Government Appoints New Members to the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy

OTTAWA, ONTARIO, May 19 (MARKET WIRE) --
Canada's Environment Minister, the Honourable Jim Prentice, today
announced appointments to the National Round Table on the Environment and
the Economy (NRTEE).

The appointments of Ms. Dianne Cunningham, Mr. John V. Hachey, Mr.
Franklin Holtforster and Ms. Leah C. Lawrence are for three years.

"These individuals bring with them a wealth of experience and expertise
that will greatly complement the work that the Round Table does," said
Minister Prentice. "Their understanding of the issues that NRTEE
addresses make them ideal choices to continue to explore the relationship
between the environment and the economy as they become increasingly
interlinked."

NRTEE's members are drawn from distinguished leaders in business and
labour, universities, environmental organizations, Aboriginal communities
and municipalities who offer different perspectives on issues of
environmental concern.

The roundtable undertakes research based on sound knowledge, advises
governments and stakeholders on key issues and promotes best practices on
sustainable development. Results of its research and discussions are
disseminated both nationally and internationally.

NRTEE

Biographies of new members

Dianne Cunningham

Former Province of Ontario Cabinet Minister

Director,

Lawrence National Centre for Policy and Management, and

Honorary Professor, Richard Ivey School of Business, the University of
Western Ontario, London.

Ms. Dianne Cunningham has over 30 years of experience in education and
government affairs. She is the former Ontario Minister of Training,
Colleges and Universities, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, and
Minister with Responsibility for Women's Issues. She chaired the Council
of Ministers of Education, and was the Member of Provincial Parliament
for the riding of London North Centre from 1988 to 2003. Between 1973 and
1988, she served as a School Board Trustee and Chairperson for the London
Board of Education.

As the Director of the Lawrence National Centre for Policy and
Management, Ms. Cunningham's extensive knowledge of both government and
education strengthens Richard Ivey School of Business' continuing
leadership position as one of the world's top business schools, and
builds upon its continuing efforts to further public policy research.

She is also a member of the Strategy Advisory Board of TD Insurance, a
member of the Board of Governors of the Canada School of Public Service,
Chair of the Ontario Neuro-Trauma Foundation, and Tri-Chair of the 2010
Special Olympics Canada, National Summer Games, London. Ms Cunningham
serves as Director of the London Community Foundation, and the London
Theatre Foundation, and is a member of the Southwest Ontario Economic
Assembly, and Junior Achievement, London and District. She is the
recipient of the YWCA Women of Distinction Award, and holds Honourary
Degrees and many other tributes, locally and nationally.

In December 2008, Ms. Cunningham presented at the Social Affairs
Committee of the National Assembly Workshop, as part of Canadian
International Development Agency's Policy Implementation Assistance
Project in Phan Thiet, Vietnam.

As an educator and business management consultant, Dianne Cunningham
continues to consult and speak in areas of public policy, organizational
change, and governance, both within Canada and internationally.

Mr. John V. Hachey

Mr. John V. Hachey had an extensive career in education between 1973 and
2002. His positions included Principal of the St. Monica, John XXIII and
St. John Bosco Elementary Schools, and Vice-Principal of the James Lyng
High School and Adult Education Centre.

His environmental work includes experience as a member of the Environment
Canada teams at the Conferences of the Parties 5 and 6. Between 1998 and
2001, Mr. Hachey served as the Honorary Co-Chair and President of the
Federation of Canadian Municipality's 20% Club and Partners for Climate
Protection. He was the Montreal City Councillor for District 7 (Lachine)
between 1989 and 2001.

Mr. Hachey has been a member of the Board of Directors of both the
Lakeshore General Hospital and the Lachine General Hospital in Montreal,
and was the founder and Director of the Quebec Student Debating
Association.

Mr. Hachey holds a Masters in Education from McGill University, as well
as a B.A in Education from St. Joseph's Teacher College and a B.A. in
Arts from Loyola University.

Franklin Holtforster

President and Chief Executive Officer,

MHPM Project Managers Inc.

Since founding MHPM Project Managers Inc. in 1989, Mr. Franklin
Holtforster has grown this facility project management company into 14
offices in Canada and the U.S., employing 200 professionals, and
established the firm's reputation as a trusted and objective leader of
facility projects.

Mr. Holtforster has broad experience in the construction industry as a
project manager, consulting engineer and contractor, delivering projects
for both private and public sector clients in Canada and abroad. Together
these have fostered a keen awareness of the opportunity to deliver
sustainable, cost-effective and technically sound built solutions. He
most recently supported the on-time, on budget delivery of the $178
million Richmond Olympic Oval that will host the long track speed skating
events at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. Other key projects include
procurement oversight for the design build Niagara Falls Convention and
Civic Centre project, and project management of the Downsview Site
Remediation of the former Downsview Air Base in northern Toronto.

Mr. Holtforster believes that a major contribution to environmental
sustainability can be achieved through improvements in building
performance. He has actively championed LEED (Leadership in Energy and
Environment Design) certification for buildings in more than 50 projects
across Canada, and encourages all professional staff to obtain LEED
Accredited Professional certification.

Leah C. Lawrence

Contributing Editor,

June Warren Publishing

Ms. Leah C. Lawrence has experience working with and for
multi-stakeholder Boards of Directors comprised of senior leaders from
government, business, research and non-profit communities in the
publishing and oil and gas industries.

From 1996 to 2000, she held positions of increasing responsibility at
TransCanada Pipelines, where she participated in the development,
negotiation and management of energy technology investment and greenhouse
gas emissions options contracts. Between 2001 and 2003, she was Senior
Vice President/Vice President with Climate Change Central, which was
established as the first non-profit public-private partnership on climate
change in Canada.

Between 2003 and 2005, Ms. Lawrence was the Founder and publisher of
Prairie Peaks News, a magazine covering energy, natural resources and
environmental issues in western Canada. From 2003 to 2006, she was the
Managing Director of Real Data Analysis Inc., a company that fosters
business strategy and development for new projects in the areas of energy
and sustainable business development, new technologies, and emissions
trading.

Subsequently, Ms. Lawrence became a Business Development Advisor with
Encana Oil & Gas Partnership from 2006 to 2008, before taking a research
sabbatical as a Contributing Editor with June Warren Publishing.

Ms. Lawrence is a member of the Board of Directors of the Calgary Chamber
of Commerce, an elected Council Member with the Association of
Professional Engineers, Geologists and Geophysicists of Alberta, and the
former Chair of the Hillhurst-Sunnyside Community Association's Community
Environment/Planning Committee.

(Egalement offert en francais)

Contacts:
Office of the Minister of the Environment
Frederic Baril
Press Secretary
819-997-1441

Environment Canada
Media Relations
819-934-8008
1-888-908-8008
www.ec.gc.ca

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