2026

Atlantic Air Quality and Health Workshop

Day 1 Keynote: Presented by Gilles LePage, Minster of Environment and Climate, Minister responsible for The Regional Development Corporation (RDC)
The Government of New Brunswick

Gilles LePage, GNB (the Government of New Brunswick)

Gilles LePage was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick as the member for the new riding of Restigouche West in the September 22, 2014, election. He was re-elected on September 24, 2018, 2020, and 2024.

In June 2016, he was appointed Vice-Chair of the Legislative Instruments and Regulations Board. He chaired the Standing Committee on Economic Policy and was a member of the Standing Committee on Crown Corporations, the Standing Committee on Law Amendments, the Standing Committee on Private Bills, and the Standing Committee on Public Accounts. In September 2017, he became Minister of Labor, Employment and Population Growth, a new portfolio created to better partner with the labour movement, workers, and employers and to help keep our young people in the province, encourage New Brunswickers to come back to the province, and support recruitment of newcomers. He currently serves as policy advocate for Seniors.

Born in Dalhousie in 1966, Mr. LePage graduated in 1984 from École Aux quatre vents, in Dalhousie. He did his post-secondary studies at Université de Moncton, graduating in 1989 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in marketing, followed by a certificate in municipal administration in 2008.

Mr. LePage has been involved in the community as a coach, executive director, and Chef de mission for the Jeux de l’Acadie. Through this experience, he met his wife Johanne, with whom he has two daughters, Valérie and Myriam. He now resides in Balmoral. 

He has 25 years of experience in community and economic development. After eight years at the helm of the Société des Jeux de l’Acadie, Mr. LePage worked as an economic development officer for the Restigouche Economic Development Commission. He then worked in the private sector as a dispatcher and personnel manager at Dynamic Transport. He was Executive Director of the Village of Balmoral from 2001 to 2008, before taking the position of sustainable development manager for the same municipality, a position he held until March 2014. He was also coordinator of the Restigouche-East community action plan from 2010 to 2011. 

Impacts of Wildfire Smoke on Local Indigenous Communities: A Panel Discussion
Panel Facilitated by Melanie Langille, NB Lung CEO

CJ Tarling, Emergency Management, Program Manager, North Shore Mi’kmaq Tribal Council

CJ’s passion in emergency management began in 2020 whilst working in Indian Island First Nation. In 2022, she completed NSCCs Basic EM Program returning to community as an Emergency Management Coordinator. She joined North Shore Mi’kmaq Tribal Council as a Program Manager in February of 2025, now assisting seven First Nations. Her professional experience encompasses the four pillars of emergency management (prevention/mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery)

Throughout her career, CJ has collaborated on many projects in relation to health and emergency management, from communicable disease, air quality, and water to responding to extreme weather events. Health remains an important aspect to her current role in emergency management. She is dedicated to serving First Nation communities in their pursuit of enhancing emergency management capabilities.

Don Stenger, Emergency Measures Program Manager, Wolastoqey Tribal Council

Don Stenger, band member of Bilijk (Kingsclear First Nation) and currently employed as the Emergency Measures Program Manager for Wolastoqey Tribal Council which oversees and coordinates capacity building with the community Emergency Measures coordinators of Welamukotuk (Oromocto First Nation), Sitansisk (St Mary’s First Nation, Bilijk (Kingsclear First Nation), Wotstak (Woodstock First Nation), and Matawaskiye (Madawaska Maliseet First Nation).

Don has worked with WTCI since 2020 and took the program from infancy to where we are today. Prior to joining WTCI Don served in the Canadian Armed Forces for 8 ½ years and then switched to the RCMP until retiring to pension in 2016. He is part of the First Nations National Advisory Committee for Indigenous Services Canada / Emergency Management Assistance Program which was previously the Steering Committee who oversees ISC’s response to the Auditor Generals recommendations for EM in First Nations communities (2022).

Ken graduated from the Atlantic Police Academy in 1984 before working with Chatham Town Police and Newcastle Town Police. He also worked with the Metepenagiag community as Supernumerary Band Constable, The New Brunswick Highway Patrol, and Correctional Services of Canada in Renous.

In January 1992 Ken was hired by the Department of Fisheries & Oceans Canada, where he stayed for 29 years.

Since joining MAWIW, he has assisted in developing the Fishery Guardian Program and had the guardians trained in PEI. He also holds the Emergency Management file at MAWIW.

Kirk Hannah, Emergency Management Program Coordinator, Wolastoqey Tribal Council

Proud community member of St. Mary’s First Nation. Currently employed with Wolastoqey Tribal Council as Emergency Management Program Coordinator since March of 2023 and prior to that was an EMO Coordinator for SMFN since December 2021. After a 25 year career as an ISA Certified Arborist trained in Aerial Rescue, graduated in 2019 with a diploma in Environmental Health and Safety and thus began the transition to emergency management. Currently trained as a Medical First Responder, Search and Rescue Technician, Advanced Drone Pilot and Critical Incident Stress Management. Also, a proud contributing member of the Wabanaki Wildland Crew, along with coordinating Firesmart mitigation initiatives within WTCI communities. Responsible for coordinating Community Safety Planning within WTCI in partnership with Public Safety Canada.

Blessed to have 5 children and 2 grandchildren with wife Jennifer, all of Sitansisk. Hobbies include spending time with family, coaching minor hockey and the odd game of golf.

Air Quality on the Grid: A modernized air quality forecast dataset at MSC
Presented by the Meteorological Service of Canada

Andrew Teakles, Meteorological Service of Canada (MSC)

Andrew Teakles is an Applied Science manager in Atlantic Canada with the Meteorological Service of Canada (MSC) branch within Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC). Andrew began his career with ECCC as an operational meteorologist from 2001-2007 and has worked at both the Ontario and Pacific Storm Prediction Centres. Afterwards, he joined Applied Science as a research meteorologist and led various projects related to air quality modeling, post-processing, and forecasting. Later, in 2015, he moved back to Atlantic Canada and joined Applied Science – Atlantic team in Dartmouth, NS. In recent years, Andrew and his team have contributed to national initiative in air quality including MSC’s National Low-Cost Sensor Pilot and to the ongoing AQonGrid initiative, which aims to increase the coverage of air quality forecasting information to the Canadian population. As career highlight, Andrew had the pleasure to work as a member of the weather forecast team for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics at the Callaghan Valley ski jump venue.

Lucy Chisholm, Meteorological Service of Canada (MSC)

Lucy Chisholm is a Health and Air Quality Meteorologist with the Meteorological Service of Canada (MSC) branch within Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC). Based in Dartmouth, NS, Lucy began her career with ECCC as a summer student in 2002. Over the years, she has worked in several sections of the branch, including as an operational forecaster at the Atlantic Storm Prediction Centre from 2009 – 2017. Since then, she has been part of the Applied Science – Atlantic group where she continues to contribute to air quality science. Her recent projects include MSC’s National Low-Cost Sensor Pilot and the ongoing AQonGrid initiative, which aims to increase the coverage of air quality forecasting information to the Canadian population.

Urban freight transportation hubs: local scale air quality and noise impacts & implications for environmental justice
Presented by Healthy Environments and Consumer Safety, Health Canada

Angelos T. Anastasopolos, Senior Exposure Scientist, Health Canada 

Angelos T. Anastasopolos, PhD is a senior exposure scientist with Health Canada in the Healthy Environments and Consumer Safety Branch and an Adjunct Professor with University of Toronto in the Department of Geography, Geomatics and Environment. Dr. Anastasopolos has expertise in air pollution exposure assessment, source apportionment modeling, population health burden analysis, and health-relevant components of particulate matter such as toxic organics (e.g., Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons). Dr. Anastasopolos is Principal Investigator for several exposure sampling studies emphasizing transportation sources (marine, rail, on-road) and their effects on urban and neighbourhood scale air quality and also collaborates on research exploring issues of environmental justice and gentrification.

Invisible threats: Prenatal and childhood exposures to toxic chemicals in indoor environments
Presented by the Canadian Partnership for Children’s Health & Environment (CPCHE)

Erica Phipps, Executive Director, CPCHE

Erica Phipps serves as Executive Director of the Canadian Partnership for Children’s Health & Environment (CPCHE), a national collaboration of organizations that work together to advance children’s environmental health protection. Erica has worked on environmental health and toxics issues for nearly three decades, with much of her work focused on promoting intersectoral and multi-disciplinary approaches to knowledge mobilization, policy advocacy, and health equity. Prior to joining CPCHE in 2008, she held positions with the North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation, the United Nations, and the US Environmental Protection Agency. She has a master’s degree in public health, a doctorate in health promotion, and co-leads the Prenatal Environmental Health Education (PEHE) Collaboration in her role as adjunct professor at the University of Ottawa.

National Research Findings: The Impact of Scent-Free Policies on Indoor Air Quality
Presented by the Environmental Health Association of Canada and Québec

Rohini Peris, President and CEO of the Environmental Health Association of Canada and Québec

Rohini Peris is President & CEO of the Environmental Health Association of Canada and Québec. For nearly 30 years, she has championed awareness, policy reform, and inclusion for people with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS). Rohini brings lived experience and deep expertise to her work, guiding national research, public education, and systemic advocacy. She represented Canada at the UN CRPD review, where she successfully secured international recognition of MCS in the Concluding Observations, and continues to build coalitions for healthy, inclusive environments across Canada.

Nene Diallo, Environmental Health Association of Québec 

Nene Diallo is a researcher at the Environmental Health Association of Quebec, specializing in environmental justice, social issues and governance. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science from the University of Ottawa, a diploma in Environmental Management from the University of Toronto and a Master’s degree in Environment and Sustainable Development from the University of Montreal. Using qualitative and quantitative methods, she explores the social and systemic factors that influence access to a safe and healthy environment.

Adrianna Trifunovski is a researcher at the Environmental Health Association of Quebec. She holds a Bachelors of Health Science Degree from Ontario Tech University, as well as a Master’s degree in Health Science, with a focus on public, population and community health. Using mixed-methods approaches, Adrianna aims to identify how the environment affects population health, including from personal care and cleaning products. Adrianna believes everyone has a right to healthy environment, free of harmful toxins.

Health Effects of Wildfire Smoke
Presented by Carlyn Matz, Healthy Environments and Consumer Safety Branch, Health Canada 

Carlyn Matz, PhD, Sr Evaluator, Healthy Environments and Consumer Safety Branch

Carlyn Matz is a Senior Science Evaluator in the Air Program at Health Canada. In this role she conducts risk assessments and health impact analyses, related to air pollution. Her main files are wildfire smoke and traffic-related air pollution. She has a PhD in Toxicology from the University of Saskatchewan.

Air Quality in New Brunswick Schools
Presented by Ryan Murphy, New Brunswick Teacher in the Anglophone South district

Ryan Murphy

Ryan Murphy (he/him) is a New Brunswick teacher and clean air advocate who believes schools shouldn’t make people sick. Using reported government air quality data and a career built on synthesizing information for others’ understanding, he works to shed light on the conditions students and staff face every day.  In his spare time, he authored an independent report on School Air Quality Test Results to analyze available data and explore how testing and reporting practices impact New Brunswick schools.

Ryan holds degrees from Mount Allison and University of Maine that informed none of this work, but instead helped develop the voice he uses to fight for meaningful change. He’s also a big fan of breathing.

Thank you to our Generous Sponsors!

We are deeply grateful to our sponsors and donors for their unwavering patronage, without which our work would not be possible. Thank you all for fostering a brighter, healthier future in Atlantic Canada! 

NB Lung is a charitable non-profit serving New Brunswick since 1933. The 2026 Atlantic Air Quality and Health Workshop is made possible by support from the Government of Canada. The views expressed by our speakers do not necessarily represent the views of Health Canada.