RIVERVIEW, N.B. – The Greater Moncton Sewerage Commission (GMSC) is pleased to announce the appointment of Michael Asplet as Director of Finance and Administration. Mr. Asplet joined the GMSC in July in a financial consultant role and has played a crucial role in developing the Commission’s 2014 budget and 2014-2018 strategic plan. Over this time, he has also worked on the selection and implementation of a new accounting software package as well as an IT support contract.
“This appointment is a critical step in strengthening the GMSC’s accounting and financial oversight as we prepare for a significant capital investment to allow us to meet new federal regulations,” said Bernard LeBlanc, General Manager of the GMSC.
A native of New Zealand, Mr. Asplet, his wife Josée (a Moncton native) and daughter Madison recently relocated to the Greater Moncton area from Australia. He is a chartered accountant in Australia and New Zealand and is pursuing his Canadian designation equivalency.
The Commission recently approved its 2014 budget which has been distributed to the three Greater Moncton municipalities and the provincial Minister of Environment and Local Government. One key component is the launching of a request for proposals (RFP) for the pre-design and costing for the GMSC’s proposed biological nutrient removal plant which will allow the Commission to not only comply to new federal regulations by the 2020 deadline but also to deliver outflow quality beyond what is required by this legislation.
A recently completed three-year pilot plant study by Conestoga-Rovers & Associates on the GMSC’s behalf (Long-Term Sustainable Wastewater Treatment Strategy – October 2013) not only concluded that the proposed treatment approach would meet the 2020 legislative requirements but, more important, that it would provide output quality beyond these requirements as well as address not-yet-legislated issues such as nitrogen and phosphorus. Additionally, the GMSC proposes to incorporate ultraviolet treatment of its effluent to significantly reduce any discharge of E. coli into the Petitcodiac River even though this is not a legislated requirement.
The GMSC’s intent is to first quantify the cost of this major investment and then work with all levels of government to ensure that this undertaking can be delivered in a cost-efficient manner for the benefit of all municipal ratepayers through participation in a jointly funded federal-provincial infrastructure program.
“The Commission is very excited to be in a position to further evolve our role and provide an even more environmentally compatible output from our activities,” Mr. LeBlanc added. “Today, we are a leader in the manufacturing of some of the best compost in Canada and eliminating the need for landfill disposal of byproducts. By implementing our new biological process, we are aiming to ensure our treated water discharge is even more environmentally friendly and free of E. coli.”
The Greater Moncton Sewerage Commission was established in 1983 to support the wastewater collection and treatment needs of the Dieppe, Moncton and Riverview tri-community. Since then, it has developed a 30-kilometre collection network and a treatment facility to best deliver on this mandate. It has also become a leader in the reuse of biosolids through the generation of type “AA” compost (the highest grade currently achieved in Canada) as opposed to disposal in a landfill site. The organization is now positioning itself to further upgrade its facilities to provide an enhanced secondary treatment approach that will allow it to meet recently introduced mandatory federal regulations prior to the 2020 deadline.
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Media contact:
Bernard LeBlanc
General Manager
Greater Moncton Sewerage Commission
506-387-7977, ext. 220