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The Committees series covered Walter Harris’ years spent as a member of three significant committees. The series was divided into three subseries according to these committees: the Technical Advisory Committee, Alberta Environment Hazardous Waste Management Committee and President’s Advisory Committee on Campus Review. Materials date from 1973 to 2009 and were arranged by subject matter. Large topics are chronologically arranged with most media separated from textual materials. This series has a number of document types including correspondence, minutes of meetings, notes, index cards, reviews, articles, reports, research, letters, claims, expenses, photographs, brochures, thoughts and interviews by Harris. It further includes an array of slides, a 16mm film and a VHS videocassette . Harris mentioned that each committee involved “working with new people, travelling and tackling interesting problems”.
Published
The Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) subseries contains thirty-two files concerning the management of high level nuclear wastes and heavily involved with the committee on the Nuclear Fuel Waste Management Program for the Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL). The files are arranged chronologically by subject. Document types include meeting minutes, meeting agendas, reports, notes, talks, and correspondence. Specific topics focused on in the materials are nuclear fuel wastes, risk assessment, and hazardous wastes management. The materials are created between 1980 and 1994 with some follow up materials from 1996-2000.
The Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) was formed in 1979 as an advisory board for the Canadian Nuclear Fuel Waste Program. The committee consisted of independent scientists nominated by their professional societies. The role of the committee was to give advice on the extent and quality of technical research being conducted. It was to also provide counsel to the Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) on scientific research going on at Whiteshell in Pinawa Manitoba, for the Canadian Nuclear Fuel Waste Management Program. TAC was to ensure that the appropriate conclusions about high level nuclear wastes were drawn. It was a precautionary body to recommend areas for further study. The committee generated annual reports to publicly share comments and recommendations on research being performed. TAC typically met in Toronto, ON or Pinawa, MB to discuss and share reports. However they also took regular trips to research sites on the Canadian Shield.
Harris became a member of the committee in 1983 and remained on the committee until 1997. He focused on the assessment of risks, and the adverse effects of radioactivity on human health in high, intermediate and low doses. He studied the relationship between dose and the risk of being affected. Harris gave multiple presentations about risk assessments at TAC Meetings and presented low dose risk assessment lectures to the Chalk River and Whiteshell groups. He also regularly submitted progress reports to the Chemical Institute of Canada.
Published
The Alberta Environment Hazardous Waste Management Committee subseries consists of twenty-eight files on the management of hazardous waste, often in connection with the Alberta Special Waste Management Corporation (ASWMC). The files are arranged by subject matter with most media separated from textual materials. Document types include minutes, reports, notes, correspondence, presentations, news articles, slides, a 16mm film, and a VHS videocassette. Materials are created between 1979 and 1999. Specific topics focus on PCBs & Dioxins, Hazardous Waste Management, and Risk Assessment.
The Ministry of Alberta Environment appointed a Hazardous Waste Management Committee on September 14, 1979. It was composed of three civil servants and three members of the public, one of whom was Harris. The committee’s task was to classify materials of concern, including who produced them and where they were being produced. The results were compiled into a report on Hazardous Waste Management in Alberta. It recommended that an integrated waste treatment system be established in Alberta with the Alberta Government playing a leadership role in the program. Harris’ main contribution was the section entitled “Concepts of Hazards, Toxicity and Risk”, focusing on the assessment of risks. In order to study successful hazardous waste management facilities, the committee visited plants all over Europe. Public talks were held throughout the Province of Alberta, mostly by Harris, to educate the people in hopes of finding a host for the proposed treatment facility. Ryley and Swan Hills were publicly accepted by their communities to host the treatment facility. Swan Hills was chosen as the location and on December 31, 1985 Harris resigned from the committee.
Published
The President’s Advisory Committee on Campus Review (PACCR) subseries contains fifteen files connected to the committee. Materials are arranged by subjects and date predominantly from 1980 to 1990. It includes outlying data from 1973 and retrospective letters from 2008 and 2009. Subject matter highlighted include correspondence within PACCR, talks on Campus Reviews, an article titled “Systematic Reviews of University Programs and Units”, workload information and PACCR Reports. This subseries contains document types such as correspondence, index cards, reports, minutes of meetings, notes, articles, compiled data, and a binder of research data. Also see Archives accession 2012-27-6 “Submissions to the Millennium Project” and 2012-27-7 “Three Minicareers” for Harris’ personal reflections on his activities with PACCR.
The President’s Advisory Committee on Campus Review (PACCR), briefly named President’s Advisory Committee on Academic Review (PACAR), was a steering committee intended to organize reviews of academic and service units. President Horowitz appointed WE Harris as Chairman of the Committee in 1980, subsequent to his retirement from the Department of Chemistry. The steering committee members were: Dr F Enns, Dr H Kreisel, WH Jopling and Dr W Harris. The committee’s initial responsibility was to plan how to conduct reviews and determine the review process. PACCR’s goal was to find areas of improvement and create a plan that would implement bettering changes through the university. It was a committee with little authority but managed to review units through a process of volunteering, negotiations or arrangement. Each unit under review formed a Unit Review Committee (URC) to keep dialogue with PACCR and to perform the self study. Each URC was made up of four members; two external to the university from the discipline being reviewed, one internal member from a related discipline and one internal member from the university. The final review was composed of a self study report, nominations of reviewers and an on-site review by a review team, a confidential reviewers report, URC’s response to this report and follow up documentation. PACCR summarized the findings and proposed changes and subsequently met with the head of the unit and Dean of the department for discussion. After the follow up, the committee would meet and provide the President with its confidential report. Overall, the PACCR performed reviews on 127 units, ending in 1990 with the tenth annual review.