Innovative Projects Realized

Restauration des parcs à résidus potentiellement générateurs de drainage minier: effet des recouvrements et/ou amendements organiques sur la stabilité des résidus contaminés à l’arsenic

Les méthodes de recouvrements et/ou amendement organiques sont privilégiés pour limiter l’oxygène ou l’eau d’atteindre les résidus réactifs et de générer du drainage minier acide (DMA) ou de drainage neutre contaminé (DNC). Ils permettent de valoriser des matériaux peu coûteux et disponibles à proximités des parcs à résidus ainsi que de favoriser la revégétation. Toutefois, l’effet des matériaux organiques sur la stabilité des métaux/métalloïdes dans les résidus sont encore incertains. Dans ce contexte, ce projet a pour objectif d’évaluer l’effet des recouvrements et/ou amendements organiques à base de tourbe sur la stabilité de l’As et autres métaux dans des résidus potentiellement générateurs de DNC contaminé à l’As. Des essais de laboratoire impliquant des essais batch et des essais en mini-cellules seront réalisés. TO BE CONT’D

Integration of smart sensing fabric in a DVT pressure stocking

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT), formation of blood clot in deep vein usually in leg, has severe health complications that can lead to disability or death. Applying a cyclic pressure can improve blood circulation and may prevent DVT. This cyclic pressure can be implemented via mobile compression socks (MCS). However, MCS only apply static pressure, which reduces the effectiveness of the MSC. The Toyo team has developed and patented a compression stocking capable of applying cyclic pressure. Although the patented TOYO MSC (TMSC) performs satisfactorily and proves the concept, the sensing component of the TMSC is bonded on the cuff. It makes the cuff inflexible, uncomfortable to wear and aesthetically unpleasing. Thus, There is a need for a fully integrated system wherein the pressure sensors are unobtrusively integrated in the cuff fabric (or the pressure stocking) allowing more precise monitoring of the pressure. TO BE CONT’D

Using Wireless Communications to Enable Decentralized Analysis and Control of SmartDistribution Systems.

In this project we are proposing a framework that uses wireless communication links to

enable decentralized and real-time load flow analysis of distribution systems. This analysis is

performed by smart agents installed at each bus in the distribution system. Using the

outcome of this analysis we can perform decentralized real-time control.

The proposed framework allows the analysis to take into account any changes in the system

status (generated power, load power, DG status, transformer tap settings, .. etc.) as soon as

it happens, and hence the appropriate control action can (but not necessarily) be taken in the

next iteration of the analysis.

We have selected the backward / forward sweep method to perform the load flow analysis in

this project, in such a way that each agent will perform a part of the calculations and forward

the results to its parent or children so that the analysis can proceed. In this project we will verify the validity …

simulator ns-3.

Development of novel crop protection technologies using Canadian microbes

Development of new and improved plant biotimulants through the combination of soil-borne bacteria like Pseudomonas chlororaphis PA23 should provide new opportunities for crop improvement in the Canadian Agri-Food market. The proposed MITACS Accelerate project will support collaborative research and develop synergies between industry and scientists at the University of Manitoba to investigate the effect an an established plant growth promoting bacteria, PA23, in the presence and absence of one of Stoller Enterprises most well-known biostimulant product, BioForge. Together, the Belmonte lab and Stoller Enterprises Canada will work towards the commercial development of PA23 with existing Stoller products. Through formulation enhancement, we will development a deeper understanding into the products and timing of product application for crop improvement. Our work is driven by innovation and will train one MSc level student. The impact of this work will be realized by broad agricultural application to crops grown in Canada and around the globe and will dive innovation through discovery based science.

Real-time Analytics and Decision Support for Patient Flow Management

Large community hospitals and teaching hospitals in Ontario operate at congestion levels most of the time. This translates into long wait times for the patients, cancelled procedures, undue stress for the clinical staff, and inefficiency in hospital operations. In order to address the bottlenecks in patient flows, decisions are made by the clinical staff based on incomplete data which may be several hours to several days old, manually, in an ad hoc manner. Furthermore, these decisions may be optimal for the Unit (the Emergency Department, for instance), but sub-optimal for the hospital as a whole. Our proposed research project is to investigate an information system to facilitate and guide the decision-making on patient flow management when needed, in order to address the root causes of the bottlenecks, and hence decrease the patient wait times. This would improve the patient outcomes and user experience, and increase the efficiency of hospital operations.

Inclusionary Zoning as a Municipal Tool to Support Affordable Housing in Winnipeg

In 2011, 21% of Winnipeg residents (or 61,790 households) were living in unaffordable housing, as defined by Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). Inclusionary Zoning (IZ) is a tool available to municipalities to respond to this issue by ensuring all new residential development includes a certain percentage affordable housing. Inclusionary Zoning is used successfully across the United States, Europe, and Australia to create affordable housing, but implemented differently by each city to respond to local need. Through engagement with North American municipalities that have enacted IZ, this research will explore key considerations for potential implementation in Winnipeg.

Emissions control and reduction for natural gas engines

The use of natural gas as a fuel for on-road commercial vehicles offers significant benefits, including lower greenhouse gas emissions. Methane, the main component of natural gas, has many virtues as a fuel. However, its stability makes it harder to react in an engine. This introduces two challenges: first, an ignition source is needed to start the combustion (unlike diesel, which is self-igniting), and second, it is hard to remove any left-over methane from the exhaust. This internship will help to address both these factors. First, the intern will use a Westport test facility to evaluate how well a continuous heater can ignite a jet of methane. Second, the intern will install and test a novel sub-scale catalytic converter, specially designed for methane removal, on the exhaust from a research engine at UBC. These results will help to advance Westport’s ongoing efforts to develop cleaner and more cost-effective natural gas engines.

The effects of oil and gas development on the density and reproductivesuccess of grassland songbirds in southeast Alberta

Native grasslands provide important breeding habitat for many grassland birds, including species at risk.

However, the quantity and quality of remaining native grassland may be threatened by increased development

associated with the oil and gas industry. Recent evidence suggests that the relative abundance of some grassland

bird species is lower near gas wells and in areas with increased densities of wells. Further research is needed to

understand the mechanisms contributing to lower abundance of grassland birds in areas exposed to oil and gas

development. My goal is to determine the degree to which oil and gas development influences the density and

reproductive success of grassland songbirds. Results will assist land managers and responsible government

departments to make informed decisions regarding the effects of industrial activity on species-at-risk to ensure

the conservation and protection of native grassland habitat for all species.

An ecosystem-based approach to conserving salmon species: Using bald eagle foraging behaviour as an ecological indicator to the health of coastal food webs and salmon ecosystems

Across British Columbia, pacific salmon species provide nutrients for coastal food webs and ecosystems by returning to their natal rivers to complete their spawning cycle. As salmon are the main prey species of bald eagles, it is essential to further understand the effect that the current decline in salmon populations across British Columbia could have on the foraging behaviour of these apex predators. The goal of this research is to identify the foraging techniques of bald eagles under current salmon spawner abundances to determine if their foraging techniques will change under a modeled decline in carcass availability. To determine this, field observations on bald eagle foraging behaviour will be compared to their behaviour under a simulated crash in salmon populations in a scientific model. The anticipated results of the model include: 1) adults will outcompete juveniles for food, causing their mortality rate to increase and 2) the eagle predation rate on waterfowl species will increase, which will put additional pressure on already endangered bird populations.

Canadian Communities of Practice in Global Health: meeting the SDG challenge – Year two

Canada’s commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has implications for both domestic and foreign policy in a complex, shifting, and interdependent global health system crowded with multiple actors and stakeholders. The array of activities involved with global public health practice necessitates engagement with health policy and systems research (HPSR), and Knowledge Translation (KT) is critical to bridging the gap between knowledge generated through research and the knowledge that is used to inform policy, practice, and programs. My proposed two-year Fellowship, with the Canadian Society for International Health (CSIH) and the University of Ottawa, advances KT through deepened engagement with the Canadian global public health community for the integration of SDGs within health systems in Canada and internationally. TO BE CONT’D

Canadian Communities of Practice in Global Health: meeting the SDG challenge

Canada’s commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has implications for both domestic and foreign policy in a complex, shifting, and interdependent global health system crowded with multiple actors and stakeholders. The array of activities involved with global public health practice necessitates engagement with health policy and systems research (HPSR), and Knowledge Translation (KT) is critical to bridging the gap between knowledge generated through research and the knowledge that is used to inform policy, practice, and programs. My proposed two-year Fellowship, with the Canadian Society for International Health (CSIH) and the University of Ottawa, advances KT through deepened engagement with the Canadian global public health community for the integration of SDGs within health systems in Canada and internationally. TO BE CONT’D

Inclusive and Accessible Energy Governance: Recommendations for the National Energy Board Modernization

A series of high-profile pipeline proposals and controversial changes to federal environmental legislative have created a “crisis of confidence” in the National Energy Board (NEB). As a result, the federal government has initiated a review and modernization of the NEB in conjunction with a broader review of federal environmental legislation. The purpose of this project is to support the Pembina Institute’s ongoing engagement in the NEB modernization process by undertaking policy research and developing recommendations to facilitate inclusive and accessible regulatory processes. Specifically, the research examines proposed institutions for public and stakeholder engagement and the accessibility of energy and climate data.