EHS Support’s workload in Canada has been steadily growing over the past few years. We expect to see this growth continue through multiple opportunities with Treated Wood and Aluminum clients, and across the Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Compliance, Risk Assessment, and Remediation service areas.
In 2022, we plan to expand our operations into Canada to support our clients’ needs. We are currently recruiting for mid-level and senior technical staff based in Canada as we grow to support our clients. (View current openings.)
If you have interest in being involved in our Canadian expansion or have interest in taking a lead role, contact Bruce Martin or Sarah Kitchen. Applicants should have 10-plus years’ experience, a comfort level in being outward facing to clients and in attracting talented staff and interested in growing and being a pivotal part of our growth in this market.
The following is a summary of some of our recent work in Canada:
Wood-Treating
EHS Support scoped and developed environmental liability estimates for plants across Canada, primarily within Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec. This included the review of historical environmental history at each plant, as well as current status and development of estimates for environmental tasks that were reasonably probable and estimable. We also worked to support provisions and prepare site chronologies and/or conceptual site models.
Acquisition support included the development of comprehensive Environmental Diligence Summaries; preparation of Phase II ESA Work Plans and Reports; coordination of Phase II ESA implementation; development of environmental liability estimates for remediation, and capital improvements, and compliance/health and safety. We have conducted this work at facilities across Canada.
We also developed a feasibility study and remediation plan for groundwater and surface water/sediment remediation, and remedial design at an active plant in Manitoba.
Wood Preservative Manufacturing
EHS Support evaluated legal and regulatory requirements, degree and extent of site characterization, groundwater monitoring trends, potential risks, and data gaps/additional work for a plant in British Columbia. We included this plant within a portfolio evaluation to identify key risk drivers and uncertainties, rank risks and estimate potential liabilities, and prioritize sites within the portfolio for risk mitigation.
Management Systems & Compliance
This industrial client is a distributor of chemicals and related products and services with locations worldwide. Services included bulk chemical distribution, custom chemical blending, warehousing, and transportation.
As part of its planned divestiture of a key business unit, the client retained EHS Support to transfer 100 restricted-use pesticide licenses to the new owner for locations throughout the United States and Canada in accordance with the Federal Insecticide Fungicide Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and corresponding state and Canadian provincial requirements. Due to the rapidly approaching sale, several permits required detailed efforts to ensure submittal to the agencies was completed within the regulatory and transaction timetable. To delay the transfers would mean business interruption to our client or the buyer.
Risk Assessment & Toxicology, Sediment Assessment & Remediation
Fluoride-containing compounds are critical to the production of many industrial processes, including the fluoridation of public drinking-water supplies. Global production of fluoride is more than 3 million tons annually. Although the industrial and commercial use of fluoride is widespread, tractable and pragmatic regulations for the management of fluoride in the aquatic environment are limited.
EHS Support is undertaking a major international study with industry groups to establish an appropriate regulatory framework for defining appropriate discharge limits and better manage the permitted release of fluoride to the aquatic environment. This study synthesizes previous work conducted by EHS Support and industry group members focused on understanding fluoride fate, transport, and toxicity. We are investigating existing fluoride regulations, surface-water fluoride background conditions, and ecotoxicity literature to support a comprehensive understanding of the current state of the science of surface water fluoride.
