Company Overview

OCETA is one of three Canadian Environmental Technology Advancement Centres (CETACs) established by the federal government to strengthen and grow Canadas environmental industry. OCETA was incorporated in 1993 as a private sector, not-for-profit company that operates at arms length from government. The core mandate of OCETA is to provide business services to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to commercialize new technologies.

OCETA maintains its public-policy mandate through four business areas including:

technology commercialization, sustainable development and pollution prevention, technology verification, and information services.

OCETA is a catalyst for action on environmental issues such as climate change, energy efficiency, technology verification, greenhouse gas reduction, site remediation and brownfields redevelopment, solid waste exchange, sustainable development, and water/wastewater treatment.

OCETA develops alliances between business corporations, industrial associations, universities, research centres, and governments accessing leading edge environmental technologies and expert advice on both a national and international platform.

Under license from Environment Canada, OCETA owns Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) Canada, which provides validation and independent verification of environmental technology performance claims to promote the commercialization of new environmental technologies to the marketplace.

OCETA also co-manages the about Remediation web site and is a leader in the development of the Canadian Brownfields Network.

SERVICES TO SMALL AND MEDIUM SIZED COMPANIES (SMES)

The process of commercializing new environmental and energy technologies in Canada is led by small and medium-sized entrepreneurial companies characterized by good technical knowledge, but limited in financial resources and business experience. OCETA provides customized services, tailored to assist the client progress successfully to commercialization. Environment Canadas Technology Advancement Directorate (ETAD) supports this financially and strategically.

OCETA provides a comprehensive range of environmental, technical and business services to SME clients and works closely with these clients to analyze their specific requirements and development status, to develop a custom-made suite of services. Since 1994, OCETA's consulting services have assisted an average of 150 SME clients annually. Over this period, a gradual evolution of OCETA's services has led to various types of direct and indirect assistance to SMEs.

OCETA provides free initial consultations and mentoring services to SMEs to understand the stage of development of the technology, the market that the SME wants to enter and the status of financing within the company. A Confidentiality Agreement is typically signed with the SME.

OCETA can advise the SME on a number of fronts and we either undertake work ourselves under contract to the SME, or direct the SME to other sources of assistance.

Two of OCETAs main SME products are:

The Technology Profile - a concise, one-page double-sided, independently reviewed, technical description of a product or process The Business Profile - a one-page double-sided, detailed review of a company's services, specialties, and areas of expertise

OCETA has considerable knowledge of Government product development support programs. We can help SMEs identify the most appropriate source of funding and assist in the preparation of the application for these grants and loans. OCETA can also identify and organize suitable partnerships, with the aim of demonstrating technologies in the field.

OCETA with its wide network of partners can assist SMEs with:

Starting a small business in Ontario Business plan development Market research Prototyping Patent protection Technology leasing Business insurance and risk reduction Research and development tax credit assessments Financing (both angel and venture financing and introduction to the Business Development Bank of Canada)

ETV CANADA

To further assist SMEs, OCETA has the license to deliver the Federal Governments Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) program. This program is delivered through ETV Canada, a subsidiary of OCETA. ETV Canada provides third party independent verification of performance claims made by technology proponents. Successful companies can then use the performance guarantee and the ETV logo to market their product, knowing it has been fully tested and verified.

ETV verification provides the marketplace with the assurance that environmental performance claims are valid, credible and supported by quality independent test data and information. To make ETV Canada more relevant to stakeholders, a comprehensive 3-part strategy for ETV Canada has been implemented consisting of:

• Technology Verification

working closely with technology innovators and qualified verification organizations

• Performance Benchmarking

based on the development of credible stakeholder-driven performance criteria and the transparent reporting of performance information

• International Harmonization of Protocols and Test Methods

building on the established ETV Generic Test Protocol and related decision-support tools

BANGLADESH ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY VERIFICATION-SUPPORT TO ARSENIC MITIGATION

The Bangladesh Environmental Technology Verification Support to Arsenic Mitigation (BETV-SAM) Program, second phase of the arsenic program in Bangladesh, operates under a Bilateral Agreement between the Governments of Canada and Bangladesh.

The main purpose of the BETV-SAM program is to test, verify and monitor the field performance of candidate arsenic removal technologies from around the world, designed to remove arsenic from well water. Those that pass the verification process are issued a certificate which allows them to be sold in Bangladesh.

The BETV-SAM program is funded mainly through a contribution agreement with the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). Working in close cooperation with Bangladesh organizations, OCETA has drawn on the fundamentals of the Canadian ETV program to customize a third party, independent verification process for evaluating the performance of arsenic mitigation technologies.

SUSTANABILITY PROGRAMS

Current Sustainability Programs:

Toronto Region Sustainability Program The Toronto Region Sustainability Program provides one-stop pollution prevention technical assistance for SME manufacturers in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), and a 50% cost-share funding incentive, up to a maximum of $4, 000. The GTA, which is Canadas largest and busiest urban area, includes a number of diverse manufacturing enterprises that generate smog, greenhouse gases, and toxic releases to the air and sewers, and hazardous wastes, threatening the regions environmental health.

The Program has the cooperation and funding support of Environment Canada, the Ministry of the Environment, and the City of Toronto. New initiatives include:

Development of a funding partnership with the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) to enhance and strengthen the Programs marketing framework and delivery structure within Toronto, Peel, York and Durham Regions;

Funding by Trillium to create a York Sustainability Program in conjunction with the Canadian Centre for Pollution Prevention;

Partnering with the Ministry of the Environment to encourage early action by industry to reduce VOC emissions;

A cooperative agreement with the Canadian Association of Metal Finishers and the City of Toronto to help metal finishers to reduce or eliminate their use, generation, and release of the subject toxic metals and other pollutants, at the source; and An interactive, comprehensive P2 site demonstration project for an Agriculture Canada Research Station.

For program clients, implementing P2 plans has resulted in improved environmental performance, a reduction in risks and costs, and a reduction of their regulatory exposure. The aggregated payback for the Program is 11 months and program clients are implementing at a rate greater than 90%.

Business Air Quality Program (BAQP) The Ontario Centre for Environmental Technology Advancement (OCETA) is assisting Environment Canada with delivery of the Business Air Quality Program (BAQP). OCETA will assist companies throughout the entire facility assessment process, including approval of funding support and selection of an appropriate qualified consultant. OCETA is coordinating its efforts with several local organizations in Southwest Ontario, such as the Canadian Centre for Pollution Prevention in Sarnia, and the Centre for Health, Environment and Safety in London.

The Business Air Quality Program allows businesses to improve their environmental performance and economic competitiveness through material substitution and process improvements. The objective is to use best practices to identify opportunities to reduce emissions of key criteria air pollutants. Third party experts complete a Site-Specific Facility Assessment at participating facilities. The Business Air Quality Program provides a financial incentive for the assessment by contributing 50 percent of the cost, to a maximum of $5, 000 per facility. Companies may also combine financial incentives from other programs to further reduce their out-of-pocket costs.

Recent Sustainability Programs:

NRCan Industrial Energy Audit Incentive The Ontario Centre for Environmental Technology Advancement (OCETA) was contracted by NRCan to assist in the marketing and delivery of the energy audit incentive program across Canada (excluding Quebec and the upstream oil and gas sector in Western Canada).

Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) through its Office of Energy Efficiency has been partnering with industry for more than 25 years to promote energy efficient industrial practices through the Canadian Industry Program for Energy Conservation (CIPEC). Building on this successful partnership and the federal government's commitment to address climate change issues, NRCan introduced a Canada-wide Industrial Energy Audit Incentive program to assist companies in identifying ways to increase energy efficiency, improve production processes and cut costs. The program operated until March 31, 2006.

Under this program, NRCan provided a financial incentive to companies to offset their cost of hiring a contractor to conduct an energy audit of their manufacturing facility. NRCan's audit incentive covered 50% of the energy audit cost, to a maximum of $5, 000. The energy audit incentive was only available to companies registered with NRCan as Industrial Energy Innovators.

Regional Energy Workshops OCETA has now successfully delivered more than twenty (as of Apr 2006) energy information sessions and workshops across Canada on behalf of NRCan. These have been an effective tool to educate manufacturing companies on the economic benefits and business-case of energy efficiency, and to raise awareness on the range of industrial energy services offered by NRCan. Representatives from some 650 industrial manufacturing plants, energy service contractors, utilities and other organizations have attended and benefited from the hands-on information exchange and networking opportunities.

Implementation Survey OCETA is in the process of finalizing a survey of 30 industrial companies that completed energy assessments with financial incentives from NRCan and Enbridge. The main objectives are to understand the factors motivating companies to complete energy assessments, to identify the barriers they face in adopting energy improvements, and to determine their status in implementing energy saving opportunities identified from the assessments. OCETA is using statistical techniques and correlation analysis to predict factors that motivate implementation.

CFO Food Industry Energy Workshop OCETA and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food (OMAF), with funding support from the Climate Change Action Fund, held energy-training workshops targeted to senior financial executives and Plant Managers of Ontario food companies. The objective was to foster a culture of energy efficiency investment and to create a business environment, at the CFO and Plant Manager level, which is supportive and receptive to energy investments.

aboutREMEDIATION (AR)

aboutREMEDIATION (AR) is Canada's premier education/outreach resource and online platform on sustainable brownfield redevelopment and effective remediation solutions of contaminated lands. AR was launched in March 2001 in collaboration with key industry leaders and funding through the federal government care of Environment Canada and the Ontario Government care of the Ontario Ministries of Environment and Municipal Affairs and Housing. AR is now owned and managed by OCETA and its partner EcoLog Information Resources Group.

AR continues to provide news, initiatives, resources, tools, technologies and case studies for stakeholders involved in remediation and brownfields redevelopment. The website attracts over 60, 000 unique visitors per year who are seeking up-to-date information and innovative solutions. Practitioners promote their business services and explore opportunities in the brownfields industry through the website, functions and events attended by aboutREMEDIATION and its business partners. AR has developed alliances, partnerships and sponsorships with industry and government leaders. AR continues to provide its unique variety of information and resources through funding from industry sponsorships and advertising.

AR provides a sector gateway to relevant expertise and information on government policies, effective remediation products and services, and successful management strategies. Stakeholders collaborate with AR to increase their public awareness while accelerating site remediation and brownfields redevelopment across Canada.

CANADIAN BROWNFIELDS NETWORK (CBN)

The partners of aboutREMEDIATION (OCETA and EcoLog Information Resources Group), in conjunction with the Canadian Urban Institute (CUI), launched the Canadian Brownfields Network (CBN) on March 1st, 2004. The creation of the CBN was in response to the National Round Table on the Environment and Economys (NRTEE) recommendation for the creation of a national brownfields network.

The CBN facilitates linkages, builds capacity, and coordinates the exchange of ideas, expertise and success stories. Progressive thinking and creative approaches for the revitalization of Canadian communities are key components of sustainable community development.

The CBN is uniquely positioned as the enabling mechanism to implement the NRTEE recommendations and accelerate brownfield redevelopment activities in Canada by raising awareness of the economic and environmental benefits and transforming the market through outreach and capacity-building initiatives.

ONTARIO WASTE MATERIALS EXCHANGE PROGRAM

The OCETA run Ontario Waste Materials Exchange (OWME) is a service designed to facilitate the reuse and recycling of industrial by-product materials. The purpose is to create a network that allows waste products or outputs of one industry to become the raw material inputs of another. Through the Exchange network, generators are provided with access to reuse and recycling markets, and users with access to material suppliers.

In the Spring of 2001, OCETA received funding from the Volunteer Action On-line Program* (V@O) to strengthen its on-line capabilities and develop the infrastructure required to increase voluntary participation with the Exchange Network. These new developments allowed the Exchange to expand its traditional sole focus of tracking tonnes diverted from landfill, to become more of an information clearing house on alternatives and opportunities to the production and diversion of materials traditionally destined for landfill.

*The V@O program is administered by the Ministry of Citizenship and was designed to increase the effectiveness of volunteer networks through enhancements of online capabilities.

Company Information

Additional Details

Legal Name: Ontario Centre for Environmental Technology Advancement

Number of Employees: 28

Contacts

Services

• Technology Verfication Service

  Also see company description for range of products and services.

  Delivery of the Environmental Technology Verification program, licensed through Envrionment Canada, ETV verification provides the buyers of technologies with an assurance that a vendor's claim(s) of performance of its technology is valid, credible and supported by quality independent test data and information.

Products

• Climate Change Products And Services.

  See company description for range of products and services.

• Environmental Products And Services

Additional Information