Environmental/Life Sciences Divison

The Environmental/Life Sciences Divison is the foremost organization representing the interests of the private sector environmental testing laboratories and their associated businesses in Canada, with representation from coast to coast. In the Environmental/Life Sciences Divison of CCIL, the environmental testing industry has a strong and effective voice in addressing the issues and concerns of the industry with: the federal, provincial and municipal governments and their agencies; and other key trade associations and stakeholders.

Division membership includes small, medium and large commercial environmental testing laboratories, as well as their affiliated suppliers. In sum, the member companies account for upwards of three quarters of the Canadian environmental testing industry’s revenues. This critical mass is essential to have maximum impact on government decision makers in advocacy activities.

The Environmental/Life Sciences Divison provides a broad range of services that members need to conduct their operations in a profitable and productive business climate. Some of these important services include:

• Industry Leadership and Advocacy – Informing legislators and regulators about current environmental testing issues, opposing tax-favoured competition and developing and implementing programs and strategies to advance industry services and technology. There is a particular need for these services at this time.

• Service quality – Supporting and endorsing an effective national and international accreditation systems in order to increase public protection.

• Public service – Actively involved in providing scientific support to government committees, public hearings, professional associations and the scientific community.

• Communication and Information – Tracking legislative and regulatory activities, publishing newsletters and workshop reports and disseminating timely industry alerts by fax or e-mail.

• Membership support and access – maintaining an Ottawa-based national headquarters, sponsoring business issue committees, providing government liaison and publishing business articles.

• Conferences and seminars – Organizing or sponsoring annual conferences, stakeholder workshops and seminars and other timely topics.

• Market surveys and analyses – publishing industry operational and financial statistics and market segment overviews.

• Identifying international business opportunities – for Division member environmental testing laboratories.

Revenue of members of the Environmental/Life Sciences Divison is derived from three primary sources:

Government clients, including federal, provincial and municipal departments and agencies represent about 20% of members' business.

Direct industrial work from petroleum, chemical, metal/mining, utility and other private manufacturing and industrial corporations constitutes about 40% of members’ revenue.

Work contracted through various environmental service firms, primarily engineers and consultants (many CCIL members themselves), but also solid waste, remediation, lawyers and banking organizations, represent another 40% or so of revenues.

The types of samples and parameter groups that member companies analyze for these clients include:

• Drinking water - microbiology, inorganics & organics
• Water (fresh water, ground water, effluent, waste water, sea water) - inorganics & organics.
• Soil and sediment - inorganics & organics
• Air and other gases - inorganics & organics
• Biota (plant tissue, fish, animal, biological fluids) - inorganics & organics
• Fruits and vegetables - inorganics, organics and proximate - particularly pesticide residues

Other analyses areas and consulting services provided by member companies of CCIL’s Environmental/Life Sciences Divison include:

• Environmental impact assessment and permit monitoring analysis
• Site assessment and remediation analysis
• Mobile laboratory services
• Occupational hygiene consulting and analysis
• Waste characterization
• Computerized data management
• Laboratory design and training
• Quality audits