Blue Heron Environmental (BHE), an environmental consulting company based in Timmins and Sudbury, Ontario, is expanding its operations into northwestern Ontario.

Founded by Linda Byron in 2004, the company has already established itself in the mining industry, but it is now diversifying its services across various sectors and regions in the province.

“Historically, our focus has been on mining, and many of our staff come from that industry,” Byron said. “But we’ve grown to 43 employees, and with new hires from different parts of the province and different industries, our skill set has expanded.”

And now with an extended footprint across the province, the company has increased its reach, Byron said.

“We’re not just in Timmins anymore — we have a presence in Thunder Bay, Sudbury, Sault Ste. Marie, Red Lake, and we’re doing more than just mining work. We’re involved in environmental components of construction, dam and bridge work, mineral exploration, industrial remediation and even aggregate pits.”

But this isn’t your typical environmental consultant.

BHE distinguishes itself from standard consulting firms by offering long-term support and integration with clients’ on-site teams.

“Standard consulting firms work on a specific project, and when the project is complete, they’re done.” Byron said. “But our approach is different —we very often become an extension of the clients’ corporate or on-site teams. We’re there for mentoring, training, and ongoing support, in addition to strategic planning for permitting or baseline studies, as well as fieldwork like water sampling and biological studies.”