Mining
Ecoreg Solutions has over 75 years of combined expertise delivering environmental services to the coal, base and precious metal, graphite and diamond sectors at all mine phases. In addition to our planning, permitting and assessment experience, we have worked throughout our careers on numerous pre- and post-reclamation biomonitoring studies as well as, assessment of closure options and management of remedial works.
Helga was involved in drafting the AQUAMIN (Assessment of the Aquatic Effects of Mining in Canada) guidelines and wrote the water and sediment monitoring sections of Environment Canada’s Metal Mining EEM Technical Guidance Document.
Ecoreg Solutions has an excellent understanding of provincial and federal regulations as they apply to mining and is an active member of numerous mining related associations. They are also part of several research projects through NSERC CRD, Genomics Canada and Ontario Genomics.
Pulp and Paper
Since 1994, the founders of Ecoreg Solutions have managed close to 60 pulp and paper Environmental Effects Monitoring (EEM) projects, using standard and alternative biomonitoring methods. Helga’s graduate research in ecotoxicology was conducted at the Pulp and Paper Research Institute of Canada (PAPRICAN) in Montreal and her Masters thesis at the University of Guelph in collaboration with government researchers at Canada’s Center for Inland Waters. Both involved chlorinated organics in different fish tissues downstream of pulp and paper mills using different bleaching methods, toxicity testing and, she went on to chemically characterize them. Other work for this sector includes effluent/ toxicity assessments, nutrient management, site remediation, plume delineations, effluent tracer studies and water quality modeling.
Hydro Power
Between 1995 and 2014, Helga and Trevor managed and implemented numerous post-construction biological monitoring programs throughout Northeastern Ontario for the Hydroelectrical Power Industry, including Algonquin Power (i.e., Years 3, 5 and 10 post-impoundment study for the Long-Sault Generating Station on the Abitibi River) and Brookfield Renewable Energy Group (i.e., Years 5, 10 and 18 post-impoundment study and erosion control monitoring for the Shekak-Nagagami Generating Station on the Shekak-Nagagami Rivers). These studies involved fisheries resource inventories, spawning shoal mitigation and monitoring, environmental impact studies, and fisheries, aquatic habitat assessments and erosion control monitoring. Some of the project tasks included the collection of fisheries field data to assess the success of mitigation measures and potential post-construction impacts to the aquatic environment.