Part 1: Preparing for Ontario Consultation on a More Stringent Drinking Water Standard for Lead
Overview
The OMWA is hosting a 3 part webinar series on the impacts of lead. Part 1 will provide background information on lead, a review of the possible changes to the lead standards as proposed by Health Canada’s new Canadian Drinking Water Quality Guideline of 5ug/L, and the potential impacts on municipal operations. Get insight on how OMWA Municipal Member, City of Ottawa, is controlling lead in their Drinking Water. Interact with our panel to provide feedback on views and concerns to assist in developing an OMWA position that we can share with the Ministry
Webinar Host:
Kathy Vassilakos, Member of Stratford City Council; Vice President, OMWA
Kathy Vassilakos is a member of the OMWA board as an elected official. She has been a Stratford City Councillor since 2014 and is the current Chair of the Infrastructure, Transportation and Safety Committee. She is a member of the Active Transportation Advisory Committee, Social Research and Planning Council, and Huron Perth Public Health Board. Kathy has a PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Toronto and has worked in biotechnology as a project leader and consultant.
Webinar Speakers:
Jim Smith
OMWA Director, Professional Engineer
Jim Smith is a Professional Engineer who has been active in the field of drinking water management and in the development of air, water and soil standards for the protection of the environment and human health. Jim’s career spanned over 30 years with the Ontario Government in which he held a range of science policy positions including Director, Standards Development Branch, Ontario’s First Chief Drinking Water Inspector, and as Assistant Deputy Minister, established the Drinking Water Management Division. His work and the work of his division in the field of drinking water management has been recognized through a number of awards. Most recently Jim held the position of Chair, Ontario Drinking Water Advisory Council from 2015 to 2020. Jim holds a B.Sc. in Chemical Engineering from Queen’s University and an MBA from the University of Toronto.
Andy Campbell,
Water Quality Technologist for City of Ottawa
Andy Campbell has worked in various roles within the Water Quality section of the City of Ottawa’s Drinking Water branch for the past 31 years and has been involved with numerous process improvements and upgrades at Ottawa’s two Water Purification Plant’s and six communal well systems. In the past decade, Andy has been involved with a multitude of corrosion control studies both in-home and in Ottawa’s Pilot facility. Andy has also been involved in a number of research studies involving the Water Research Foundation, National Science & Engineering Research Council, Health Canada, and several Canadian universities.
Mike Mortimer,
OMWA President, Regional Hub Manager for Ontario Clean Water Agency
Mike has worked for over 18 years in the municipal sector and is currently Regional Hub Manager with the Ontario Clean Water Agency. Throughout his years in distribution, Mike has understood the challenges of lead services and coming up with consistent, long term solutions to address the issue. Mike graduated form Western University in 1997 with a BSc in Environmental Biology and holds Class 4 certification in both Water Treatment and Water Distribution and Supply.
Thank you to our Sponsor:
