A federal agency required scientific support to enhance the effectiveness of its environmental enforcement activities. This involved identifying and analyzing the risk factors—both environmental and human health-related—that contribute to the likelihood and impact of regulatory offences. The objective was to develop a structured approach to prioritize enforcement actions under key legislative frameworks including the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, the Fisheries Act, the Species at Risk Act, and others.

To support its Standards to Support Resilient Infrastructure Program, the Standards Council of Canada (SCC) launched a national consultation campaign to identify and prioritize climate-related standardization needs. SCC required a flexible risk prioritization framework to evaluate the relative urgency and impact of various standardization topics related to climate change adaptation and mitigation, especially in the infrastructure sector.

To support more effective health policy and pandemic preparedness, this project examined how environmental health factors intersect with chronic disease and influence pandemic resilience. The client sought evidence to clarify how exposures to contaminants in air, water, and soil contribute to the environmental burden of disease in Canada and exacerbate vulnerability to infectious disease outcomes, including COVID-19.

An independent regulatory organization responsible for oversight of Alberta’s safety codes system sought to strengthen its capacity for risk-based decision-making. The organization aimed to ensure that regulatory actions—particularly in the area of petroleum storage tanks—were guided by clear, evidence-based prioritization methods that protect public safety while making effective use of resources. The project began with…

Facing renewed challenges in securing a reliable domestic plasma supply, Canadian Blood Services sought support to apply a Risk-Based Decision-Making (RBDM) framework. The objective was to assess the value and implications of expanding domestic plasma collection and processing capacity in response to the emergence of commercial plasma operations that export plasma to international markets.

The project began with a series of consultations with UN-Habitat at UNON in Nairobi. In addition to Cemil Alyanak and Nicholas you, the project grew to include many key stakeholders both within UN-Habitat and from other organizations. Among the key organizations included in the early stages were United Cities and Local Governments, Cities Alliance, the World Bank, Habitat for Humanity, Cisco, and UN agencies interested in urban health, notably the World Health Organization.

In response to public and ministerial concerns about the timeliness and adequacy of information shared during a major prescription drug recall, Health Canada commissioned an independent review to assess its response to the event. The situation involved a recall of the oral contraceptive Alysena, issued due to packaging issues that altered the intended dosing sequence and raised questions about potential unintended health risks.

To enhance the methodological rigour of its scientific assessments, EFSA sought to develop a standardised framework for problem formulation (PF) within its non-application scientific assessment protocols. The goal was to support the planning phase of these assessments by establishing a structured, reproducible approach for translating mandates into scientifically answerable questions. This included creating a framework…

To enhance the oversight of cannabis production under its regulatory mandate, the Cannabis Directorate sought expert support in developing a risk-based decision-making framework tailored to its compliance and enforcement responsibilities. The directorate aimed to better assess and respond to non-conformance with Good Production Practices (GPP) as defined in the Cannabis Act and Regulations, using a data-driven approach.