Meet the Green Toronto Award judges for 2005
Andy Barrie is the host of Metro Morning on CBC Radio One in Toronto. He lives in the heart of downtown, walking home most days, breathing our air, walking our parks, admiring the tree thatwas planted as a sprout twenty-five years ago in front of his house and towers over it today. He knows it's not easy being green, but believes it is well worth the effort.
Mary Anne Brinckman is a keen environmentalist with interests in getting-the-message-out and gardening. She has been the editor of the Toronto enviroguide (now called Green Living) since 1999. She is also a garden designer, specializing in environmentally friendly gardens. Her gardens have been featured in magazines published in Canada as well as the United States. Mary Anne co-founded Gardening Life, and served as the publication's co-editor from 1996 to 1999.
Keir Brownstone, General Manager of Green$aver, was formerly managing director of Robin Kay Clothing, one of Canada's first environmental retailers. He has worked as marketing director for Oxfam Canada and volunteer chair of Windfall Clothing Services. Keir has an extensive background in the arts as a composer for film and television, and as a musician who has performed with the Parachute Club, Tom Cochrane, David Wilcox and others.
Paul Bubelis is the Executive Director of the Sustainability Network, an environmental support centre serving Ontario, the Prairies and the Atlantic, which he co-founded in 1997. Prior to his work here, he served as executive director of the Ontario Environment Network and spent five years at Environment Canada managing the community funding programs of the Ontario Region. He sits on the board of the Clean Air Partnership (Toronto Atmospheric Fund Foundation) and Earth Day Canada. Paul obtained a master's degree in science from the University of Toronto.
Richard Christie is the district-wide Coordinator of Environmental Education at the Toronto District School Board and co-chair of the board's Environment Committee. Prior to his current appointment, Richard was assistant coordinator of Outdoor and Environmental Education at the Scarborough Board of Education and site director of Hillside Outdoor Education School. Richard has taught elementary students of all ages. He is currently working on a graduate degree in Curriculum and Environmental Studies at the University of Toronto.
David Crane is an award-winning Canadian writer on economic, political and environmental issues. His column appears in a number of publications, including the Toronto Star. He is President of the Canada Project, a new national organization promoting what it means to be a Canadian and advancing national discussion on how to sustain Canada as an independent geopolitical entity. David has been awarded the Queen's Jubilee Medal for his contribution to Canadian life. He is currently writing a book about Canada's options for success in the global economy.
David Crombie is a Canadian politician, professor and consultant. He was a lecturer in politics and urban affairs at Ryerson Institute in the 1960s when he became involved in Toronto's urban reform movement. David was elected to Toronto's city council in 1970, and became Mayor of Toronto in 1972, ushering in a reform era inspired by thinkers such as Jane Jacobs. Under his leadership, council established plans to manage development, promoted public transit, opposed the construction of new highways in the city, and promoted community involvement in local government. After leaving City Hall in 1978, David moved to federal politics as a Progressive Conservative candidate and MP, then returned to urban affairs as head of the royal commission on the future of Toronto's waterfront. Throughout the 1990s, he served in various advisory capacities to city and provincial governments on urban issues. He now heads the Canadian Urban Institute and in 2004 was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada.
Marion Fraser is the Senior Policy Advisor to Ontario's Minister of Energy. With more than 25 years' experience in the energy field, she has held senior positions with Ontario Hydro and Enbridge Gas, as well as having worked as a consultant on energy and environmental matters. She has served on numerous boards of associations in the energy sector, including the Canadian Energy Efficiency Alliance, Toronto Atmospheric Fund, Ontario's Chapter of the Association of Energy Engineers and the Association of Energy Service Professionals.
Carla Grant is the Executive Director of the Ontario Forestry Association (OFA), a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering awareness and understanding of Ontario's forests. She also sits on the board of the Ontario Professional Foresters Foundation and several forestry-related committees. Carla holds a degree in Forestry and Environmental Management from the University of New Brunswick. In her position at the OFA she is an advocate for private land forestry and for the cause of forest education across the province. Carla is also responsible for co-ordination and fundraising for Ontario Forestry Association forest education programs aimed at youth. She travels extensively to promote the stewardship of forests.
Tyler Hamilton is a business reporter and technology columnist with the Toronto Star. He was previously technology reporter for the Globe and Mail and founding editor of a telecommunications trade journal in Toronto. Tyler also co-authored the business self-help book The Privacy Payoff with Ontario privacy commissioner Ann Cavoukian. As part of his day-to-day coverage of the technology market, Tyler has spent considerable time writing about clean technology or "cleantech" companies, as well as trends in the renewable energy market. His column Clean Break focuses on emerging trends, technology and investment opportunities in the clean technology.
Kevin Kavanagh started at World Wildlife Fund Canada 15 years ago with the Endangered Spaces Campaign, a conservation campaign that helped to double the size of Canada's parks and protected areas during the 1990s. In 2000, he became the director of Biodiversity Conservation Reporting and Field Support. This program managed the $1.5 million Conservation Science and Solutions Fund (CSSF) and produced the first edition of The Nature Audit, an assessment of Canada's performance across a variety of conservation issues. Kevin has recently taken on new responsibilities with WWF's Forests and Trade Program as Senior Advisor, Forest Conservation. A forest ecologist by training, Kevin has conducted research in the southeastern United States and throughout the Carolinian forests of southern Ontario.
Craig Kielburger first became a spokesperson for children's rights when he was 12 years old. Eager to take action to free children from such exploitation, Craig gathered a group of friends and founded the organization (Kids Can) Free the Children. Craig, 22, has travelled to more than 40 countries speaking out in defence of children's rights, advocating in meetings with major political and religious leaders. Craig's first book, Free the Children, has been translated into eight languages, and two manuals on social involvement that he and his brother Craig wrote are now used by tens of thousands of young people each year. Free the Children has grown into the world's largest network of children helping children. Hundreds of thousands of young people in more than 35 countries have become involved in its activities. Craig's work has been featured on major television programs throughout the western world.
Peter Kendall, President of the Schad Foundation, has been with the Foundation since its inception in 1997. He has been instrumental in the development of major projects including Earth Rangers and Niigon, a $23 million partnership with the Moose Deer Point First Nation to create a role model for sustainable development within an aboriginal community. Prior to joining the Schad Foundation, Peter was the vice president of Helios/Oceana Ltd., a leading systems integrator of computer systems. Peter has many years of experience working with youth as a teacher and a camp director.
Greg Kiessling is the president Up Capital. Prior to forming Up Capital in 2002, Greg spent 18 years in the private sector. His extensive business background includes being co-founder, chairman and CEO of Sitraka (originally KL Group), Canada's largest self-financed software company before being acquired by Quest Software in 2002. Greg is chairman of the development committee of the Regent Park Community Health Centre's Pathways to Education program and serves on the advisory board of the Trudeau Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Toronto. He is also a founding member of Emagine.
Kathy Kinnear has been involved in planning and development in the City of Toronto for 30 years. She worked for the City Planning Board during Mayor Crombie's tenure and was involved in community-based neighbourhood planning. After several years she moved to the City of Toronto Housing Department, where she worked on the Cityhome projects and private, non-profit/co-operative projects. In 1990, Kathy left the City to join a private development company where she spearheaded public and private developments. Kathy retired from active development in 2004, but she continues to devote time to professional committees through her membership in the Board of Trade and Lambda Alpha International.
Sonia Labatt has a doctorate in environmental studies in 1995 from the University of Toronto. Her field of studies examined corporate response patterns to environmental issues, a focus she maintains in her present research. Sonia is an associate faculty member at U of T's Institute for Environmental Studies, where she has initiated two graduate courses. In 2002 she co-authored "Environmental Finance: A Guide to Environmental Risk Assessment and Financial Products." Sonia has had an active record of public involvement, which included serving on the board of World Wildlife Fund, Canada and as a member of the Environmental Committee for the Toronto 2008 Olympic Bid.
Martin Liefhebber is an architect whose projects have emphasized community context and environmental conservation. His work on alternative building technologies has been recognized by the European Energy Agency, the International Congress of Industrial Designers and the Canadian architectural community. Perhaps most notable are his Toronto Healthy Houses, designed to be independent from municipal hard services. The Healthy Houses project was featured on a 1999 Canadian postage stamp in a series depicting the evolution of Canadian housing. Martin's work is on permanent display at the Ontario Science Museum and the Museum of Science and Technology in Ottawa (in the category of domestic innovation). He teaches energy systems at the University of Toronto and participates in several Toronto-based initiatives with a focus on quality of life and the environment.
Bruce Lourie is President of The Richard Ivey Foundation (Toronto). Previously, he worked as a management consultant for 15 years, starting with Price Waterhouse and most recently as Principal in the firm Summerhill Group. Bruce has undertaken a wide range of environmental management, research and policy projects for foundations, non-profit organizations, corporations and government. Bruce developed and managed the Laidlaw Foundation's Environment program for 10 years and has provided strategic consulting and advice to a number of foundations in Canada and the United States. He was the co-founder and first chair of the Canadian Environmental Grantmakers Network and is on the board of the New York-based Environmental Grantmakers Association. chairs the Board of Environmental Defence Canada and founded the Sustainability Network. Bruce is one of Canada's foremost experts on mercury pollution and has worked on energy efficiency, air quality and climate change issues.
Bob McDonald, host of Quirks & Quarks since 1992, is one of Canada's best known science journalists. His extensive background in science broadcasting includes documentaries for CBC Radio's Ideas series, location stories and investigative reports for CBC's As It Happens and Morningside. Bob has produced, written, and hosted over one hundred educational videos, written for the Globe and Mail, and before joining Quirks & Quarks. He is also a weekly science commentator on Newsworld Morning, and science correspondent for CBC TV's The National. In 2003, Bob was awarded an honourary Doctorate of Letters from the University of Guelph.
Mary McGrath is the Executive Director of Citizens' Environment Watch - an organization dedicated to ecological monitoring and environmental education. Her previous appointments include: program director at Environmental Defence Canada, where she was responsible for designing and implementing programs to enhance community 'right-to-know' about important environmental issues; and assistant manager of Environmental and Corporate Affairs at Lever Pond's (Unilever Canada Inc.). There she implemented employee environmental programs and managed corporate product donations. She has also worked in the area of environmental education for Plan International in West Africa.
Kevin McLaughlin is President of AutoShare, Toronto's smart alternative to owning a car. He has been active in developing urban environmental solutions for over 15 years, including co-founding Vancouver's Co-operative Auto Network and Evergreen, a national non-profit Bringing Nature Back to our Cities initiative. Kevin also helped to launch Vancouver Television. He lives in Toronto's Cabbagetown.
Joyce McLean is the Director of Strategic Issues at Toronto Hydro Corporation and most recently, the Director of Environmental Affairs at Toronto Hydro Energy Services. Joyce has a 25-year career in the environmental field. Her accomplishments include project manager for North America's first urban wind turbine at Exhibition Place; Ontario representative on the International Joint Commission's Great Lakes Water Quality Board; Great Lakes campaign director for Greenpeace International; and chair of the Board of Directors, Greenpeace Canada. In the past she has been a policy consultant and writer on environmental issues as well as serving as senior political advisor to two Ontario environment ministers.
Ken Ogilvie is the Executive Director of Pollution Probe, one of Canada's most respected environmental groups. He oversees many of the organization's active program including Air, Water, Energy, Climate Change, Mercury Reduction and Environmental Policy Development. Ken joined Pollution Probe in October 1995 after serving for almost two years as the executive co-ordinator of the Ontario Round Table on Environment and Economy. Prior to that, he was Manager of Policy Co-ordination for the Ontario Ministry of Environment and Energy. He has also worked for Environment Canada and the Manitoba Department of Environment. Ken has 25 years of experience in government, institutional and not-for-profit organizations, ranging from project engineering to policy development and public advocacy.
Shelley Petrie is the Executive Director of the Toronto Environmental Alliance (TEA), an organization dedicated to the protection and improvement of Toronto's environment by connecting residents to decisions made at City Hall. Having worked in the environmental movement for over 10 years, Shelley is also TEA's lead clean water campaigner and represents the City of Toronto on the Board of the Toronto Region Conservation Authority.
Wayne Roberts co-ordinator of the Toronto Food Policy Council, and co-chairs the city-wide staff team working with the Food and Hunger Action Committee. Prior to joining Toronto Public Health in 1999, Wayne helped launch the Labour Studies program at McMaster University and worked as assistant to the president of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union. He is the author of seven books, including the green economics primer Get A Life! and Real Food For a Change. His role as chair of the Coalition For A Green Economy led to his appointment as a member of the newly-amalgamated city's Environmental Task Force, which developed Toronto's Environmental Plan.
Rick Smith has been Executive Director of Environmental Defence since 2003. Prior to joining Environmental Defence, he was the Canadian Director of the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and served as Acting United Kingdom Director for IFAW in 2001. Rick received his Ph.D. in zoology in 1999 for his study of a unique and endangered subspecies of freshwater harbour seal in northern Québec. He has authored numerous articles in both the scientific and popular press on environmental and animal welfare issues. Originally from Montreal, Rick now lives in Toronto with his family.
Evan Solomon is the co-host of two weekly current affairs TV newsmagazine shows, CBC News: Sunday and CBC News: Sunday Night. He is also the host of HotType - a weekly show about print culture. In 2004 he won a Gemini Award for Best Host and Interviewer in a News and Information Series. Evan has hosted and produced many television shows, including FutureWorld, which won the 1998 Gemini Award for Best Lifestyle/Information Series. He has also hosted CBC Newsworld's ChangeMakers and the PBS series Masters of Technology. Evan is also the co-founder of the Ingenuity Project, which searches for practical, sustainable solutions to problems facing the world. He speaks regularly in Canada and the United States on issues of technology, sustainability, social change and culture.
Karen Sun is a dedicated environmentalist whose interests include urban ecology and sustainable community development. She holds a degree in Environmental Sciences and a Masters in Planning. Karen has worked and volunteered with environmental groups including the Federation of Ontario Naturalists and the Nature Conservancy of Canada. She has also worked for the City of Toronto's Urban Forestry Services. Karen currently sits on the Board of the Toronto Bay Initiative, is an active member of Planning Action, and works for Toronto and Region Conservation as planner for Humber Watershed Resources.
Kristyn Wong-Tam is a community organizer, social entrepreneur and real estate broker. She is the current president of the Chinese Canadian National Council, Toronto Chapter, and a founding member of the Church-Wellesley Village Business Improvement Area. Kristyn is also the owner of XEXE Gallery and Timothy's World Coffee on Church Street. She is the proud resident of a vibrant downtown Toronto neighbourhood.
Tim Woods is an Environmental Affairs Officer with Nestle Canada Inc. He was first given the environmental portfolio at Nestle in 1986 when the issue of limiting landfills, combined with highly visible litter, persuaded the general public that packaging materials were the main cause of landfill capacity shortfalls. At that time, Tim was heading Nestle Canada's Product Development and Packaging Services Departments. Prior to moving to the corporate office, he held senior management positions in manufacturing.
Eric Young has been at the vanguard of social marketing, a discipline focused on the development of strategies and campaigns to promote social change, for many years. He is the founder and president of EYE, an agency that works with government, corporate and voluntary organizations to address issues facing contemporary society. Eric has helped to launch campaigns for change and social innovation projects ranging from health, environmental sustainability and ethics in sport to citizen engagement, corporate social responsibility, community development and global humanitarian relief. He has written and lectured extensively throughout North America on the challenge of change, and the remaking of community in the 21st century.
Other judges participating in the awards program:
- Debby Beatty, Director of the Helen McCrea Peacock Foundation
- Andrew Bowerbank, Supervisor, Sustainable Development, Toronto & Region Conservation Authority
- Joe Lobko, Joe Lobko Architect Inc.
- Steven Peck, Executive Director, Green Roofs for Healthy Cities
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