About MOPIA

Ozone Preservation since 1994

Who We Are

MOPIA is unique to Manitoba and to the World. We are a government-appointed multi-stakeholder, non-partisan, not-for-profit organization designed to foster environmental protection of the stratospheric ozone layer and to mitigate climate change. MOPIA strives to encourage industry participation and progressive government regulatory policy to protect our atmosphere from harmful halocarbons. We have been doing this since 1994!

The organization is driven by a volunteer Board of Directors and by various paid staff positions. MOPIA does not receive any core government funding or corporate sponsorship funding, rather revenues are modelled by various fees paid by the industry that use and/or handle regulated substances or products. MOPIA is self-sustaining and successful in its stewardship approach.

The goal of the Manitoba ozone protection initiative is to work towards protection of the stratospheric ozone layer through the control, reduction and eventual elimination of emissions of ozone depleting and climate changing substances to the atmosphere. This includes an innovative partnership between industry, the public and government. MOPIA is committed to working within our objectives to successfully accomplish this challenging goal.

MOPIA Strives To:

Membership

MOPIA is a multi-stakeholder organization. We have over 7,200 stakeholder members.

There are three levels of membership:

Certificate holder ($25)
Subscriber Member ($10)
Steward or delegate member ($20)
Delegate Members can vote on company business and are eligible to become members of our Board of Directors and Executive Committee.

Staff - Your MOPIA Team Members

Mark Miller

Executive Director

Since MOPIA’s inception in 1993/94, Mark has held the position of Executive Director. He was also the founding Executive Director of the Manitoba Geothermal Energy Alliance (MGEA), and founding Director General of the Canadian Atmosphere Protection Alliance (CAPA). He serves as a Board member of the Canadian Shield Foundation, MADD Canada, and was an accredited Manitoba Coordinator for Earth Day Canada and Board member of the Recycling Council of Manitoba.

Prior to MOPIA, Mark was the RADON Program Coordinator for the Province of Manitoba and developed recycling initiatives in the governments waste reduction and pollution prevention office.

One of his career highlights has been working in collaboration with the OzoneAction Office (DTIE) of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), hosting international capacity building study tours to Manitoba with representatives from nations around the world including China, Burkina Faso, Uruguay, Jamaica, Bahrain and others. And, being involved with The World Bank in a special project to phase-out halons in The Peoples Republic of China.

Reach Mark at: mm@mopia.ca

Luc Philippot

Environmental Specialist

Luc is the Environmental Specialist at MOPIA that coordinates and teaches Environmental ODS Certification training courses. Luc is also passionate about researching environmental issues pertaining to human health, having participated at Montreal Protocol meetings in Montreal and attended ATMOsphere conferences in Washington D.C. 

Luc is passionate about the outdoors and enjoys hiking, boating and especially fishing. He is a fourth year student at the University of Manitoba pursuing an Honours degree in Environmental Studies. 


Brookelynn Waite, B.A.

Environmental Policy and Administrative Specialist

Brookelynn handles all administrative duties to keep the MOPIA office running smoothly. She coordinates the distribution of licenses, data entry, and environmental policy-related projects. 

In her free time, Brookelynn enjoys spending time with her dogs, camping, traveling, and playing soccer. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies from the University of Winnipeg.

Reach Brookelynn at: bw@mopia.ca

Seaira Shewchuk

Administrative Specialist

Seaira is an administrative specialist in the office that helps our team with the tasks of data entry and assists in the coordination of special projects and other collaborations. She is passionate about the company’s mission to protect our atmosphere and Earth from climate change.

In Seaira’s free time, she enjoys working out at the gym, spending the day outside in the sun, and enjoying time with friends and family. She is currently a student attending Red River College to pursue a career in Human Resources.

Reach Seaira at: sjs@mopia.ca

 
 

About MOPIA

Ozone Preservation since 1994

MOPIA Bylaws/Tasks

MOPIA is accomplishing the program, tasks and objectives:

The Manitoba Ozone Protection Association has achieved overwhelming success both in the public’s eye and that of industry and governments across Canada. Surely in part, this has been due to the millions of dollars that were spent and invested by Manitoba industry to provide employee training and new equipment installations. This, in an effort to ensure compliance with the requirements of the Manitoba regulation. A good indication of the success of the program is the decrease that has been noted by wholesalers and suppliers in the purchase of virgin ODS’s.

Each of the prime objectives training & education, outreach, membership and liaison activities together with the activities related to the development and implementation have been highlighted in this report and can be detailed in further by contacting Mark Miller at MOPIA

The success of the implementation of the MOPIA Ozone Protection Program can be measured, in part, by the following:

Members of the Executive Committee (Officers)

John (Kub) Kubilanski

Chair of the Board

Mark Miller

Executive Director

Kent Cielen

Vice Chair of the Board / Treasurer

Meghan Skorodenski

Past Chair of the Board

Kirk Esau

Member at Large

Chad Bisko

Member at Large

2024 Board of Directors

John (Kub) Kubilanski

John is the current Chair of MOPIA. He has held progressive positions in a number of companies relating to the HVACR industry. John was one of the original Board members of the geothermal industry associations in Manitoba. John has been a MOPIA representative to the UNEP Montreal Protocol meetings, including in the United Arab Emirates, Montreal, Vienna and Rome (2019).

Meghan Skorodenski

A graduate of the University of Manitoba with a Bachelor of Environmental Science. She has experience with regulatory compliance (federal and provincial) and emergency spill response within the manufacturing sector. She has experience with Environmental Management Systems (EMS) and maintaining ISO14001 compliance. Meghan has represented MOPIA at the United Nations, Montreal protocol meetings and participated in working groups for updating the Federal Halocarbon Regulation.

Kent Cielen

Kent is the current Treasurer with MOPIA. A graduate of Red River College with a diploma in Computer Technology, certificates in Radio and Television Electronics, Building Systems Technicians and Administrators program, Cisco Networks Advanced CCNP (Honors) and an Advance Diploma in Technology Management (Honors). Kent is also a graduate of Thompson Rivers University with a bachelor of Technology Degree in Technology Management. Kent has worked for over forty years in field engineering and technical services and support in the computer engineering industry. He has expertise in upgrading fire suppression systems from Halon to more environmentally friendly fire suppression clean agent technology in computer data centers and power management facilities. In addition to computer engineering technology his support work and experience includes responsibility for mechanical engineering technology (HVAC), electrical and electronic engineering technology, automatic control systems, network engineering technology, building facility maintenance and construction. Kent is a 40 year Member of the Certified Technicians and Technologist Association of Manitoba (CTTAM).

Chad Bisko

Chad Bisko has a diverse and extensive work experience in various leadership and management roles. Throughout their career, Chad has demonstrated a strong expertise in organizational transformation, process improvement, and project managementChad Bisko has a diverse education history spanning different fields of study. In 2022, they attended Prosci, where they earned a certification as a Certified Change Practitioner in Change Management. The following year, in 2021, they completed the NLP Practitioner program at Unleash Your Power Coaching and Leadership Training, specializing in Neuro Linguistic Programming. From 2020 to 2021, Chad enrolled in the Queen's Executive Program at Smith School of Business at Queen's University, obtaining a degree in Leadership and Strategy. Their academic journey continued in 2018 when they pursued training from the International Coaching Federation (ICF), leading to their Associate Certified Coach (ACC) designation.

Kirk Esau

Kirk has been as a general contractor involved in the geothermal industry as a designer and installer member of MGEA, waste water septic installer, hauler, inspector member of OWSIM, and all other construction from plumbing, electrical construction RRC 1976, UofM Ag. Engineering 1990, framing, HVAC, etc.. Also have been involved in the automotive industry for years. I have been pursuing trade updates, safety courses, volunteer projects, and enjoy educational opportunities.

Laverne Dalgleish

Mr. Laverne Dalgleish has been actively involved in the construction industry for over 3 decades and has specialized in building envelopes, energy efficiency and building performance. Laverne is a frequent presenter across North America on a variety of topics as they relate to building envelopes, energy efficiency, green building practices, standards and quality of construction. Laverne is actively involved in the standards development process and has been involved with International Organization of Standardization (ISO) for over 2 decades, traveling around the world to develop standards for the industry. A big believer in scientific research, Laverne has been a leader and participated in a number of commercial and residential building research projects with groups such as Oak Ridge National Laboratories, Syracuse University, University of Waterloo and National Research Council of Canada. Laverne has been involved in a number of utility demand side management programs and worked with various government departments across North America such as the U.S. Department of Energy, Natural Resources Canada, Environmental Protection Agency, Environment Canada and Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.

Botho Kramer

Botho is a long-time experienced educator having dedicated over 30 years to Red River College as as instructor in the HVACR curriculum. Botho is well known within the industry having been active in various trade associations. Botho is one of MOPIA’s certification training instructors having trained 1000’s of people since the 1990’s.

Janice Braga

Janice is a registered Professional Engineer working as the Environmental Manager at Gerdau Manitoba. On a day-to-day basis, she manages the environmental licensing and permitting for both the Metallics and Mill sites, the ISO 14001:2015 Environmental Management System processes, the Greenhouse Gas Quantification and Reporting requirements, the Asbestos Control Program and the Radiation Safety Program.

en_USEN