Alan Dale has bee re-elected to his third term as chairman of the Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA).
He said caring for the environment must remain an important issue, even in tough economic times.
A farmer from the Township of Norwich, who represents Oxford County on the 26-member board, Dale was acclaimed Jan. 16. He told the board public opinion polls often rank environmental issues near the top of the list during good economic times, but employment and other issues overshadow the environment during tough times, like the present.
The problem, Dale said, is environmental issues don’t disappear and, if anything, get worse because they are neglected when money is tight.
“When we finally get back to the environment, we have to make up for lost time and cover a lot of lost ground,” said Dale.
The Grand River watershed faces significant challenges from population growth, climate change, and the need for infrastructure improvements. Those issues cannot be allowed to fall by the wayside, Dale stressed.
He noted the GRCA is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, and a lot of the environmental accomplishments of the organization were conceived years, even decades, before they were completed.
“These are things you can’t do just by throwing money and interest at a problem,” he said. “These things take time and the challenge for us is to not waste time.”
Dale has been a member of the GRCA board since 2000 and served as vice-chairman in 2006. He is a former Norwich councillor and has served on several township and county committees. He serves as treasurer of Curries United Church and is treasurer of Oxford Centre Pastoral Charge.
Two vice-chairmen were also acclaimed.
Jane Mitchell, a member of Waterloo Region council from Waterloo, was elected to a third one-year term as first vice-chair. She has been a GRCA board member since 2003 and a regional councillor since 2000. Prior to that she was a trustee on the Waterloo Region District School Board. She is a partner with a web consulting and design firm.
Vic Prendergast, a representative of Brantford, was acclaimed to another term as second vice-chairman. He has been a board member for 10 years, has been second vice-chairman for eight years. He is a management consultant and has been involved with many community organizations including Brantford General Hospital, the Alzheimer Society of Brant, and Tourism Brantford.
The GRCA manages water and other natural resources on behalf of 38 municipalities and 950,000 residents. The 26 members of the board are all appointed by the municipalities of the Grand River watershed.
