Independent by design.
Based in British Columbia and working across Canada and internationally, where construction, environment and stewardship meet.
Practitioners first.
Oilpaw Environmental Services Inc. began in 2013 designing hydrocarbon leak detection and flange containment for pipelines and refineries. Today we bring that engineering, environmental and construction experience to the review and delivery of major projects — linear infrastructure and single sites alike, from pipelines and transmission lines to mines, quarries, wharves and solar and wind farms.
We work for those who need to understand a project as well as the people building it: stewardship organizations and rights holders, owners seeking an independent view, and partners who want decisions that will stand up to scrutiny. Our tools — RiskReady® among them — were built on live projects, under real schedules, and refined with the people who use them.
Jonathan Weselake, MSc
Jonathan has built quantitative models and presented them to senior management and C-suite leaders since 2008, first as founder of Covertmetrics Inc., where he developed the original RiskReady® protocol, and its EcologyMetrics GIS practice. He founded Oilpaw Environmental Services Inc. in 2013, designing and installing hydrocarbon leak detection and flange containment for pipeline operators and refineries, and merged Covertmetrics into Oilpaw in 2023. He now leads Oilpaw's environmental, construction-risk and stewardship advisory work and the RiskReady® family of decision tools.
Loriena Melnick, MA
Loriena brings more than 15 years in Indigenous relations, consultation and regulatory permitting. At Fisheries and Oceans Canada she managed Indigenous relations for the Fish and Fish Habitat Protection Program, designed consultation protocol agreements with Indigenous Nations and led Indigenous consultation on major projects including the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline. She has also managed Oceans Protection Plan work for the First Nations Fisheries Council of BC, built BC Ferries' first corporate Indigenous relations strategy, and led Crown and Indigenous relations for a First Nations-led pipeline monitoring program.
She advises on Fisheries Act authorizations, consultation and co-management agreements, the consideration of Indigenous Knowledge in regulatory decisions, and Indigenous relations training. She holds an MA in Native Studies (University of Alberta) and a Bachelor of Environmental Studies (University of Manitoba), and received DFO Distinction Awards in 2018 and 2024.
Independence
Our advice follows the evidence. We say what a plan is missing, and we say when an option is sound.
Rigour you can inspect
Definitions, calculations and sources are written down, so our clients and their counterparts can test every conclusion.
Respect for the land and its people
Cultural and environmental values are treated as design inputs, not as constraints to be managed after the fact.
One complete picture
Every discipline's view is assembled into a single decision model, so teams align before the project is presented — not after.
- Senior attention. A principal leads every engagement from scoping to final report.
- Plain language. Executive summaries that a board or council can act on, with the technical detail behind them.
- Traceable work. Every assessment carries its sources, revision history and assumptions.
- Confidentiality. Client information and culturally sensitive material are handled with care and shared only as agreed.
Have a project that needs an independent view?
We take on a limited number of engagements so that a senior practitioner leads every one. Tell us about your project and timelines.