Meet Our Members
Jim Hunt, Chair
Trent Conservation Coalition Source Protection Committee
Jim Hunt lives in Port Hope and has an office in Cobourg. He is a litigation lawyer who has appeared before the courts and tribunals in Ontario and Nova Scotia. He has been an instructor at the Bar Admission Course for the Law Society of Upper Canada and at George Brown College. He has served and continues to serve as a Tribunal Member for an Administrative Tribunal and as an Arbitrator. He has a wide range of experience in environmental matters working with the Ontario Water Resources Commission and the Ontario Ministry of the Environment in the 1960’s and 1970’s. He has a CET, a BA in Geography from the University of Western Ontario, a Law Degree and MBA from Dalhousie University. Jim has served on many committees and boards including the Planning Advisory Committee, Water Works Commissioner and later Councillor in the Town of Port Hope and on the Board for the Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority in the 1990’s until 2000. Jim provided legal representation at the Walkerton Inquiry.
Municipal Members
Lori Burtt
Municipal Representative
Lori is a lifelong resident of Asphodel-Norwood, where she, her husband and sons, have operated an excavating business for 32 years and are 5th generation maple syrup producers. The farm has been involved with local stewardship initiatives and best management practices and projects, sustaining and protecting vulnerable lands and waterways. Lori has served on several boards and committees over the past 3 decades, and is currently in her first term as Deputy Mayor for the Township of Asphodel-Norwood and Councillor for the County of Peterborough. Lori is currently involved with Economic Development, Agriculture Advisory, Federation of Agriculture, Cemetery and Library boards and committees.
Bonnie Clark
Municipal Representative
Bonnie is a lifelong resident of Otonabee-South Monaghan Township, where she and her husband live on a fourth-generation family farm and own and operate their own business. She has served several terms on municipal council since 1994, most recently as Councillor at Large for the Township of Otonabee-South Monaghan (2014 – present). She is also a past Chair of the Board for Otonabee Region Conservation Authority and presently is Chair of the Board for Peterborough Housing Corporation. Bonnie retired in 2012 after a long career as a registered nurse at the Peterborouh Regional Health Centre.
Cecil Ryall
Municipal Representative
Cecil is the Ward 3 Councillor with the Municipality of Highlands East.
George Offshack
Municipal Representative
George is a retired computer hardware engineer and has been the owner of Limerick Lake Lodge and Marina since 2006. He lived in the desert north of Los Angeles for 26 years where he became active in underground water rights during a drought in the late 1980s. George has been a member of the Crowe Valley C.A. Municipal Working Group for Source Water, President of the Bancroft and District Chamber of Commerce (2008-2010), Chair of the Board of the Regional Tourism Organization (Ontario’s Highlands, 2010-2012), and currently sits on the Waste Committee for Limerick Township. In June 2016, George was honored as Hastings County “Honorary Warden”.
Matthew Richmond
Municipal Representative
Matthew is the Environmental Manager for the Township of Stirling-Rawdon.
Rob Franklin
Municipal Representative
Rob has 21 years of experience in the planning field. He is currently serving as the Manager of Planning Services for the Town of Cobourg, where he has moved from Planner to Senior Planner and now Manager over the past 7 years. Rob was previously the Planner for the Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority (1996-2005). He has been involved with Planning and Environmental Planning with the City of Peterborough and Otonabee Region Conservation Authority as well as the Ministry of Environment, Peterborough District. Rob is a graduate of Trent University with a B.Sc., Joint Major in Geography and Environmental Sciences.
Commercial/Industrial Members
Cyndy Broughton
Recreation and Tourism Representative
Cyndy has been a professor at Fleming College, School of Environmental and Natural Resource Sciences (Frost Campus, Lindsay) for over 30 years. She primarily teaches courses in Ecology, Earth Sciences, Soils, and Watershed Management across a number of programs. Cyndy graduated from Fleming’s Geology program and worked in the field of mineral exploration before moving back to Lindsay. Passionate about supporting student success, she sits on the Frost Campus Mental Health Initiative and, along with her dog Terra, is a volunteer with the Therapy Dog program through St. John Ambulance. Cyndy and her family own a cottage lot with a managed forest in the Municipality of Trent Lakes. She serves as the water quality steward for White Lake through the Lake Partner Program. Cyndy strongly believes in the power of educating people on the importance of protecting our sources of water.
Faye Langmaid
Economic Development Representative
Faye’s career as a landscape architect and planner has been in municipal public practice. Faye’s involvement with business interests, the development community, BIAs and Board of Trade assists with her understanding of how economic development can support source water protection. Faye’s volunteer activities include assisting with the initiation and growth of the watershed based Little River Enhancement Group, Port Hope Waterfront and Trails and Parks, Recreation and Culture Committees along with other volunteer pursuits. Understanding where our drinking water comes from and ensuring its protection is fundamental.
Dave Workman
Industry Representative
Dave is a graduate of the University of Waterloo with a B.Sc. in Honours Applied Earth Sciences. He has detailed knowledge of the watersheds within the Trent Conservation Coalition Region as a result of completing numerous hydrogeological and geotechnical investigations in the past. Dave is currently a senior environmental specialist/hydrogeologist with GHD (formerly Geo-Logic) and is a professional geoscientist (P.Geo.).He believes that clean drinking water is a precious resource that must be protected.
Jessica Ferri
Aggregate / Mining
Jessica has a Bachelor of Urban and Regional Planning from Ryerson University and is a Registered Professional Planner and a member of the Ontario Professional Planners Institute. She is also a member of Ontario’s Stone, Sand and Gravel Association and sits on the Land Use Committee. When she is not supporting businesses ensure compliance with laws, rules and regulations respective to land use in Ontario, she is spending time with her young family and travelling around the world.
Bev Spencer
Agricultural Representative
Beverley has lived and worked on a successful dairy operation for the past 30 years and is also a Registered Practical Nurse. Beverley has been a 4-H Club leader, and past president of the Hastings County Junior Women’s Institute. The future of family farming is very important to Beverley and her family as her son is the 6th generation on the farm.
Glenn Milne
Agricultural Representative
Glenn is a dairy farm operator where he uses both conventional and organic practices. He recently graduated from the Advanced Agricultural Leadership Program doing special study into the delivery of environmental programs in Ontario. It was while on tour in New Zealand and Australia where he witnessed the effects of regulation, allocation, and ownership of water. Glenn believes that a co-operative effort of stewardship of our greatest natural resource is the best way to protect it for the future.
Bob Lake
Economic Development Representative
Bob was born and raised in the Kawartha region where he has sat on numerous boards, associations, committees, and charitable organizations. Most of his career was working with Ontario Hydro and Peterborough Utilities where he served as head of the Water/Electricity/Telecommunications Utility. Bob now operates a 193 acre farm along with his wife just outside of Peterborough.
Other Interests
Philip Niblett
Environmental Non-Government Representative
Rene Gagnon
Drinking Water Expert Representative
René Gagnon is the Manager of the City of Peterborough’s Class IV Drinking Water Treatment Plant, in addition to overseeing the operations of the Lakefield Drinking Water and Wastewater Treatment facilities. René is an Environmental Technologist/Technician and is a certified Class IV Drinking Water Treatment Operator. René is actively involved with the Otonabee-Peterborough Municipal working group and the Ontario Water Works Association Source Water Protection Committee and participates in source water protection with both organizations. René is passionate about delivering safe clean drinking water, and has been actively involved in leading edge source water characterization of the Otonabee river. Research has focused on endocrine disrupting compounds, pharmaceuticals, microbial genotyping, and more recently impact of treatment on microplastics in our source water.
Mike Gibbs
Public Urban Representative
Michael has a degree in Political Science from Wilfrid Laurier University and a post graduate diploma in Ecotourism Management from Fleming College. He has worked as a tour manager for watershed ecology field schools and study trips in Belize, a wilderness guide in northern Ontario and a program coordinator with Peterborough Green-Up. Currently Michael is the coordinator for the Lakeland Alliance, a collaborative initiative delivering a shoreline property owner outreach program throughout the Trent Conservation Coalition watershed. He lives in Peterborough with his family and is keen to represent the interests of urban populations throughout the region.
Terry Rees
Waterfront Landowner Representative
Terry is the Executive Director of the Federation of Ontario Cottagers’ Associations, and lives adjacent to the Otonabee River in downtown Peterborough. He has a long history working in the mining, and petroleum private sector, along with extensive experience in not-for-profit management. Terry is a Member of the Ontario Biodiversity Council, Stewardship Network of Ontario, and sits on numerous provincial committees related to water and private property issues.
Alexander Hukowich
Drinking Water Expert Representative
Dr. Hukowich is a retired Medical Officer of Health with decades of public health experience in many rural areas of Ontario, including Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit, Muskoka Health Unit and Algoma Public Health.
Alanna Boulton
Trent Severn Waterway Representative
Alanna is currently a Real Property Officer working for the Parks Canada Agency, at the Trent-Severn Waterway National Historic Site of Canada. She has been working for the federal waterway for over 18 years where she has gained valuable knowledge of the Trent and Severn River basins, which cover more than 18,000 square kilometers. She resides in Peterborough with her family.
Richard Straka
Public Rural Representative
Richard has worked in Municipal Planning for the City of Peterborough for 26 years. He has also worked with Resource Evaluation and Planning with the Province of Alberta and as a Lake Planner in Northern Ontario for M.N.R. Richard is a graduate of McMaster University with an Hon. B.A in Geography and offers his experience as a Planner toward policy development and ensures careful consideration is afforded to decisions affecting Source Protection.
First Nations
Kristin Muskratt
First Nation Youth Representative
Kristin Muskratt is an Indigenous youth from Curve Lake First Nation. Kristin works full-time with Green Communities Canada as the Youth for Water Coordinator. She also has a background working in administration with Curve Lake First Nation. She is an acting member of Sacred Water Circle, and Curve Lake First Nation’s Environment and Climate Change Committee. Kristin grew up on the water and has always felt drawn to it. Curve Lake First Nation is one of the many communities that have regular boil water advisories and has lead Kristin to her interest in water protection.
Tracey Taylor
Curve Lake First Nation Representative
Tracey is the Cultural Outreach Coordinator with the Curve Lake First Nation Cultural Centre and has a B.A. in Indigenous Studies with an emphasis in Indigenous Environmental Resources from Trent University. Tracey is an active member of the Curve Lake’s Rights and Resources, Environment & Climate Change and the Kinoomaage-Waapkong (Petroglyphs Park) Chief and Council appointed Committees. Tracey lives in the Curve Lake First Nation community and when she is not working loves to spend time with her family and six grandchildren.
Darla Blodgett
Hiawatha First Nation Representative
Liaison Officers
Bernie Mayer
Haliburton Kawartha Pine Ridge Public Health
Bernie has been the Environmental Health Manager with Haliburton Kawartha Pine Ridge District Health Unit since 2018, responsible for the safe drinking water, recreational water, health hazard, infection control, healthy environment and emergency management programs. Previously he was the Safe Water Program Manager for Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit (15 years) and York Region Public Health (12 years), member of International Joint Commission Centennial Water Quality Study Project May (2019), and has represented Health Units as a guest speaker at various venues internationally, provincially, and locally.
Rhonda Bateman
Lower Trent Conservation SPA
Rhonda recently joined Lower Trent Conservation as CAO after 14 years with the Sault Ste. Marie Region Conservation Authority (SSMRCA). Rhonda was the project manager for Drinking Water Source Protection for the SSMRCA before becoming the General Manager. A York University graduate with a B.Sc. in Geography. Rhonda began her natural resource career working for the Ministry of Natural Resources in Flood Forecasting and Warning and Emergency Response and continued in various forest management positions before moving to conservation authorities in 2004. Rhonda represents the five Source Protection Authorities (Kawartha-Haliburton, Otonabee-Peterborough, Ganaraska, Crowe Valley, and Lower Trent) on the Source Protection Committee.