The Bluewater Association for Safety, Environment and Sustainability (BASES) was established in 2020 as the overarching brand overseeing the Industrial Educational Co-operative (IEC), Community Awareness Emergency Response (CAER), and Sarnia-Lambton Environmental Association (SLEA).
On January 1, 2024, BASES officially became a single legal entity, uniting BASES Environmental, BASES Safety Partnership, BASES Emergency Preparedness, and adding a Communications & Outreach pillar. The three former organizations were retired, but their work and collaborative initiatives continue under BASES.
1996 – The Sarnia-Lambton Industrial Educational Co-operative Corporation was formed to create a common set of orientation and training materials that were centrally delivered to workers as part of a regional onboarding process. This centralized model of training avoided workers being onboarded at one location and then again and again at other sites with similar messaging. The initial “BSO” (Basic Safety Orientation) training was based on common onboarding messaging around regional risks/controls with a significant focus on hydrogen sulfide and asbestos.
2001 - Over time, the IEC worked directly with more member sites and an expanded list of local contractors and all local building trades to incorporate a wider range of perspectives into the development of training content. By 2001, this regional model of collaboration was branded as the “Sarnia Safety Partnership” with a collective vision of, “Zero Incidents by Choice.” Committees were struck to ensure that all training content developed through the IEC incorporated a balanced tripartite design, ensuring that ideas identified by frontline workers were included in training content.
2003 – In 2003, the IEC began offering audit services to evaluate adequacy and effectiveness of contractors in the region against a standardized set of criteria. Criteria were based on existing national and international benchmarks of management system design as “Plan-Do-Check-Act”. In the period between 2003 and 2007, the IEC portfolio had grown to over 200 companies as more of the sites in the region started to incorporate this audit as part of their contractor pre-qualification / pre-bid selection processes. As the process matured, the Safety Management Assessment (SMA) aligned with ISO 19011 auditing framework and auditor training.
2010 – In 2010, the IEC Partnership reviewed the BSO course and expanded it to a full day regional orientation called BSO (Plus). This course was valid for three years and included a wide range of topics such as leadership, occupational exposure and control, and task-specific risk assessment. It also included the development of centralized monthly safety meeting content and testing to ensure workers remained aware of key messages over time.
2024 - On January 1, 2024, the organization officially became the Bluewater Association for Safety, Environment, and Sustainability (BASES), with the IEC rebranded as the BASES Safety Partnership. Later that year, the SMA Audit Program was retired following a review with BASES Partners, as free third-party audits became available to fulfill the same purpose.
2025 - BASES launches BASES SiteReady, a new centralized learning management system that replaced the IEC database. The platform introduced digital credentials, enhanced user experience, and timely notifications to better support safety training and compliance.
Present – Today, BASES Safety Partnership courses continue to be updated and developed through Subject Matter Expert Teams using a defined, documented, and repeatable process. Courses are instructed with modern adult education techniques, blending theory and hands-on exercises to achieve defined learning objectives and outcomes. All instructors are required to become accredited prior to delivering course content and to maintain this accreditation through periodic assessments. BASES also continues to evolve in response to regional priorities, working collaboratively with contracting companies, trade unions, industrial facilities, and community partners to address emerging challenges and provide meaningful resources for local workers.
1951 – On May 6, 1951, an explosion occurred at the Polymor Corporation Plant in Sarnia that could be seen from 150km away. Public onlookers gathered at the site fence, impeded first responders, and exposed themselves to the release. Within three days of the incident, the Chemical Valley Emergency Traffic Control Committee was formed with a focus on providing emergency related information to the public in a quick and accurate manner. Within a year, industry funded the creation of the Chemical Valley Emergency Control System that coordinated municipal fire, police, schools, businesses, and industry to collectively improve preparedness for industrial emergencies.
1957 – In 1957, a new committee evolved for the development of best practices around emergency preparedness specifically for industrial firefighting. This group was called the Chemical Valley Fire Fighting Mutual Aid Committee.
1971 - The Fire and Traffic Committees came together to form the Chemical Valley Emergency Control Organization, commonly known as CVECO. By the 1980’s the second C was changed from “Control” to “Coordinating” to better reflect the intention of the organization.
1984 – The practices put in place because of the formation of these committees led to the Sarnia-Lambton area being recognized on a global scale for emergency response. Following the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people in India because of a release of methyl isocyanate (MIC) in Bhopal, representatives from different agencies and companies from around the world visited Sarnia to engage with local industry and government leaders to benchmark community preparation in the event of a chemical emergency.
1986 – By 1986, all plants across the Sarnia-Lambton area had established their own programs for community engagement and identified an opportunity to combine/centralize their resources to align on one common strategy for the region. This resulted in the formation of Sarnia-Lambton Community Awareness and Executive Response. By the end of 1986, the E in CAER was updated from Executive to Emergency. A new CAER Committee was created and supported by all members of the Lambton Industrial Society and local governments. The initial purpose of LS CAER was to:
Leaders from industrial sites in Sarnia were also leaders with the Canadian Chemical Producers Association (CCPA). Through this national organization, they launched Responsible Care®. The influence of LIS on the CCPA was clear in how a reference to “CAER” became as the first of the six Codes of Practice for Responsible Care®. In 1986, the municipality of Sarnia was awarded the CAER Achievement Award by the CCPA, signifying integrated industrial-community preparedness for an emergency.
2024 - On January 1, 2024, the organization officially became the Bluewater Association for Safety, Environment, and Sustainability (BASES), with CAER rebranded as BASES Emergency Preparedness.
Present – BASES Emergency Preparedness leads a regional approach to community notification through internet-based alerts, a network of sirens, radio broadcasts, and defined traffic control measures. The program coordinates large-scale regional emergency exercises, testing industry and government responders on notification, deployment, communication, mutual aid, and command. In addition, BASES works with the community to raise awareness of industrial risks and preparedness steps, engaging residents directly and partnering with schools to deliver age-appropriate safety education. BASES also serves as a central link to industrial and government emergency information.
1952 – In 1952, the St. Clair River Research Committee was formed as the first industry funded co-operative in Canada devoted to the protection of the environment. This committee concentrated its efforts on studies of sulphur dioxide and particulate matter in the air. They also monitored surface oil contamination found in the St. Clair River. Basic reports of data were shared within this group to begin developing a regional baseline to assess trends over time. These measurements were also used to confirm improvements realized as sites invested in new processes and technologies.
1967 – By 1967, the St Clair River Research Committee grew from three members to thirteen. The organization was officially established as a non-profit corporation under the name Lambton Industrial Society (LIS). The purpose of the “Society” was to promote and foster, through joint and individual effort by member companies, the protection of the environment, consistent with standards set by government regulation and good corporate citizenship.
1975 – The Bluewater Clear Oil Spills Group was established in 1975 by the LIS to protect the St. Clair River from shipping accidents and oil spills. During this same time, extensive work was being done through the Petroleum Association for Conservation of the Canadian Environment (PACE) to establish local environmental cooperatives. In 1979, the Petroleum Industry Marine Environment Cooperative (PIMEC) was formed in Sarnia and maintained a significant inventory of specialized response equipment for member access.
1981 – In 1981, the Lambton Industrial Meteorological Alert (LIMA) regulation was created in partnership between the Lambton Industrial Society and the Province of Ontario. It was a strong example of industry – government partnering toward a common goal of environmental protection.
2000 – In 2000, the Lambton Industrial Society became the Sarnia-Lambton Environmental Association (SLEA), with a mission of being recognized by members, regulatory agencies, and the community for excellence in promoting and fostering a healthy environment consistent with sustainable development. By 2008, SLEA membership grew to 18 members as regional leaders in environmental protection.
2008 – As an active member of the Lambton County Health Study Team, SLEA strongly endorsed a science-based approach to evaluate associations between environmental measures and health outcomes. At that time SLEA partnered directly with the Ontario Ministry of Environment (MOE) and other stakeholders to design and conduct science-based studies of community exposure and health effects. After successfully completing Phase I and Phase II of this work, the Lambton County Health Study Team recommended a 5-year study design. In 2016, all members of SLEA aligned on contributing funding for this study; however, financial support from others was not granted and the study was cancelled.
2024 - On January 1, 2024, the organization officially became the Bluewater Association for Safety, Environment, and Sustainability (BASES), with SLEA rebranded as BASES Environmental Monitoring.
Present – Today, BASES Environmental Monitoring operates a state-of-the-art air monitoring network and downriver monitoring facility. All equipment is maintained by an independent third-party vendor, ensuring no direct access by industry or government. Annual reports once published by LIS/SLEA have been replaced with near real-time data, now openly available through a publicly accessible website fully funded by BASES.
