• ESA Report Reviews for AESAC Certification

    With AESAC’s fall training course schedule underway, it’s good time to talk about one of the key components for achieving AESAC’s Certified Environmental Site Assessor (CESA) designation – submission of a Phase I ESA report for Certification review. In addition to meeting

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    Can AI Write an ESA Report?

    There’s been a lot of talk recently about AI and Chatbots and whether they will replace living breathing professionals for writing ESA reports. I’ve even heard that ‘Dinosaurs’ (like myself, although I prefer to be labelled as a crocodile) will become obsolete. To test this

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    Getting Paid… or Not

    One of the more distressing events for any business, especially small firms and sole proprietors is the prospect of not getting paid for work you have completed. Late payments from clients are bad enough, but getting stiffed for an invoice is even worse, especially if you have already paid out for

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    Take Me Back, Way Back

    As I creep closer to 40 years in the consulting business, I’ve seen a lot of changes in the way we do things in this industry. Recent conversations and articles I have read, along with a purge of a couple of decades of accumulated office detritus, got me thinking of some of the tasks and

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    To Bid or Not To Bid

    Last month I discussed the process of selecting a consultant, contractor or subconsultant. This month I’ll look at the other side of the equation - how can a consultant determine whether or not to submit a proposal to an RFP/RFQ (Request for Proposal/Quote). Proposal preparation and price

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    Selecting a Supplier

    It’s always surprising how much prices can vary widely when obtaining cost estimates.   Over several decades of consulting I have obtained, reviewed or responded to hundreds of RFP/RFQ (Request for Proposal/Quote) for projects ranging from a few hundred dollars to a few million; and

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    Phase One Problems, Part 3

    Over the last few blogs I have discussed some of the structural and procedural errors commonly encountered when conducting a Phase One Environmental Site Assessment (ESA). This month I continue with the examination of problems with ESA interviews and site inspections. The Interview Interviews are an

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    Phase One Problems, Part 2

    Last month I discussed some of the common issues that may be encountered during the procurement, initiation and organization of Phase One Environmental Site Assessments (ESA). This month I will discuss ‘Procedural’ errors related to ESA Research that may occur while conducting a Phase

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    Phase One Problems, Part 1

    A few years ago, I wrote a series of blogs about some of the pitfalls that you may encounter during a Phase Two Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) as well as some of the issues faced when writing Phase One ESA reports. It’s time for a deeper look at some of the problems that you may run into

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    BBRRRR... Working Outside in Winter

    With the onset of winter blizzards and freezing conditions across Canada, it’s a good time to talk about some of the pitfalls and problems associated with performing Phase One and Two Environmental Site Assessments in winter; and how to stay safe and comfortable in adverse weather. Stay safe

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