CIAC hosts Responsible Care® workshops, Board and Committee meetings in Toronto 

June 14, 2023

May 30 to June 1, CIAC members and select invited guests descended on the Marriott Eaton Centre in downtown Toronto for a series of meetings and Responsible Care workshops. While the workshops were aimed at informing members on a range of important topics, the committee meetings plotted the course for CIAC and outlined priorities.   

May 30 

Right to left: MPP John Yakuabuski, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of the Environment; Mike Burt, DOW Canada; Christa Seaman, Vice-President, CIAC Plastics Division; Bob Masterson, President & CEO, CIAC; Amir Karim, President & CEO, Polykar.

On May 30 members of the Plastics Division Leadership Council (PDLC) held there first of two days of discussions which saw the PDLC set the strategy and priorities for the next three years. The Council also hosted Ontario MPP John Yakabuski (Renfrew–Nipissing–Pembroke) who spoke to the group about the Government of Ontario’s commitment to improving the province’s blue box recycling program and implementing extended producer responsibility (EPR). EPR is a program where industry funds and manages for recycling system in the province taking the burden away from municipalities and better aligning recycling across the province to be more efficient and ultimately recycling more plastic items while diverting them from landfills. He also acknowledged the province’s support for innovative technologies including advanced recycling.  

Other meetings included the National Advisory Panel which were updated on a range of topics, including communications and transportation and the Safety Health Analysis Recognition and Exchange Network.

May 31 

Panel discussion, Building Leadership Through Sustainability in the Plastics Industry. Left to right: Rick Everest, Director of Sustainability, CKF; Lorraine Royer, General Manager, Government, Stakeholder & Indigenous Relations, Inter Pipeline; Sarah Marshall, Vice-President Sustainability, NOVA Chemicals; Christa Seaman, Vice-President, CIAC Plastics Division.

May 31 was a jam-packed day which included the second day of strategy planning for the PDLC, along with a series of Responsible Care Workshops and the attendance of key government officials.  

The first Responsible Care workshop focused on Decarbonization in the Chemistry and Plastics Sector. This panel focused on the decarbonization opportunities and challenges facing the sector in Ontario, both as a producer and solutions provider. 

Left to right: Bob Masterson, President & CEO, CIAC; Dr. Joel Moody, Chief Prevention Officer, Government of Ontario; Helder Botelho, Chair of CIAC Board of Directors and Head of Operations, Lanxess Canada.

Following the workshop, Dr. Joel Moody, Ontario’s Chief Prevention Officer, Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development, addressed workshop participants speaking to workplace safety and the accreditation of Responsible Care by the Ontario Government as a recognized Occupational Health and Safety Management System.  

The second Responsible Care  workshop explored what’s new for the program in 2023. This included the addition of equity, diversity and inclusion code elements into members’ Responsible Care Commitments and a transition from CIAC verification to RCMS/RC14001 audits. This year will also see the release of new versions of the RCMS and RC14001 technical specifications. This session explored these changes, the transition and what they mean for members.  

The third workshop focused on building leadership through sustainability in the plastics industry. With a lens on Operation Clean Sweep and Responsible Care, this session brought together leaders to discuss actions their organizations have taken to improve business practices and exemplify leadership in the Canadian context. 

The final presentation of the day included a panel discussion on emerging issues in health and safety. Topics included drug and alcohol testing, psychological health and safety in the workplace, and how technology is impacting all facets of work life and it can impact performance in the workplace. 

Left to Right: Helder Botelho, Chair of CIAC Board of Directors and Head of Operations, Lanxess Canada; MPP Graydon Smith, Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry, Government of Ontario; Apala Mukherjee, Vice-Chair of CIAC Board of Directors and President, BASF Canada; Bob Masterson, President & CEO, CIAC.

To end off the day, a Board of Directors dinner was held that saw MPP Vic Fedelli, Ontario’s Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, speak to the board about the chemistry industry’s integral role in electric vehicle and battery manufacturing. 

June 1 

After two busy days of meetings and presentations, the final day in Toronto was dedicated to a meeting of the CIAC Board of Directors. MPP Graydon Smith, Ontario Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry, addressed the board to talk about the Government of Ontario’s work on carbon storage and new technology that can help industry meet emission reduction targets. 

It was an enlightening and productive three days in Toronto and the CIAC team would like to thank all attendees and participants for helping make the event so successful.