Canadian SWANA Conference

Keynote: Reducing Waste Sector GHG Emissions- Canada’s Actions and & Opportunities -Susan Fraser ,ECCC

Plenary: A PRO’s Experience in Ontario: Life From the Trenches– Gordon Day, Ryse Solutions 

Session 1 A – Extended Producer Responsibility Transition – Updates 

• National Update on EPR Transition Implementation – Allen Langdon, Circular Materials LINK
• EPR Transition Planning Tools and Canadian Lessons Learned-   Sydney Baker , Dillon Consulting LINK
• National Context of EPR and Observations from USA EPR Developments-  Peter Hargreave, Policy Integrity LINK-

Session 2 A- Supporting Local Circular Economy 

• Circular Economy Initiatives Fund- Supporting Champions to Drive Change – Julie Hordowick and Kimberley Whyte-Jones, York Region
• Use of Power BI to Demonstrate Circular Economy Initiatives Impacts & Metrics on Future SWM Plans- Tessa Vlaanderen , Dillon Consulting LINK
• Guelph/Wellington’s Efforts to Curb Construction, Renovation and Demolition Waste- Vivian De Giovanni, City of Guelph LINK

Session 3 A – Plastic Waste 

• City of Toronto Litter Audits -Annette Synowiec, City of Toronto LINK
• Compostable Products and Packaging Pilot Study- Tanya Bogoslowski, GHD
• Wait, Is Plastic Still Banned? The Future of Plastic in Canada- Denisa Mertiri, Ontario Power Generation LINK

Session 4 A – Municipal Long Term Strategic Plan Development 

• Waste Management Tonnage and Costing Model for a 25-year Planning Period- Sandra Messih, Stratzer Consulting LINK
• Strategies for Collaborating with Internal Stakeholders-Katrina McCullough, GHD LINK
• The Best is Waste to Come- Planning the Future of Ottawa’s Waste Management System – Nichole Hoover-Bienasz, City of Ottawa

Session 1B – Methane Measurement 

• Closed Landfill Methane Measurement & Technologies for Methane Mitigation – Dave Lake, Dillon Consulting LINK
• Identifying Surface Methane Emissions – A Comparison of Field Method Approaches  – Denise Burgess and Jonathan Petsch, Comcor Environmental LINK
• Looking at Various Methane Measurement Technologies – A Southern Ontario Study- Bryan Staley, Environmental Research & Education Foundation (EREF)

 Session 2 B – Recruitment & Employee Engagement 

• Sharing Practices in Employee Engagement and Recruitment for Solid Waste Collection Operations Staff- Jonathan Fry, City of Toronto Link
• Labour Retention & Acquisition from a Private Corporation’s Perspective – Tracy Black, Waste Management Canada
• Insights into the Waste Industry Labour Market- Scott Freiburger, AET Group LINK

Session 3 B – Organics Management 

• Implementing Best Practices for Managing Commingled Organic Feedstocks- David Bakkan, Veolia
• City of Toronto RNG Programs at AD Facilities- Heleh Shahriari, City of Toronto LINK
• Journey Taken to Divert Organic Waste- Peter Veiga, Durham Region LINK

 Session 4 B – Construction, Renovation & Demolition Waste & Recycling 

• CRD Waste Practices in Canada- Tessa Vlaanderen, Dillon Consulting LINK-
• Worksite Sorting and Traceability: A Look Back at Two Projects for Better CRD Management, Mathieu Painchaud, Stratzer Consulting LINK
• Recycling Gypsum Wallboard- Making Sure no Gypsum Material Ends Up in the Landfill, Michael McCamley, New West Gypsum

Session 5 A – Methane Reduction Technologies 

• Organic Waste to Energy New Offers From Green Municipal Funds – Noemie Vuyst,  Federation of Canadian Municipalities
• Cost Effective H2S Removal System From Landfill Gas – Chris Ristevski, Macrotek Inc LINK
• Region of Waterloo’s Methane Reduction Field Trials – Linda Churchill, Region of Waterloo LINK
• Transforming Methane into a Sustainable Solution for Canadian Landfills – Julie Flynn, Waga Energy LINK
• How Recovered Methane is Converted to Pipeline Quality at Niagara RNG Plant – Damon Jebodsingh, Comcor and Graham Guest, Walker Industries LINK

Session 6 A – Health & Safety in the Industry

• Safety Programming and Best Practices – How Small Operations Incorporate Safe & Efficient Practices – Andrea Trask, Municipality of East Hants LINK
• City of Toronto’s New Driver Training Centre at the Closed Keele Valley Landfill – Anthony Butera, City of Toronto LINK-
• Health & Safety in Waste Management- Mathew MacLeod, Canadian Centre for Occupational Health & Safety

 Session 7A Landfill Design and Operations

• PFAS Treatment in Landfill Leachate – A Michigan Case Study – Molly Sherwood, Fleis & VandenBrink Engineering
• Landfill Airspace Optimization – Tracy Annett, Region of Waterloo LINK
• Build it and They Will Come: Rapid Recovery of Bee Populations in Restored Landfill Sites – Dr. Miriam Richards, Brock University LINK-

Session 5 B – Collection Innovation 

• Collection Cart Software Innovation – Richard Palu and Gerry Gale, IPL LINK
• Challenges of Managing Waste in Downtown Areas – Deanna Dakin, Region of Waterloo LINK-
• Collection Vehicles with AI – Sam Dietrich, Prairie Robotics
• Optimizing Existing Curbside Collection Program in Norfolk County-  Josee Yelle, Stratzer Consulting & Merissa Bokla, Norfolk County LINK

Session 6 B -Promotion and Education 

• Supporting Communities for Over 136 years Through What We Do & How We Do It – Darren Fry, Walker Industries LINK
• Innovative Digital Tools for Better Public Education – Katrina McCullough, GHD LINK
• Using AI in Promotion & Education Programs – John Watson, Municipality of Dysart et al LINK

Session 7 B – Climate Change Adaptation & Responses 

• Willow  Cultivation to Reduce Leachate Volumes – Nicholas Leblanc, Ramo LINK
• Disaster Debris – When Solid Waste Managers Save the Day – Sheri Praski, Northern Lights Chapter
• How Climate Change has Changed Managing Disaster Debris- Alida Kusch, Dillon Consulting LINK