Evolution of the Contaminated Site Remediation Industry in Canada

Evolution of the Contaminated Site Remediation Industry in Canada

In 2021 and 2022, Kevin French of Vertex presented a talk at several conferences entitled: “Evolution of the Contaminated Site Remediation Industry in Canada”. The initial impetus for the talk was a request from the organizers of the Americana conference for a presentation that provided a retrospective of environmental remediation in Canada. Kevin has been practicing in this field for over 30 years (including some work on the infamous Love Canal site in the late 1980s), so was in a unique position to provide some personal recollections, insights and predictions for the future of the industry.

 

Love Canal Toxic Waste Site, Niagara Falls, NY

 

The environmental industry has experienced steady evolution since the “good old days” of “dig and dump” as advances in science, technology, regulation and broader societal trends, like sustainability, have taken place. Remedial designs now consider hundreds of contaminants in soil, bedrock, groundwater and soil vapour and at concentrations as low as parts per trillion. We are now at a point in time where it is more possible than ever to optimize the design of remedial programs and the resulting positive outcomes.

Upon review of the past, it is hoped environmental practitioners and stakeholders will gain a more thorough understanding of the current state of environmental remediation in Canada, what is possible, what is not, and potentially what the future of our essential sector may hold.

Continue to the website to view or download Kevin’s presentation here.