Program - Canadian Brownfields Network

Draft Agenda – Subject to Change

7:45am – 8:45am
Registration, Networking
Continental Breakfast

Sponsored by

8:45am – 9:00am
Welcome Remarks
Emcees – CBN President Krista Barfoot (SLR Consulting), Conference Chair Andrew Macklin (WSP Canada)
CBN Executive Director – Meggen Janes

9:00am – 9:15am
Federal Contaminated Sites Action Plan (FCSAP) Phase IV Demand Forecast 2024-25

Scott Thompson, Manager - Regional Operations, Risk Assessment, Environmental Services and Contaminated Sites, Ontario Region, Public Services and Procurement Canada/Government of Canada

9:15am – 10:15am
Prioritizing Brownfields: Are Brownfields the Solution for New Attainable Housing?

Presentation Session

With a targeted and timely discussion on the important role of brownfields in solving our national housing crunch, we’ll provide a State of the Nation to understand the incentives available and the progress that has been made, whether a property’s status as a brownfield helps or hurts its chances for redevelopment as housing, and whether commercial buildings have become the more viable brownfield investment.

Meggen Janes, CBN Executive Director, moderator
Chris DeSousa, Toronto Metropolitan University School of Urban and Regional Planning
- Status of brownfield incentives across the country
Tom Li, Parsons
- A Comparison of Regulatory and Permitting Requirements of Various Canadian Jurisdictions in Converting Brownfield Sites into Residential Use.
Nima Kia, RPP Director, Development, Housing Now, CreateTO and Mark Richardson, Technical Lead, Housing Now!
- Public Land initiatives on brownfield sites and how to directly incentivize.

10:15am – 10:45am
Networking Break

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10:45am - 11:45am
Brownfield Development: Finding Balance with Conflicting Needs
This discussion will look at how brownfields help solve community needs, and which needs they are best suited to address. Are they best suited to help right-size employment lands? Prop up attainable housing? Strengthen industrial land offerings? Or perhaps even a combination of needs via multiple use development?

Our panel of experts will explore these issues and more to help us better understand how best to work with municipal and developer partners on redevelopment projects.

Suvish Melanta, Grounded Engineering, moderator
Jeremy Dunn, Commercial Vice-President, HOPA
Kyle Nicholls, Vice President, Environmental Health and Safety, Triovest
Tunde Paczai, Urban and Planning Practice Lead, AECOM
Mark Richardson, Technical Lead, Housing Now TO

Sponsored by

11:45am – 1:15pm
Lunch, Networking

Lunch sponsored by

Keynote Presentation

Keynote Presentation sponsored by

1:15pm – 2:15pm
Brownfield Restoration: transforming traditional approaches with property solutions, AI and enhanced infrastructure.

Presentation Session

Diana Saccone, Senior VP Technology, ERIS, moderator
New Management Approach for Divesting Imperial Oil’s Surplus Sites
- Maurice LeBlanc, Commercial Portfolio Manager, Environmental and Property Solutions, Imperial Oil.
- Tammy Lomas-Jylha, President, Lomas-Jylha Consulting.
AI and Brownfield Redevelopment: Opportunities, Applications, and the Role of the Environmental Professional
- Kathryn Matheson, Team Lead, SLR Consulting (Canada) Limited
Combining District Energy and In-situ Bioremediation
- Dr. Magdelena Krol, Associate Professor Civil Engineering Department, York University

2:15pm – 2:45pm
Networking Break

Sponsored by

2:45pm – 3:30pm
Integrated and Innovative Development Solutions

Monique Punt, MPunt Environmental Consulting, moderator
Canadian Urban Institute (CUI) Office Conversion
- Leandro Santo, Research Planner, Canadian Urban Institute (CUI): CUI's Office Conversion.
Land Use Compability - balancing needs of land uses and assessing approaches for sensitive land use changes in industrial or commercial settings
- Hamish Corbett-Hains, Principal, Geosyntec Consultants

3:30pm – 4:45pm
Evolving Standard of Care

Panel session

In this session, we will delve into key questions shaping the future of our practices:

How have (and are) brownfield professionals adapted to changing standards?
How do we leverage institutional knowledge and retain the intent of processes, regulations and guidelines?
What role does technology play in facilitating or complicating our efforts?
How do sustainability and resilience initiatives drive innovation in industry best practices?
Is the Standard of Care evolving at the right pace to meet emerging challenges?
Addressing legacy issues: navigating historical precedents in a changing environment.
The impact of industry-wide labor shortages and retirements on Standard of Care expectations.
Are new graduates adequately prepared to meet evolving demands and are we training them quickly enough with the right resources?
Has the increase in staff mobility (remote workplace to frequent workplace transitions) changed the level of care and continuity we apply to projects?
Harnessing AI to enhance efficiency without compromising the Standard of Care.

Join us as we navigate these critical topics, exploring the intersection of evolving standards, technological advancements, and emerging industry demands and how it is impacting or supporting Brownfield Redevelopment. Discover actionable insights to inform your approach and ensure your practices remain at the forefront of environmental stewardship and regulatory compliance for brownfield renewal.

Joanna Vince, Willms & Shier Environmental Lawyers LLP, moderator.
Janet Bobechko, WeirFoulds LLP
George Boire
Paul Bowen
Alan McCammon, Manager, Remediation Assurance, Site Remediation Program, Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy

Sponsored by

4:45pm – 5:00pm
Embracing impacts and turning tables in the Anthropocene

Dr. Soren Brothers, ROM Curator of Climate Change

5:00pm – 5:05pm
Closing Remarks

5:10pm – 5:30pm
Presentation of the HUB Awards

Presenting sponsor

Emerging Leaders award sponsor

5:30pm - 7:00pm

Reception

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