Kay Kim: Senior Sediment Remediation Specialist

Meet Kay Kim! As a Senior Sediment Remediation Specialist with Environment and Climate Change Canada, Kay assesses and manages contaminated sediment in the Great Lakes. Over her 30-year career with ECCC, Kay has worked on many of the Department’s flagship water programs.

In 1990, Kay began her career in British Columbia with the Disposal at Sea program. Through this program, Kay assessed sediment slated for disposal and monitored the environmental integrity of disposal sites. Fast forward to ten years later, Kay set sail for Nova Scotia, where she worked with the Environmental Effects Monitoring program team to assess the environmental effects of wastewater from pulp and paper mills and offshore oil and gas exploration activities.  

Throughout Kay’s career, when carrying out water, sediment, invertebrate, and fish sampling work, she often relied on transportation from Canada’s Coast Guard ships (CCGS), including the Vector, and R. B. Young. One of Kay’s favourite memories at work took place on the water one stormy evening in 2019. She was sailing across Lake Superior from Jackfish Bay to Sault Ste. Marie, on board the Great Lakes research and survey vessel CCGS Limnos when a lightning show filled the night sky. It was a remarkable sight and the beauty of that night remains with Kay to this day.  

To learn more about Kay’s work, visit the Great Lakes Areas of Concern web page.

Here are a few random facts about Kay:

• What was your first job? Wendy’s.
• If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be? Haiti and Nicaragua.
• What is your favourite game or sport to watch and play? I like watching Figure skating.
• Would you rather ride a bike, ride a horse, or drive a car? A horse.
• What is your favourite flavour of ice cream? Vanilla.
• If you were a super-hero, what powers would you have? Remove and eliminate all pollutants from the earth.
• What form of public transportation do you prefer? (air, boat, train, bus, car, etc.) Train.
• What's your favourite zoo animal? Jaguar.
• Summer or winter? Summer.
• Where do you see yourself in 10 years? On a mission trip somewhere in the world.