My Services

My Career:

I have worked for many years at Environment Canada as the Senior Advisor on Environmental Quality Guidelines in the National Guidelines and Standards Office.  In this capacity, I contributed to the development of Canadian Environmental Quality Guidelines (CEQGs) for the benefit of Canadians, and their use in the Chemicals Management Plan and for Clean, Safe and Secure Water.  The Canadian Environmental Quality Guidelines are nationally approved, science-based indicators of environmental quality, nationally mandated by the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA, 1999). They are recommended numerical or narrative limits for a variety of substances and environmental quality parameters, which, if exceeded, may impair the health of Canadian ecosystems.

Professional Achievements:

  • Worked for 19 years at Environment Canada (until 2011), assessing substances and developing national and federal environmental  quality guidelines (mostly for water and tissue residues; for  organics and inorganics [including many metals]).   This work was done for the national Water Quality Task Group (under the auspice of the Canadian Ministers of the Environment [CCME], under the federal Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA 1999), and under the federal Canadian Chemicals Management Plan (CMP);
  • Led the team that developed the 1999 Canadian Environmental  Quality Guidelines Compendium (the "CEQG binder"  - a compilation of all the published EQGs in Canada);
  • Chaired the national team that developed the 2007 CWQG Protocol  - the nationally approved derivation procedure for the Canadian Water Quality Guidelines for the Protection of Aquatic Life;
  • Guided the incorporation of the Species Sensitivity Distribution approach into the development of EQGs; and the incorporation of the Biotic Ligand Model into EQG derivation;
  • Assisted in the development and application of methods and approaches for the derivation of site-specific environmental quality guidelines that consider natural background, local water quality conditions, and resident species;
  • Chaired the EC Working Group for guidance development of Threshold Value Determination for CMP substances (SSD, PNEC, guidelines)
  • Developed and conducted with a colleague numerous training courses on the proper application and development of CWQGs;
  • Developed numerous water, tissue residue, and site-specific guidelines;
  • (Co-)Authored several PSL-1 Assessments (Priority Substance List assessments under CEPA 1988);
  • Contributed to the development and national implementation of the Water Quality Index in Canada;
  • Course conductor for Environment Canada's CWQG courses;
  • (Co-)Author of numerous publications related to water quality;

 

Currently:

  • Independent environmental consultant, specializing in water quality issues and providing advice,  guidance, and knowledge transfer related to EQGs;
    • Providing advice and services on the development and use of Environmental Quality Benchmarks to governments, consultants and industry;
  • Educator and course conductor on water quality issues and water quality benchmarks (nationally and internationally).
  • Spearheading the International Harmonisation of Environmental Quality Guidelines, Standards, Criteria, and /or Objectives; leading to international co-operation in the development of such benchmarks;

As an independent environmental consultant, search I specialize in water quality issues.  I provide advice,  guidance, and knowledge transfer related to water quality benchmarks, both nationally (in Canada) and internationally to governments, consultants, academia, and industry.  I am an educator and course conductor on water quality issues and water quality benchmarks.

 

My services include:

Training Courses:

Established Courses:

I am offering a set of standard training courses (1-, and 2-days, or longer)  on ambient water quality issues and water quality benchmarks in Canada and internationally.  These courses are custom-designed to meet the needs of newcomers as well as seasoned practitioners related to water quality issues.  The courses are important for anyone working in the aquatic toxicity field or with water quality benchmarks.  For the dates and location of the various courses currently offered, please visit “Upcoming Events”

  • Introduction to the Canadian Water Quality Guidelines for the Protection of Aquatic Life -their history, purpose, derivation, application, and interpretation, ; their factsheets and supporting documentation, etc.  - …  “Guidelines 101” (see below / click here for the course abstract)
  • Overview on the Derivation Methods for Site-Specific Water Quality Benchmarks for the Protection of Aquatic Life  - advantages and disadvantages of the various derivation methods, proper process, potential errors and mistakes  (see below / click here for the course abstract)
  • How to properly derive a Water Quality Benchmark for the Protection of Aquatic Life - generic and site-specific
  • How to critically review and evaluate a Water Quality Benchmark for the Protection of Aquatic Life - generic and site-specific

These courses are generally offered in the Ottawa (Ontario, Canada) area, however, I can teach them in other locations if desired.

 

Custom-designed Courses:

In addition to these standard training courses, I can custom-design courses and workshops for particular needs and requirements.  These courses can be for a 1/2-day, full day, or multiple days, and can cover a variety of related topics.

Here is a list of possible session topics:   [the length of the individual courses and sessions can be varied by the depth of material covered]

  1. The 2007 Protocol on the Derivation of the Canadian Water Quality Guidelines for the Protection of Aquatic Life
  2. Overview of the various water quality benchmarks in Canada - national, federal, provincial, non-governmental, etc.
  3. Differences between generic and site-specific WQBs
  4. Interpretation and Responses to an Exceedance of a WQB
  5. Aquatic Toxicity Testing as used in WQB derivation
  6. Evaluation, assessment, and interpretation of a laboratory aquatic toxicity test for use in water quality benchmark derivation and environmental assessment
  7. Proper derivation and interpretation of Species Sensitivity Distribution curves (SSD) for use in Water Quality Benchmarks
  8. Use and application of SSD-Master
  9. Priority setting in water quality benchmark development
  10. WQBs and Natural Background Concentration / Issues with Naturally Occurring Substances
  11. Critical evaluation of a case study:
    • Single-species aquatic toxicity test
    • Site-specific Water Quality Benchmark
    • Statistical assessment of laboratory toxicity results
    • Statistical methods to derive toxicity test endpoints (EC50, EC10, NEC, NOEC/LOEC,  etc., )
    • Statistical methods to convert NOECs/LOECs into EC10/NEC, etc.
  12. … and more ….

Please contact me regarding the options for a custom-designed training course.  Course locations can be arranged across Canada as well as internationally.

 

Critical Review

I can provide an impartial and critical review and evaluation of existing or proposed (i.e., draft, or proponent-submitted) water quality benchmarks (generic and site-specific),  environmental assessments, and scientific papers and documents related to aquatic toxicology (e.g., aquatic toxicity test results, etc.) to ascertain their scientific defensibility, correctness, and acceptability.  Throughout my career, I have peer-reviewed numerous scientific documents for journal publication and for various national and international governing bodies.

Please contact me to arrange for the critical review of a scientific document.  If required, the review will be confidential.

 

Consultation

I can provide advice and guidance on the development, evaluation, implementation, interpretation, and management of ambient water quality benchmarks and issues.

 

Water Quality Benchmark Derivation

I can custom-derive national, provincial, and site-specific water quality benchmarks for the protection of aquatic life, either following established derivation protocols or designing a new derivation process.  I am very familiar with the various Canadian derivation processes and protocols, e.g., the CCME protocol "A Protocol for the Derivation of Water Quality Guidelines for the Protection of Aquatic Life - 2007", and different methods for deriving site-specific benchmarks.  I have developed CWQG-PAL for organic (including pesticides) and inorganic chemicals (including metals).

Please contact me to arrange for the derivation of a water quality benchmark for a substance of concern.