Michael McPhie – Michael McPhie

Overview of the QEP Credential

A resident of Vancouver, British Columbia, Michael McPhie is the former president and CEO of Curis Resources, Ltd. Michael McPhie has a master’s degree in Environmental Management and Business and is a Qualified Environmental Professional (QEP).

The QEP certification is an international and cross-disciplinary credential earned after completing a comprehensive application and testing process. It also serves as a continuing professional development education program required for recertification. The QEP aims to establish a professional standard to assess environmental professionals and creates a career path for those entering the industry. It is a specialized credential that strives to link the different areas of environmental practice.

Professionals who have earned a QEP certification have proven their experience and knowledge of solving complicated environmental problems and have demonstrated insight into environmental issues. The QEP examination is provided in an oral format to professionals who have been in the industry for 15 years or more and in a written format to those who have worked more than 5 years but less than 15 years in the industry.

Opioid Crisis – Drastic Times Call for Drastic Measures

Falkirk Environmental Consultants, Ltd. co-founder Michael McPhie is known for his work in the environmental and mining industries. Michael McPhie’s advocacy also extends to supporting healthy communities. In 2017, he wrote an opinion piece that was published in the Vancouver Sun titled “Leadership on drugs desperately needed-now.” In the article, he urged Vancouver and other provincial and federal elected officials to take action regarding the city’s escalating opioid epidemic.

Today, while the city still has an opioid problem, it has also done several things to reduce the number of overdoses in the past few years. While many might view the measures lenient, many of the strategies seem to focus on curbing the overdose rate due to people purchasing drugs that are laced with dangerous ingredients like fentanyl.

The first measure, referred to as drug checking, allows users to have their drugs checked to make sure there are no harmful substances before they take them. Users can visit supervised consumption sites to have their drugs checked for harmful substances. Drugs that do contain harmful substances will then be reported in Vancouver’s RADAR system, which alerts the community about these strains.

Other measures to curb the incidence of overdose include harm reduction services that allow people to take drugs under supervision. Supervised Consumption Sites provides users with a safe place to take drugs under the supervision of staff who are trained to respond to overdose events.
Overdose Prevention Sites also provide users with several services. In addition to supervising consumption, they distribute harm reduction supplies including naloxone kits (for those who are at risk of overdosing), provide drug checking, and provide referral services.

Finally, the city has installed opioid vending machines as a part of the MySafe project. These machines provide users with a prescribed dose of medical quality hydromorphone, a drug twice as powerful as heroin.

AMEBC Highlights Results Of Zero Emissions Survey

With experience at a diverse range of organizations and businesses, Michael McPhie is a business leader who holds more than three decades of experience. Alongside this, Michael McPhie is involved with the Association for Mineral Exploration of British Columbia (AME), where he was previously the chair of the board.

The AME recently highlighted the results of a public opinion survey conducted by Research Co., which asserts that 63 percent of British Columbians believe that mining companies have a role to play in achieving emissions targets by 2040. The target of zero-emissions has seen large-scale support across the region, with the provincial government passing legislation focused on reducing emissions released by trucks and light-duty cars over the next two decades. As the AME notes, respondents believe that, as mining and mineral exploration firms provide raw materials for these vehicles, such as gas, then they will be vital in reducing these emissions long-term.