Ian de la Roche, Ph.D. |
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President and Chief Executive Officer | ||
| Ian joined the forest sector in 1992, when he was appointed President of ForintekCanada Corp. He subsequently assumed the responsibilities of FERIC in 2004 and, more recently, of Paprican. In September 2006, he was appointed President and CEO of FPInnovations. This new institute, comprising FERIC, Forintek, and Paprican as divisions, also has oversight responsibility for the Canadian Forest Service Fibre Centre. This client focused, market driven research organization has the capacity to address technical issues along the full length of the value chain “from seed to market.” The four units of FPInnovations have a staff complement of approximately 675 and an annual operating budget in excess of $100 million, making it the world’s largest private forestry and forest products research institute.
Dr. de la Roche brings to the new institute more than 30 years of experience in research, strategic planning, and the creation of partnerships between government and industry. As part of his former functions, he played a prominent role in developing programs promoting the commercialization of new technologies and in developing major research and development initiatives involving industry, government and university partners. |
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Eric Hansen Ph.D, B.S. | ||
Professor | ||
| An Idaho native, Eric began working for Oregon State University in August 1994 and was promoted to Full Professor in the Department of Wood Science and Engineering in 2005. He is an adjunct member of the Management, Marketing and International Business Department in OSU’s College of Business.
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Jon Eakes | ||
TV Personality | ||
| In 1978, Bill Brown, the Canadian TV's original Mr. Chips, retired and given that there were not too many English speaking cabinet makers without German accents in Montreal, he got his chance in front of the CTV cameras to carry on the Coast to Coast Mr. Chips handyman TV show.
By mid 1980, he had quit his cabinet making and home renovation business to work full time, understanding Canadian houses, in order to share that information with Canadian homeowners and home builders. Although a good tradesman, he has become a master teacher. Today, through books, radio, TV, video, multi-media, cable and now the web, as well as months of personal appearances every year, he carries on that same task. He has published 5 books in the field and is the Canadian consultant to both the Reader's Digest and DK publishers. On TV, he has evolved from Mr. Chips (circa 1978), to You Can Do It (1980 +) to Renovation Zone (1986+) to the House Hot Line on Life Network (1996) and to Just Ask Jon Eakes, on HGTV Canada and the DIY Network in the US (1997 to 2005). As the TV networks have gotten lost in the entertainment aspects of Reality TV he has moved to the web at www.JonEakes.com combining print with both audio and video podcasting to develop the most in-depth home improvement site on the web concentrating on the serious details of renovation for both the homeowner and the professional renovator.He has discovered that project information is better disseminated through the medium of interactive DVD, where instant access to troublesome details can really get you through a project. He is preparing to launch his evolving DVD encyclopedia on Home Improvements based on his trademark of attending to the details that others skip.
For over 15 years he has participated and continues to participate on the Canadian Home Builder's Association's National Technical Research Committee, he has given courses to contractors for the Government of Canada's national housing agency, CMHC (Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation), as well as the Canadian Government's R-2000 energy-efficient home program, he provides contractor training for various manufacturers, as well as attend all kinds of conferences and meetings on specific and problematic topics. |  | |
Peter Woodbridge | ||
President, Woodbridge Associates Inc. | ||
| Peter Woodbridge is President of Woodbridge Associates Inc., an international forest industry consulting firm based in Vancouver. He has worked in the forest industry for over twenty-five years. In the mid-1990s, he directed forest industry strategy and market studies for Ernst & Young’s Forestry Practice in BC, before forming Woodbridge Associates Inc. In 2003, he carried a major study of value-added wood products market potential for Ontario’s Living Legacy Trust. In 2004, he was appointed by Ontario’s Minister of Forests to the province’s Council on Forest Sector Competitiveness. In 2005, he was appointed to the Pulp and Paper Industry Advisory Committee, and to the Wood Products Industry Advisory Committee of the BC Competition Council. During 2008, he and Don Roberts of CIBC World Markets carried out a comprehensive evaluation of growth opportunities for the New Brunswick forest sector – and their Task Force report has just been released. As a strong advocate of Canada’s forest sector’s growth potential – and a more rapid transition to advanced wood products manufacturing – Peter brings a wealth of international knowledge to today’s proceedings. |  | |
Bill Thornton | ||
Assistant Deputy Minister, Forests Division | ||
| Bill Thornton is the Assistant Deputy Minister for the Forests Division. As such, Bill is the executive lead for delivering sustainable forest management, forest licencing and effective fire management for the province of Ontario. Bill has held a number of positions within the Ontario Public Service over the last 17 years, starting as a field forester. He later held policy and planning positions in Northeastern Ontario and was assigned to the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines as the General Manager of the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation. Prior to his current position as Assistant Deputy Minister, Bill was a director for the Industry Relations Branch and for the Forest Management Branch. The two branches have unique responsibilities for several business areas that include but are not limited to wood allocation, measurement and pricing; timber licensing; economic analysis; international trade; provincial legislation policies; forest management planning direction affecting Ontario’s forests; lead responsibility for forest program evaluation; and providing expertise on provincial forest health and silviculture matters. Bill serves as a director with the Canadian Forestry Association, and Trustee on the Great Lakes Forest Alliance. He is a member of the Canadian Institute of Forestry and is a Registered Professional Forester. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Forestry from the University of New Brunswick and a Masters in Business Administration from Dalhousie University. |  | |
Hon. Donna Cansfield | ||
Minister of Natural Resources | ||
| Donna Cansfield was elected as MPP for Etobicoke Centre in 2003 and re-elected in 2007. In 2005, she was appointed Minister of Energy where she was instrumental in implementing the government's energy plan to build cleaner generation capacity, maximize Ontario's existing generation and transmission assets and create a culture of conservation. Cansfield also introduced Bill 21, the Energy Conservation Responsibility Act, which was passed by the legislature in February 2006. In 2006, Cansfield was appointed Minister of Transportation. She brought forward the "one person, one seatbelt" legislation and the Safer Roads for a Safer Ontario Act, which set new standards for road safety, with some of the toughest sanctions in Canada to target drinking and driving, stunt driving, and street racing. In May 2007, Cansfield held the first sustainable transportation conference, TransForum, to help create a transportation system that supports the needs of today while protecting our environment for future generations. Cansfield is a tireless contributor to services for communities, families and, in particular, children. Cansfield was a school trustee for 15 years. She was a member of the Etobicoke School Board and chair of the Toronto District School Board, president of the Ontario Public School Boards' Association, and vice-chair of the Toronto Foundation for Student Success. She also has national experience through her work as a board member for Learning for a Sustainable Future, director of Prime Mentors of Canada and as a past president of the Canadian School Board Association. Representing a riding with Canada's largest proportion of senior citizens, Cansfield has served as a director of a hospice and has been active in other health care efforts. She has continued to work with her constituents to recognize key social goals and formed partnerships to achieve them. Cansfield lives in Etobicoke with her husband Bill. They have two children, Jennie and D'Arcy, who live and work in Ontario. |  | |
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