After 14 years of existence, the MCEBR will cease its activities
It is with regret that we are informing you that during its December 5 meeting, the Montreal Centre of Excellence in Brownfields Rehabilitation (MCEBR) Board of Directors has decided to cease the centre’s activities at the end of this fiscal year.
The MCEBR is a non-profit organization with the mission to stimulate innovation in the fields of soil remediation and contaminated sites rehabilitation and to assist land or brownfield owners in finding the right solutions meeting their rehabilitation objectives. It was created in 1997 on the initiative of the three levels of government, the City of Montreal, the Government of Quebec (ministry of Natural Resources and Fauna and the ministry of Sustainable Development, Environment and Parks) and the Government of Canada (National Research Council Canada and Environment Canada) from which it received technical and financial support.
Since 1997, the MCEBR was engaged, with the financial support from the Quebec ministries of Municipal affairs, Regions and Territorial occupation, of Sustainable Development, Environment and Parks, of Economic Development, Innovation and Export Trade and Economic Development Canada, in the support of soil and underground water treatment companies in the development and demonstration of new treatment technologies. This is how, during its first 11 years of existence, the MCEBR has managed and partially financed the realization of 36 technology demonstration projects which represented over $11,6 million of investments on its part. These projects covered all the stages of the innovation spectrum, starting from the concept validation (for example laboratory feasibility testing below $5 thousand) to the pilot scale validation with projects of over $1 million.
The collaboration of partners and contaminated land owners such as: Shell Canada, CN, Hydro-Quebec, the ministry of National Defence, the Montreal-East Petrochemical Installations Trust, Public works and government services Canada, the City of Montreal, allowed to add many millions of dollars to the amount already contributed by the MCEBR. The pilot projects also benefited from the support of many research centres such as: the Biotechnology research institute (BRI), the Institut de reSearch en biotechnologie (IRB), le Consortium of applied research for the processing and transformation of mineral substances (COREM), the Institut de reSearch en biologie végétale (IRBV), the Centre d’expertise en analyse environnementale du Québec (CEAEQ), the Institut national de la reSearch scientifique (INRS), the École Polytechnique de Montréal, the École de technologie supérieure, McGill University and Waterloo University.
The technological projects realized in partnership with the MCEBR have permitted many companies such as Alex Sol, Biogénie, Conestoga-Rovers & Associates (CRA Québec), Dessau, Dragage Verreault, Genivar, Golder Associates, Hayka, Inspec-Sol, Jacques Whitford, Sanexen, SNC-Lavalin, Technorem, Tecosol, Terrapex as well as the BRI to share the risks associated with R&D on top of having access to modern installations favourable to the realization of technology trials and demonstration projects.
In addition, the MCEBR has helped promote the Quebec industry during international trade missions to the Netherlands, France and Belgium as well as to the rest of Canada.
In the last few years, the MCEBR has had to review its action plan and its financial approach. The MCEBR took the gamble to re-launch its activities by offering its services in exchange for direct payment in a difficult soil treatment technology development context.
Thus, after a bit more than 14 years of existence, the MCEBR will officially shut down on March 31, 2012.
On behalf of the MCEBR Board of Directors and the whole team, we would like to thank all the MCEBR collaborators, clients and partners for their important collaboration over the years
Jean Rivet Josée Méthot
Chairman of the Board of Directors Chief Executive Officer
