2018 Winners
Citizen Services
Integrated Pest Management Project
Team Members: Garrett Watson, Paul Henry, Cory Nilsson, Gerard Amerongen, Dorothy Jedrasik, and Sarah Birmingham
Based on their research, education, and work experience the team developed an application to enhance the Integrated Pest Management program at Muttart Conservatory and City Golf Courses. The app was configured based on a robust preventive maintenance, pest monitoring, and cultural control program to minimize pesticide use. Based on the favourable results of IPMP, it is anticipated that other licensed branches that use pest control chemicals will adopt and utilize the App to improve their environmental performance to meet Integrated Pest Management Policy C501 requirements.
Natural Yards Program
Team members: Karey Steil and Tory Young
In July, 2016 City Council requested Bylaw develop a Natural Yards Program for Edmontonians in response to confusion that had arose relating to the difference between unkempt and naturalized yards. Karey and Tory worked together over the next six months and in May 2018, they launched the new Natural Private Property website to honour native plants and their positive environmental influence, while also educating residents about the importance of good design and maintenance.
Financial and Corporate Services
Air Quality Light Bulb Tool
Team members: David Rauch, Soumya Ghosh, Sean Clovechok
On June 6, 2018 the City celebrated Clean Air Day by launching the Air Quality Light Bulb Tool. This is an innovative digital platform used to share information about Edmonton’s air quality. The installation, and technology behind it, allows citizens to connect to a WiFi enabled light bulb that changes colour with changes in air quality. The tool also allows citizens to receive notifications when Edmonton’s air quality changes, as reported through the Air Quality Health Index. The City of Edmonton is the first city in Canada to use the technology behind this tool, which has been extremely well-received by Edmontonians.
City Operations
Maurice Pelletier, Turf Team Leader
Maurice was instrumental in piloting the use of electric automated mowers to mow sports fields. These machines significantly reduced the fuel required to not only mow the field but also to mobilize staff. Maurice took the initiative to lead this pilot and reduce greenhouse gas emission. Maurice is also working on piloting solar powered mowers.
Limited Idling Program
Team members: Eddie Robar, Philip Herritt, Ryan Birch, Earl Romkey, John Bach, Malcolm Hodgson, Walter Cadieux, Shelley Clark, Priscilla Milot
As part of Edmonton Transit Service operating procedures, ETS has implemented a limited idling program to control air emissions and reduce fuel consumption. Operators are required to shut their buses down if they are at a transit center for longer than 3 minutes.
In 2017 93% of the buses audited were compliant with the ETS Limited Idling Procedure which demonstrates ETS Operators’ willingness to adhere to the program requirements and reduce ETS Operations environmental impact.
Integrated Infrastructure Services
High Solids Anaerobic Digestion Facility
Team members: Daniel Alberkant, Navdeep Sandhu, Gordon Derick
The High Solids Anaerobic Digestion Facility will process 40,000 tonnes of residential and commercial organic waste per year into biogas and compost. The biogas will be used in combined heat and power generators to produce electricity. This project will generate 12.1 million kilowatt-hours of electricity and 46 thousand gigajoules of thermal energy leading to an increase in waste diversion from the landfill and a reduction of greenhouse gases and operational costs at the Edmonton Waste Management Centre. Edmonton is the first municipality in Canada to adopt this technology.
Robb Heit, Program Manager
The Borden Park Natural Swimming Pool is a unique and creative aquatic amenity on the Borden Park site. A natural swimming pond combines the recreational potential of a pool for exercise and play along with the more passive, reflective, and educational opportunities of a garden or natural area. Impurities introduced by guests are eliminated through biological processes and supporting measures in the purification area as opposed to chemical treatment. The new pool will generate a much smaller carbon footprint and have lower energy and chemical consumption. The pool is the first public natural swimming pool in Canada and only the second in North America.
Urban Form and Corporate Strategic Development
Interactive Online Land and Vegetation Mapping Project
Team members: Catherine Shier, Grant Pearsell, Alex Yeung, Ron Cook, Scott Hardy
The Vegetation Mapping Inventory shows the types of vegetation that exists around Edmonton, as well as our unique natural spaces. Prior to this, the current land classification system showed Edmonton as a black box of “development”, with no detail about what was really in the city. This new mapping system allows more detail and assessment, leading to better land use planning decisions. In addition, the raw data is available on the City’s Open Data portal, which could help support citizen-led natural area stewardship initiatives and better urban based ecological research.
Sarah Cicchini, Program Manager - IPCC Cities and Climate Change Conference
In March 2018 Edmonton hosted the inaugural Cities and Climate Change Science Conference. The conference was co-sponsored by the World Meteorological Organization and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (part of the United Nations Environment Programme). The conference welcomed more than 800 municipal representatives, scientists and academics from around the world to share the latest scientific research on climate change, and inspire global and regional action within cities to address this complex issue. The global research agenda coming for the conference will lead to continuous improvement and new ideas for cities around the world as they advance solutions for climate change.
Sarah was an integral in the work to have Edmonton selected as the host City and worked with multiple partners and organizers to ensure the event was successful.
Employee Services
Electronic Pay Advice Project
Team members: Paul Hopkins, Brian Harker, Nathaniel Vos, Susan Rizzuto, Les Gawlicki, Bryan Nippers, Andrew Oska, Binh Truong, Steven Allison, Mable Chan-Simons, Naser Yusuf and Catherine Zhang
Electronic Pay Advice Project involves migrating approximately 4500 employees from paper to electronic pay advice statements resulting in a reduction of environmental impact associated with printing and delivery of approximately 117,000 pay advice statements annually.
Through a collaboration of Human Resources, Open City and Technology and Engagement the project team designed a pay advice tile for the City of Edmonton portal making pay advice information available to staff through their personal devices at their convenience.
Communications and Engagement
Dru Stratiy, Graphic Designer
The IPCC Cities and Climate Change Science Conference was held in Edmonton from March 5-7, 2018. The conference aims to inspire the next frontier of research focused on the science of cities and climate change.
The Cities IPCC Conference needed a visual identity which included a logo, typography, photography and colour palette. The concept of the identity was inspired by Earth's basic substances- air and water, as well as flow between people and places without restriction.
Dru went above and beyond to ensure the visual identity and all creative items for the conference were excellent and represented Edmonton. He spent a large portion of his time researching climate change and cities to visually communicate this complex topic in a way that was impactful and meaningful.
2017 Winners
Citizen Services
Team Members: James McIvor, Kevin Bokenfohr, Michael Henighan, Garrett Watson, Danlin Su, Dayna Schell, Sandra Durante, Xiangfei Li, Ross Lauber, Dareskedart Amsalu and Michael Duerr.
The Stormwater Harvesting and Plant Health Project captures rainwater and uses unique ebb and flow irrigation tables to increase watering efficiency. The program harvests about 7500 litres of rainwater each month, reduces the demand for potable water and improves plant health.
Mike Jenkins, Senior Biological Science Technician
For 25 years, Mike has been working to educate the public on environmental stewardship issues, especially on the complexities of bugs and their interaction with the environment. Mike’s focus is on prevention-based initiatives that help preserve and sustain our natural ecology.
Financial and Corporate Services
City Analytics Centre of Excellence
Team members: Sunkanmi Owolabi, Maurya Braun, David Rauch, Chandresh Mehta, Manjot Gill, Frank Mao, Stephanie Zhang, Usman Rizwan, Karen Parker and Mike Kluh.
The team uses analytics to make environmental data interesting for Edmontonians on projects like mapping bike routes, and creating visualizations of trees throughout the city. The group worked with Parks to develop a model that could optimize turf maintenance across the city decreasing costs and greenhouse gas emissions.
City Operations
Eastgate Yard Rain Garden Demonstration
Team Members: Danlin Su, Andrew Liu, Arnold Matechuk, Liliana Malesevic, Ross Bulat, Fernando Sacluti, Larry Chyzyk, Max Mao and Xiangfei Li.
The Eastgate Yard Rain Garden is a landscaped area that collects, absorbs and filters stormwater runoff from rooftops, driveways and other hard surfaces. Funneling runoff through the Rain Garden helps filter the stormwater before it ends up in the river.
Root for Trees
Team Members: Katelynne Webb, Ian Brusselers, Evan Klein, Ben Rix, Sara Fyfe, Nicole Fraser, Jordan Veinot, Qiting Chen, Catherine Falk and Joy Lakhan.
Root for Trees is an enhanced tree planting initiative with the goal of creating a diverse and sustainable urban forest. Root for Trees managers the City’s tree planting programs and promotes tree planting initiatives, including volunteer tree planting.In 2016, the staff of City Operations with the help of 4,120 volunteers, planted over 101,892 trees and shrubs in the city.
Integrated Infrastructure Services
Sustainable Building Policy Update Working Team
Team Members: Jenny Hong, Michael Henighan, Pascale Ladouceur, Nicole Howard, Jodi Goebel, Juan Monterrosa, Jesse Banford, Daryle Tilroe, Shawn Allers and Kristi Olson.
This team update to Policy C532 calling for all new City of Edmonton buildings, or buildings undergoing major renovations, to be constructed to a minimum of LEED silver. The team established sustainability principles, created nation-leading energy and carbon performance expectations for City buildings and made Edmonton one of the only Canadian municipalities with an integrated sustainable building policy.
Contaminated Oil Collection and Transfer System
Team Members: Darsh Nawaratna and Jehovani Mejia
The team members researched and developed a collection, transfer and storage system for contaminated oil. The system allows the workers to safely dispose of used or contaminated oil in a storage tank that, when full, is disposed of by a waste disposal contractor.
Sustainable Development
Jim Andrais
Jim has been the driving force behind the creation of major environmental programs including, the Labatiuk awards, Enviso, the Way We Green and the Community Energy Transition Strategy. Jim’s dedication to environmental initiatives and his can-do attitude have been instrumental in the success of many of these program.
SmartTrip Program
Team Members: Dot Laing, Laura Henderson, Pam Hnytka, Laurie Bowe, Janada Hawthorne, Caroline Mills and Michelle Chalifoux.
The SmartTrip program was developed to provide City staff with education and options that help them to find new ways to commute to work including transit, bikes, ride matching and more. Staff who register in the SmartTrip program get feedback on the benefits they are achieving by using SmartTrip.
2015 Winner
2016 Winner
2015 Winner
2014 Winners
Environmental Leadership
Trena MacGillivray
Trena has worked to ensure employees are able to easily take environmental actions themselves. When the new Animal Care & Control Centre first opened in 2010, Trena ensured the building was supplied with sufficient recycling bins and that all areas had access to them. She is also responsible for training new staff and maintains a no idling opinion by teaching new officers how to do their job without idling their vehicles. Trena goes above and beyond her required duties and roles as a peace officer, ensuring staff are informed about their environmental impacts. She has established a reputation within the department as a go-to person for questions on recycling. Her knowledge and motivation to make the city greener has inspired others.
Environmental Innovation
Street Lighting Team
The Street Lighting group has introduced a number of innovations to reduce emissions, including a Light Efficient Community Policy, approved by Council in August 2013, and associated policy report; LED street lighting, which began with a successful pilot project in 2009 and is now being implemented during neighbourhood renewal activities; and most recently, an adaptive lighting dimming project. The web-based system features the ability to control light levels at segments of roadways when the pedestrian activity changes; real-time notification of failures or power losses; and dimming of the luminaires to accommodate the geometry of the road, resulting in continuous light levels. Edmonton is the first Canadian city to pilot this technology.
Team includes: Vlado Cicovski, Ben Yarmuch, Gary Ursulak, Mike Rowell, Shawn Jacobs, Janusz Januszczak, Kevin Romans, Dhafir Hameed, Gord Cebryk
Continuous Environmental Improvement
Groat Road Basin End-of-Pipe Treatment Facility
The City was committed to reducing the amount of pollutants and TSS from the Groat Road outfall but due to the lack of space, was unable to construct a storm water treatment pond or other natural choice. The next, most logical choice was mechanical treatment. Construction of the Groat Road Basin End-of-Pipe Treatment Facility began in 2010 and has been in operation since 2011. It uses a series of filtering systems to trap particulates and absorb materials such as dissolved metals, hydrocarbons and nutrients. The filter system used is the leading technology in North America for use in “polishing” stormwater runoff and the first use of this technology in Alberta.
Team includes: Fayi Zhou, Wendy Laskosky, Liliana Malesevic, Arbind Mainali, Siri Fernando, Leonora Lumabi
2013 Winners
Environmental Leadership
Daniel Laubhann
Daniel shows extraordinary commitment and passion for environmental protection, taking on environmental protection in the most challenging setting – an urban municipality. He dedicates a significant portion of his work to managing invasive plant species which can negatively impact all functions of urban green space. He has worked on a number of key projects for the City including weed identification methods and a Smart Phone app to identify and report regulated weed species.
Environmental Innovation
Bill Covey & Sharon Swischook
Bill and Sharon set new standards for environmentally sustainable building on formerly City-owned properties. The new subdivision in Oxford was created with the goal of encouraging the construction of more energy-efficient, greener homes while creating a highly attractive but denser and more sustainable neighbourhood. The City also designed landscaping for Oxford’s public spaces that reflects the neighbourhood’s environmental theme.
Continuous Environmental Improvement
James McIvor – Muttart Conservatory
James McIvor's involvement in the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program, which uses biological controls such as predatory insects or bacterium to manage pest outbreaks, has been embraced by staff to better understand why pesticide usage can be harmful to the environment. With aim to continual improvement, James has purchased specialized grow tables to conserve potable water. The tables use a self contained watering system to capture excess water so none is lost on the floor surface. This equipment will enable fertilizer to be delivered by the system and eliminate nutrients entering the soil floor. The fabric floor covering eliminates weed growth under the tables and protects the soil environment from insect propagation and reduces the amount of pesticides used.
2012 Winners
Environmental Leadership
Erosion and Sediment Control Team
This team provides training to City employees about how construction and development can result in erosion and sedimentation which can be harmful to the environment. Since the team members began offering this training, there has been significant improvement in the monitoring of erosion and sediment on City construction projects.
Team includes: Christina Tatamiuk, Kristen Tappenden, Wanda Goulden
Environmental Innovation
Winter Roadway Maintenance Team
In recent years the winter maintenance program has been improved with the increasing use of recycled sand (taken from city street sweeping), the introduction of limestone chip to the mixture, improving mixing technology and reducing the amount of salt applied to city roads. The use of recycled sand reduces transportation costs and keeps street sweepings diverted from the landfill. Adding limestone chip into the sand-salt mix improves traction and makes the mixture more recyclable.
Continuous Environmental Improvement
Forestry Group
The forestry team has nursed Edmonton’s urban forests through years of drought and has created a number of new initiatives to preserve the health of Edmonton’s urban trees. New initiatives include testing watering systems for new trees, creating the Really Grate program to help downtown trees grow larger by improving their soil and growing conditions and conducting research on elm tree diseases to ensure that pruned branches from sick elm trees could be safely mixed into the Waste Management Centre’s wood chip-based compost.
Team includes: Jenny Wheeler, Dan Chouinard, Bonnie Fermanuik, Travis Kennedy, Megan Rogers, Mark Wartenbe, Bill Barr, Mario Castillo
Nation’s Leader Award (new)
Roy Neehall, Manager
Roy has been actively involved in waste management and environmental initiatives in the City for close to 30 years. His commitment to environmental stewardship and his innovative thinking helped make the City a Nation’s Leader in solid waste management.
2011 Winners
Environmental Leadership
Janice Dewar
Janice developed two drainage education programs that help teach citizens about the proper disposal of fats, oils and grease as well as other potentially harmful products. The Treat It Right® program is designed for school students while the Store It Don’t Pour It program is for adults.
Environmental Innovation
Aggregate Recycling Program Team
The team runs the City’s Aggregate Recycling Program which diverts 200,000 m3 of waste concrete and asphalt from construction projects away from landfills and grinds it into coarse aggregate that can be used in road and sidewalk construction.
Team includes: Blair Buccholtz, Al Marlowe, Mike Wuthrich, Dean Vick, George Carnegie, Darrell Schild, Doug Gilbert
Continuous Environmental Improvement
Vegetation Management Team
This team is responsible for controlling unwanted vegetation in City parks. Thanks to their environmental commitment, they have been able to substantially reduce the amount of City parkland treated with herbicide from a high of 50 per cent of City parks in 2000 to only 10 per cent today. The team also works closely with local groups to preserve native plants in City parklands.
Team includes: Gary Chan, Maurice Pelletier, Don Slobinyk, Jason Gross, Mark McNicholl, Tim Mulrooney, John Sowinski
2010 Winners
Environmental Leadership
Wendy Laskosky
Wendy helped develop, design and implement the internationally-recognized ISO 14001 environmental management program in Drainage Services.
Environmental Innovation
Carmen Linman
Carmen introduced the concept of green burials in city cemeteries.
Continuous Environmental Improvement
Greg Sorenson & Don Tymchak
Greg and Don created the measures to prevent or control leaks from the City’s fuel storage facilities.
2009 Winners
Environmental Leadership
Chris Saunders
Champion of new environmental programmes for Parks, including composting diseased tree/woody material and "doggy doo" waste; championed new and innovate ways of improving environmental performance; and promoted strong relations with various communities, including partnerships with government organizations and educational institutions.
Environmental Innovation
Water Re-Use Team
Recognized an opportunity to reuse swimming pool water that was currently being drained to the sanitary sewer; solved chemical and logistical challenges associated with using chlorinated swimming pool water; and implemented a strategy that offset the effects of drought, lowered the cost of irrigation and reduced the demand on the sanitary sewer system.
Team includes: Don Bilyea (Parks), John Dudka (Parks), Mark Farhat (Parks), Denis Hillier (Drainage Services), Chris Saunders (Parks), Kerry Sharkura (Recreation Facility Services).
Continuous Environmental Improvement
ETS@Work Team
Implemented the ETS@Work program that encourages corporations to support employees in using transit.
Team includes: Daniel Mulloy, Patricia Waisman, Nathan Walters, Dawn-Louise Wiens.