Nature Canada

Nature Canada awards Douglas H. Pimlott Award to Lieutenant Governor of Ontario and founding member of Women for Nature

Nature Canada is pleased to announce that the Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, is the recipient of the 2014 Douglas H. Pimlott Award for her outstanding contributions to Canadian conservation.

Her Honour’s eclectic public service career has spanned political jurisdictions and transcends traditional disciplinary lines. Yet one thing has remained constant: many of her efforts have advanced the cause of nature conservation.

She has tackled some of today’s toughest issues. As an assistant deputy minister at Environment Canada, she negotiated the Framework Convention on Climate Change and earlier led a public inquiry on federal water policy. As the founding President and CEO of Canada’s Nuclear Waste Management Organization, she helped determine the path toward long-term management of Canada’s used nuclear fuel. And as Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme and Undersecretary General of the United Nations, Ms. Dowdeswell led international efforts to solve some of the planet’s most intractable environmental issues. She further continued to inform public policy as President and CEO of the Council of Canadian Academies, an independent scientific research provider.

Today, Ms. Dowdeswell has taken on a new role as Ontario’s Lieutenant Governor. Her Honour’s success illustrates how women are making a difference for nature. Her example is a beacon to inspire future leaders for nature conservation.

Her Honour will celebrate her fellow 75 founding members of Women for Nature at an event hosted by Miller Thomson’s Toronto office tonight (November 24, 2014).

“When you start thinking about nature, you’re really thinking about the future, because that’s what the future is going to depend on, that’s what our children are going to depend on, and in fact that’s what our economic wealth is going to depend on,” said Ms. Dowdeswell, founding member of Women for Nature, in January, 2013, prior to becoming Lieutenant Governor.

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[four_fifth]The Douglas H. Pimlott Award is Nature Canada’s highest honour.

Douglas H. Pimlott was a renowned conservationist, wildlife biologist, ecologist and environmentalist. He was the founder of the modern environmental movement in Canada. The award was created over 30 years ago and is Nature Canada’s pre-eminent award. It is given to an individual whose outstanding contributions to Canadian conservation serve as an example to us all.[/four_fifth][one_fifth_last]Nature Canada Douglas H. Pimlott Award Crest[/one_fifth_last]

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