What's New

WBEA@Work Newsletter - February 2012

WBEA@Work is an update of WBEA's latest news and developments. WBEA@Work is an interactive pdf file with live links along the top and right side of the page which will take you directly into articles and feature stories.

The newsletter is best viewed in Full Screen mode (note: to return from Full Screen mode, press the ‘Esc’ key on your keyboard).

WBEA@Work is produced by the WBEA Communications team. If you would like any further information or have comments, questions or suggestions, please contact Jane Percy at 780-747-8212 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Click to read WBEA@Work Newsletter - February 2012.

Joint Canada-Alberta Implementation Plan for Oil Sands Monitoring - February 4, 2012

On Friday, February 3, 2012, the federal and Alberta governments released a strategy for environmental monitoring of Alberta's oil sands.

Please click to view: Joint Canada-Alberta Implementation Plan for Oil Sands Monitoring

Message from Long Lake Operations - 10am, Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Message from Long Lake Operations (posted 10am, Wednesday, February 1, 2012):

As Long Lake achieves more stable operation, occasional process upsets may occur. As a result there is potential for intermittent flaring and odours. The ERCB (Energy and Resources Conservation Board) has been notified and we will be monitoring the situation. For further information please call the Long Lake Project hotline at 780-334-2121.

WBEA@Work Newsletter - January 2012

WBEA@Work is an update of WBEA's latest news and developments. WBEA@Work is an interactive pdf file with live links along the top and right side of the page which will take you directly into articles and feature stories.

The newsletter is best viewed in Full Screen mode (note: to return from Full Screen mode, press the ‘Esc’ key on your keyboard).

WBEA@Work is produced by the WBEA Communications team. If you would like any further information or have comments, questions or suggestions, please contact Jane Percy at 780-747-8212 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Click to read WBEA@Work Newsletter - January 2012.

WBEA Community Report - Winter 2012 - January 18, 2011

Find out what we’ve been up to!

Our WBEA Community Report - Winter 2012 features information about air quality trends, our innovative environmental monitoring work, our scientists and staff, and much, much more.

Hard copies of the report will be distributed via Canada Post to all households within the RMWB during the week of January 16th. To obtain extra copies please contact the WBEA office at 780-799-4420 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Total E&P Canada Limited Wood Burning Notification – January 2012

WBEA on Facebook - December 7, 2011

WBEA now has a Facebook page to help us keep in even better touch with our stakeholders and the public. The page features general information about WBEA and our work, events, photographs, videos and the latest WBEA news.

'Like' us on Facebook, click here to visit our page: WBEA Facebook Page

WBEA's New Electronic Message Centre - December 2, 2011

WBEA’s new electronic message centre for the display of the regional Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) became operational on November 22, 2011. It is located at WBEA headquarters on the corner of Thickwood Blvd. and Signal Road, in Fort McMurray. In this location the message centre is viewed by many residents of the community every day.

WBEA displays the AQHI numbers for the four WBEA community stations that currently report AQHI; Fort McMurray, Fort McKay, Fort McKay South, and Fort Chipewyan. The display is set up to reflect the appropriate AQHI colour as a background to the AQHI number; ie. Green for low risk (1-3), yellow for moderate risk (4-6), and red for high risk (7-10). The reading for each station is displayed for 8 seconds with a time/date and temperature screen also in the display loop.

The AQHI used on the sign is pulled, indirectly, from the Alberta Environment and Water (AENW) web service. Because the sign requires other information (i.e. the image for the corresponding AQHI), a service running on WBEA’s server pulls the AQHI from the AENW web service, and then generates its own output which is displayed on the sign.

The sign uses an XML feed which runs on WBEA’s website. It can be seen at: http://wbea.org/rss/AQHI.xml. The sign polls the site at a user defined interval, and has an internet connection to ensure that the latest air quality information is being used. WBEA polls the data every minute, even though the AQHI is only updated every hour. This avoids missing an update or a change in the readings.

WBEA worked with the Cygnus Group for the message centre design and installation.  The sign was manufactured by Daktronics and is a Galaxy 20mm RGB display with Visiconn control and software.

The following are the display screens for the 4 community stations reporting the AQHI:

Hammerstone Corporation Wood Burning Notification - December 1, 2011

Hammerstone Corporation Quarry Operations is Planning to Burn few Woodpiles At Muskeg Valley Quarry on December 1, 2011 at 6:00pm. A wood burning Permit has been obtained.

THE SELECTED BURNING AREA HAS BEEN ISOLATED, JOB HAZARD ANALYSIS & FILED LEVEL RISK ASSESSMENTS HAVE BEEN CONDUCTED AND ALL NECESSARY SAFETY MEASURES AND RISK MITIGATION STEPS HAVE BEEN TAKEN.

For more information please contact:

Joe Agostino (Operations Manager): (780) 792-1825
Paul Morris (Production Supervisor): (780) 792-9750

Oil Sands Information Portal Launched - November 14, 2011

A new, one-stop web portal makes it easy to find detailed information on the environmental performance of Alberta’s oil sands facilities.

Searchable data highlighting such things as facility-specific water use, greenhouse gas emissions, tailings pond size and land disturbance and reclamation is part of Alberta’s ongoing work to make oil sands information more open and transparent.

“Open access to information allows people to form their own opinions and ask important questions about industry performance and regulatory oversight,” said Alberta Environment and Water Minister Diana McQueen. “Science is driven by debate and discussion and it is my hope that this site serves to drive excellence and innovation in oil sands environmental management. It is part of our commitment to being a world-leading, responsible energy producer.”

While oil sands data and information has always been publicly available, it has often been difficult to find and time-consuming to access. The portal is the culmination of three years work to compile data and information from a variety of sources.

In addition to facility data, the Oil Sands Information Portal includes an interactive map with real-time regional air quality information and river flow data. It also provides a downloadable data library with easy access to environmental impact assessments, water approvals and licenses, and compliance reporting.

WBEA provides air monitoring data from our industry and community air monitoring stations to the Oil Sands Information portal. Users can log on and easily link to our real time Air Quality Health Index readings, industry station readings, as well as historical data.

WBEA is pleased to be part of this important initiative for Albertan’s, and we are happy to provide data and information that make the portal even more robust. We look at the Oil Sands Information Portal as a great opportunity to share our air, and air related effects monitoring information, with an even wider audience.

As an organization that is continually striving for improvement, WBEA looks forward to seeing the portal grow and evolve even further in the future. WBEA will continue to contribute in any way that we can, in order to give Albertan’s, Canadian’s and the rest of the world access to the scientific facts about environmental monitoring in the oil sands region.

Visit the Oil Sands Information Portal at osip.alberta.ca

Click to view a video of Dr. Percy, WBEA Executive Director, speaking at the Oil Sands Information Portal Launch.