BCFPA 2024 Fall Hybrid Speaker's Evening

The BC Food Protection Association would like to present:

2024 FALL HYBRID SPEAKER’S EVENING

The BC Food Protection Association is thrilled to host another hybrid in-person and virtual seminar event for our members and general public! For those who wish to participate virtually, we are broadcasting (live streaming) our seminar through Zoom.

THEME
Importance of Shellfish Food Safety for First Nations’ Food Security

SPEAKERS
Lorraine McIntyre, Food and Environmental Specialist, Environmental Health, BC Centre for Disease Control,

Jennifer Kopetzky, Research and Development Team Lead, Environmental Microbiology Research Laboratory, BC Centre for Disease Control, &

Tim Green, Director of the Centre for Shellfish Research, Canada Research Chair Shellfish Health and Genomics, Vancouver Island University

DETAILS
Date: Monday, November 25, 2024
Time: 5:00 - 8:30 pm PT
In-person Location: Langara Clubhouse (this is the Langara Golf Course - 6706 Alberta St, Vancouver, BC)*
*Parking is free for guests
Virtual Option: via Zoom - registrants will be sent a Zoom link 1-2 days before the actual event

REGISTRATION & DINNER
Register here: https://www.bcfoodprotection.ca/event-5929608
Early bird deadline is November 18! Register today to take advantage of our early bird rate!
Dinner will be provided for in-person attendees. If you have food allergies or preferences, please let us know under the comment section when you register online, or email us before November 18, as we will be placing an order for the catered food (dinner) that day.

SCHEDULE
5:00-5:25 PM PT Registration and Light Networking
5:25-5:30 PM PT Welcome Remarks
5:30-6:30 PM PT Speaker 1 & 2 - Lorraine McIntyre & Jenny Kopetzky
6:30-7:15 PM PT Dinner Intermission and Networking
7:15-8:15 PM PT Speaker 3 - Tim Green
8:15-8:30 PM PT Closing Remarks and Door Prizes

EVENT RATES
Virtual Rates
$25 for Members, $20 for Students/Retired, $45 for Non-Members
In-Person Rates*
BCFPA Members – $60 for Early Bird, $70 for Regular
BCFPA Student/Retired – $45 for Early Bird, $55 for Regular
Non-Member – $90 for Early Bird, $100 for Regular
Early bird rate period lasts from now to Nov 18
Regular rate period lasts from Nov 19 to the day of event
*In-person rates include the cost of a dinner meal

SPEAKER AND TOPIC DETAILS

Prioritizing Indigenous Shellfish Needs at BCCDC Within a One Health Context 

Lorraine McIntyre, Food and Environmental Specialist, Environmental Health, BC Centre for Disease Control


Bio: Lorraine received her BSc from UBC and MPH from University Hertfordshire, UK. She joined BCCDC’s provincial laboratory in 1993, supervising and coordinating water, food and gastroenteritis outbreaks and implemented BCCDC's first molecular norovirus diagnostic testing method in 2001. She transferred to Environmental Health where she has led several multi-stakeholder groups to explore issues and create guidance on a range of topics. Currently she chairs a national group on fermented foods, participates in an Indigenous shellfish project called WATCH, and is excited to be co-investigator on a microbial source tracking project that began in 2024 called GEMSTONE.

Jennifer Kopetzky, Research and Development Team Lead, Environmental Microbiology Research Laboratory, BC Centre for Disease Control

Bio: Jennifer currently works at the BCCDC in the Environmental Microbiology Research Laboratory where she aids in the development, validation, and implementation of numerous molecular assays for environmental water surveillance. She is passionate about projects that consider the interactions between human, animal, and environmental health and loves any opportunity to share her scientific knowledge with the community.

Summary: Shellfish are an important food to Indigenous communities along BC’s coast. Climate change impacts and human activities affect the marine environment, complicating access to and safety of shellfish resources. In this presentation we’ll review gaps and barriers for equitable Indigenous shellfish harvests and include Truth and Reconciliation work BCCDC is prioritizing to address these needs. We’ll explore projects underway, highlighting one project officially launched in 2024: GEMSTONE – Genomic Ecological Microbial Source Tracking for Oceans, Nature and Environment. Fecal contamination of the ocean closes harvest areas and negatively impacts the animals and ecology of these environments. Genomic tools can provide information to identify these sources.

Norovirus Contamination and Persistence in Active Shellfish Farming Regions (Title TBA)

Tim Green, Director of the Centre for Shellfish Research, Canada Research Chair Shellfish Health and Genomics, Vancouver Island University



Bio: Dr. Timothy Green is the Canada Research Chair in Shellfish Health and Genetics at Vancouver Island University. His research program focuses on the impacts of climate change and disease on sustainable shellfish farming. The increased frequency and severity of marine heatwaves, storms and ocean acidification are likely to increase the risk that farmed shellfish will become contaminated with marine pathogens and toxins—which could put human health at risk. Dr. Green aims to help future-proof the shellfish industry by figuring out how to breed shellfish that will be resilient to the effects of climate change and disease. Green has already developed lineages of oysters and scallops that are resilient to heatwaves and ocean acidification. Now, he and his research team will use these shellfish to determine how climate change will affect the concentrations of human pathogens and toxins in shellfish. Ultimately, Green’s research will help safeguard Canada’s aquaculture industry and the food security it provides.

Summary: Contamination of Pacific oysters, Crassostrea gigas, by human norovirus is a major constraint to sustainable shellfish farming in coastal waters of the Northeast Pacific. Human norovirus is not a marine virus and must originate from a human source. A barrier to effective management is a paucity of data regarding norovirus dispersal in the marine environment. My team has been working with the B.C. Shellfish Growers Association to identify the spatial distribution and persistence of norovirus in an active shellfish farming region in the Northeast Pacific. Our results indicate norovirus contamination of coastal waters occurs from non-point sources, such as small craft harbors and urban settings, and can pose a significant localised risk to shellfish farming operations in the region due to norovirus likely dispersing up to 7 km from these non-point sources. The industry has used these results to mitigate the impacts of norovirus by building large wet-storage facilities to hold oyster stock over known norovirus risk periods, and to lobby the local regional districts to invest in upgrades to sewage infrastructure.

EVENT SPONSORSHIP
Sustaining Member Display Tables are FREE and are available on first-come, first-serve basis. Contact us at info@bcfoodprotection.ca to reserve a table!

Interested in sponsoring our events? We have sponsorship packages available, click here to find out more information! https://www.bcfoodprotection.ca/Sponsorship