30th Annual OASIS
Conference & Trade Show
Venue & Hotel
Americana Conference Resort Spa & Waterpark
When
January 18th - 21st, 2023
Where
8444 Lundy’s Lane
Niagara Falls, ON
L2H 1H4
Hotel Accommodations:
A room block has been reserved at the Americana Conference Resort, Spa & Waterpark until January 10th, 2023. Reservation requests received after 5:00 p.m. local time at the Hotel on the cut-ff date will be accepted on a space and rate availability basis. All conference attendees, sponsors and exhibitors are to make their own room reservations. Room prices start at $119.00 (subject to change and availability without notice) with upgrades available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Please contact the hotel at 1-866-707-0030 to reserve your room and quote code OASIS – Ontario Association of Sewage Industry Services.
Event Highlights
Onsite Training
Engaging Speakers
Exhibition
Field Tour
Live Demonstrations
Awards Banquet & Auction
Networking
2023 Exhibitors
2023 Sponsors
Gold
Silver
Bronze
Networking/Media Sponsors
2023 Speakers
Brian Barron
Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development
Denise Waligora
Mental Health Commission of Canada
Denise Waligora has a Bachelor of Science Degree and over 20 yrs. of working in the mental health field. Prior to joining the Mental Health Commission as Training and Delivery Specialist for Mental Health First Aid in 2011, Denise’s professional experiences included psychiatric nursing, Residential Program Director, IBI Therapist at CHEO, crisis worker and case manager in a justice program. Denise has been facilitating MHFA since 2008.
Anisha Phillips
Canadian Equality Consulting Inc
Anisha (She/Her/Hers) is a Lead Strategist & Trainer at Canadian Equality Consulting Inc.. She is an experienced DEI consultant and subject matter expert, who supports clients in building sustainable solutions to barriers faced by those who are marginalized, and ultimately scale DEI across their organization.
As a Lead DEI Strategist with CEC, Anisha provides strategic DEI advice, qualitative and quantitative research and analysis, DEI training, and change management, to guide organizations in making data informed and human centered decisions, with intersectionality foundational in every stage. As a trainer, Anisha leads DEI related training and development for CEC clients. When doing so, she supports participants to listen in the spirit of empathy and unlearning, to collaborate with the intent of building bridges, and participate from a place of vulnerability.
Anisha has years of experience in the DEI field influencing clients to think critically, participate in unlearning, find collective objectives, and build systematic strategies for change. Anisha has a BA(H) in Gender Studies from Queen’s University, and an MA in Women and Gender Studies from the University of Toronto. From her studies, she developed a passion for making knowledge about anti-racism, anti-oppression, and social justice accessible for people at any stage of their learning journey. Before working in DEI, Anisha has worked with several non-profits in community and program development.
Anisha is a mixed race South Asian woman who has origins in South Africa. Her mother’s side was brought to South Africa from Southern India as indentured laborers. From a young age she learned the importance of participating in unlearning and eliminating inequity. Anisha grew up in Kamloops BC (Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc territory) and now resides in present day Toronto. Outside of work she can be found exploring dog parks with her cockapoo puppy, Della (named after Nelson Mandela).
Anna Liu
Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks
Anna is a Senior Program Support Coordinator in the Permissions and Program Services Section as part of the Environmental Assessment and Permissions Division, Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks. Anna has been with the Ministry for over ten years, and she currently provides policy and program implementation support across various permissions programs, including hauled sewage approvals.
Bud Kneller
Frontline Commercial Vehicle Solutions
Bud is a part owner and Vice President of the consulting firm Frontline Commercial Vehicle Solutions. Prior to Frontline, Bud spent nearly 20 years with the Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO) including time spent as an enforcement officer, facility auditor, provincial trainer, and National CVSA trainer. Bud concluded his career at MTO in the St. Catharines Carrier Enforcement Program Office where he worked assisting with the provincial enforcement training program and as a liaison with Ontario OPP and Municipal police. He and his business partner started Frontline 5 years ago.
Frontline sets itself apart from other consulting companies as they have helped develop, train, and enforce many of the regulatory components around commercial vehicle safety management and oversight. This gives them an in-depth understanding of the industry best practices as well as legal obligations needed to ensure commercial vehicle compliance and safety. Frontline specializes in mock audits, assistance with removal of conditional ratings, interviews, show cause hearings and driver training.
Kiljon Shukullari
Peninsula Canada
Shelly Bonte-Gelok
Organization/Company
Don Hoekstra
Organization/Company
Paul Parsons
Organization/Company
Matthew Neundorf
Organization/Company
Hitesh Patel
Organization/Company
Chad Winger
Organization/Company
Pete Frazer
Organization/Company
TOPIC
Emerging Septic System
Contamination – Marijuana Facilities
Shelly Bonte-Gelok is a licenced professional engineer with a masters degree in Environmental Engineering from the University of Guelph and has worked in private industry, consulting and most people here would have met her when she was the project co-ordinator at the Ontario Rural Wastewater Centre (1999-2001)
In 2002 Shelly joined the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks in the Technology Assessment and Standards Development Branch and worked on a variety of files ranging from mercury emissions from incineration and coal fired plants to nutrient management.
In 2018 Shelly transferred to the Resource Recovery Policy Branch at MECP and in January 2019 she joined the Ontario Clean Water Agency as the Program Manager, Biosolids, Organics and Resource Recovery.
2023 Tour
As part of our Annual Conference and Trade Show, we strive to organize tours that showcase innovation in the water and wastewater industry. We are pleased to announce that for our 2023 conference we will be visiting Cave Spring Vineyard.
Cave Spring Vineyard is classified as a sustainable grape grower and wine producer, which is to say that we intervene minimally in the vineyard and in the cellars in order to allow nature to take its course as much as possible in the growing of our grapes and the making of our wine. Our goal is to minimize our impact on the environment so as to preserve the natural world we live in for future generations, while recognizing the need to produce wines that meet the expectations of the marketplace, and are economically viable in the long term.
Cave Spring Vineyard is located in a village setting with access to municipal water supplies. As a result, there is no need for water to be transported to our facility or to tap into local aquifers to supply our needs. In 2015 we installed an in-house wastewater treatment system, which uses natural bacteria to pre-treat wastewater prior to entering the municipal sewer system. This treatment means that the municipal infrastructure is not overburdened by wastewater discharged from the winery. Cave Spring’s wastewater treatment system is a pioneering initiative in the development of sustainable practices within the food and beverage industry in North America.
2019 Award Recipients
Mark Brosowski
President’s Award
Rob MacLellan
Robert Noble Award
Wanda Inglis
Committee Chair Award
Jake Groen
Service Award - 40 Years PolyJohn Canada
Randy Knight
Service Award - 50 Years Glen Knight & Sons Septic Service
Confined Space Entry Awareness
Many workplaces contain spaces that are confined spaces. Confined spaces are high risk work areas that have killed workers and would-be rescuers. Very specific rules need to be followed by workers who work in and around these spaces.
This training program will familiarize a participant with the requirements of Ontario Regulation 632/05 – Confined Spaces. Furthermore, the training program is intended to provide entrants, attendants and competent persons the skills and training required to recognize confined space entry risks and how to establish measured and corresponding controls. Participants will have the opportunity to become familiar with, inspect and use Confined Space Entry (CSE) access equipment and air quality instrumentation.
- Confined space entry accidents
- Regulation 632/05 – Confined Spaces overview
- Statutory and regulatory responsibilities
- Confined space documents
- Recognizing confined space entry hazards
- Assessing risk
- Controlling hazards
- Evaluating Control Measures
- Air Quality Monitoring
- Ventilation and purging
- Lock-out/Tag-out
- Rescue planning
- Classroom interaction with experienced instructors
- Performing hazard assessment and applying appropriate control measures
- Demonstration and hands-on training in the inspection, care and use of personal protective and rescue equipment
- Detailed handouts, videos and quizzes
The confined space entry training program is designed for employers, supervisors and workers who enter or perform related work around confined spaces. Ask about our customized confined space courses for managers, employers, health and safety administrators and those responsible for implementing confined space policies or programs.
WHMIS (2015)
Program content has been designed to provide workers, supervisors and employers relevant information provided under WHMIS 2015 (GHS) about the safe handling, use and storage of hazardous materials in the workplace. Specific workplace examples are used wherever possible to enhance the relevance of the course for participants.
Since 1988, WHMIS has been Canada’s hazard communication system for workplace chemicals. WHMIS is changing to adopt new international standards for classifying hazardous chemicals and providing information on labels and safety data sheets. These new international standards are part of the Globally Harmonized System for the Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) and are being phased in across Canada between February 2015 and December 2018. The reformed GHS compliant version of WHMIS is referred to as WHMIS 2015. WHMIS 1988 (the original version) will remain in force until its phase out date in December 2018. ACUTE’s WHMIS 2015 (GHS) navigates the new and old versions of the WHMIS regulations to help workers, supervisors and employers recognize and appropriately control the hazards associated with hazardous products.
- Responsibilities of Employers, Supervisors, Workers and Suppliers.
- Recognizing, Assessing, Controlling Risks as well as Evaluating the effectiveness of controls
- Understand labels WHMIS 2015 (GHS).
- Recognize the WHMIS 2015 (GHS) pictograms (symbols) and understand the hazards that they represent.
- Identify the hazards represented by each hazard class.
- Understand the significance of signal words – WHMIS 2015
- Find additional information about hazards and protective measures on [material] safety data sheets ([M]SDSs).
- WHMIS 2015 differences:
- new rules for classifying hazardous workplace chemicals;
- two main hazard classes – physical hazards and health hazards
- new label requirements, including pictograms instead of symbols that correspond to hazard classes; and,
- a different format for safety data sheets
- Classroom interaction with experienced instructors
- Overview of Ontario Regulation 860 – Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System
- Detailed handouts and quizzes
WHMIS training is mandatory for any worker who works with or is potentially exposed to hazardous products in the workplace. This training program will also be of interest to new hires, Joint Health and Safety Committee members and any worker who wishes to have a deeper understanding of the new provisions of the Globally Harmonized System as well the requirements mandated by the province’s WHMIS legislation.
Due Diligence for Employers and Managers
This session has been designed to increase your understanding of the principle of due diligence and provide you with tools to implement the concept of due diligence in your workplace. As due diligence becomes rooted in the general thinking of a workplace, one may expect a positive shift in safety performance and a strengthened workplace safety culture.
Due diligence is an effective barrier to potential convictions related to health and safety.
- Who’s who in the Occupational Health and Safety Act
- The Internal Responsibility System and building you safety culture.
- Responsibilities of the employer, supervisors and workers
- Establishing due diligence in the workplace
- Guide to Writing an OHS Policy Statement
- Establishing an Occupational Health and Safety Program
- Recognizing hazards and assessing risk
- Implementation and evaluation of hazard controls
- Inspection Checklists
- Job Hazard Analysis
- Emergency Planning
- Accident and incident investigation
- Classroom interaction with experienced instructors
- Overview of the Occupational Health and Safety Act
- Exercises to help increase learning
- Detailed handouts and quizzes
This training program has been designed for Employers, Business Owners, Managers, Officers and Directors, Joint Health and Safety Committee members and anyone who wishes who are interested in improving workplace safety culture will find this training program beneficial.