WELCOME TO THE ATLANTIC CHAPTER
If you are in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador or PEI, the Atlantic Chapter is just for you! Get the news, updates, and advice you need to stay on top of your local sustainable laboratory market.
All details about the Atlantic Chapter, including operations, social media, marketing, events, and more, will be shared here by the SLCan Board and Committees.
The Atlantic Chapter was SLCan's fifth regional Chapter, founded on on March 22, 2024.
PLAN TO ATTEND OUR NEXT EVENT
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ATLANTIC CHAPTER BOARD
Iliah Lorenz-Luca
Founding President
Terence Scarnicchia
Vice President
Kevin Humeniuk
Treasurer
National Liaison
Benjamin Doucet
Director
Scott Moore
Director
Elizabeth Powell
Director
John Weatherby
Director
Past Events
2026
September 22: Nova Scotia Wine Tour
The Atlantic Chapter of Sustainable Labs Canada (SLCan) hosted a private Nova Scotia wine tour with Grape Escapes. This informal chapter event was an opportunity to connect with colleagues, enjoy the Annapolis Valley wine region, and continue building the Atlantic sustainable labs community in a relaxed setting. The event aligned well with SLCan’s broader focus on knowledge exchange, environmental and social responsibility, and collaboration across planning, design, operations, and sustainability communities.
Participants first stopped at Luckett Vineyards for a tasting and lunch. The second stop was Planters Ridge, where participants enjoyed a tasting and a tour of the working production winery.
March 4: Jensen Hughes Dust Explosions Lab
The explosivity of combustible dusts depends on their physical and chemical properties such as moisture content, particle size, and morphology. This dust testing facility offers a range of testing including dusts and powders characterization, explosibility screening, minimum explosible concentration, explosion severity, limiting oxygen concentration, spontaneous ignition temperature conducted to ASTM, NFPA, DOT, VDI, BS EN, and DOT/UN standards. This facility includes the only cubic meter dust testing chamber in Canada, offering attendees a rare opportunity to learn about dust testing and combustible dust hazards.
The Jensen Hughes office provides a range of risk mitigation services including combustible dust hazard analysis, hazardous materials classification and process safety. Through their risk-informed approach, deep knowledge of the underlying codes and standards, and practical engineering expertise, they develop an approach to process safety tailored to business needs.
2025
June 6: Doing More with Less: Canadian Resourcefulness in Lab Design
In an era defined by trade volatility, supply chain fragility, and increasing dependence on foreign research ecosystems, resourcefulness underpins Canada’s way forward. Canada and its institutions have a critical opportunity - to build environments that attract and retain top research talent, strengthening our innovation capacity at home.
Canada’s scientific self-reliance now demands more than just funding and policy, it demands architectural efficiency and purposeful design. The new Physical Science Facility at Dalhousie University was designed within this context, where resourcefulness became both a constraint and a design principle. Working within a limited budget and footprint, the building prioritizes adaptability.
Open and adaptable labs replace user specific programs, creating spaces that can be reconfigured without costly rework. A mechanical sidehouse strategy consolidates infrastructure, optimizes floorplate efficiency, and yields a gross up factor well below institutional norms. More than an efficient building, the facility creates a quiet framework for science to thrive, supporting research without architectural constraint. In doing so, it empowers Dalhousie’s researchers to expand their innovative work, positions the university on the international stage, and reinforces Canada’s growing ambition to attract global talent and foster collaboration.
As Dalhousie University works to strengthen its position in key research and innovation sectors, this facility fosters the conditions for expertise-driven enterprises to grow and thrive. Through strategic design and architectural ingenuity, it demonstrates how resourceful thinking can meet institutional demands while advancing broader national goals. By creating spaces that support groundbreaking research without relying on hyper-specialized or resource-intensive solutions, this project demonstrates how thoughtful design can enable scientific excellence within tight project limitations. It’s a model for how to build adaptable, collaborative environments that make the most of limited budgets and space, proving that with the right approach, we can design labs that are as agile and resilient as the science they support.
May 28: Walking the Walk: Sustainability and Stewardship at the Atlantic Science Enterprise Centre Project
In an era defined by trade volatility, supply chain fragility, and increasing dependence on foreign research ecosystems, resourcefulness underpins Canada’s way forward. Canada and its institutions have a critical opportunity - to build environments that attract and retain top research talent, strengthening our innovation capacity at home.
Canada’s scientific self-reliance now demands more than just funding and policy, it demands architectural efficiency and purposeful design. The new Physical Science Facility at Dalhousie University was designed within this context, where resourcefulness became both a constraint and a design principle. Working within a limited budget and footprint, the building prioritizes adaptability.
Open and adaptable labs replace user specific programs, creating spaces that can be reconfigured without costly rework. A mechanical sidehouse strategy consolidates infrastructure, optimizes floorplate efficiency, and yields a gross up factor well below institutional norms. More than an efficient building, the facility creates a quiet framework for science to thrive, supporting research without architectural constraint. In doing so, it empowers Dalhousie’s researchers to expand their innovative work, positions the university on the international stage, and reinforces Canada’s growing ambition to attract global talent and foster collaboration.
As Dalhousie University works to strengthen its position in key research and innovation sectors, this facility fosters the conditions for expertise-driven enterprises to grow and thrive. Through strategic design and architectural ingenuity, it demonstrates how resourceful thinking can meet institutional demands while advancing broader national goals. By creating spaces that support groundbreaking research without relying on hyper-specialized or resource-intensive solutions, this project demonstrates how thoughtful design can enable scientific excellence within tight project limitations. It’s a model for how to build adaptable, collaborative environments that make the most of limited budgets and space, proving that with the right approach, we can design labs that are as agile and resilient as the science they support.
Presenters:
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Mrigesh Roy, Salas O'Brien
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Sarah Low, RIBA, LEED AP, Senior Associate, Diamond Schmitt Architects
2024
November 27: Reduction in Embodied Carbon and Net Zero Achievements at the Sidney Centre for Plant Health
Our presentation will speak directly to two key subtopics that were part of the focus of this year’s national SLCan conference:
· Developing space that will meet our net zero carbon goals
· Developing space that top scientists want to work in
Together, Kevin and Antoni will present the sustainable design features and current construction status of the Sidney Center for Plant Health project, near Victoria BC. The Sidney facility is Canada's only post-entry quarantine, research and diagnostic facility for imported plant material. The laboratory is responsible for virus testing of all fruit-bearing trees, grapevines and small fruit (e.g. berries), in order to ensure the safe introduction of foreign plant material into Canada.
The Sidney Laboratory site is being outfitted over the course of this project with a world-class plant health diagnostic and research facility that will provide CFIA and AAFC scientists and partners with state-of-the-art amenities to advance plant science. Project stakeholders have embraced a holistic, sustainable approach to the building environment understanding that every aspect of a facility impacts performance of their staff. This approach optimizes occupant health, morale and productivity in a way that positively impacts science outcomes by encouraging collaboration and facilitated productivity.
The project is currently on track to achieve LEED Gold, as well as Net Zero Carbon.
Presenters:
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Kevin Humeniuk, National Sector Leader for Science & Technology, Architecture49
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Antoni Paleshi, National Lead, Climate Change, Resilience and Sustainability, WSP