- April 20, 2026
- April 21, 2026
- April 22, 2026
- April 23, 2026
- April 24, 2026
April 20, 2026
Training Course (Separate Registration Required)
- Landfill Operation Basics Training Course – Day 1
Class starts at 8:30 am and will end by 4:30 pm each day. Snacks, beverages, and lunch will be provided.
Room: TBA
Contact info@swananorthernlights.org or visit https://swananorthernlights.org/training/all-courses/ to register.
April 21, 2026
Training Courses (Separate Registration Required)
- Landfill Operation Basics Training Course – Day 2
- Landfill Fire Management Training
Classes start at 8:30 am and will end by 4:30 pm each day. Snacks, beverages, and lunch will be provided.
Room: TBA
Contact info@swananorthernlights.org or visit https://swananorthernlights.org/training/all-courses/ to register.
April 22, 2026
Registration
Coffee station sponsored by AECOM
Workshops
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9:00-11:00 am: What Wheels Around, Holds the Ground – A panel discussion about tire shred for leachate drainage in landfills
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9:30-11:30am: After the Last Good Night – a look at end of life options for mattresses
Lunch – on your own
FULL – Tour #1 – From Waste to Watts: Inside East Calgary’s Circular Systems
***please note that this Tour has filled up, and we are keeping a waiting list***
Featuring: Eco Centres, HHW Sorting Facility and the LFG-to-Energy Facility
Sponsored by Ambipar Response Canada Inc.
Tour #2 – TBC
Tour #3 – Turning Shingles into Solutions*
Featuring asphalt recycling options in the City of Calgary
Young Professionals Event
Opening Reception
April 23, 2026
Registration
Breakfast
Conference Opening
Opening Keynote: Scaling Change for Circularity
- Wayne Hubbard, Chief Executive Officer of ReLondon (UK)
From London, UK, a global leader in circular economy policy shares how major cities can reduce waste, improve recycling, and transition to low-carbon systems at scale
Tradeshow Opening and Networking Break
Speaking of Change – What can we expect to see with EPR?
Lunch
Annual General Meeting of the SWANA Northern Lights Chapter
Concurrent Sessions
Building Barriers That Nature Depends On: Landfill Construction & Risk – Session 1A
- What’s under your landfill liner? – Michel Lefebvre, TetraTech
- Unique Challenges to Siting a New Landfill in Old Crow, Yukon – Elisa Duma, Stantec
Tidying Our Tracks: Waste and Recycling Collections – Session 1B
- Fullness Sensors in Commercial Waste Containers – James Nicholls and Jeff Gunderson, City of Lethbridge
- People Occupying Waste Bins: The inherent dangers associated with occupying bins and the steps the City of Edmonton took to find occupants before collection – Jason Ratcliffe, City of Edmonton
- Weigh Scale and Hauling Software Integration – Rocky Strong, Strong Automation
What Nature Has Been Doing All Along: Circular Economy – Session 1C
- Breaking down barriers to scaling waste-to-value building materials – Iris Monner, CSA Group
- Lessons Learned from Circular Economy Grassroot Projects – Erin Bird, Circular Calgary
Networking Break & Tradeshow
Concurrent Sessions
Unearthing the Story Below:Landfill Search Finding – Session 2A
- City of Saskatoon Search – Scott Theede, City of Saskatoon
Planting Ideas That Change Behaviour: Communications – Session 2B
- Large-Scale Residential Outreach Program – Monika Mojelski (City of Calgary) and Kentson Yan (Tetra Tech)
Giving Resources Another Life: Recycling, Reuse, and Food Waste – Session 2C
- Recycling and Reuse Public Space and Event Waste Diversion – Lori McGillivray Moroz, City of Saskatoon
- Reducing Waste One Workshop at a Time: Leveraging Community Skills for Sustainable Reuse at the Edmonton Reuse Centre – Liane Little, City of Edmonton
- Food loss in the Canadian supply chain – Dr. Kelvin Tsun Wai Ng, University of Regina
Refreshment Top-Up
Concurrent Sessions
Tending a Human-Made Landscape: Landfill Operation – Session 3A
- Improving Landfill Efficiency and Sustainability Through Modern Machine Control and Operational Best Practices – Paul Raj, Olio Technology Solutions
- DIY Drone Data Capture and Utilization for Enhanced Landfill Planning and Operation – Aled Jones, Associated Engineering Alberta
- Reverse Osmosis Treatment of Landfill Leachate: Disruption of the PFAS Cycle
- PFAS in Landfills: Garbage In, Garbage Out – Tim Abbott and/or Imad E. Touahar, AECOM
Behind the Scenes of a Low-Impact Summit: G7 Summit Experience – Session 3B
Join us for an engaging panel exploring the exciting opportunities and challenges in food recovery and reduction, featuring insights from organizers, venues, health inspectors, chefs, and food recipients. Bon appetite!
Letting Nature Finish the Work: Compost – Session 3C
- Cold Weather Composting: Using Technology as an Aid – Aaron Osczevski, Sustainable Generation
- Calgary Composting Facility Expansion – Pulkit Gupta and Jon Heinrichs, City of Calgary
Tradeshow Reception
End your day of learning by networking with your colleagues and exhibitors.
After Party
Location to be announced
April 24, 2026
Breakfast
Concurrent Sessions
Designing Waste Systems for Future Generations: Future Landfill & Innovation – Session 4A
- The Hartland RNG facility, developed in partnership with Capital Regional District (CRD) and FortisBC: from landfill gas to renewable natural gas – Julie Flynn, Waga, Energy Canada
- Front End Engineering Design for Project Omega Integrated Waste Management Facility (Location: Middle East) – Tom Jacklin, M.Eng., P.Eng. Worley Canada Services Ltd.
- Landfill Evapotranspiration Bio-Cover: Utilizing Natural Systems to Solve Engineering Problems
Joe Angevine, Foothills Regional Landfill & Resource Recovery Centre, and Spencer Smith, Tetra Tech
Responding When Nature Rewrites the Plan: Disaster Debris – Session 4B
- When the Landfill is the Disaster Area – Kendra Johnston & Shawn McKay, Newell Regional Landfill
- Ashes to Action: Managing the Denare Beach Disaster Response – Michelle Tomasiewicz, AECOM
- Ashes, Asbestos, and Albertans: Clearing the Way for Jasper’s Return Home – Matt Rawluk, Claystone Waste Ltd.
Protecting People, Sites, and Systems Under Pressure: Risk Management & Safety – Session 4C
- Moving Well at Work for collections and landfill staff: “A.K.T.S” of kindness for our employees’ physical health – Andy Kitchen & Adam Wasylyshyn, Operational Services Employee Fitness & Wellness Team, City of Calgary
- Best Practices for Mitigating Lithium-ion Battery Fires: Lessons from Edmonton and Path to Future Management – Ibrahim Karidio, City of Edmonton
- Shifting Waste Realities: Why the HHW Program and Alberta’s HSP Framework Tell Two Different Stories – Martin Ortiz, City of Calgary
Exhibit Viewing and Refreshment Break
Keynote: Hope Is Not a Strategy: Preparedness Under Pressure
- Sergeant Katherine Strong, Canadian Armed Forces
A Canadian Armed Forces Search and Rescue Technician shares real-world lessons on resilience, teamwork, and decision-making when conditions are at their worst.
Farewell Lunch & Closing Remarks