Jennifer Pedersen

Job Description

I am an Environmental Construction Monitor. I go to construction sites to ensure they are completing their projects while following the rules and regulations for environmental protection. I inspect their fences, ensure their de-watering (water pumping) activities are clean and make recommendations to improve the site. I am also responsible for moving wildlife within the sites and ensuring all work is occurring when it should (ie. following timing windows set out by the ministry).

Relevant School Subjects

• Arts
• Science

Areas of Expertise

• Environment

Career Story

In high school, I knew I wanted to work in the biological field, but was unsure of what I wanted to do in that field. I took all the math and sciences needed to get into university. I completed a high school co-op at the University of Guelph working with a masters student working on snapping turtles and it confirmed that I wanted to go to Guelph for post-secondary education. I attended the University of Guelph for marine and freshwater biology. In my 3rd year I realized that I did not want to be a marine or fisheries biologist. I was more interested in conservation biology (how humans and then environment can work together). It was a little late to change my degree, but I added on a geography minor in environmental studies, which gave me the people and environment relationship I was looking for. It took two years to get a job in my field after graduation. I ended up working for the Federal Government for almost 4 years doing environmental work for the Department of National Defence. The work was not permanent, I worked through 5 contracts during that time. In 2013 I was recruited for a job working for a consulting firm working on environmental compliance while building wind farms around southern Ontario for two years. I had a brief hiatus from work to have my daughter and then was hired in 2016 by Natural Resource Solutions Inc. I worked on contract for three years as their data manager/field assistant and then became a permanent member of their staff in 2018 for Construction Monitoring.