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That’s a Wrap: The 2023 ISI Conference

7-November-2023

Accelerate Action: Prioritizing Sustainable Infrastructure for Climate Change was a huge success.  

ISI’s third annual conference included a session focusing on “Contractor Perspectives on Envision Adoption” with Clément Boisselier, Aecon Group Inc., discussing Canadian projects; and a “Projects Showcase” Session that includes a presentation from Jill Roth on the Fairview Cove Marine Container Examination Facility Project. The recorded sessions continue to be available in the Zoom Events link.

Rewatch Sessions

Alberta Introduction to Envision Session

16-October-2023

CSCE’s Alberta chapters have arranged an introductory presentation — Oct. 17, 2:00-3:00 p.m. EDT — that will include an overview of what Envision is, the types of infrastructure it applies to, the benefits of using Envision, as well as the underlying components available to help advance its application in the industry. This free webinar will be presented by Joelle Doubrough, a certified Environmental Professional (designated via EcoCanada) and Senior Environmental Planner with SLR Consulting (Canada) Ltd.

Details and registration information can be found here.

Fairview Cove MCEF project in the Port of Halifax Project is awarded Envision Verified

9-August-2023

The container ship ONE Magnificence at PSA Halifax Fairview Cove. Photo credit Steve Farmer.

Earning high levels of achievement across several Envision sustainability credit areas, this project will improve efficiency, safety and operations of the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) at the Port of Halifax.

The Halifax Port Authority (HPA) had long identified the need to decrease port congestion and plan for future increases in container processing demand. But the Fairview Cove Marine Container Examination Facility (MCEF) project will go much further, delivering speedier turnaround times, enhanced port security, and significant environmental and community benefits.

SOUNDBITES

“Integrating sustainability into our core business practices is essential for future success,” said Captain Allan Gray, President and CEO, Halifax Port Authority. “The completed Marine Container Examination Facility will improve overall operational efficiency while advancing our sustainability goals. It can serve as a framework for future projects on our path to becoming One Port City.”

“This project is a milestone for the Halifax Port Authority and a reflection of the dedication to sustainability, collaboration and moving beyond “Business as Usual” practices,” said Jill Roth, Project Lead ENV SP.

Kristi Wamstad, ISI’s Verification Director, said: “ISI congratulates the Halifax Port Authority and the project partners on the success of the Fairview Cove Marine Container Examination Facility project. It optimizes rapid and reliable container inspections and helps to achieve the Port’s net-zero emission goals.”

Read more about the Fairview Cove Marine Container Examination Facility (MCEF) project.

September 2023 ENV SP Training

7-August-2023

This ENV SP Training was hosted in conjunction with ISI and the Canadian Society of Civil Engineers (CSCE) and was delivered virtually via Zoom. This training was also open to Non-Canadians.

The training was delivered over 2 half-day sessions on Monday, September 11- Tuesday September 12.

The course was designed to equip attendees with the ability to:

  • Demonstrate how infrastructure can address the challenges inherent to sustainable development
  • Describe the components of Envision
  • Evaluate the sustainability of infrastructure projects using the Envision framework
  • Describe the Envision verification process
  • Use Envision to plan, design and deliver more sustainable infrastructure

More Envision training is currently being planned to support infrastructure professionals in responding more effectively to sustainability challenges on projects. Stay tuned!

More information on earning the Envision Sustainability Professional credential.

Latest Envision Canada Webinars: CSCE Northern BC and Vancouver Island

1-June-2023

May 2023 saw the rollout of more Envision Canada training to CSCE Sections. On May 11th, Negin Tousi delivered an Envision 101 presentation to the CSCE Northern BC Section. Negin is a Project Manager at David Nairne and Associates Ltd., delivering on a range of infrastructure projects for Indigenous communities throughout BC and across Canada. She had previously spent 6 years delivering on water and wastewater treatment and conveyance projects for rural and urban municipalities throughout BC. She has delivered on a range of projects including conceptual design and studies, system management planning exercises, and design and construction projects in the role of project engineer, inspector, resident engineer, project manager, leading to a holistic understanding of project delivery. She obtained her designation as an Envision Sustainability Professional in 2020. She is currently developing internal standards for application of Envision principles on the projects delivered at DNA.

On May 31st, Antonio Castro delivered an Envision 101 presentation to the CSCE Vancouver Island Section. Antonio is an Assistant Project Manager with RAM Consulting. He has several years of experience in civil construction, working on a variety of projects including the design of a vehicle overpass as well as the installation of a storm water diversion sewer. Antonio acquired his ENV SP in 2022 and is working to expand the use of sustainability practices in civil construction throughout Canada.

Centerm Terminal, 2nd Concession, and Vendôme Metro Station Entrance Projects Honoured with Envision Awards

25-May-2023

The 2022 Canadian Envision award recipients were recognized with verification awards presented by ISI’s managing director Melissa Peneycad at CSCE 2023 in Moncton. The recipients were the Centerm Terminal and South Shore Access Project (Envision Platinum 2022), the Vendôme Metro Station Entrance Project (Envision Gold 2022), and the 2nd Concession Improvements Project (Envision Bronze 2022). Each delivers substantial, measurable benefits for sustainability, as measured by achievements across key Envision credit areas.

Peneycad highlighted that these projects were from three different regions of the country and represent only a sample of some of the most outstanding applications of Envision in the country today. There are now 14 projects that have earned Envision awards for sustainability, and these projects represent a wide range of different infrastructure types and sizes.

Accepting the awards: Melissa Peneycad, on behalf of the Société de transport de Montréal (Vendôme Entrance), Jen Johnston, on behalf of the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority (Centerm), and Clément Boisselier, on behalf of Aecon Group Inc. (2nd Concession). CSCE was represented by Wade Zwicker, President in the presentation of these awards.


Read a short description of these projects below, and click on the links for more information.

Centerm Terminal Expansion Project and South Shore Access Project in Vancouver, B.C.

The Port of Vancouver is Canada’s gateway to over 170 trading economies worldwide, handling $1 of every $3 of Canada’s trade goods outside North America. This design-build project centers on terminal expansion and improvements which will increase container and vessel handling capacity, but includes off-terminal improvements to the adjacent road and rail network. The combined project helps meet the increasing export and import demand for containers shipped through the Port of Vancouver.

Credits: DP World, AECOM, WSP, Dragados, Jacob Bros. Construction, FRPD.

https://sustainableinfrastructure.org/project-awards/centerm-expansion-project-and-south-shore-access-project/

Vendôme Metro Station Entrance in Montreal, Quebec

The project consists of developing a new entrance to the Vendôme metro station and a pedestrian link between Maisonneuve Boulevard, the Vendôme intermodal hub, and the MUHC. The new station infrastructure, including the entrance, train station platforms, a pedestrian tunnel leading to the hospital complex, and walkways, are equipped with elevators and universal accessibility devices, such as enlarged motorized butterfly doors and swing gates.

Credits: Société de transport de Montréal (STM), exo, and the McGill University Heath Centre (MUHC); Bisson Fortin and Provencher Roy Architectes (consortium) SNC-Lavalin (resource contributions).

https://sustainableinfrastructure.org/stms-vendome-metro-station/

2nd Concession Improvements Project in East Gwillimbury, Ontario

This project, the largest project ever undertaken by York Region Transportation Services, was designed to accommodate the tremendous growth experienced in the Region and the Town of East Gwillimbury in particular. The six-kilometer corridor, extending from Bristol Road to Queensville Sideroad, crosses the Rogers Reservoir, a popular conservation area and recreational trail in the East Holland River watershed, which the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority manages. This project widened the 2nd Concession from two lanes to four and included trails, three bridges, retaining walls, active transportation facilities, and stormwater management.

Credits: Town of East Gwillimbury, Town of Newmarket, Lake Simcoe Regional Conservation Authority, WSP Canada, Aecon Construction and Materials Limited, EXP Services Inc., Metrolinx, Ministry of the Environment, Conservation, and Parks.

https://sustainableinfrastructure.org/project-awards/the-2nd-concession-project/

Envision Canada Panel Highlights Strong Growth of ISI’s Framework in Canada

25-May-2023

Jen Johnston, Clément Boisselier, and Greg Zilberbrant appeared on stage for the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering Conference Envision Panel in Moncton, N.B. last month, in a wide-ranging discussion about the growing use of the framework to achieve sustainability goals. Speaking to an audience of some 600 civil engineering professionals, the panel offered owner-, supplier- and academic partner- perspectives on Envision application and provided examples from illustrative projects from across the country. The May 25 event was moderated by Lourette Swanepoel, Envision Canada Program Manager and Principal, Calibrate Collaborative Inc.

Jen Johnston, P.E., manager at the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, spoke from the infrastructure owner’s perspective, and discussed Envision application in the context of the Envision Platinum Award-winning Centerm Terminal Expansion and South Shore Access Project. Use of Envision facilitated the development of sustainability goals right from the beginning of this project, and went on to inform design-build requirements, permitting requirements, teamwork and collaboration, and many other essential aspects. Envision kept sustainability “at the forefront at every stage of the project.”

Clément Boisselier, Specialist, Sustainability and Environment at Aecon Group Inc. contributed a private contractor perspective and highlighted different projects that have used Envision, such as York Region’s 2nd Concession Improvements Project. Envision use brings so many outstanding benefits when applied early on project teams, not least in ensuring that teams works collaboratively with stakeholders, in providing clarity around sustainability goals, and in “showing commitment to a certain level of sustainability that is measurable,” Boisselier noted.

Adding an academic partner perspective to the discussion was Greg Zilberbrant, Ph.D., an Adjunct Professor and the Program Lead for the Circular Economy and Climate Change Program at McMaster University. He said that by developing their understanding of the Envision system, his students in the dual-certificate program at McMaster gain a tremendous asset they can apply professionally in their sustainability careers. With Envision, there’s an opportunity to tie together many of the program’s key sustainability topics and themes, including about the role of infrastructure decisions on climate mitigation and adaptation; lifecycle assessment and circularity principles; and the climate resilience of infrastructure, Zilberbrant explained.

The speakers together brought valuable lessons and insights on how the Envision framework has been used to achieve better project outcomes for sustainability. The result has been a shift in the way teams can plan, design and deliver infrastructure, setting projects on a path towards higher sustainability performance.

Envision Webinar delivered to CSCE Western and Eastern New Brunswick Sections

8-May-2023

With the 2023 CSCE Conference in Moncton just three weeks ago, Dimitri Pasquion delivered an Envision 101 presentation to the CSCE New Brunswick sections, May 5th, 2023. Dimitri is a civil engineer with more than 20 years of experience on major and small infrastructure projects in Quebec, France and other locations internationally. He is an Envision Sustainability Professional (ENV SP) and a qualified ENV SP trainer. He has facilitated numerous workshops around Envision credits with multidisciplinary teams and given about a dozen Envision presentations. He is convinced that Envision is the most effective way to minimize the impact of infrastructure and that it perfectly aligns with his personal values.

Envision Webinar delivered to Niagara Region

8-May-2023

On May 8th, 2023, Gustavo Arvizu delivered an Envision 101 presentation to the Niagara Region. Gustavo is a Senior Project Manager at CIMA+ with experience in the management, planning, design and construction of water and wastewater infrastructure projects in Canada and abroad. Gustavo’s experience spans the whole project life cycle: from the completion of Environmental Assessments and Master Plans, risk and reliability assessments, servicing studies, infrastructure condition assessments and asset management strategies, to the design, tender and contract administration of water and wastewater infrastructure.

New Envision Canada Program Manager Role Will Help Drive Use of the Rating System in Canada

12-December-2022

ISI’s Canadian partner organization, the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering (CSCE), has appointed Lourette Swanepoel as the Envision Canada Program Manager.

Creation of this new part-time position marks a key stage in the collaboration between ISI and CSCE to advance sustainable infrastructure practices in Canada. In December 2021, ISI and CSCE announced their intention to work together through a formal partnership agreement, paving the way for ISI to work directly with the largest civil engineering professional association in Canada. The fruits of that agreement led directly to the launch of Envision Canada in March 2022. Today, the Envision Canada Program Manager role is a new opportunity to further steer adoption of the Envision Sustainability Framework and Rating System for infrastructure in the country.

“ISI is thrilled with Lourette’s appointment to this role. She is eminently qualified and highly respected in the field of sustainability and the application of Envision, says Melissa Peneycad, ISI’s Managing Director. “I look forward to working with her and leveraging her skills and background to advance joint CSCE-ISI goals around Envision awareness, capacity building, and innovation.”

As Envision Canada Program Manager, Lourette will work with the CSCE-ISI Joint Task Force to achieve three main goals:

  • Improving awareness and uptake: Promoting the benefits of Envision and advocating for its application to Canadian infrastructure.
  • Building capacity: Ensuring there are sufficient resources to successfully apply the Envision framework in Canada.
  • Fostering innovation: Demonstrating how Envision fits in the Canadian context and represents Canadian needs and values.

Lourette Swanepoel has more than 20 years of experience in the sustainability field, including working with Envision for 10 of those years. She has played a pivotal role in the early adoption of Envision across North America, led the Envision verification processes for several Canadian projects, and acted as senior Envision advisor to public agencies and private companies. She has been an accredited Envision Sustainability Professional (ENV SP) since 2013, an approved Envision Trainer since 2015, and an Envision Verifier since 2018. She currently serves on the Envision Review Board, a technical committee that ensures the ongoing refinement and continued relevance of Envision.

Lourette will invite Canadian ENV SP credential holders to a meeting in January.

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Envision Canada by the numbers:

Did you know? Canada is the country with the highest number of Envision-verified projects (14) outside the United States. With the exception of the Northern Territories, there are projects seeking Envision verification in in every region in the country, with some of the most complex projects in the country earning an Envision award for sustainability, including the Port of Vancouver’s Centerm Expansion Project, and the Gordie Howe International Bridge Project. Canada has a thriving and engaged ENV SP community numbering more than 550.