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Presenter Team | Guest Presenters

PRESENTER TEAM

 

Bill Borland
Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Water Network

Getting to know Contaminated Properties
Business Perspective on Liability Relief

Bill graduated from UNB in Fredericton, New Brunswick in 1973 with a degree in Biology. He worked for a number of years with the New Brunswick Department of the Environment before spending ten years with New Brunswick Power as Manager of Environmental Planning, then 18 years as Director of Environmental Affairs for J. D. Irving Limited in Saint John, New Brunswick. Bill recently joined AMEC Earth and Environmental as Vice President, Canadian Federal Programs.

Bill is presently the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Water Network and also sits on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Rivers Institute and the Research and Productivity Council of New Brunswick. Bill has been appointed to both the Premier’s Round Table on Environment and the Economy in New Brunswick and the National Round Table on Environment and the Economy.

 

Julia Bray
Principal and Founder of Infoplexxus Inc.

Julia Bray is principal and founder of Infoplexxus Inc, a strategic environmental communications consultancy that is committed to helping communities and corporations create sustainable futures through decision-making based on clear, comprehensive information. Her initiation to brownfields occurred over a decade ago, when she provided communications services to Canada Lands Company for the redevelopment of the former CN Shops, in Moncton, N.B. Since then, she has worked with Atlantic PIRI, an Atlantic regional multi-stakeholder group for development of contaminated site management tools and policies and with municipal organizations and academic institutions, focusing on the social, economic, and environmental aspects of urban redevelopment, including brownfields. Her company is currently developing tools to help communities understand and take advantage of the economic development opportunities represented by brownfields and other underutilized urban sites.

 

Carole Chan
Associate, McInnes Cooper

Liability Issues with Brownfields

Carole Chan is an associate at McInnes Cooper (Moncton) and works primarily in the area of environmental law. This work involves advice on the provincial and federal environmental assessment processes as well as environmental permitting in the oil and mining sectors. Carole is developing a specialization in the areas of greenhouse gas emissions and renewable energy. She has also assisted in the preparation of draft model brownfield regulations for Atlantic Canada.

Carole is called to the bar in New Brunswick, Quebec and Ontario. She is a graduate of McGill University’s Faculty of Law and worked at the Hague Conference on Private International Law in the Netherlands prior to moving to Moncton.

 

Marc-Antoine Chiasson
Partner McInnes Cooper

Liability Issues with Brownfields

Michel Poirier,
Remediation Engineer
NB Environment, Stewardship Branch

Basic principles of managing environmental risks

Michel Poirier is from northern New Brunswick and in 1998, received his bachelor degree in Civil Engineering from the Université de Moncton. In 2002, Michel obtained his professional engineer designation which has facilitated his management of hundreds of contaminated sites with the New Brunswick Department of Environment for the past 7 years. Michel was an environmental inspector in the Bathurst regional office for 3 years and since 2003, is a remediation engineer with the Department’s central office in Fredericton. He is an active member of the Atlantic PIRI Committee working to harmonize Atlantic RBCA within the Atlantic Provinces. He is also working closely with his peers to advance the remediation program and to implement a brownfield redevelopment strategy in New Brunswick.

 

Michael Sprague,
Director, NB Environmental Technology and Innovation Branch

New Brunswick Liability Working Group

Michael Sprague joined the staff of the New Brunswick Department of the Environment after having graduated from UNB in 1977. Michael’s course work focused on things biological, in both aquatic and terrestrial settings. Over his thirty years with the Department he has worked in a wide variety of programs including Water Resources Management, Mine rehabilitation, Environmental Impact Assessment, and Regional Services.

In 1996, Michael was appointed Manager of Remediation Services and in 2000 moved to his position as Director of the Department’s Remediation Branch. In that role he was responsible for the management of contaminated sites including program development in areas of risk assessment, contaminated sites and brownfield redevelopment.

Six months ago Michael was appointed Director of the Environmental Technology and Innovation Branch. In this capacity Michael is responsible for identifying technologies which may be adopted or developed for use in New Brunswick as well as implementing a brownfield redevelopment program and streamlining the environmental management processes in use by the Department of Environment.

 

Guest Presenters

Noreen Barwise
President, Broker, Owner, Barwise Realty

Noreen has been a licensed REALTOR® since 1972, and Broker/Owner since 1981. A seasoned professional known for her no-nonsense approach to deal making, Noreen has a keen understanding of the regional investment market and various New Brunswick markets. Noreen has worked with a variety of clients and customers ranging from individuals to institutions. She has been successful in commercial sales, primarily in Fredericton, and has encountered almost every environmental problem known to man or woman! Barwise Realty has built an active commercial leasing business and has a catalogue of most available commercial space in the Fredericton and surrounding area. In addition, because of her extensive knowledge and experience in residential real estate, Noreen has earned an excellent reputation as one of Fredericton’s top realtors; she frequently acts as a Buyer's Agent for residential properties. Noreen maintains a professional involvement with local, provincial and national real estate associations and is active in community charitable and cultural organizations.

 

Brenda Collings, BBA, MBA, CA
Faculty of Business, UNBSJ

Brenda joined the Faculty of Business at UNBSJ in September of this year to teach Accounting. Brenda will discuss her experience with Brownfield development while she was Town Manager for the Town of Hampton, NB over the past 6 years. The experience began with an investigation regarding the opportunities and risks associated with Brownfield development in order to advise the Mayor and Council of the Town of Hampton. This process included the provincial and federal Departments of Environment, the Town’s insurance carrier, the property owners, adjacent property owners, the community at large, environmental and property consultants, legal advisors, and the N.B. Municipal Borrowing Board. The Town purchased land that was for many years operated as a gas service station, in order to develop a River Center. The land is adjacent to Town owned land that has been used as a public boat launch and a passive park, known as Lighthouse Park. The River Center is under construction and will be complete and operational before the end of the year. In addition, last year the Town purchased land from CN that is situated in the center of the Town in order to develop a Town Common for the community. The Town and CN had been negotiating on this property for more than a dozen years. The land had been in active use by the railway for many years and the track continues to be used. In addition to the risk associated with railway usage, there was a gas service station adjacent to this property until recently, when it was decommissioned.

 

Alex Forbes
City of Fredericton

Alex Forbes started his career with the City of Fredericton in 1991 as a planner and has held of number of senior planning positions over the years. In 1998, Alex was appointed the Assistant Director of Development Services and manages the Planning and Development Division. In this capacity, he facilitates development within the City and continues to oversee the monthly development applications to the Planning Advisory Committee and Council.

Alex received a Masters Degree in Business Administration from the University of New Brunswick in 1996. Prior to that he received a Masters Degree in Urban and Rural Planning from the Technical University of Nova Scotia in 1990.

Alex is very active in his professional planning association and was the Vice President of the Canadian Institute of Planners (CIP) in 2005/2006 and spent two years (2003-2005) representing Atlantic Canada at the national level. Prior to that, Alex was the President of the Atlantic Planners Institute from 2001-2003, President of the New Brunswick Association of Planners from 1998-2001 and Secretary of the Atlantic Planners Institute from 1994-1998.

In 2007, Alex was appointed a Director of the Provincial Capital Commission and has recently started to teach an urban planning course at the University of New Brunswick.

 

Maris Freimanis, P.Eng.
City Engineer, City of Bathurst, NB

Maris graduated from Memorial University in St, John’s, Newfoundland in 1976 with a Degree in Civil Engineering. He worked 11 years as a District Engineer with the Newfoundland Provincial Department of Transportation. For the past 20 years, Maris has been employed as Senior Engineer with the City of Bathurst Management Team.

Coupled with his responsibilities as City Engineer, Maris is also the Municipal Planning Officer and the Development Officer for the City of Bathurst. His experience over the last 20 years has been extremely diverse. His responsibilities cover a wide range of municipal operations including involvement in economic and business development.

Maris has a keen interest in moving Bathurst forward and this has been evidenced by the many improvements and developments that we see within the City of Bathurst. Maris has gained valuable experience in dealing with the development of brown fields and underutilized urban sites from both a developer’s and a seller’s perspective.

Maris continues to be actively involved in community development and is very willing to share his knowledge and experience in these areas.

 

Merrill A. Henderson
Deputy Mayor City of Moncton

Merrill Alfred Henderson was born on February 28, 1937 in Montague, Prince Edward Island. After obtaining his high school diploma, he went on to pursue several university courses, with a focus in Human Resources Management.

In 1956, Mr. Henderson began working with CN Rail. During his time with CN, he was the Manager of Employee Assistance Programs, and was responsible for the Maritime Region, Newfoundland, and the Eastern portion of Québec. In 1995, after almost 40 years of service, he retired from CN and worked for two years as Program Manager for Corporate Health Consultants.

Mr. Henderson is a member and Past President of the Moncton West and Riverview Rotary Club, Past President of Moncton Headstart, and is the past Chairman of the Moncton Headstart Foundation. He is a member of the Probus Club of Greater Moncton, and annual canvasser for the Friends of the Moncton Hospital Annual Appeal. He is also involved with Neighbourhood Watch.

Councillor Henderson was first elected to Moncton City Council in a by-election on October 4, 1999. On May 14, 2001, he was re-elected as Ward 2 Councillor. In May 2002, he was appointed Deputy Mayor by City Council. Mr. Henderson was elected to Councillor for the third time during the May 2004 election. He is currently chairman of the City of Moncton’s Finance Committee, and member of the City’s Water and Sewer Rates Review, Environment, Transportation, and Municipal Plan Review committees. He is also Board member of Moncton Industrial Development.

Mr. Henderson resides in Moncton with his wife Betty, to whom he has been married for more than 40 years. They have three children, and three grandchildren.

 

Mark Ramsay
Mayor of Campbellton NB

Mark Ramsay has served the community of Campbellton as an elected councillor since 1999, and as Mayor since 2001, and is currently President of the Cities of NB Association. He has training and background in the hospitality industry, and is currently the manager of Larry’s Gulch, a "rustic" lodge maintained by the Provincial Government, which is well-known as an exclusive resort/get away for politicians and friends of the government in office. He has worked in several communities in New Brunswick, as well as western Canada.

Mark is actively involved in hunting, canoeing, volunteer for fund raising events and community participation.

 

Kevin Silliker
Economic Development Officer, City of Moncton

Kevin has a decade of experience in community development, human resource management and project planning. His development initiatives include affordable housing projects, modified single-family dwellings and retail commercial developments. He is a member of the Economic Developers Association of Canada and is committed to progressing Moncton’s Downtown Development Vision. Kevin sees his role as being vital to connecting builders and developers to the municipality.

Kevin graduated from St. Mary’s University where he studied Psychology and Economics and later went on to complete the MBA program at Université de Moncton. Through his community development activism, he continues to participate on several boards and volunteers with local not-for-profit agencies.

 

Brad Woodside
Mayor of Fredericton NB

Mayor Brad Woodside is the longest-serving mayor in the history of Fredericton. First elected to City Council in 1981, and as Mayor in 1986, in May 2004 he was re-elected to his record sixth term as Mayor.

Mayor Woodside is an award-winning public speaker and a former radio talk show host.

Mayor Woodside is the founding Chairman of the “Try Hugs, Not Drugs” Huggie Project of the Nashwaaksis Lions Club, a drug awareness program for young children. Currently, he is actively involved with Portage New Brunswick, a residential program providing long-term residential treatment for youth with drug dependencies.

 

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