Plenary Featuring

The Great Lakes Futures Roundtable is an informal bi-national community of individuals who have developed a Vision for the Great Lakes St. Lawrence region that suggests a new approach to achieving the goals we all seek; a robust ecosystem along with strong economic, social and cultural systems. Great Lakes governance will need to adapt in order to achieve the shifts that will be necessary to protect and sustain this vital community of communities.

About Rick Findlay

Rick Findlay is Director of the Water Programme of Pollution Probe, one of Canada's longest established non-profit environmental groups. Rick also leads the Ottawa office of Pollution Probe.

Rick joined Pollution Probe in 1998 after serving for six years as Chief of the Climate Change team with Environment Canada. His position previous to that was Director of the Ontario Round Table on Environment and Economy, where Rick developed a deep respect for the principles of sustainable development and a commitment to helping achieve it through the multi-sectoral process of creating a sustainable development strategy for the Province of Ontario.

Rick joined Environment Canada in 1977, where he was responsible for the project that created the widely replicated Blue Box recycling program and for activities in Canada concerning toxic pollution of the Niagara River in the 1980's.

Rick has over 30 years of experience in business, government and institutional positions, and now the non-government sector. His experience ranges from project engineering to policy development.

Rick is currently serving as a member of boards, task forces and advisory panels, including Member of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Water Network, one of the National Networks of Centres of Excellence.

Rick has a Bachelors of Applied Science degree (Chemical Engineering) from Queen's University at Kingston, Ontario, Canada.