Alberta environmental science centres

• Prairie and Northern Laboratory for Environmental Testing
• National Laboratory for Hydrometeorology and Arctic Meteorology

Northern Forestry Centre (Edmonton, AB)

© Environment Canada, 2014

NRCan’s Northern Forestry Centre in Edmonton, Alberta, home to Environment Canada’s Prairie Northern Laboratory for Environmental Testing (PNLET), provides ISO 17025 chemical and toxicological analyses in support of EC programs supporting the Canada Water Act, the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA), the Fisheries Act (FA) and the Migratory Bird Convention Ac t.

Staffed by 25 scientific and technical personnel, PNLET’s laboratories are equipped to conduct a wide variety of physical property, inorganic, organic and toxicological analyses on environmental samples and articles of commerce. Serving as EC’s centre of analytical expertise for several CEPA and FA regulations, PNLET provides testing and technical advice to Wildlife and Environmental Enforcement officers, assisting in regulation development, compliance and investigative activities. 

National Laboratory for Hydrometeorology and Arctic Meteorology (Edmonton, AB)

The National Laboratory for Hydrometeorology and Arctic Meteorology was formed in 2004. The lab’s mission is to provide improved scientific understanding and prediction of high-impact weather, primarily focussing on prediction of hydro-meteorological and northern latitude weather phenomena and processes. The lab is co-located with the Environment Canada Storm Prediction Centre in Edmonton, and has satellite offices in Saskatoon at the National Hydrology Research Centre and the Storm Prediction Centre in Winnipeg. Outputs include applied research to address forecasting issues identified in the Department and facilitation of technology transfer of science results into the operational weather forecasting program.