With the concerns here in Manitoba and abroad about the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak around the world, we want to update you about how Eco-West Canada (EWC) is responding to this health concern.

It is important to emphasize to our client municipalities and other stakeholders that EWC remains open for business. We remain fully operational and have taken steps to ensure we will be able to continue to carry out our work for you under changing circumstances. We want to assure you that we will continue to manage our daily affairs and ongoing municipal initiatives, and that our team members will continue to be available to connect with you by phone, email, or even video messaging.

As many of you know, EWC’s offices are located at 200-614 Des Meurons St. in St. Boniface. The offices at this location remain open to CDEM and Eco-West Canada employees but will be closed to the public until further notice. As stated above, EWC will continue to provide services for its clients and partners by telephone, teleconference and e-mail only.

To support public health authorities in their efforts to contain the VIDOC-19 outbreak and to ensure the safety of our employees and learners, all EWC in-person meetings and activities, while training sessions for the Business-Climate Initiative (BCI), will be delivered through an on-line webinar format. This includes all on-site training, all events, and all in-person appointments.

We thank you for your trust and understanding and remain hopeful that this situation will be resolved as soon as possible and in the best interest of everyone in our province, the country and abroad.

Organic matter is an essential component of soils and plays a fundamental role in soil conservation, crop production, and fertility maintenance. Recycling organic matter to the soil is a part of carbon cycling, an emerging and important environmental issue. Organic waste is recognized as an important organic matter resource and has numerous beneficial attributes. However, when sent to landfills, organic waste generates greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and can create nuisances and health issues. Therefore, it is important to turn this valuable resource into a soil amendment and fertilizer through sound and efficient collection, transportation, treatment, and management practices.

With that in mind, the following documents will provide municipalities and their residents with the basic information they need to get started on their own composting initiatives and projects:

Municipal Guide to Composting

Composting Fact Sheet

Composting Primer for Beginners