Time: 7 pm – 9 pm
Place: The Bufflehead Café & Patio

Time: 7:15 am – 8:30 am
Place: Salon C+D

Time: 8:30 am – 9 am
Place: Salon C+D

Time: 9 am – 10:30 am
Place: Salon C+D

ASTTBC: 1 CPD hour
BCIA PD: 1.5 hours

Speaker:

Paul Craven, Superintendent, Office of the Superintendent of Professional Governance

Paul Craven was appointed the Superintendent of Professional Governance in June of 2019. He has been leading the implementation of the Professional Governance Act, ensuring that regulatory bodies have the tools necessary to regulate professions under the modern framework, and in the public interest. He has also worked to ensure there is a strong two-way dialogue between the regulatory bodies and the provincial government.

Craven has over 15 years of experience serving at senior levels in the B.C. public service. From 2013 to 2019 he was an executive director at the B.C. Environmental Assessment Office where he led the strategic services and compliance division to administer the Environmental Assessment Act. He led the team responsible for the recent revitalization of environmental assessment process resulting in the passage of the new Environmental Assessment Act in 2018.

Prior to this time, he served as executive director of federalism and Canadian intergovernmental policy at the Intergovernmental Relations Secretariat in the Office of the Premier. He is a lawyer and began his career as an associate at a major Vancouver law firm where he practiced commercial and business litigation in a wide range of areas, including professional regulation, administrative and corporate law.

Time: 10:30 am – 11 am
Place: West Upper Foyer

Time: 11 am – 12:15 pm
Place: Merlot Room

ASTTBC: 0.5 CPD hour
BCIA PD: 1 hour

Description:

This session will provide an overview of the Agriculture Climate Solutions (ACS) program; a new $185 million, 10-year federal government initiative that will help develop and implement farming practices to tackle climate change through funding for practical on-farm research of agricultural best management practices (BMPs) that contribute effectively to reducing Canada’s environmental footprint and enhance climate resiliency.

The focus of discussion will be on the Living Laboratories phase of the program in BC and across Canada. Living Labs is an integrated approach to agricultural innovation that brings together farmers, scientists, and other participants to co-develop, test, and monitor new BMPs and technologies in a real-life context where they will be adopted on Canadian farms.

Speakers:

Kirsten Hannam, Agrocologist

Kirsten Hannam grew up on Vancouver Island, BC, and is still surprised to find herself living nowhere near the ocean. Kirsten completed a M.Sc. in Forest Science at the University of British Columbia and a Ph.D. in Soil Science at the University of Alberta. She has worked for the BC Ministry of Forests, for Natural Resources Canada and for UBC-Okanagan. She was hired as an Agroecologist with AAFC in 2018.  Her research program has two main objectives: i. to explore the potential of agriculture to help mitigate climate change, e.g., through increased soil carbon storage and reduced greenhouse gas production, and ii. to identify tools to help farmers adapt to climate change and weather extremes. She is one of the Science Team co-leads for AAFC’s Living Lab program in BC, is co-chair of the Agriculture & Water Committee for the Okanagan Water Stewardship Council and serves on the Steering Committee of BC’s Agricultural Climate Adaptation Research Network.

Jesse MacDonald, Knowledge and Technology Transfer Specialist

Jesse MacDonald was raised on a 22-acre apple farm in Summerland, BC, where his father also worked as a technician in the cherry and apple breeding program at the local AAFC research centre, and his mother was on the British Columbia Fruit Growers’ Association board of directors. Jesse attended the University of British Columbia (B.Sc), before completing his graduate degree at Simon Fraser University (Masters of Pest Management). His career with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada began with 10 years as a field technician with the Pest Management Centre at both Summerland and Agassiz Research and Development Centres. In 2018 began his role as Biologist, Knowledge and Technology Transfer in Summerland, which allows him to be a part of a wide array of research projects – including pest management, plant physiology, climate adaptation initiatives, and Indigenous collaborations – all of which he greatly enjoys. Jesse is active in various scientific associations, regional and local agricultural associations, and the local community, including as a long term member of Penticton & District Search & Rescue.

Time: 11 am – 12 pm
Place: Cabernet Room

ASTTBC: 0.5 CPD hour
BCIA PD: 1 hour

Description:

This session will elaborate on the following questions:

> What is the role of the Society of Contaminated Sites Approved Professionals (CSAP),

> What are the requirements to become an Approved Professional,

> What is the role of Approved Professionals, and

> What are the benefits and opportunities associated with becoming an Approved Professional.

Speaker:

Sam Reimer

Mr. Reimer has 31 years of continuous experience in contaminated sites. He is an Approved Professional in BC for both Standards Assessment (since 1999) and Risk Assessment (since 2004), and has made more than forty submissions for legal instruments (e.g., Certificates of Compliance) under the BC Contaminated Sites Regulation and Protocol 6. He chairs the Contaminated Sites Approved Professionals (CSAP) Exam Committee (2004–present) and is the Risk Assessment Exam Team Lead (2004-present). He is the vice-chair of the CSAP Membership Committee (2008-present) and leads the CSAP Risk Assessment Approved Professionals group (since 2008). From 2007-2013, he was a director on the Science Advisory Board for Contaminated Sites in BC.

Time: 11 am – 12 pm
Place: Salon C+D

ASTTBC: 0.5 CPD hour
BCIA PD: N/A

IMPORTANT: Those who are joining us remotely for virtual sessions will be able to obtain the Zoom meeting links in the app under ‘Sessions & Schedule’. As well as our conference app, please download the free Zoom app on your mobile device to participate. Zoom mobile app: Download on the App Store. Download on Google Play.

Agenda:

CEO’s Welcome from Theresa McCurry, BSc., PMP

1. Call Meeting to Order by ASTTBC President, David Sparanese, AScT, CPWI 3, PTech

2. President’s Welcome – David Sparanese

3. Reports:

3.1. Approval of Minutes of the 2021 Annual Meeting

3.2. Business Arising from the Minutes of the 2021 Annual General Meeting

3.3. Auditor’s Report & Appointment of 2022 Auditors – Vice President, Ken Zeleschuk, AScT, PTech, RTMgr, MBA

4. President’s Closing Remarks – David Sparanese

5. Adjourn

Time: 12:30 pm – 1:15 pm
Place: Salon C+D

ASTTBC: 0.5 CPD hour
BCIA PD: 1 hour

Speaker:

Jay Ingram, Science Writer & Broadcaster

Science writer and broadcaster Jay Ingram is best known as co-host of Discovery Channel’s science show, Daily Planet for 16 years. It was television’s only daily hour-long prime-time science and nature news magazine.

He continues sharing his insights on discoveries, the brain and the ‘science of why?’ to audiences across the country. Jay is an engaging, provocative speaker who can address complex, scientific issues in non-technical terms, making them interesting, relevant, and accessible to a wide range of audiences.

In 2022, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) tapped Jay Ingram to be ambassador and spokesperson in launching its first national dementia awareness campaign during Alzheimer’s Awareness Month in Canada, to reduce negative perceptions about dementia and the people living with the condition.

From 2005 to 2015 he was Chair of the Science Communications Program at the Banff Centre (now part of Beakerhead), a unique undertaking to promote creative science writing, broadcasting and social media. He is also co-founder of Beakerhead, an arts and engineering happening in Calgary, Alberta.

Jay was awarded the Sandford Fleming Medal from the Royal Canadian Institute for his efforts to popularize science, and he also earned the Royal Society of Canada’s McNeil Medal for the Public Awareness of Science. Jay was also awarded a Michael Smith Award for Science Promotion by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. He is a Distinguished Alumnus of the University of Alberta and has received six honorary doctorates. He is a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal and named to The Order of Canada.

Jay has written more than 15 books, three of which have won Canadian Science Writers’ Awards and several have been on the bestseller list. They have been translated into 15 languages. He is the 2015 recipient of the Walter C. Alvarez award for medical writing given by the American Medical Writers Association.

Time: 1 pm – 2:30 pm
Place: Salon C+D

Time: 2:30 pm – 3 pm
Place: West Upper Foyer

Time: 3 pm – 4 pm
Place: Cabernet Room

ASTTBC: 0.5 CPD hour
BCIA PD: 1 hour

Description:

This session will introduce the emerging concept of regenerative design and development as it relates to the built environment. The discussion will explore how regenerative design differs from sustainable design, various strategies and frameworks that can be deployed to maximize the regenerative potential of a project, and some of the challenges associated with actualizing regenerative projects. Case studies from the region will be explored to demonstrate the application of regenerative principles at the building level. Finally, we will show how engineering and architectural consultants/designers can participate in and promote the development of regenerative building projects.

Speaker:

Ashley Lubyk, MBSc, CPHC

Ashley is a full-time professor in Okanagan College’s Sustainable Building Technology program, a Certified Passive House Consultant (CPHC), and the co-director of the Green Construction Research & Training Centre (GCRTC) – a collaborative and multi-disciplinary research and training hub between the University of British Columbia and Okanagan College. He holds a Master in Building Science from Ryerson University (Toronto), and a Bachelor of Environmental Science from the University of Calgary. Previously, Ashley ran a small natural building company building straw bale houses and teaching hands-on workshops all across Western Canada, and worked as the City of Kelowna’s Community Energy Specialist implementing the BC Energy Step Code. He is passionate about working toward a future whereby human activity is a force for good on this planet (not just doing less damage), and thus supporting healthy, rich, and biodiverse communities, both human and non-human. Ashley strongly believes the built environment presents countless opportunities to express this potential.

Time: 3 pm – 4 pm
Place: Merlot Room

ASTTBC: 0.5 CPD hour
BCIA PD: 1 hour

Description:

Communities and the local governments that manage them are at the forefront of climate change. Becoming a truly sustainable community means more than offering recycling programs and promoting transit – it requires systems thinking, focus on high-impact solutions, engineered solutions, an understanding of natural services, and a sense of urgency to challenge the status quo and act now. Practitioners of all ages and experience levels can contribute to these solutions – learn more about your place in the clean energy future at this information-packed session presented by BC’s leading not-for-profit working with local governments on energy and emissions reductions, the Community Energy Association.

Speakers:

Tami Rothery

Tami is a Senior Community Energy Manager with the Community Energy Association, with over 15 years spent in local government, post‐secondary, not‐for‐profit, and private organizations advancing the balance between profit, planet, and people. Tami’s experience includes coordinating over $7M in grants and project implementation for solar PV (rooftop and ground‐mount), battery energy storage systems, electric vehicle charging stations, commercial heat pumps, LED streetlights, community and corporate energy & emissions planning, waste minimization and recycling, green fleet studies, and ASHRAE energy audits. Tami has an Applied Policy Studies degree, is a Certified Sustainable Building Advisor, and has training in natural asset management, high‐performance leadership, and project management.

Peter Robinson

Peter is the Director of Climate Planning & Research for the Community Energy Association, joining the organization in 2008. Peter’s CEA experience includes delivering 54 Community and 13 Corporate Energy & Emissions Plans, creating and updating energy & emissions inventories, and being a Research Advisor for Community Energy Planning: Getting to Implementation in Canada and numerous publications. Peter also delivers renewable energy scans, district energy prefeasibility studies, energy efficiency retrofit campaigns, guides on energy sustainability topics, and helps BC local governments with implementing energy efficiency actions & policies in their communities. Prior to joining CEA Peter worked for several years in the UK’s renewable energy, energy efficiency, and green building field, in the non-profit, private, and government sectors. Peter has a BSc and an MSc in Renewable Energy (with Distinction).

Time: 3 pm – 4:30 pm
Place: Salon C+D

ASTTBC CPD: N/A
BCIA PD: 1.5 hours

IMPORTANT: Those who are joining us remotely for virtual sessions will be able to obtain the Zoom meeting links in the app under ‘Sessions & Schedule’. As well as our conference app, please download the free Zoom app on your mobile device to participate. Zoom mobile app: Download on the App Store. Download on Google Play.

Description:

The project leads will present their report respecting the consolidation and updating of the current 38 areas of practice for the profession of Agrology in British Columbia. Comments for attendees will be considered with a final set of recommendations to be presented to Council for approval in late June.

Speakers:

Bonnie Keleher, BSc., BEd

Bonnie Keleher, BSc., BEd, has over 25 years experience in adult education program and course development at both the community and university level.  Since joining BCIA staff in 2013, until her retirement in July 2021, Bonnie has worked with BCIA branches and agrologists in providing professional development activities – online, virtual and in person.  Between morning walks with her husband and two dogs, and gardening, Bonnie remains involved with BCIA as project manager in the development of the new BCIA website, to be completed by July 2021.

Keith Duhaime

Keith Duhaime is a Professional Agrologist and Professional Engineer with over 30 years of experience in agriculture, and land, water, and resource planning projects. His primary career interest is agriculture and addressing its technological challenges for the betterment of Canadian farmers and their families. He currently leads agricultural projects with DGH Engineering (Saint Andrews, MB.). He completed his Ph.D. at UBC-Okanagan’s School of Engineering. His research explored the potential impacts of grazing cattle on drinking water safety and quality in community watersheds and the effectiveness of Best Management Practices (BMPs) to mitigate this potential hazard. This work was sponsored by the BC Ministry of Forests, Lands, and Natural Resource Operations and the Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC. Keith is the current BC Director of the Canadian Society for Bioengineering (CSBE). In addition to his technical background, Keith also possesses a Master’s degree in Agribusiness. His skills include financial and production analysis, GIS and database development and implementation, complex decision analysis, and strategic planning. Keith is originally from a dairy farm in the province of Quebec. He has also served the BCIA for many years on various committees and the Council and is a past president of the institute (2008).

Time: 4 pm – 4:30 pm
Place: West Upper Foyer

Time: 5 pm – 12 am
Place: Barking Parrot Bar

BCIA is celebrating 75 years!

Ready to rock and roll? Join us on to celebrate BCIA’s 75th anniversary! All conference attendees are welcome and encouraged to join in the festivities!

Evening entertainment takes place at the Barking Parrot Bar located in the Penticton Lakeside Resort, and includes a fantastic entertainment headliner, Clayton Bellamy and The Congregation (you may know him as a founding member of The Roadhammers) and late-night, Jack Semple to get you moving.

We’ll see you all there!

Time: 7:30 am – 9 am
Place: Lower Foyer

Time: 8:30 am – 9:30 am
Place: Salon C+D

ASTTBC: 0.5 CPD hour
BCIA PD: 1 hour

Speakers:

Joe Gilchrist

Joe Gilchrist is Secwepemc/Nlaka’pamux. His dad was from Skeetchestn and mom from Ashcroft. Joe was born in Kelowna, and have lived in Skeetchestn, Ashcroft, Merritt, and Kamloops. He started fire fighting in the 1980s and got onto the Merritt Fire Devils Unit Crew in 1991. Joe worked fulltime with BC Wildfire in 1996. Currently, he is on Board of Directors with the (Interior) Salish Fire Keepers.

Jennifer Morrison, PAg

Jennifer Morrison is a project manager of the Salish Fire Keepers Society.  For the most part, Jennifer facilitates and coordinates communication between Secwepemc, Nlaka’pamux, Syilx and St’at’imx Fire Keepers and their cultural burning activities during the spring and fall months. The Society’s members are knowledgeable in fire management, prescribed burning, traditional medicine, environmental health and indigenous ‘Ways of Knowing’, as they assert and re-establishing the cultural and traditional use of fire on the land across their Nations to heal the environment.

Jennifer also teaches fire ecology, alongside her husband, at the Nicola Valley Institute of Technology in Merritt, BC. They approach their class material and delivery with the wonderful ‘Two-Eyed Seeing’ perspective that merges western with indigenous science. Central to ‘Two-Eyed Seeing’ is the notion that knowledge transforms the holder and that the holder bears a responsibility to act on that knowledge.

Time: 9:30 am – 10 am
Place: West Upper Foyer

Time: 10 am – 11 am
Place: Zinfandel Room

ASTTBC: 0.5 CPD hour
BCIA PD: 1 hour

Description:

A panel of soil scientists will speak to climate resilient land (soil) management practices (BMPs) that address climate change and mitigate environmental impacts. There will be an open discussion of practical approaches to soil management for agriculture.

Speakers:

Geoff Hughes-Games, PAg, Soil Specialist, Senior Agrologist

His education and work have been focused on soil management, beginning with earthworms fed to backyard chickens up to soil handling for major projects. Raised in the Okanagan he has worked for government and private industry in British Columbia and Alberta providing advice on soil management related to tillage, drainage, cropping and reclamation. Geoff co-authored two soil management handbooks and the BC Agricultural Drainage Manual. He was also a driving force behind the BC Environmental Farm Plan Program helping to develop the support materials and train planning advisors. Much of his current work relates to mitigation and recovery strategies for farms impacted by various projects and events including dealing with current and future weather.

Dr. Mehdi Sharifi, Research Scientist, Agriculture & Agri-food Canada, Summerland Research & Development Centre

Dr. Mehdi Sharifi is working as a soil nutrient management research scientist at Summerland Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, since 2016. Before moving to Okanagan’s, he was a professor at Trent University and before that a professor at Dalhousie University. He completed a two-year postdoctoral fellow position at Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada and a three-year Postdoctoral fellow position at Fredericton Research and Development Centre. Dr. Sharifi’s research activities are focused on enhancing the environmental sustainability and resilience of perennial horticultural crops through ground cover management and use of organic amendments. His interests extend to propagation and ethno-agronomy of Indigenous food plants.

Carl Withler

Mr. Withler has spent 40 years in production agriculture working in every commodity from animal husbandry to tree fruit horticulture in Canada and abroad. During his working career Mr. Withler worked very closely with the Agricultural Land Commission (ALC), Ministry of Agriculture Strengthening Farming program staff and Local Government planners to create and review bylaws related to agricultural production. As well, Mr. Withler is relied on by Farm Industry Review board hearings as a “Knowledgeable Person” and allowed to offer opinion regarding normalized farming practices. Recently, the author retired from the provincial civil service as the Industry Specialist for the Tree fruit and Grape industries and is working as an Environmental Farm planner and replant inspector for the Treefruit Replant program. Mr. Withler is now the lead Agrologist for Green Spark Consulting.

Time: 10 am – 11 am
Place: Cabernet Room

ASTTBC: 0.5 CPD hour
BCIA PD: 1 hour

Description:

Post Disaster Building Assessment (PDBA) enables communities responding to floods, windstorms or earthquakes to more rapidly assess the safety of buildings and allow people to reman in or return to their homes and businesses as soon as possible. This reduces the social impact of such events, allowing communities to recover more quickly and reducing the impact on emergency and social service resources. Preparation and planning lead to resiliency.

In this session, you will learn how communities can be better prepared, what training, tools and resources are available, who is involved, and what are the roles of communities, government agencies, private industry, and professional subject matter experts.

Speaker:

Patrick Cullen, BC Housing

A Security and Emergency Services Coordinator with BC Housing, Patrick focuses on the agency’s business continuity plans, asset security and crime prevention to managed properties. He co-chairs the Advisory Committee on Post-Disaster Building Assessment and has been an integral part in the development of online training and resources on this subject.

Previously Patrick was the Emergency Program Coordinator for the City of Maple Ridge where he developed plans and trained staff and volunteers for the city’s response to large disasters.

Patrick is proud to have contributed to various emergency management initiatives in the Lower Mainland and is presently the vice-chair of the Regional Emergency Planning Committee. He enjoys connecting with Emergency Support Services volunteers throughout the province to share his knowledge and experience as an instructor with the Justice Institute of BC in the Emergency Management Division.

Patrick is always ready to put boots on the ground, or support and coordinate for those engaged in response. He has deployed on multiple occasions to support community response efforts and advised communities engaged in rapid damage assessment and emergency group lodging.

Time: 10 am – 11 am
Place: Chardonnay Room

ASTTBC: 0.5 CPD hour
BCIA PD: 1 hour

Description:

Associated Environmental Consultants Inc. is presenting a case study on the environmental investigations completed at a long-standing detonator cord manufacturing facility. The investigations were required to facilitate the decommissioning of the facility and prepare for future redevelopment of the lands. The case study will present some of the intricacies and challenges of this unique project, and will highlight the collaboration between applied science technologists and agrologists in this type of work.

Speaker:

Marion Houlbrook, AScT

Marion Houlbrook is an environmental professional with almost 30 years of experience. She is an Applied Science Technologist with an environmental sciences diploma from NAIT. She has developed her career in roles that included oil refinery process operator, environmentalist with Greenpeace, lab technician, industrial emission monitor, and environmental consultant. For the last 25 years, she has focused her career in contaminated sites consulting, and leads a team at Associated Environmental Consultants Inc. At Associated, Marion manages the Contamination Sites/Environmental Management Group, based in their Vernon office. She is a mother of two fabulous adult children. She is passionate about the environment even in her hobbies, with her spare time spent enjoying the Okanagan with her dog and her horse.

Time: 11 am – 11:30 am
Place: West Upper Foyer

Time: 11:30 am – 12:30 pm
Place: Salon C+D

ASTTBC: 0.5 CPD hour
BCIA PD: 1 hour

Description:

Join JP Ellson (BCIA), Jason Jung (ASTTBC), and Michael Thain (ASTTBC) as they provide an update as to the applicability of the new statutory Duty to Report mandated by the Professional Governance Act. The differences between the traditional ethical duty to report and the new additional duty will be explored.  The speakers will also provide advice as to how this duty can be met once a Registrant determines that the new duty is applicable to a specific situation.

Speakers:

JP Ellson, B.A, Hon Cert., L.L.B., CEO, Registrar, and General Counsel, BCIA

BCIA’s Executive Director/Registrar and General Legal Counsel JP Ellson is originally from Nipawin Saskatchewan where his family operated a seed growing business since 1925. His grandfather is a member of the Saskatchewan Agricultural Hall of Fame as one of the developers of canola. With degrees in Political Science and Sociology from the University of Regina and a Law degree from the University of Saskatchewan JP spent several years as chief legal counsel for the Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corporation.

In 2007 he moved into not for profit corporation management and entertainment law. Along the way he received the Canadian Bar Association Volunteer of the Year Award, The Saskatchewan Centennial Medal, The Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee, The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medals and the Western Canadian Music Industry Builder Award.

He is the founding president of The Canadian Council of Music Industry Associations and the first CEO of Creative Saskatchewan. JP has led trade missions to Ottawa and every capital city in Canada (except Iqaluit) and international trade missions to New York, Chicago, Austin, Nashville, Singapore, Los Angeles, London, Paris, Cannes, Bilbao, Barcelona, Hamburg, Glasgow and Warsaw. He has appeared as legal counsel before numerous parliamentary committees, the Supreme Court of Canada, and the Canadian Radio & Television Commission (“CRTC”).

Jason Jung, AScT, Director, Professional Practice & Development, ASTTBC

Jason Jung joined ASTTBC in 2005 and has served the organization across a number of different portfolios during his tenure. He is currently leads the professional practice department in the implementation of the Professional Governance Act to ensure ASTTBC registrants and key stakeholders have the practice resources and guidance needed to protect the BC public in their practice.

Prior to joining ASTTBC, Jason spent almost 10 years in consulting mechanical engineering and engineering sales as a project manager focusing on the design and inspection of building mechanical systems within the residential, commercial and light industrial construction segments across BC.

Michael Thain

Michael joined ASTTBC in 2021 as the Manager of Investigations and Compliance.  Michael has been the interim deputy registrar of ASTTBC since April 2022, assisting with the duties of the registrar’s office in meeting the legal requirements of the Professional Governance Act.

Time: 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm
Place: Salon C+D

Time: 1:30 pm onward
Place: Naramata

Description:

The Naramata Wine Tour registration ONLY includes access to the afternoon tour on Saturday, May 7, 2022. Tour includes pick up and drop off from the hotel and will include 3 wineries and 1 cidery/distillery (all tastings are included in the fee). By booking the tour through our discounted group block, you are saving $29+CC Service Fee+GST.

Our Naramata Wine Tour registration, $125+CC Service Fee+GST (regular price is $159+CC Service Fee+GST), ends on April 21, 2022 at 11:59 PM.