CAPI appoints new Directors

OTTAWA, June 29, 2010 — At its Annual General Meeting held in Winnipeg on June 3rd, CAPI confirmed the appointment of four new Directors to the Institute’s Board of Directors. The four Directors and their province of residence are: Rory Francis (Prince Edward Island), Peter Hannam (Ontario), Bob Jamieson (British Columbia), and Michel Saint-Pierre (Quebec). This brings the total number of Directors to 11. CAPI welcomes these new Directors and thanks two Directors who have stepped down from the Board in 2010, Mario Dumais and George Fleischmann.

Rory Francis is Executive Director of the Prince Edward Island BioAlliance, an organization tasked with empowering the growth and development of the province’s emerging bioscience cluster. Previously, he served as Deputy Minister for the provincial government’s departments of Health and Social Services (2000-2003), Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (1993-2000) and Environment (1991-1993). He worked as a Provincial Hydrogeologist and Director of Water Resources from 1979 to 1981. More recently he was appointed Co-Chair of the Commission on the Future of Agriculture and Agri-Food on Prince Edward Island. Mr. Francis is a member of Canadian BioAccord and a board member with the PEI Institute for Human Health Research. He serves on the Advisory Boards of the NRC Institute for Nutrisciences and Health, and the NRC Plant Biotechnology Institute.

Peter Hannam is a grain and seed producer near Guelph, Ontario and President of Woodrill Ltd., a crop supply and grain elevator business that serves the farming community in south-central Ontario. He founded Project SOY, a University of Guelph student innovation contest, was Chair of Soy 20/20 from 2002 to 2009 and President of First Line Seeds from 1982 to 2004. Mr. Hannam also served on the Executive Committee of the Canadian Soybean Export Association (1997-1999) and the Board of Directors of the Canadian Seed Trade Association (1993-2004). He established the Hannam Soybean Utilization Fund through a $1-million contribution to the University of Guelph to fund research on new soybean products ranging from human health to the environment. He was inducted into the Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame in 2006, and in 2007 received an Honorary Doctor of Science Degree from the University of Guelph.

Bob Jamieson is President of BioQuest International Consulting. He has managed a variety of projects for government, private companies, First Nations and agencies such as Bonneyville Power Corp. He is presently the Executive Director of Columbia Wetlands Stewardship Partners. He also served as a Member of the Board of the B.C. Council on Sustainability (1995-1997), and was the East Kootenay Coordinator for the Commission on Resources and Environment (1992-1994) and a member of the Provincial Round Table on the Environment and Economy (1990-1994). Mr. Jamieson was also the founding president of the Wilderness Tourism Council of B.C. In 2000, he was “Enskinned” as the "chief of friendship" among the Wala people of northern Ghana. From 1980 to 1989 he owned and operated one of the largest backcountry outfitting operations in B.C. and a 1000-acre ranch in northern BC. He currently operates a ranch in the east Kootenay, in the south east portion of the province.

Michel R. Saint-Pierre is on the board of directors of several organizations and is President of the 5th World Congress of Agronomist and Professionals in Agronomy. He is the former Deputy Minister of l’Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l’Alimentation for Quebec (2004-2008), President and CEO, Financière Agricole du Québec (2003-2004) and CEO, Centre d’insémination artificielle du Québec (2000-2003). From 1988 to 1999 he served as President and Chair of the Board of the Societé de Financement Agricole, formerly Office du Crédit Agricole, and from 1989 to 1994 he was President of the Administrative Council journal Affaires Agricoles. He is a former Member of the Central Committee of the International Confederation of Agricultural Credit and author of Rapport Saint –Pierre on revenue security in agriculture.

About CAPI

The Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute (CAPI) is an independent, unbiased policy forum that is dedicated to the success of Canada's agriculture and agri-food sector. CAPI is a catalyst. It identifies emerging issues, promotes dialogue and advances alternative solutions to issues with stakeholders across the diverse agriculture and agri-food value chain, and among academia, research institutes, governments and other sectors in Canada.

Based in Ottawa, CAPI was established as a not-for-profit corporation in 2004 by the federal government and is guided by a diverse Board of Directors, under the chairmanship of Gaëtan Lussier, and an Advisory Committee. As well, to help generate novel policy options to enable Canada to thrive in the emerging agri-food world, CAPI has established three issue-specific panels, including the Leadership Panel on Food and Wellness Connection, the Leadership Panel on Sustainability, and the Leadership Panel on Viability.

• CAPI Board of Directors