Risk management

Local Opinions on Risk and Recovery Management in the Wake of the Lac-Mégantic Rail Disaster

Second of a two-part series, this document presents the results of an ethnographic research project entitled Préoccupations, opinions, apprentissages et souhaits quant aux risques et à la gestion des risques de la population de la région de Lac-Mégantic [Concerns, opinions, lessons learned, and wishes respecting risk and risk management among the population of the Lac-Mégantic region]. This qualitative study was commissioned by the Direction de santé publique de l’Estrie after the Lac-Mégantic rail disaster of July 6, 2013. Between July 2014 and February 2015, 57 semi-structured interviews were conducted with evacuated and non-evacuated residents of Lac-Mégantic, residents of other area municipalities, and socioeconomic stakeholders. The study makes no claim to represent the situation as it may stand at the time of reading or in the future. A number of changes have taken place since fieldwork was conducted in Lac-Mégantic, notably at the municipal govern…

Four Types of Impact Assessment Used in Canada

Prospective impact assessment of projects, programs and policies has occurred in Canada since 1974, when a federal Cabinet policy was developed to review the environmental impacts of federal decisions. Today, various types of impact assessment are practised in Canada and abroad, in order to identify the unintended effects of public- and private-sector initiatives on human health and/or on the environment.

The existence of a large variety of impact assessments has led to a certain amount of confusion (Rattle, 2009), as there are no definite separations between approaches. For example, Environmental Impact Assessments may (or may not) evaluate impact on human health or on the social determinants of health; Health Impact Assessments may (or may not) address issues of equity, while Equity-focused Health Impact Assessments explicitly evaluate this dimension.

The objective of this table is to clarify four different approaches that are used in Canada: Health Impact Assessme…

Québec Pesticide Risk Indicator : QPRI : Health and Environment

The Québec Pesticide Risk Indicator, identified by the acronym QPRI, is a diagnostic and decision-making tool designed to optimize pesticide management. It has a health component (QPRI-Health) and an environment component (QPRI-Environment).

This tool was developed through a comparison of pesticide risk indicators found in scientific literature. The selection and definition of criteria for the indicator are the result of close collaboration among :

  • le ministère de l’Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l’Alimentation (MAPAQ)
  • le ministère du Développement durable,de l’Environnement et des Parcs (MDDEP)
  • l’Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ)

Both versions (2001 and 2004) of the approach recommended by the Norwegian Minister of Agriculture served as models for developing the QPRI, particularly its environment component. The health component had to be created from new criteria established by INSPQ, as no co…