Atlantic Environmental Science Centre

The Atlantic Environmental Science Centre (AESC), situated at the Université de Moncton in Moncton, New Brunswick, accommodates 35 ECCC scientific, technical and administrative staff. 

AESC has specialized laboratory facilities which are occupied by ECCC’s Atlantic Laboratory for Environmental Testing (ALET) which provides ISO 17025 chemical and toxicological analysis to help ECCC meet its obligations under the Canada Water Act, the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, the Fisheries Act and the Migratory Bird Convention Act.

The Laboratory provides analysis of metals, pesticides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and oil matching/identification for environmental research and monitoring, as well as for ECCC Enforcement Officers conducting forensic investigations. ALET supports research into the toxic effects and environmental fate of pesticides used in agriculture, forestry and aquacultures. ALET also measures the harmful effects resulting from exposures to chemical substances for freshwater, estuarine and salt water organisms. Specialized equipment enables studies on the genetic effects of toxicants.

Freshwater quality monitoring and surveillance in Atlantic rivers and lakes are undertaken in cooperation with multiple federal and provincial partners in support of the Canada Water Act. Real-time automated monitoring instruments and logistical field equipment are deployed to enable collection of water and invertebrate samples primarily in Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick. 

Scientific data collected provides critical information in the development of Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators and to studies in support of the Government of Canada’s Chemicals Management Plan and the Atlantic coastal biomonitoring program based on ECCC’s Canadian Aquatic Biomonitoring Network (CABIN).   

AESC is home to one of three ECCC Marine Water Quality Monitoring ISO 17025 accredited microbiology laboratories in the Atlantic region. The laboratory’s primary role is to support ECCC’s mandate under the Canadian Shellfish Sanitation Program (CSSP), delivered jointly with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. ECCC’s key role in the CSSP is to assess the suitability of shellfish growing areas.