Associate Fellow
Principal
DSS Management Consultants
Tel: 905-839-8814
Fax: 905-839-0058
Email: ed.hanna@dssmgmt.com
Biography
Ed Hanna is a principal of DSS Management Consultants Inc. and has been a private consultant for over 35 years. His work focuses on policy analysis, planning and management associated with environment, natural resources and energy. Ed has taught graduate-level courses in resource management and applied ecology in the Faculty of Environmental Studies at York University. His formal training includes a Masters of Environmental Engineering (Water and Waste Management) and a Hon. B.Sc. (Biology and Chemistry) both from the University of Toronto.
Research Interests
Ed’s research focuses on integrating economic theory and principles with science-based management decision-making. He has developed decision support systems dealing with hazardous and solid waste management, water quality, air quality and human health, forestry, wildlife and fisheries management, integrated watershed management and environmental protection and remediation. Closely related to these decision support systems is his research in developing effective economic instruments to achieve environmental and resource management policy objectives, particularly on private lands.
Ed has worked on the Illness Costs of Air Pollution (ICAP) model on behalf of the Ontario Medical Association and the Canadian Medical Association in partnership with colleagues at York University, McMaster University and the University of British Columbia. This work has spanned more than a decade and has resulted in the development of individual ICAP models for all of the provinces (http://www.cma.ca/index.php/ci_id/86830/la_id/1.htm). ICAP is being used by governments, industry and NGOs to evaluate a range of complex and significant decisions including land development, transportation plans, energy policy and air quality standards.
Securing adequate financial assurance from operations that pose a risk to the environment is becoming more common with approval authorities. How much assurance to require and in what form is a complicated issue given the diversity of risks and environmental receptors that may be involved. Ed has undertaken several analyses to provide innovative guidance to regulators when financial assurance is being considered as a condition of approval.
Ed undertook through IRIS an assessment of the economic, social and environmental benefits of cleaning up Hamilton Harbour. The study involves developing a creative and flexible integrated benefit assessment framework (BENSIM) that can be used for other environmental clean-up projects. BENSIM forecasts of the benefits of remediation have been instrumental in securing financial commitments from a multitude of partners to support the clean-up project. Follow-up research is pending to evaluate the actual benefits realized from the remediation project.
The efficient use and fair allocation of water is an increasingly contentious decision that has large economic, social and environmental implications for local communities. Ed has been involved in the U.S. Southwest and Mexico developing decision support systems to assist with critical water management decisions. More recently, he played a pivotal role in the development of the NWT Water Strategy. Water management in the NWT is particularly challenging given internal development pressures and from downstream neighbouring provinces (e.g., Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan). All of these watershed management systems involve using economic principles as the foundation for integrating the diverse factors affecting allocation and protection decisions.
Select Presentations
Hanna, J. E. 2009. Water Management in Canada: Past, Present and Future. PRAGMA Fall Workshop. University of Waterloo, Ontario.
Hanna, J. E., 2008. Economic Evaluation of the Hamilton Harbour Remedial Action Plan Initiatives. 15th Annual A.D. Latornell Conservation Symposium. Alliston, Ontario.
Hanna, J. E., 2007. Developing Local Markets for Sustaining and Enhancing EG&S from Private Land. Eastern Ontario Model Forest (EOMF) Valuing Ecological Goods and Services Workshop, Peterborough, Ontario.
Hanna, J. E., 2007. Economic Instruments for Sustaining EG&S. Eastern Ontario Model Forest (EOMF) Valuing Ecological Goods and Services Workshop, Peterborough, Ontario.
Hanna, J. E. and M. Puddister, 2006. Credit Valley Watershed: Valuation of Ecological Goods and Services. 13th Annual A.D. Latornell Conservation Symposium, Alliston, Ontario
Hanna, J. E. and P. Victor, 2006. Natural Capital Accounting: Measurement and Valuation of Ecological Goods and Services. 13th Annual A.D. Latornell Conservation Symposium, Alliston, Ontario
Hanna, J. E., 2004. Forest Certification and Public Participation in Canada. Joint France Nature and Environment/PEFC International eNGO Sustainable Forest Management Certification Workshop, Paris, France.
Hanna, J.E. 2002. Sustaining the Yukon’s Natural Heritage: One Alternative to Protected Areas. Yukon Chamber of Commerce, Whitehorse, Yukon.
Hanna, J. E., B. McMullen and P. McGrenere, 2001 A Full Scale, Full-Treatment Constructed Wetland for Cobalt, Ontario. Proceedings of 30th Annual Technical Symposium of Water and Environment Association of Ontario, April 1-3, 2001. Toronto
Hanna, J. E., 2000. Biodiversity Conservation Through Landscape Management/Floating Reserves. Fraser Institute Workshop: Protecting Endangered Species – An Alternative to Legislation. Vancouver, British Columbia.
Hanna, J. E., 1995. Achieving Social and Economic Prosperity through Sustainable Forestry – Some Essential Conditions. Sustainable Forests Symposium, Prince Albert, Saskatchewan.
Publications
Hanna, J. E., D. R. Talhelm and T. Koveshnikova. 2010. Predicting Resource Management Benefits by Simulating Angler Demand and Supply Responses. International Institute of Fisheries Economics & Trade Symposium. Paris, France (forthcoming)
Victor, P. A., J. E. Hanna and A. Kubursi. 1998. “How strong is weak sustainability?” In S. Faucheux, M. O’Connor and J. van der Straaten (eds.), Sustainable Development: Concepts, Rationalities and Strategies. Dordrecht, Boston, London: Kluwer Academic Publishers, pp. 195–210.
Hanna, J. E., and M. Martel, 1996. Practical Integration of Landscape Ecology Principles in an Operational Forest Management Plan. Proceedings of Caring for Home Place: Protected Areas and Landscape Ecology, a Joint Conference of the Canadian Council on Ecological Areas and the Canadian Society for Landscape Ecology and Management. Regina, Saskatchewan.
Victor, P.A., J. E. Hanna and A. Kubursi. 1993. How Strong is Weak Sustainability. In Proceedings of Models of Sustainable Development: Exclusion on Complementary Approaches of Sustainability? Paris, France.
Talhelm, D.R., J. E. Hanna, and P. Victor. 1987. Product Travel Cost Approach: An Estimating Acid Rain Damage to Sportfishing in Ontario. Trans.Am.Fish.Soc.116 (3) 420-43
Hanna, J. E, A. Veel, B. Lightowlers, and T. Burrell. 1987. Hazard Waste Classification Systems: Strengths, Weaknesses and Needs. Proceedings of 9th National Conference on Waste Management in Canada. Edmonton, Alberta.
Hanna, J. E. 1986. Data Availability and Requirements for Acid Rain Impact Evaluation. Can. Spec. Publ. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 90:116p.
Hanna, J. E, P. Victor, B. Lightowlers, D. Heeney and T. Burrell. 1985. An Approach to Estimating the Fates and Quantities of Special Waste. Proceedings of 7th National Conference on Waste Management in Canada. Ottawa, Ontario.
