Like our staff, our board of directors has shown a long-term commitment to our foundation and to the environment. Three of our eleven current directors have been with us since our inception, and three others have been with us for 10 years or more. Our past directors also remained with us for many, many terms.

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Patricia Adams, Acting Chair, President and Treasurer
Patricia Adams is an economist and the Executive Director of Probe International, an independent think-tank and watchdog over the environmental consequences of Canadian government and corporate activities around the world. Her books include In the Name of Progress: The Underside of Foreign Aid, (Doubleday 1985), and Odious Debts: Loose Lending, Corruption and the Third World”s Environmental Legacy (Earthscan 1991). Pat also edited the English language translation of Yangtze! Yangtze!, a critique by Chinese experts of the Three Gorges.

Before coming to Probe International, Pat worked on a variety of development projects for the International Development Research Centre and Acres International. She has taught economics in Jamaica, advised the World Council of Churches” energy program, and Chaired the Nairobi-based Environment Liaison Centre, a coalition of 300 environmental and citizens’ groups from around the world. She is a co-founder of the International Rivers Network and the World Rainforest Movement, and is an associate editor of the British magazine, The Ecologist.

Max Allen
Max Allen is a producer for CBC Radio’s program, Ideas. He is also the co-founder and curator of the Textile Museum of Canada.

Dr. Ann Cavoukian
Executive Director of the Privacy and Big Data Institute at Ryerson University. Recognized as one of the leading privacy experts in the world, Dr. Cavoukian is an avowed believer in the role that technology can play in protecting privacy. Her ground-breaking 1995 paper, Privacy-Enhancing Technologies: The Path to Anonymity, laid the foundation for her magnum opus, Privacy by Design (PbD) – which is now recognized as the world’s gold standard in privacy protection. Dr. Cavoukian is well known for her former role as Ontario’s longest serving Information and Privacy Commissioner.

David Cayley
A Toronto-based Canadian writer and broadcaster, who was a friend of Ivan Illich. His work airs on CBC Radio One’s program Ideas.

Glenn Fox
Glenn Fox is an agricultural and natural resource economist. He received an undergraduate degree in agriculture in 1977 and a Master of Science in agricultural economics in 1979, both from the University of Guelph. He completed a PhD in agricultural economics and economics in 1985 at the University of Minnesota. He has taught at the University of Western Ontario and since 1985 has been a member of the faculty in the Department of Food, Agricultural and Resource Economics at the University of Guelph. Mr. Fox’s teaching and research interests include the economics of property rights and environmental stewardship and economic methodology. He is a student of the Austrian school in economics, established by Carl Menger at the University of Vienna in the late 19th century.

Gail Regan

Gail Regan is treasurer of Cara Holdings Ltd. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, a Certificate in Education from the Ontario College of Education, and from the University of Toronto: an MA in Educational Theory, a PhD in Educational Theory, and a Master of Business Administration in Marketing and Finance. From 1972 to 1982, Ms. Regan was an assistant professor and lecturer at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Education. She is a past chair of Women’s College Hospital and Women’s College Hospital Foundation and still serves on the Women’s College Council.

George Tomko
Dr. George Tomko was recently appointed to the post of Expert-in-Residence in IPSI at the University of Toronto. Dr. Tomko is best known for having invented the privacy-enhancing technology called “Biometric Encryption,” as well as “Anonymous Database,” both of which were the subject of numerous patents in the 1990’s. Later he invented “SmartData,” and is presently working on developing Smart Intelligent Agents. Dr. Tomko served for three years as the Chairman of Photonics Research Ontario, one of four Ontario Centres of Excellence, comprising of researchers from across Ontario universities and research institutes, with the mandate to develop optical and photon-based technologies. Dr. Tomko holds a Ph.D. in Neuroscience, obtained from the University of Toronto. He graduated with a B.A.Sc. in Engineering Physics, and an M.A.Sc. in Electrical Engineering. After his Ph.D., he went on to complete an Executive MBA. He has held a number of executive positions including: Vice-president & General Manager of Chubb Security in Canada; Vice President of Marketing at Sentrol Systems, a process control company; and Director of Neurotoxicology at Bio-Research Laboratories, a toxicology testing laboratory for pharmaceuticals and chemicals.

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Notable Past Board Members

Andrew Roman
Director, 1980-2022

Andrew Roman was an original board member of our foundation. He was the only Pollution Probe Foundation board member to join Energy Probe after Energy Probe became incorporated.

Andrew Roman is retired from a successful law practice spanning 45 years. He has practiced administrative law at all levels of court, including the Supreme Court of Canada, and has appeared in courts and administrative tribunals in all the Canadian provinces and territories. His practice has included advising and representing professional regulatory tribunals, both for the tribunals and for members subject to disciplinary proceedings. Mr. Roman is the author of more than 90 publications, including reports, articles, monographs and a book. His writings have been cited in judgments of the Supreme Court of Canada. He has taught administrative law and advocacy as an adjunct faculty member at four law schools.

Ian Gray
Director, 2001-2021

Ian Gray is the former president of St. Lawrence Starch Co. Ltd., which owned and operated St. Lawrence Grains. Mr. Gray holds a Master of Business Administration in Agricultural Economics from the University of Guelph.

Clifford Orwin
Director, 1999-2019

Clifford Orwin has been a professor of political science at the University of Toronto for more than 25 years. Mr. Orwin has published dozens of articles and chapters on a range of topics—anywhere from ancient and modern political thought to current political issues such as humanitarianism and religion in contemporary politics. Mr. Orwin is a regular contributor to the National Post, The Globe and Mail and other periodicals. His work has been translated into French, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, and Hebrew. Mr. Orwin received his MA and PhD from Harvard University and his BA from Cornell University. He has taught as a visitor at Harvard, the University of Chicago, and Michigan State University. He has also held positions at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, Paris, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and the Universidade Catolica Portuguesa, Lisbon. He has served on the Panel on Political Science at the National Endowment for the Humanities in Washington. He is the recipient of three NEH Fellowships, the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Distinguished Teaching Award and a St. Michael’s College Teacher of the Year Award.

Thomas R. Berger

Director, 1985-1988

Thomas R. Berger is a prominent legal voice in Canada, often defending minority and aboriginal rights. Mr. Berger has played a vital role in protecting aboriginal lands and ensuring their rights were included in the new Canadian Constitution. He served as a Justice of the Supreme Court of BC from 1971 – 1983. He has held positions as the Chairman of the Royal Commission on Family and Children’s Law, BC, Commissioner of the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline Inquiry and Inquiry on Indian and Health Consultation for the Government of Canada. He served as Deputy Chairman of the World Bank’s Sardar Sarovar Commission in India. He is also the author of a number of books. Mr Berger holds honorary degrees from 13 universities, and received the Order of Canada in 1990. In 1992 he was made a Freeman of the City of Vancouver.

Arthur Bielfeld
Chairman of the Board, 1982-1986
Director, 1981-1990

Rabbi Arthur Bielfeld served on the EPRF Board of Directors from 1981 to 1990, and was Chairman of the Board from 1982 to 1986. Born in the United States, Rabbi Bielfeld was ordained in 1964 and emigrated to Canada in 1967. He is a founding member and continuing Executive Board Member of the Leo Baeck School, a former member of the Executive Board for the North York Mayor’s Committee on Community Race & Ethnic Relations, past Chairman of Canadian Council of Reform Rabbis, and a former member of the Executive Board of the Central Conference of American Rabbis. Rabbi Bielfeld has been with the Temple Emanu-El in Toronto since 1967. Served as director from 1981 to 1990, and was Chairman of the Board from 1982 to 1986.

David Bronfman
Director, 1998-2001

David Bronfman is a prominent activist and writer. He’s the co-author of the vegetarian cookbook, Calciyum: Delicious Calcium-Rich Dairy-Free Vegetarian Recipes.

George Connell
Director, 2002-2008

President Emeritus Connell served as a University of Toronto professor and administrator for 20 years before his tenure as president from 1984 to 1990. He also served as president of the University of Western Ontario from 1977 to 1984. He is currently a senior policy adviser with the Canada Foundation for Innovation and past chair of the Protein Engineering Network of Centres of Excellence and the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy. He is also a director of Allelix Biopharmaceuticals Inc., a member of the Ontario Press Council, and a trustee of the McLaughlin Foundation.

Andrew Coyne
Director, 2001-2021

Andrew Coyne is one of the leading voices and opinions on the current state of Canadian politics and issues. As national affairs columnist of the National Post, Mr. Coyne is on the front line of the major debates raging in Canadian society. Mr. Coyne received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and History from Trinity College, University of Toronto, and a Masters in Economics from the London School of Economics. He has been an editorial writer and columnist for the Financial Post, The Globe and Mail, and the National Post. In addition, he is a frequent commentator on television and radio. Mr. Coyne has been nominated for four National Newspaper Awards, winning twice. He is also a past recipient of the Hyman Solomon Award for Excellence in Public Policy Journalism.

Wendy Dobson
Director, 1981-1983

Wendy Dobson is a former president of the CD Howe Institute and associate deputy minister of finance in Ottawa. Ms. Dobson is currently the Director of the Institute for International Business with the Joseph L. Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto. She is also the editor of numerous books, including Fiscal Frameworks and Financial Systems in East Asia: How much do they matter? and East Asian Capitalism: Diversity and Dynamism.

Georges Erasmus
Director, 1988-1998

Georges Erasmus is perhaps most widely recognized for his role as Chairman of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, he was also chair of the University of Canada North (1971-1975), president of the Indian Brotherhood of Northwest Territories (later the Dene Nation), and elected National Chief for the Assembly of First Nations in 1985. In addition to these achievements, Georges Erasmus has been the Canadian delegate to such international conferences as the World Council of Indigenous Peoples.

Parker Gallant
Director, 2010-2012
Parker Gallant is a retired banker whose 33 year career with the TD bank included lending positions in the domestic market and many years in international banking where he had responsibility as VP for both trade finance and correspondent banking relationships. Between stints with the domestic and international parts of the TD, Parker spent several years with the Canadian subsidiary of a UK trade finance lender where he gained much of his knowledge on trade finance. During his time with TD Parker served a term as Chairman of the Canadian Bankers Association’s Trade Finance Committee interacting with EDC, the Canadian Exporters Association and the Trade Ministry.

Parker’s retirement allows him to spend time researching the energy sector and apply his banker’s common sense to analyzing the sector’s approach to the production, transmission and distribution of electricity to Ontario’s consumers. Parker is a regular contributor to the Financial Post on matters related to the energy sector.

John F. Helliwell
Director, 1992-1994

John F. Helliwell is internationally-recognized economist and one of the pioneers in incorporating the idea of well-being into economic models. Mr. Helliwell often questions how economic movements and social capital affect the well-being of citizens. Mr. Helliwell is Arthur J.E. Child Foundation Fellow of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research and co-director (with George Akerlof) of CIFAR’s program on “Social Interactions, Identity and Well-Being”. He is also Professor Emeritus of Economics at the University of British Columbia, a member of the National Statistics Council and a Research Associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research. He’s held a number of advisor and teaching positions at universities, think-tanks and governments around the globe. He’s also won dozens of awards for his work and published a number of books, articles and editorials. Mr. Helliwell studied at Oxford, where he was a Rhodes Scholar, and at the University of British Columbia, where he is an Emeritus Professor of Economics.

Ken Hare
Director, 1981-1982

Kenneth Hare was a pre-eminent climatologist, environmentalist and meteorologist. Throughout his career, Mr. Hare sought to protect the natural environment through serving on commissions and committees on acid rain, desertification, heavy metals, nuclear reactors and waste products, ozone, greenhouse gases and climate change. Mr. Hare held a number of prestigious posts at both prestigious Canadian and international universities. He was a professor and dean of arts and science at McGill University, master of Birkbeck College at the University of London, president of the University of British Columbia, Chancellor at Trent University, and professor at the University of Toronto. He also chaired the national Climate Program Planning Board. Mr. Hare was born in Wiltshire, England and moved to Canada in 1945. He later earned a PhD as an arctic climatologist. He died on September 3, 2002.

George Ignatieff
Director, 1981-1987

Few Canadians symbolize the nation’s outstanding international reputation and service better than George Ignatieff. He enjoyed a long, distinguished career in international service – representing Canada for decades in number of countries and for a variety of organizations. After joining the Department of External Affairs in 1940, Mr. Ignatieff went on to hold a number of posts, including: Canadian ambassador for the UN, President of the Security Council, ambassador to Yugoslavia, permanent representative to NATO and disarmament ambassador. He was also provost of Trinity College, University of Toronto, chancellor of U of T and lecturer at Queen’s University. Mr. Ignatieff was born in Saint Petersburg, Russia on December 16, 1913. He obtained a Rhodes Scholarship to study at Oxford University in the UK. He was made a Companion of the Order of Canada in 1973.

Jane Jacobs
Director, 1981-1997

Jane Jacobs was one of the foremost writers, activists and critics on city-planning and community-based initiatives. Her 1961 treatise On the Life and Death of Great American Cities has become one of the most influential works on the failings of inner-city life and the politics and business decisions behind urban issues. Her support of community-based activism has helped prevent the construction of highways, protect local neighborhoods and—in one case—resulted in the ousting of a New York City Parks Commissioner. Rather than relying on academic studies, Ms. Jacobs used her keen sense of observation and support of neighborhood initiatives to explain modern cities. She helped lay the foundation for local activism and community development long before they became common elements to urban life. Publishing nine books and dozens of articles, Ms. Jacobs was a leading voice for a new approach to city planning. Ms. Jacobs was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania in 1916 and later moved to New York City during the Great Depression. While living in New York City, she helped organize resistance to then Parks Commissioner Robert Moses’ plan for top-down neighborhood cleaning and highway building. In opposition to the Vietnam War, she moved her family to Toronto in 1968. She became a Canadian citizen in 1974 and lived in Toronto until her death on April 25th, 2006. “Whenever and wherever societies have flourished and prospered rather than stagnated and decayed, creative and workable cities have been at the core of the phenomenon… Decaying cities, declining economies, and mounting social troubles travel together,” she said. “The combination is not coincidental.”

Margaret Laurence
Director, 1982-1987

Margaret Laurence was one of the eminent voices in both Canadian literature and activism. While she is remembered most for her internationally-acclaimed novels, Ms. Laurence spent the last decade of her life writing and speaking on issues such as nuclear disarmament, the environment, literacy and other issues. Her vision and compassion continues to be carried out through organizations such as Energy Probe’s Margaret Laurence Fund and the Margaret Laurence Award for Excellence. After working as a reporter and editor in Winnipeg during the 1940s, Ms. Laurence moved to Africa where she began to focus her attention on writing fiction. After moving back to Canada in the 1950s, Laurence soon began publishing her critically acclaimed Manawaka books. In 1971 Ms. Laurence received the honour of being named a Companion of the Order of Canada. She later also received the Governor Generals Award and the Molson Prize for her fiction. She died on January 5, 1987.

David MacDonald
Director, 1984-1986

David MacDonald is a United Church of Canada minister and former Minister of Parliament. His career in politics began when he was elected to the Canadian House of Commons as a Progressive Conservative Member of Parliament. For the next 20 years, he would hold a number of high-level positions, including: Minister of Communications, Minister responsible for the Status of Women and Secretary of State for Canada. In between his political positions, he spent time working in Africa.

Lynn McDonald 
Director, 1981-1982

Lynn McDonald is a health activist, academic and former provincial politician. Ms. McDonald is a strong advocate for womens rights and environmental sociology. Ms. McDonald is a Professor of Sociology at the University of Guelph, Ontario where she directs the Collected Works of Florence Nightingale, a major project from which six volumes of a projected 16 have already been published. She has authored three books on sociological theory and has published a number of articles in academic journals. She has also had an outstanding political career, where she was a member of Parliament from 1982 to 1988 and former president of the National Action Committee on the Status of Women. She is currently working as a professor of sociology at the University of Guelph.

David Nowlan
Director, 1998-2009

David Nowlan’s work covered a variety of fields, including economic growth and technical change, development planning, transportation economics, urban and regional economics, land economics and the economics of regulation. His current research focuses on urban land-use and taxation issues, on metropolitan and regional growth, and the relationship between central cities and metropolitan regions, on transportation pricing and on the relationship between transportation and land use. Mr. Nolan served as vice-president of research. In a long and varied career, Nowlan acted as a consultant to governments at all levels—from the City of Toronto to the United Nations. He was also Tanzania’s senior transportation economist in the mid-1960s, a member of the Commonwealth Mission to Uganda in 1979, vice-chairman of the United Nation’s Expert Group on Landlocked Countries in the mid-1980s, a consultant to the Jamaican government on the structure of the University of the West Indies, and he has served as an adviser on many of Toronto’s city and metropolitan committees. He held degrees in engineering from Queen’s University, and in philosophy, politics and economics from Oxford, which he attended as a Rhodes Scholar. In 1965, Mr. Nowlan received his PhD in economics from the University of Toronto. In 1998, he received the Outstanding Teaching Award from the Faculty of Arts and Science.

Walter Pitman
Director, 1983-2000

Walter Pitman’s pivotal win in a 1961 by-election helped lay the foundation for the soon-to-be-formed New Democratic Party. Since then, Mr. Pitman has been a leading figure in both the Ontario and Toronto arts and academic scenes. Mr. Pitman has held posts as the Former Executive Director of the Ontario Arts Council, President of Ryerson Polytechnical Institute and Dean, Faculty of Arts & Sciences at Trent University. He has also been president of Canadian Civil Liberties and president of Canadian Association of Adult Education. He has an honorary doctorate from Trinity College, University of Toronto, and is an Officer, Order of Canada and member of the Order of Ontario.

John Sewell
Director, 1991

John Sewell is an influential voice in both the city of Toronto’s political and physical landscape. As a former mayor of Toronto and contributor to a number of city-based publications, Mr. Sewell has been a critic and leader in the development of Toronto for more than 30 years. After working as an alderman for the Toronto City Council from 1969 to 1978, Mr. Sewell was elected Mayor for a two year term. Throughout his time as both an alderman and as mayor, he was a strong advocate of city-based initiatives – including increased and affordable public transportation and a larger stock of public housing. He was also a leading defender of gay rights, long before the issue was taken up by other politicians in Toronto. Since leaving politics, he has been a regular contributor to a number of publications, including: The Globe and Mail, Now, Post City Magazine and Eye Weekly. He’s also the author of eight books. Mr. Sewell was born in Toronto in 1940, and raised in the Beaches area of the city. He received a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Toronto in 1961 and a law degree from the University of Toronto Law School in 1964. He was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2005.

David Suzuki
Director, 1988-1990

David Suzuki is considered by many to be the face of the environmental movement in Canada. He is the co-founder of the Suzuki Foundation, as well as an award-winning scientist, environmentalist and broadcaster. Mr. Suzuki has been explaining and discussing environmental issues for more than 30 years— and he’s currently the host of CBC’s popular show, The Nature of Things. He also held a post as a full professor at the University of British Columbia from 1969 until his retirement in 2001. He is now professor emeritus with UBC’s Sustainable Development Research Institute. He has received dozens of awards for his work, including the Roger Tory Peterson Award from Harvard University. He is also a Companion of the Order of Canada, and a member of the Order of British Columbia. Throughout his career he has received 20 honorary doctorates—from both domestic and international universities. Mr. Suzuki was born in Vancouver, BC in 1936. He graduated from Amherst College in 1958 and earned his PhD in Zoology from the University of Chicago in 1961. He is the author of more than 40 books.

Harry Swain
Director, 2004-2006

Harry Swain is a company director and management consultant. On leaving the Canadian federal government, where he had worked for 22 years, including eight as a deputy minister (Indian Affairs, Industry), he became CEO of Hambros Canada and a director of its UK merchant banking parent. When Hambros was bought by Société Générale, he stayed for the transition but left in September 1998 to found the Toronto office of Sussex Circle, a consultancy concentrating on strategic and financial advice for public and private sector clients. He is currently a director of Canadian Bank Note Limited, Canadian Geographic Enterprises, and several philanthropic organizations. Educated at UBC, Minnesota and Cambridge, he holds a doctorate in economic geography.

The Very Reverend Dr. Lois Wilson
Director, 1981-1987

Throughout her long and prestigious career, the Very Reverend Dr. Lois Wilson has been an ardent champion of human rights and religious understand. Whether she’s been working for the United Church of Canada or the Canadian government, Ms. Wilson has always been a strong advocate for the promotion of social justice and defender of human rights. But she has also been an exemplary role model – opening doors of opportunity for future generations of women. She was the first woman to be President of the Canadian Council of Churches, as well as the first woman to be Moderator of the United Church of Canada. She is also the first Canadian to be the President of the World Council of Churches and the first woman to be Chancellor of Lakehead University. Ms. Wilson was ordained a United Church minister in 1965. As President of both the Canadian and World Council of Churches, she continually visited churches in Asia, Latin America, India and Africa. She monitored elections in El Salvador and Mexico – developing a strong connection and compassion for citizens of the developing world. She became an active leader in Amnesty International and with the Canadian Institute for International Peace and Security. She has also served as Chair of the Board of the International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development. In 1998, she was appointed to the Senate of Canada, where she served as an Independent member until her retirement in 2002 at the age of 75. In recognition of her outstanding work on both the domestic and international stage, Ms. Wilson has won a number of awards, including: the World Federalist Peace Prize, Canada’s Pearson Peace Medal, an Officer of the Order of Canada and promotion to the top rank of Companion. She is also a Member of the Order of Ontario.