2019 OAIA Conference

The Ontario Association for Impact Assessment (OAIA) will host is annual conference at The Faculty Club at the University of Toronto on October 29 and 30 and a pre-conference workshop on legislative change in Ontario and Canada on Oct. 28.
The theme of this year’s conference is Transforming & Re-energizing Ontario – Impact Assessment for a Low Carbon Future.
In Ontario, the transformation to a low carbon future is underway and occurring at a time when impact assessment is also undergoing review in the face of uncertainty and increasing complexity in our decision-making processes. The conference considers factors such as:

• Renewable energy projects in Ontario.
• Assessing the impacts of new and emerging technologies.
• Low carbon energy and transportation systems.
• Energy efficiency and conservation.
• Energy governance frameworks.
• Life cycle assessments and strategic environmental assessment in long-term energy planning.

Morrison Hershfield is passionate about increasing attention to the risks of climate change on the performance of engineering projects and helping our clients develop lower carbon footprint alternatives. See our technical paper on The Benefits of Climate Vulnerability Assessments on Transit Infrastructure here.

Morrison Hershfield & The OAIA Conference
Our participants this year are Mike Bricks, Nick Crockford, Andrew Harkness and Sue Bilek. Contact them to get in touch at the conference.
Mike Bricks, Morrison Hershfield Director, Environmental (Toronto) is the conference chair this year. Below are some other technical sessions moderated by our team.

Session 2: Sectors, communities and infrastructure: Approaches to considering greenhouse gas emissions. – Oct. 29 at 11:00 to 2:00

Three presentations will address climate change and mitigation and resiliency as part of environmental assessment.
Moderated by: Nick Crockford, Morrison Hershfield, Environmental Planner

Session 6: Your Perspectives for Transforming and Re-Energizing Ontario – October 30 at 10:45 to 12:15

Breakout groups will discuss: What is the role of impact assessment in shaping Ontario’s transformation to a low carbon future? The discussion will include varied perspectives including industry consultants, practitioners, regulators, government agencies, Indigenous people, environmental groups and the public.
Facilitated by: Nick Crockford, Morrison Hershfield, Environmental Planner & Anjala Puvananathan, Impact Assessment Agency of Canada

Session 8: Approaches to Considering Power Production and Addressing Climate Change for a Low Carbon Future – Oct. 30 at 2:45 to 4:15

Presentations will focus on an analysis of the state of impact assessment research for low carbon power production and the impacts of projects on climate change.
Moderated by: Andrew Harkness, Morrison Hershfield, Director, Environmental (Ottawa).