New board member brings wealth of experience on sustainability in public, private and not-for-profit sectors
Vancouver, B.C., October 13, 2020 – Clear Seas Centre for Responsible Marine Shipping is pleased to announce the appointment of Julie Gelfand, a distinguished fellow at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto, to the organization’s Board of Directors.
“Ms. Gelfand brings extensive knowledge and capability to Clear Seas especially with her professional background in environmental affairs and sustainable development,” says Bud Streeter, Clear Seas’ Chair of the Board of Directors. “Her wide ranging experience complements the range of expertise on our board including representatives from academia, ports, industry, and First Nations.”
Ms. Gelfand is the former federal Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development in the Office of the Auditor General of Canada. Ms. Gelfand led a historic collaborative audit on climate change with the provincial Auditors General as well as audits on subjects such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), toxic substances, biodiversity, and the federal oversight of industrial activities. She also worked with Auditors General from around the world to promote the SDGs.
Formerly, Ms. Gelfand was the Vice President of Environment and Social Responsibility at Rio Tinto, Iron Ore Company of Canada (IOC) where she was a member of the Executive Team. Before joining IOC, Ms. Gelfand was Vice President of Sustainable Development at the Mining Association of Canada (MAC) from 2008 to 2011 and President of Nature Canada from 1992 to 2008. At Nature Canada, she led campaigns to establish new National Parks and laws to protect nature (including the federal Species at Risk Act), and founded and chaired the Green Budget Coalition, an alliance of twenty-two national and environmental NGOs working to achieve ecological fiscal reform.
Ms. Gelfand has significant experience sitting on boards of directors of charitable organizations both nationally and internationally. She is fluent in English and French, is a certified coach and has an MBA from the University of Ottawa.
ABOUT CLEAR SEAS
Clear Seas is a not-for-profit independent research centre that provides impartial information on marine shipping in Canada to policy makers and the public. Its mandate is to initiate and interpret research, analyze policies, identify best practices, share information and facilitate dialogue. Clear Seas is funded by Transport Canada, Alberta Energy and the Port of Vancouver. In order to remain independent and impartial, Clear Seas operates at arm’s length from its funders. The organization’s research agenda is defined internally in response to current issues, reviewed by a research advisory committee, and approved by a board of directors. Clear Seas collaborates with Indigenous groups, stakeholders and experts to identify knowledge gaps, share results of existing studies, and facilitate new research to ensure decision makers have access to accurate, up-to-date information. All reports and findings are available in English and French at clearseas.org.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Edward Downing
Director of Communications
Tel.: (604) 408-1648 ext. 106 or cell (604) 817-3058
Edward.downing@clearseas.org