Extended Producer Responsibility 101 Webinar – Back to Basics

Glenda Gies
From 1979 to 1989, Glenda worked with Durham Region and its eight lower tier municipalities to introduce recycling services to residents and businesses across the Region. Between 1989 and 1992, Glenda implemented the first household food waste collection program to support research that led to a patented Canadian in-vessel composting technology.

From 1992 to 2003, Glenda worked as an independent consultant with Canadian and international organizations, governments and private companies to develop waste diversion policies, plans and operating systems.

Glenda joined Waste Diversion Ontario as Executive Director on April 1, 2003, providing oversight of industry funding organizations in the development and implementation of diversion programs under the Waste Diversion Act, 2002 until December 2010.

From 2011 to 2016, Glenda led project teams to develop a producer responsibility program for residential packaging and printed paper for Multi-Material British Columbia (now RecycleBC) and a shared responsibility stewardship program for residential packaging and printed paper for Multi-Material Stewardship Western.

From November 30, 2016 to July 1, 2020, Glenda chaired the Board of Directors of the Resource Productivity and Recovery Authority, the delegated administrative authority responsible for overseeing the wind up of industry funding organizations and enforcement of individual producer responsibility in Ontario.

Alda Nicmans
Alda Nicmans is the Executive Director of the BC Product Stewardship Council, a coalition of BC regional districts that are responsible for solid waste management and waste reduction, recycling and re-use in their jurisdictions. One of the primary objectives of the Council is to provide a forum for ongoing dialogue between local governments and stewardship agencies on program operations and other related issues.

Since 1985, Alda has developed extensive experience designing and implementing progressive zero waste management systems in British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario. Alda has served in executive positions for SWANA Pacific Chapter, two stewardship organizations: The Electronics Stewardship Association of BC; and The Tree Marking Paint Stewardship Association, gaining insight and understanding into the future of extended producer responsibility programs in Canada. She has also served on the Board of both the Recycling Council of BC and Ontario.

• David Lefebvre is the Director of Public Affairs West for the Canadian Stewardship Services Alliance (CSSA), overseeing media, government and stakeholder relations for Recycle BC in British Columbia and Multi-Material Stewardship Western (MMSW) in Saskatchewan. The CSSA is the largest compliance solution provider to approved EPR programs in North America. With staff in Toronto, Vancouver, Saskatoon and Halifax, CSSA administers programs with over $300M in producer financing.

Jodi Tomchyshyn London
Jodi has more than 15 years’ experience working in the fields of waste minimization and recycling policy and has been a member of the RCA (through her work or via individual membership) since 2003. She is currently an active member on the RCA’s Extended Producer Responsibility Project Team.

Jodi co-owns and has operated JTL Squared Consulting Inc since 2016. Her work mainly focusses on encouraging and advancing best practices and policies related to waste minimization and recycling.

Before venturing out on her own, Jodi held senior positions with Waste Diversion Ontario, where she was their Manager of Policy & Planning, and the governments of Ontario and Alberta where she acted as a senior policy advisor. During her time with the Alberta government, Jodi was also seconded to New Zealand’s Ministry for the Environment as a senior waste policy advisor.

Jodi holds the degrees of Master of Environmental Design (Environmental Science) from the University of Calgary, and Bachelor of Science (Environmental Biology) from the University of Alberta.

• Bob McDonald has been managing waste diversion programs in BC for almost 30 years. He was involved in the BC government’s original ‘in-house’ managed stewardship programs in the early 1990’s, and returned to the Ministry in 2014 to lead some 21 different Extended Producer Responsibility programs now in place. He also served for the Cowichan Valley Regional District for many years, helping it achieve one of the lowest per-capita waste disposal rates in Canada, while also building a thriving local waste management industry. Bob has a diverse range of education – from the trades, to marketing to business administration.