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Backgrounder

September 19, 2006

ADVISORY PANEL ON THE PROPOSED ONTARIO DRINKING WATER STEWARDSHIP PROGRAM

Al Lauzon, Chair
Dr. Al Lauzon is the past chair, board of directors of the Ontario Rural Council. He is a faculty member in the School of Environmental Design and Rural Development, University of Guelph where he teaches in the Capacity Development and Extension program.

Ron Bonnett
Ron Bonnett is currently serving his fourth term as president of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture. He became involved with the OFA in the mid-1980s and as the founding president of the Algoma Federation of Agriculture he helped Algoma farmers develop an effective farm voice. He is a former municipal councillor and reeve. He also headed up the local economic development organization and has chaired a waste management master planning committee.

Dale Cowan
Dale Cowan is former president /owner of Agri-Food Laboratories in Guelph and is now general manager for the same as a wholly owned subsidiary of AgriTrace International an Agri-Knowledge Group of Companies.  He is currently a director on the board of the Ontario Agri-Business Association, an association representing members of the feed manufacturing, crop inputs and grain sectors. Currently serving as vice chair of the Provincial Nutrient Management Advisory Committee, he also serves as chair of the Certified Crop Advisors program for Ontario under the direction of the American Society of Agronomy.

Carol Dillon
Carol Dillon is a rural resident of eastern Ontario with a long standing interest in watersheds and water issues.  She has successfully used Ontario's Environmental Bill of Rights to draw attention to needed changes in water management in Ontario.  She is currently co-chair of the community-based Friends of the Tay Watershed Association – an organization dedicated to the protection of watershed waters. 

John Maaskant
John Maaskant is director of the Chicken Farmers of Ontario representing Huron County, chair of the Ontario Farm Animal Council and co-chair of the Ontario Farm Environmental Coalition (OFEC). OFEC was formed in 1991 to provide a forum for agricultural organizations to act upon environmental issues that affect Ontario’s farmers. OFEC represents over 40 farm organizations in Ontario including livestock, poultry, cash crop, horticulture and general commodity groups.

Donald R.  Pearson
Donald Pearson has been the general manager of Conservation Ontario since June 2005, prior to which he served as the chief administrative officer for the County of Perth.  For more than two decades before that he was general manager of the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority. Under his leadership the authority earned a reputation for excellence and innovation in environmental management with emphasis on water quality, soil conservation, stewardship and community involvement programs.

Russ Powell
Russ Powell is a founding director of the Oak Ridges Moraine Foundation and currently sits as chair. He served previously as the executive director of the Association of Conservation Authorities of Ontario and general manager for the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority.  He is currently the chief administrative officer of the Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority. He was also a member of the Greenbelt Task Force and is currently a member of the Greenbelt Advisory Council. 

Ken Seiling
After two years as a councillor and seven years as Mayor of Woolwich Township, Ken Seiling was first elected by regional council as regional chair in 1985 and again in 1988, 1991, and 1994. In 1997, he became the first directly elected regional chair in Waterloo Region and was re-elected in 2000 and 2003. As regional chair, he has experience at both levels of municipal government and with many boards and commissions. Provincially, he sits on the Board of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO), and has served on many AMO groups and sub-committees.

Delbert (Deb) Shewfelt
Deb Shewfelt is a retired real estate broker and land developer. He served on Goderich Town Council for over 20 years, 15 of those years as mayor. He is a member of several boards and committees, a past president of the Goderich Kinsmen Club and past chair of the Ontario Municipal Water Association

Rick Smith, Ph.D.
Dr. Rick Smith has been the executive director of Environmental Defence since June 2003. Environmental Defence is a national charity dedicated to protecting the environment and human health.  Its work is concentrated in the areas of pollution prevention and water conservation; ensuring greener, better planned cities; and the protection of endangered species and their natural habitats. Between 1996 and 2002 he was Canadian director of the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and served as acting United Kingdom director for IFAW in 2001. He has authored numerous articles on environmental and animal welfare issues. He currently serves as a director of both the Greenbelt and Oak Ridges Moraine Foundations. 

Rob Walton, P. Eng
Mr. Walton has been the director of public works for the County of Oxford for the past four years.  Before this he was the manager of Water and Wastewater Services for 3 years. As director of public works, he is responsible for the oversight of water and wastewater, county roads, waste management and county owned facilities serving 100,000 county residents. He has been a co-manager of the Oxford County groundwater protection study and numerous groundwater protection pilot projects undertaken by the County.  Prior to his employment with the County, he worked as an engineering consultant for 14 years, specializing in drainage, water supply and sewage treatment at numerous municipalities in southwestern and northern Ontario. The majority of his work has been completed for small urban and rural municipalities. He is the chair of the Ontario Municipal Water Association for 2006/2007.  He is a member of the Advisory Council on Drinking Water Quality and Testing Standards.

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Contact information for media:
John Steele, (416) 314-6666 Ministry of the Environment Contact information for the general public: 416-325-4000 or 1-800-565-4923/ www.ene.gov.on.ca	Anne O’Hagan, (416) 325-5809 Minister’s Office