Side Events

List of Training Courses

TC-01 - Becoming a Better Environmental Consultant - Improving Outcomes

We are entering a period of transformation in the environmental consulting industry that if embraced, can accelerate positive ecological restoration outcomes on the ground. We need to shift the inordinate amount of energy invested in growing firms and profitability, towards accelerating ecological restoration and rewilding outcomes.

This workshop will inspire those in the consulting industry to create genuine change in business practices that will lead to:
•   Stronger teams who are aligned with meaningful ecological restoration outcomes
•   More authentic and meaningful business growth
•   More inspired teams and leaders
•   Improved trans-disciplinary technical analyses
•   A better understanding of industry trends
•   An awareness of emerging restoration and human-nature markets
•   The more effective use of business resources in favour of our planet

SUNDAY June 11th, 2023; 8:30 am to 4:30 pm
Université Laval, room TBA
Minimum 10 maximum 30
Lead organizer Tom Hilditch, Colucent Environmental inc.
CAN $ 40

TC-02 - Gathering Seeds and Sharing Stories: Two-Eyed Seeing towards an Indigenous Seed Collection Program

This outdoor, interactive short course will discuss and build on lessons learned from a 2022 cross-Canada Indigenous Seed Collection program initiative. Dr. Andrew Judge will share stories and a toolkit for designed to support Indigenous communities in sharing and saving seeds of species important to them.

SATURDAY June 10th, 2023; 8:30 am to 4:30 pm
At Wendake, info to come
Minimum 10 maximum 30
Lead organizer Mary Knockwood, Natural Resources Canada
CAN $ 110

TC-03 - Peatland Restoration: Moss Layer Transfer Technique and alternate methods

In a global context where climate change and biodiversity loss are increasingly present concerns, the ecological restoration of wetlands appears as an essential element given the importance of these ecosystems. More specifically, the restoration of disturbed peatlands could lead to the return of the carbon sequestration and other peatland ecosystem functions including biodiversity.

In Canada, peatland restoration focuses on cutover bogs used for horticultural peat extraction. As of today, more than 1,800 hectares of post-extracted peatlands have been restored across Canada, mostly with the Moss Layer Transfer Technique (MLTT). More recently, the technique has also been adapted and applied to other types of peatlands (fens) and other types of disturbance (oil and gas roads and well pads, powerlines).

This Training Course will present the various ecological restoration methods developed for peatlands in Canada. The course will focus on the restoration of cutover peatlands used for peat extraction: each step of the MLTT will be examined and discussed, from project planning to conducting and assessing the success of restoration. Additionally, other types of peatlands (fens) and disturbances (mines, linear features, wetland management) will also be discussed. Through numerous examples and case studies, participants will learn how to plan, carry out, and monitor peatland restoration projects. The course will also be an opportunity to exchange about lessons learned and new ways of achieving cost-efficient and ecologically-sound peatland restoration projects. Participants to this Training Course will be invited to submit pictures of their own restoration projects (planned or realized), which will be discussed during the course.

SUNDAY June 11th, 2023; 8:30 am to 4:30 pm
Université Laval, room TBA
Minimum 20 maximum 50
Lead organizer & Instructors Marie-Claire LeBlanc (Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association (CSPMA) & Peat and Sustrates Cluster) & François Quinty (WSP)
CAN $ 100

TC-04 - 1.5 Day - Taxonomy of key bryophyte and lichen species useful in ecosystem restoration

A laboratory and lecture course which is design to train and describe the techniques and tools useful in the identification of some important species of bryophytes and lichens suitable in different ecosystem restoration.

The course will be given in two sub-groups (lichen and bryophyte lab) and the labs will be spatially organized by the identification group of interest. The formula of training will be relaxed and individualized in parts with information points. The short lectures will include the infield characters and ecology of species followed by microscopic methods, which will consist of some short, guided laboratory techniques with the instructors, helping and guiding the participants during the session. The training will be offered in two languages (English and French) and it will be hosted by the joint collaboration of Peatland Ecology Research Group and Louis-Marie Herbarium (Université Laval) along with Quebec Bryological Society.

For this course, the following books are strongly recommended. They are not compulsory, but you can buy them now and they will be given to you on site :

Les sphaignes de l'Est du Canada - Clé d'identification visuelle et cartes de répartition (2019). Auteurs : Gilles Ayotte, Line Rochefort. ISBN: 9782924651995. En français (In French). Price: $ 60.00
Sphagnum Mosses of Eastern Canada – Visual identification key and distribution maps (2021). Authors: Gilles Ayotte, Line Rochefort. ISBN: 9782897990930. In English. Price: $ 60.00 Price: $ 60.00Price: $ 60.00
À la découverte des mousses et autres bryophytes du Québec (2022). Auteurs : Société québécoise de bryologie, Éditions NaturAT, 226 pages. En français (In French). Price: $ 39.00

SATURDAY JUNE 10th, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm and SUNDAY June 11th, 2023; 8:30 am to 12:00 pm
Université Laval, room TBA
Minimum 10 maximum 60
Lead organizer Aamir Shehzad Khan, Université Laval
CAN $ 21

Other Side Events

2-Day Workshop - Global Peatlands Initiative (GPI)

Organized by the Global Peatland Initiatives (GPI), Peatland Ecosystem Restoration Group (PERG), and Can-Peat project, the workshop “Building collaborations for effective peatland management in Canada” aims to bring together peatland experts across Canada and disciplines to compile and consolidate knowledge, data, and experience on peatlands in Canada. The workshop opens on June 10^th with a field trip to a local peatland, Saint-Henri. In addition, over the two-day workshop, there will be panels on peatland policies, leveraging multilateral environmental agreement synergies, and monitoring and measuring in peatlands. Each panel will include time for discussion and collaboration on the topics to ensure actions are planned to follow up on the lessons learned. The workshop aims to include all voices interested in peatlands and will have representatives from government, industry, academia, NGOs, and Indigenous knowledge holders.

SATURDAY JUNE 10th and SUNDAY June 11th, 2023; 8:30 am to 4:30 pm
Université Laval, room TBA
Minimum 10 maximum 30
Lead organizer Maria Stack
CAN $ 125

IUCN Future Leaders Academy

Future Leaders Academy (IUCN Youth Academy):

For young professionals (defined by IUCN as 35 years old and younger) from Canada, early career or studying in the RE3 fields

Objective: To empower a new generation of professionals representing diverse backgrounds. Sixteen young professionals interested or studying in the RE3 fields will be invited to attend the Academy. The curriculum is designed to prepare participants to engage fully in the discussions during the RE3 Conference and support the Plenary session that will follow the Academy. The content will emphasize governance in the context of the three themes: reclamation, restoration, and rewilding. The other theme considered are related to working in the field in practice such as project management, importance of engaging with communities (especially Indigenous communities), etc. The training faculty will be drawn from the invited participants to the Conference, and from amongst the IUCN membership. Small seminars and discussion groups will be the primary means for sharing knowledge and understanding of the issues.

SUNDAY June 11th, 2023; 8:30 am to 4:30 pm
Université Laval, room TBA
Lead organizer Liette Vasseur