Rosa Galvez Explained

Honorific-Prefix:The Honourable
Rosa Galvez
Office:Senator for Bedford, Quebec
Term Start:December 6, 2016
Predecessor:Céline Hervieux-Payette
Nominator:Justin Trudeau
Appointer:David Johnston
Birth Date:21 June 1961
Party:Independent Senators Group
Website:https://rosagalvez.ca/en/about/senator-rosa-galvez/
Profession:Environmental engineer
Professor
Alma Mater:McGill University

The Honourable Rosa Galvez (born June 21, 1961, Peru)[1] is a Canadian Senator representing Québec (Bedford) and an expert in pollution and its effects on human health. She was appointed to the Senate on December 6, 2016.[2] [3]

While a professor at Laval University and head of the university's Department of Civil Engineering and Water Engineering[4] Galvez established its environmental research laboratory. For her work on the restoration of, Société Radio-Canada nicknamed her “La Dame du Lac”.[5] Her research on the devastating Lac-Mégantic rail disaster and fire of 2013, which contaminated air, water and soil, has been internationally recognized. She is a member of Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec, a Fellow of the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering and a Fellow of Engineers Canada.

As chair of Canada's Senate Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources Committee, and through the production of science and policy white papers, Galvez has demonstrated the impact of evidence- and fact-based information on policy-making. Galvez has proposed Bill S-243, the Climate-Aligned Finance Act, in hopes of creating dialogue about the finance sector's role in addressing climate change.[6] [7]

Galvez is President of the ParlAmericas Parliamentary Network on Climate Change and Sustainability (PNCCS). She has been an official participant at COP25, COP26 and COP27.

Early life

Rosa Galvez was born in Peru.[8]

She is the oldest daughter of Elias Rogelio Galvez Rodriguez (a mathematician and professor at San Marcos University in Lima, Peru) and Juana Rosa Tantalean Angeles (accountant and teacher).

She first became interested in science at age ten when she chose to do a school assignment on pollution in Mexico City. Her interest led her to go beyond library research when she reached out to her town's municipality to learn about local waste management.[9]

Education

Galvez earned her Bachelor of Civil Engineering at the National University of Engineering in Lima, Peru in 1985. After immigrating to Canada, she earned both her Master of Science (M.Sc.), Environmental Engineering Technology in 1989 and then her Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering in 1994 from McGill University.[10] [11] [12]

Career

Galvez worked briefly for the Ministry of Housing in Lima, Peru and received professional training at Sedapal (Servicio de Agua Potable y Alcantarillado de Lima). There she became interested in the remediation of contaminated sites. She worked with the Pan-American Center for Sanitary Engineering (Centro Panamericano de Ingenieria Sanitaria, CEPIS, of the World Health Organization, WHO), before moving to Canada in March 1986.[11]

From September 1986 to June 1994 while doing her master and Ph.D. studies at McGill she worked as research assistant and later as Research Associate at the Geotechnical Research Centre, Civil Eng. Department.[13] [11]

In 1994, Galvez joined the Department of Civil and Water Engineering at Laval University and served as head of the department from 2010 to 2016.[14] she established an environmental researchlaboratory at Laval and raised $90 million for faculty research funding.

Galvez was nominated to the Senate on December 6, 2016, on the advice of Justin Trudeau, the Prime Minister of Canada. As chair of the Senate Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources Committee, she has shown how evidence- and fact-based communication from engineers can transform policy-making. She has also served on the Senate Standing Committee on National Finance.

Galvez is President of the ParlAmericas Parliamentary Network on Climate Change and Sustainability (PNCCS).[15] She has been an official participant at COP25, COP26 and COP27. At COP25 in Madrid, Spain she was part of the delegation for the Executive Committee of PNCCS.[16] [17] At COP26 she was a signatory of a call "to empower all members of society to engage in climate action".[18] As well as attending COP27, Galvez participated as a panellist at the GLOBE COP27 Legislators Summit.[19]

Research and policy

Galvez' academic research has focused on the area of pollution. Areas of specialization include decontamination of water and soil, management of hazardous waste, wastewater, municipal solid waste and residues, and assessments of environmental impact and risk. She has advised community and governmental organizations at local, national and international levels.[2]

Major contributions include advising the Commission for Environmental Cooperation on international agreements between Canada and the United States and Quebec and Vermont to protect the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River. She has also worked to protect Lake Champlain. Société Radio-Canada nicknamed her “La Dame du Lac” for her work on the restoration of .[11]

Galvez has studied the 2013 Lac-Mégantic rail disaster and resulting oil spill, in which 6.3 million litres of light crude oil contaminated air, water and soil. Her research on this catastrophic event, its remediation, and the preparedness of cities to deal with unconventional oil emergencies has been internationally recognized.[20] [21] [22] [23]

For the Government of the Northwest Territories, Galvez has conducted studies of mining and lands sustainability. She has discussed cumulative impacts of the Site C Dam, a hydroelectric project on the Mackenzie River watershed proposed by British Columbia.[24] [25]

She has received research funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and others. Research grant areas include:

As a Senator, she has led the creation of white papers on aligning Canadian finance with climate commitments (2023), recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, and Canada's building code in the context of climate change, adaptation, and sustainability (2019).

Galvez sponsored the Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act which was adopted in June 2021.Galvez has proposed Bill S-243, the Climate-Aligned Finance Act, in hopes of creating dialogue about the finance sector's potential to attract capital for transitioning to a low-carbon economy. The Bill highlights the increasing risks associated with the Canadian financial sector's “wait and see approach” to addressing climate change, and proposes eight recommendations for financial institutions.[27] [28]

Awards

Rosa Galvez has received many awards, including the following:

Selected publications

White papers

Books

Journal papers and book chapters

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Senators . Senate of Canada . en.
  2. Web site: Senator Rosa Galvez . 2017-10-26 . Senate of Canada . en-CA.
  3. Web site: Profile: Rosa Galvez . Parliament of Canada.
  4. Web site: Rosa Galvez - Université Laval. Vrrc.ulaval.ca. 2017-03-12.
  5. Web site: La dame du lac [enregistrement video] / Société Radio-Canada ]. Société Radio-Canada. 2012 . fr-FR.
  6. News: Shingler . Benjamin . This senator wants Canadian banks to fight climate change . 21 July 2024 . CBC News . May 27, 2024.
  7. News: The Short Report - November 8, 2023 . 27 July 2024 . Research Money Inc. . November 8, 2023.
  8. Web site: Fannie . Olivier. Trudeau appoints 6 new senators for Quebec including a doctor, environmental scientist - Toronto Star. Thestar.com. 2 November 2016 . 2017-03-12.
  9. Web site: Senator Rosa Galvez celebrates Science Literacy Week. Senate of Canada. en-CA. 2018-09-22.
  10. News: *Rosa Gálvez: SI UNO LO QUIERE, LOS SUEÑOS PUEDEN HACERSE REALIDAD" . 21 July 2024 . Ingeniería Nacional . April . 2017 . 48–51.
  11. News: Formation sur la Protection et restauration des lacs . CLRA . 5 April 2016.
  12. Web site: Prof. Rosa Galvez-Cloutier, Ph.D., P. Eng. . Laval University, Quebec.
  13. News: Privy Council Office . Report of the Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments - Permanent Process (July to November 2016) . Government of Canada . 2 February 2017.
  14. News: Engineers on Parliament Hill: Senator Rosa Galvez Engineers Canada . engineerscanada.ca . 3 June 2021 . en.
  15. Web site: ParlAmericas › About the PNCCS . ParlAmericas . 28 July 2024 . 12 May 2022.
  16. Web site: ParlAmericas actively participates at PreCOP25 and COP25 . International Secretariat of ParlAmericas . 28 July 2024.
  17. Web site: Parliamentary Delegates from the Executive committee of the ParlAmericas Parliamentary Network on Climate Change attend COP25 and call for strong climate action . ParlAmericas . 4 April 2022.
  18. Web site: Parliamentarians across the world call for prioritization of public empowerment in the COP26 Agenda . ParlAmericas . 4 April 2022.
  19. Web site: ParlAmericas participated at the UNFCCC COP27, GLOBE summit, and IPU Parliamentary Meeting . ParlAmericas › . 12 July 2023.
  20. Web site: Government of Canada . Transportation Safety Board of Canada . Railway Investigation Report R13D0054 - Transportation Safety Board of Canada . www.tsb.gc.ca . 19 August 2014.
  21. News: Lac-Mégantic an 'environmental disaster,' says expert . CBC News . Sep 17, 2013.
  22. Web site: Research Advances on Unconventional Petroleum Hazards and Impacts – A discussion on Lac Mégantic, pipelines and oil spills . Société canadienne de génie civil - section est . 27 January 2018.
  23. Web site: Meet Canada's Newest Senators 2016. Senate of Canada. en-CA. 2018-09-22.
  24. News: 2016-11-01 . Biographical notes . 2017-10-26 . Prime Minister of Canada . en.
  25. Web site: Scientist Senator Rosa Galvez . rosagalvez.ca.
  26. Web site: Advanced study of unconventional oil behaviour, innovative emergency measures to surface water oil spills: protection of water sources . NSERC’s Awards Database.
  27. News: Shingler . Benjamin . This senator wants Canadian banks to fight climate change . 21 July 2024 . CBC News . May 27, 2024.
  28. News: The Short Report - November 8, 2023 . 27 July 2024 . Research Money Inc. . November 8, 2023.
  29. News: Fifty-five new Fellows elected into the Canadian Academy of Engineering . Canadian Academy of Engineering . 5 June 2023.
  30. Web site: Directory of Fellows: Galvez, Rosa . The Canadian Academy of Engineering / L’Académie canadienne du génie.
  31. News: Redefining influence: Meet the 2023 Top 25 Women of Influence recipients . The Globe and Mail . 3 April 2023 . en-CA.
  32. Web site: Senator Rosa Galvez – Women of Influence . Women of Influence . March 7, 2023.
  33. News: Mize . Alison . Senator Rosa Galvez Selected as the 2022 ESA Regional Policy Award Winner . Ecological Society of America . July 21, 2022.
  34. Web site: Senator Rosa Galvez . Clean50 . en-CA . 18 April 2021.
  35. Web site: Conseil d'administration . ParlAmericas . fr-FR . 3 April 2022.
  36. News: Engineering . Canadian Society for Civil . Canadian Society for Civil Engineering 2019 ACE Awards Gala Winners . GlobeNewswire . 19 June 2019 . en.
  37. Web site: 2018 Engineers Canada award recipients honoured Engineers Canada . Engineers Canada. May 24, 2018 . en .
  38. Web site: 2018 Engineers Canada Awards Recipients . Engineers Canada . 27 July 2024.
  39. Web site: Peruvian Scientists . peruvianscience.com.
  40. News: Shaping our Future: Engineers' Role in Addressing Climate Change . Engineers Canada . March 4, 2022 . en.
  41. News: Building Forward Better CUSP #postgrowth research informing ambitious Canadian Senate White Paper . Centre for the Understanding of Sustainable Prosperity . 26 November 2020.
  42. News: Rosa Galvez . Canada's National Observer . en.