, Director, Processing Business Operations and Development, GFL Environmental Inc.)
- Best practices for household recycling plastics in Manitoba (Kristin Houle, Field Services Coordinator, MMSM)
- Manitoba Agricultural Plastics Program Plan (Kim Timmer, Manager Stakeholder Relations, Cleanfarms Inc.)
Registration for each webinar will be capped at 100 participants so register early!
Click here for more details and to register for the Dec 10 webinar, or to buy your “season ticket” for the remaining four webinars. MEIA Members: Remember to select “MARR member” when buying your ticket!
ClimateSmart Certification
With renewed financial support from MEIA, Manitoba businesses are invited to participate in Climate Smart through a training series kicking-off on January 26th, 2021.
The Climate Smart program focuses on the business case for carbon reductions — cost savings, reduced climate risk, improved operational efficiencies, employee engagement, and benchmarking data — adding up to increased competitive advantage.
MEIA is able to offer the opportunity to become Climate Smart certified at a significant discount – up to $1,000 per business.
Contact MEIA for more information at (204) 783-7090 or [email protected]
Member News and Announcements
Manitoba Chambers of Commerce: #MBPoli Power Hour ft. Hon. Cameron Friesen, Minister of Health, Seniors & Active Living
December 8, 2020
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Online
$14.99 – $18.99
From health care system restructuring and this year’s massive pandemic-related spending to eHealth, retaining nurses and doctors, and strategies to combat COVID-19, health topics matter to all Manitobans. Next up in our #MBPoli Power Hour live webinar event series is Honourable Cameron Friesen, Minister of Health, Seniors and Active Living. Join us on December 8 from 12 to 1 PM for this live webinar featuring a message from Minister Friesen, followed by a moderated Q&A with MCC President and CEO, Chuck Davidson. Email a question in advance or ask it live via the Zoom Q&A panel. Click here to register.
Pinchin: Risk Managing Buildings and Infrastructure for Climate Change – A Guide to Resiliency
December 10, 2020
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Online
FREE
A recent study from the Insurance Institute of Canada reported that major weather impacts are doubling every five to ten years. Weather claims in Canada are predicted to increase from $2.1B to $5.0B in the next ten years. This represents a challenge for designers, operators, and insurers of real estate and infrastructure. How do we design, upgrade, lease, develop, insure our built infrastructure in the coming years? How do buildings and infrastructure retain value and insurability into the future? Come and hear from two leading industry experts on trends and potential strategies.
Click here for more information and to register.
Pinchin: Construction & Maintenance Related Infection Control in Healthcare Facilities
December 15, 2020
8:30 am -4:30 pm
$500.00 per person (Every 5 people who attend this course from your organization, 1 person is free of charge)
Construction and maintenance activities in healthcare facilities (Hospitals , Long Term Care, medical testing facilities etc) , including even minor work, can cause potentially fatal infections in patients. Serious and fatal respiratory infections can also result from contamination of water supplies with Legionella bacteria. Medical literature continues to report cases and clusters of illness and fatalities related to construction and maintenance work in healthcare facilities.
To control these risks, Health Canada and the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) have issued extensive guidelines for managing of construction or maintenance activities in hospitals and other healthcare facilities.
This course is for contractors, project managers, facility managers, maintenance staff, and infection control (IPAC) personnel to minimize risks related to construction and maintenance activities in healthcare facilities. It incorporates lectures, discussions, class activities, and equipment demonstration. Click here for more information and to register.
World Trade Centre Winnipeg Seminars
Dates: Throughout December 2020
Venue: These seminars are available for remote participants via webinar (i.e., from a computer, tablet or smartphone). Please choose “Online” at registration.
Fee: FREE!
For more information or to register, click here.
Grow Your Sales: Prepare Your Sales Team to Increase Productivity in 2021 – Tue December 8 @ 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Business Structure Considerations – Wed December 9 @ 9:00 am – 10:00 am
Leadership: Enhance Your Interpersonal Skills – Thu December 10 @ 9:00 am – 10:00 am
Other News and Events
Manitoba Government Extends State of Emergency to Reduce Spread of COVID-19
The Manitoba government will extend the provincewide state of emergency under the Emergency Measures Act. The extension goes into effect Sunday, Dec. 6 at 4 p.m. for a period of 30 days.
For additional information and to view the state of emergency and public health orders, visit https://manitoba.ca/covid19/restartmb/prs/orders/index.html.
For more information on the Emergency Measures Act and a state of emergency, visit:
https://web2.gov.mb.ca/laws/statutes/ccsm/e080e.php.
Heat Waste Recovery Opportunity in Mining
December 9, 2020
1:30-2:00 EST
Online
Free
Waste heat recovery will help to optimize processes and allow for a reduction in operating costs, energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. A hypothetical case study will be presented to demonstrate these opportunities that could benefit the mining industry.
Instructors will present an overview of the different locations at a mine site where waste heat can be captured (or is being lost), identifying the sources, the demands and the conditions required to capture it.
Click here for more information and to register
Sustainable Innovation Forum 2020 Sessions Available On Demand Over the past decade the Sustainable Innovation Forum has been used as a platform by the United Nations, Heads of State, Government Ministers, Climate Experts and Chief Executives, to communicate leadership, raise ambition and forge stronger relationships between the public and private sectors.
The Sustainable Innovation Forum 2020 took place over November 16 -20. The sessions from this forum are now available to view. Click here to see the full agenda and watch the sessions.
Effective PPE as a Control: Respiratory Protection During COVID Winter
Facilitated by: Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers
December 11, 2020
1:30pm-3:00pm EST
Online
Free
With surging COVID cases and winter increasing time spent indoors it’s critical to understand the airborne transmission of the virus and the need for effective workplace controls. Workplaces need to consider a range of controls, including enhanced ventilation and the proper use of effective respiratory protection.
Much can be learned and applied from recent experience and the science on COVID-19 transmission and its control. Just as valuable though is the need to review basic principles of hazard communication and participatory health and safety to find and apply solutions in the workplace. Understand the difference, see the impact of making the wrong choice, and learn how judicious use is making a difference in Covid prevention around the world.
Click here for more information and to register.
A Citizen’s Guide to the Clean Fuel Standard – Report & Webinar
December 14
11:30 am CST
Online
The Canada West Foundation is pleased to share this new report, A citizen’s guide to the Clean Fuel Standard. You are invited to join the authors for a live webinar to discuss this work.
In 2022, the Clean Fuel Standard (CFS) will come into force – a major piece of the federal government’s climate policy framework. The CFS is being promoted by the federal government as an effective way to help Canada reach its goal of a 30% reduction in GHG emissions by 2030. The CFS is intended to drive emissions reductions across all facets of society, in areas as varied as households, universities, hospitals, small manufacturing, retail businesses, food processing plants, shopping malls and government operations.
The rationale for the policy is sound. There is no question that reducing global GHG emissions is critical, and Canada must do its part. But there are also risks. The policy needs to be designed and implemented in a way that actually results in lower emissions and doesn’t accidentally put Canada out of business.
These risks are especially high given that some aspects of the policy are new and untried. Canada will be the first jurisdiction in the world to extend this type of policy to fuels used outside of transportation, including fuels used for industrial purposes or for residential or commercial heating.
This report is intended to help answer the many questions Canadians have about how – and whether – the Clean Fuel Standard will work: Is the policy capable of meeting its GHG reduction objectives?
- What will it cost?
- How will it work?
- Who could come out ahead?
- What are the impacts on different sectors?
Click here to read the report.
Click here to register for the webinar
Tip of the Iceberg: Navigating the Known and Unknown Costs of Climate Change for Canada
The Canadian Institute for Climate Choices released a report on December 3, 2020 stating, “If we think of the costs of climate change as an iceberg ahead, this introductory paper aims to zoom in on the tip of the iceberg—the known and measurable hazards—as well as the contours of what lies below the water.”
Climate change is already costing Canada billions of dollars each year. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Proactively investing in adaptation solutions and increasing our resilience to a changing climate will help keep many of these costs in check. Weather-related disasters like floods, storms and wildfires are getting more frequent, more extreme and more expensive. Reducing emissions is critical to contain future damages, but past global emissions mean Canadians face looming costs on the horizon.
Click here to read the report.
Shop Local This Holiday Season!
Buying local is one way to lessen your impact on the environment while supporting our local economy. Good Local allows you stay home, stay safe, buy essentials AND support local – all on one platform!