Speakers 2020

David Montgomery

Geologist and Professor in Geomorphology, University of Washington

Bio

David R. Montgomery is a MacArthur Fellow and professor of geomorphology at the University of Washington. He is an internationally recognized geologist who studies landscape evolution and the effects of geological processes on ecological systems and human societies. An author of award-winning popular-science books, such as Growing a Revolution: Bringing our Soil Back to Life (2017), The Hidden Half of Nature: The Microbial Roots of Life and Health (2015) and Dirt: The Erosion of Civilization (2007) he has been featured in documentary films, network and cable news, and on a wide variety of TV and radio programs, including NOVA, PBS NewsHour, Fox and Friends, and All Things Considered. His books have been translated into nine languages. He lives in Seattle, with his wife Anne Biklé and their black lab guide-dog dropout Loki. Connect with him at www.dig2grow.com or follow him on Twitter (@dig2grow).

Dominic Lamontagne

Associate Founder, En Pleine Gueule

Bio
In 2003, Dominic Lamontagne and his wife founded the Naked Lunch Gastronomie in Montreal, where traditional catering meets ready-to-eat canned goods. The adventure ended in 2012 when Dominic and his family moved to Sainte-Lucie-des-Laurentides to build a small artisanal farm that would allow them to feed a gourmet countryside restaurant. The project turned out to be impractical and led to the publication of the book “La ferme impossible” (foreword by Joel Salatin), an essay published by Écosociété in 2015, and then the practical guide “L’artisan fermier” (the "Artisan Farmer", foreword by Marc Séguin), published in 2019 with this same publisher. Since then, the couple has campaigned tirelessly for the legalization of small-scale artisanal farming.

Gillian Flies

Owner, The New Farm

Bio

Gillian Flies worked as a human rights investigator, aid worker, election observer and management consultant on four continents before finding her true calling as a farmer. In 2003 she and her husband, Brent Preston, abandoned successful careers in Toronto, packed up their two young children, and moved to a run-down farm outside Creemore, Ontario. Since then, they have built The New Farm into a thriving business and a leading light in the good food movement, providing vegetables to some of the best restaurants in Canada and raising over a million dollars to make local, organic food accessible in low income communities. Gillian is the President of the Canadian Organic Growers and is a leader in the organic and regenerative farming movement. She speaks often on food and farming issues.

Mkomosé (Andrew Judge)

Coordinator of Indigenous Studies, Conestoga College

Bio

Mkomosé (Dr. Andrew Judge) is coordinator of Indigenous Studies at Conestoga College, sessional Lecturer at Sir Wilfrid Laurier University, and former visiting professor at the Center for Engaged Learning Abroad in Cayo District, Belize. He specializes in traditional Indigenous knowledge, ethno-medicine, and land based learning. Mkomosé regularly works with Elders to support conscious awakening to respond to the current state of society. Andrew is an initiated Mayan day keeper and participates in the ancient ceremonial practices of his Anishinaabeg ancestors. In 2018 Andrew founded Minjimendan (In a state of remembering - minjimendan.com) an Indigenous foods garden dedicated to restoring the vitality of Earth.

Joel Williams

Plant and Soil health Educator, Integrated Soils

Bio
Joel Williams is an independent plant and soil health educator and presenter on soil dynamics, plant nutrition and integrated approaches of agroecological farming. Joel integrates soil chemical and biological assessments, along with plant nutritional analyses as a joined-up strategy for managing crop production. He has a keen interest in managing plant diversity, soil microbial ecology and plant and soil nutrition to optimise soil function and crop immunity. Joel has worked throughout Australia and Europe and is currently based in Canada. He has a passion for teaching and sharing both scientific and practical information on soil health and agroecology and has lectured to farming audiences internationally.

Marie-Élise Samson

Agronomist and Ph. D. Candidate in soil conservation, Université Laval

Bio
Marie-Elise Samson is trying to determine the best agricultural practices to put in place to store carbon in agricultural soils, and fight against climate change. An agronomist by training, she is passionate about fertility and soil health, which in turn can reduce our dependence on synthetic fertilizers.

Valerie Gabriel

Farmer

Bio
Valerie Karonhiatakwen Gabriel is a Kanien’kehá:ka environmental, wildlife, and agricultural consultant with over 20 years of experience in the agricultural sector and 10 years in the environmental sector with significant effort towards developing sustainable business opportunities where there has been no such concept yet thriving in her community of Kanehsatake. Public speaking, agricultural and cultural educational programs and community based environmental sustainability projects have been at the core of Valerie’s local efforts of contributing to a better world. Valerie Gabriel is the owner of Nations Garlic, a small-scale intensive garlic, and multi-crop farm which focuses on teaching young adults the concepts of geography, kanien’kehá:ka culture, and biodiversity through the everyday interactions with food.

Louis Robert

Agronomist for Quebec's Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPAQ)

Bio

Louis Robert is an agronomist with more than thirty years of experience in agriculture in Quebec within the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food of Quebec (MAPAQ). His expertise is in soil management, cropping practices, fertilization, crop rotations, farm manure management and alternative crops. After bringing to light the influence of the pesticide lobby in research, he was dismissed from his position at MAPAQ in 2018. He returned to his job 10 months later, receiving an apology from the Prime Minister of Quebec, François Legault.

Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin

Owner-Founder Regeneration Farm LLC, Founder+ President Regenerative Agriculture Alliance

Bio

A native Guatemalan, Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin began working on economic development projects with indigenous Guatemalan communities in 1988. He served as a consultant for the United Nations Development Program’s Bureau for Latin America and as an advisor to the World Council of Indigenous Peoples. He was a founding member of the Fair-Trade Federation in 1994. Before coming to the U.S. in 1992, Regi worked with artisan communities across the highlands of Guatemala, connecting their small enterprises with fair trade networks in Europe, the U.S. and Canada. Regi’s has pioneered innovations in a Regenerative Poultry System that is at the center of a multitude of national and international initiatives. This system is designed to be uniquely aligned with the social, economic and ecological conditions of small farms and marginalized communities and is designed for large-scale and global impact. At the Regenerative Agriculture Alliance, Regi works on system-level strategies designed for global application, currently, his work covers communities in the US (Northfield, MN, Omaha, Mead and Winnebago NE, Pine Ridge SD), Hazelton British Columbia, Mexico, Guatemala and Belize. Most recently, Regi authored a book titled “In the Shadow of Green Man”, My Journey from Poverty and Hunger to Food Security and Hope.

Macha Bertrand

Market Developer for regenerative agriculture, Soil Capital

Bio
Passionate about new economic models, ecological transitions and social entrepreneurship, Macha has spent her last years developing social startups with high impact potential in Mexico and Belgium. Active in sectors as diverse as education, ethical and solidarity finance, food and energy, Macha keeps her slightly crazy dream of seeing the economy recover a status of nobility by putting itself at the service of a more inclusive, fair and sustainable society. As a graduate in Management Engineer followed by a postmaster in International Business at the Louvain School of Management through the CEMS program, she tries with patience and perseverance to reconcile her desires for societal change with the reality of everyday life, joyfully punctuated by the energy of her two young children: Arthur and Mila. She joined the Soil Capital team in 2019 where she is responsible for developing markets for farmers practicing regenerative farming.

Philippe Crête

Principal Advisor, Alternative Private Investments, Fondaction

Bio
Philippe Crête is Principal Advisor for Alternative Private Investments at Fondaction where he develops financing activities and manages the firm's assets in the field of natural capital. He is particularly interested in the use of innovative market mechanisms to finance the achievement of environmental objectives in the forestry and agricultural fields, in particular carbon markets and payment systems for ecosystem services. Philippe Crête has over seven years of experience working for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) as Climate Finance Advisor and as Regional Advisor for the UN-REDD Program in Africa.

Andréanne Grimard

ESG & Impact Director

Bio

Andréanne has over 10 years of experience studying the interrelationship between supply chains, land use and climate change. Before joining ECOTIERRA, Andréanne was North-American Director for Solidaridad Network, where she negotiated partnerships between actors in the supply chains of thirteen basic products in order to drive the development of public-private partnerships and others business models to promote sustainable sourcing. Previously, Andréanne led the work of the Prince of Wales' International Sustainability Unit on the drivers of deforestation. As such, it brought together agro-industries, NGOs and the governments of Indonesia, Brazil and Ghana to identify ways to decouple agriculture from deforestation. Andréanne also worked at the United Nations Secretariat for the Convention on Biological Diversity. Fluent in English, French and Spanish, she holds a master's degree in environmental policy and regulation from the London School of Economics and a bachelor's degree in international development from McGill University. In 2011, she was selected as the World Economic Forum Global Shaper.

Jean-Martin Fortier

Farmer, Ferme des Quatre-Temps and Author, The Market Gardener

Bio
Jean-Martin Fortier is a farmer, educator and award-winning author of best-seller "The Market Gardener". A recognized authority on small-scale organic vegetable production, he has inspired hundreds of thousands to embrace a vision of agriculture that is human-scale, ecological and profitable.

Caroline Halde

Assistant Professor in Agroecology, Université Laval

Bio

Dr. Caroline Halde is an assistant professor in agroecology at Université Laval. She grew up on an organic dairy and grain farm near Montreal, QC. She received a B.Sc. in Agronomy from Université Laval, a M.Sc. in Agriculture from Dalhousie University, and a Ph.D. in Plant Science from the University of Manitoba. She has completed her postdoctoral studies in weed ecology at Cornell University. She now leads the Agroecology Lab, with multidisciplinary research interests in soil health, nutrient cycling, agronomy, and ecology. She co-designed the Summer School in Agroecology at Université Laval.

Greg Landua

CEO, Terra Genesis

Bio
Gregory is co-author of Regenerative Enterprise and co-creator of the 8-forms of capital framework. Gregory is a Regenerative Agriculture Practitioner and farmer. As co-founder and CEO of Terra Genesis International, he has helped grow an ecosystem of organizations dedicated to regenerative agriculture.

Abe Collins

Grazier, consultant, cofounder of LandStream, Inc. and a founding board member of the Soil Carbon Coalition

Bio

Abe Collins is a grazier, consultant, cofounder of LandStream, Inc. and a founding board member of the Soil Carbon Coalition. Abe has worked over his life to grow topsoil, shepherd deserts back into prairies, measure landscape function, and build practical tools to equip farmers and ranchers to contract their services growing natural capital and ecosystem services. He has grazed sheep, beef and dairy cattle and lives in Winooski, VT.

Kris Nichols

Soil Microbiologist and founder of KRIS (Knowledge for Regeneration and Innovation in Soil)

Bio

Dr. Kris Nichols is the founder and principal scientist of KRIS (Knowledge for Regeneration and
Innovation in Soil) Systems Education & Consultation. She currently works as a Soil
Microbiologist and Research Consultant with Food Water Wellness Foundation, MyLand
Technologies LLC and Understanding Ag., LLC. Previously, she was Rodale Institute’s Chief
Scientist from 2014-2017 and a Research (Soil) Microbiologist with the USDA, Agricultural
Research Service (ARS) for 14 years. Kris has B.S. degrees in Plant Biology and in Genetics
and Cell Biology from the University of Minnesota, an M.S. in Environmental Microbiology from
West Virginia University, and a Ph.D. in Soil Science from the University of Maryland. Her focus
is addressing current and future agricultural needs by building upon a soil health foundation to
identify biological tools to enhance soil health, water and nutrient use efficiencies, pest and
disease management, and mitigate climate change to provide long-term solutions to agricultural
economic viability, food insecurity, and ecosystem services loss. Kris grew up on a 640-acre
grain farm in SW Minnesota. Dr. Nichols has received several awards including the 2012
Conservation Research Award from the International Soil and Water Conservation Society and
has over 25 peer-reviewed publications as well as been quoted in numerous outreach
publications.

Nicole Tautges

Cropping Systems Scientist and Research Director at UC Davis's Russell Ranch Sustainable Agriculture Facility

Bio

Nicole is a Cropping Systems Scientist and Research Director at UC Davis's Russell Ranch Sustainable Agriculture Facility. Nicole has conducted on-the-ground agricultural research in wheat, corn, beans, forage, and grazing systems, as well as working with Kernza, a new perennial grain crop. Her research focuses on increasing the diversity of crop rotations and landscape cover in agricultural production systems using a variety of techniques, including the incorporation of legumes, organic soil amendments (e.g. compost), and grazing into row crop rotations. She is especially interested in research linking soil microbial communities and activity to nutrient cycling and agroecosystem functioning, particularly in terms of productivity and economic outcomes for growers.

Vivian Kaloxilos

Living Soil Analyst and Consultant, Docterre

Bio
At Docterre, Vivan assists in the restoration of soil ecosystem services and health for the benefit of healthy and nutritious plant growth, for clean water, and for a cleaner planet. She specializes in the practice and teaching of Soil Food Web science. She works with farmers, small scale growers, landscape companies, lawn care companies, municipalities, non-profit organizations, golf courses, and research institutes. Vivian is also a musician a writes thought-provoking pieces.

Mark Shepard

CEO of Restoration Agriculture Development

Bio
Mark Shepard is the author of Restoration Agriculture, a book written about New Forest Farm, a 110-acre perennial agricultural savanna, one of the first in the USA. NFF is a planned conversion of a typical row-crops grain farm into a commercial-scale, perennial agricultural ecosystem using oak savanna, successional brushland & eastern woodlands as the ecological models. Trees, shrubs, vines, canes, perennial plants & fungi are planted in association with one another to produce food (for humans and animals), fuel & medicines. Mark’s adapted keyline water management system is foundational to NFF and he currently helps others establish water systems of their own.

Paul Hrycyk

Project Manager, PUR Projet

Bio
Paul is an adaptive manager, problem solver, and soil expert with a strong understanding of carbon dynamics and sequestration potential under various agricultural management practices. After earning his MSc in Soil Science, Paul joined PUR Projet as Project Manager and lead on Regenerative Agriculture topics, where he develops, implements, manages and monitors ecosystem restoration projects in agricultural landscapes across North America. Paul works with PUR Projet’s clients to support the adoption of regenerative practices within their own supply chain and reduce their scope three emissions through insetting projects.

Jordan Lebel (Host)

Associate Professor, Marketing of Food, Concordia University

Bio
Jordan Lebel's research focuses on hedonic and aesthetic consumption, especially as it relates to the definition of pleasure, its various dimensions, and its impact on decision making and behaviour in the areas of food choices and healthy eating and lifestyles. His research on comfort foods, and particularly chocolate, has been featured extensively in both broadcast and print media around the world. He is a regular commentator on food and restaurant marketing issues in the local and national media.

Sara Harper

Founder, Grounded Growth LLC

Bio
Over the past 20 years, Sara has developed deep expertise within the intersections of agriculture and climate change — and within business and sustainability. She worked as a legislative staffer on agricultural and environmental issues in the U.S. Senate on the agricultural carbon offset issue, built alliances between farmers, environmentalists and Republicans on the issue of climate change for Environmental Defense Fund and worked as a sustainability consultant for U.S. national farm associations and global agribusiness companies in the private sector. In late 2017, Sara launched Grounded Growth, LLC — a unique online resource platform that provides strategy, educational resources, connections and marketing. The members-only site is part private Linked-in, part nerdy Netflix -- all focused on building regenerative supply chains. Fueled by commercial scale regenerative farmer members, Grounded Growth is one of the few places that is opening doors for farmers to move beyond being a commodity -- and helping emerging brands embed regenerative ingredients into their brand value.

Monika Firl

Director of Sustainability, CoopCoffees

Bio
Monika Firl is the CoopCoffees Director of Sustainability. With more than 25 years in the coffee industry, she has worked as Green Coffee Buyer, Producer Relations and Projects Manager, and in Quality Control. For the past 6 years – Monika's primary sustainability focus has been on the coop’s “Carbon, Climate and Coffee” initiative, supporting coffee farmers to accelerate regeneration of their soils, reforestation and climate resiliency, and in 2020, to implement the Cool Farm Tool and the pilot project to issue environmental service payments to farmers in relation to their validated carbon sequestration. Prior to CoopCoffees, Monika worked with a variety of development initiatives while living in Central America and Mexico from 1991 to 2000. She founded and directed CENCITA, a community-focused information center on alternative technology based out of San Salvador; and she coordinated a regional Campesino a Campesino learning and exchange program, facilitating technical training and market development with coffee producers’ cooperatives and other farmer organizations. Monika holds a Master’s Degree in Journalism and a BA in International Relations.

Olivier Lalonde

Supply Chain Manager and Agronimist, Eko-Terre

Bio
Olivier Lalonde holds a bachelor's degree in agronomy, specializing in plant production, and a master's degree in plant biology, both obtained from Laval University. In 2010, he joined the CÉROM team, a public interest research center, during which he contributed to the development of the hemp sector in Quebec. He has now been employed by Eko-Terre since 2017, where his main responsibility is to develop the supply chain of natural fiber for textile applications. He is currently still pursuing certain research projects.

Michelle Garneau

Geography Professor, UQAM

Bio
Michelle Garneau holds a bachelor's degree in physical geography and a master's degree in plant ecology from Laval University. She completed her doctorate in paleoecology in the biology department of the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands. She worked as a researcher for almost 10 years at the Geological Survey of Canada where, among other things, she coordinated the paleoecology / paleoclimatology component of the Canadian High Arctic Climate Change Observatory on Ellesmere Island. She joined UQAM in 2001 as a professor in the geography department. She is a regular member of Geotop and an associate member of the Center d'études nordiques [Nordic Studies Center], two strategic groupings of the FRQNT. She is involved in several national and international research projects linking aspects of peatland dynamics and climate in the boreal and subarctic biomes. Since her arrival at UQAM, Michelle Garneau has supervised more than 50 master's students and more than 20 doctoral students and postdoctoral fellows. She has twice served on IPCC committees associated with the guidelines for national greenhouse gas inventories. In addition to her scientific activities, she is also a member of the Board of Directors for the Society for the conservation of the Lanoraie Bog.

Tannis Axten

Farmer, Axten Farms

Bio
Tannis farms at Minton, Saskatchewan with her family. Every action taken on the farm considers the impact it will have on the microorganisms living in the soil. With farming methods such as intercropping, using cover crops, controlled traffic farming, and composting, the family farm works to improve the health of their soil. These practices have revived their optimism for farming and made farming a lot more fun.

James Whetung

Founder, Black Duck Wild Rice

Bio
James Whetung was born in 1952 in Mud Lake Indian Reserve (now Curve Lake First Nation), Ontario. At that time, the Williams Treaty of 1923, which made access to traditional foods illegal, was actively enforced. James has worked for the past 38 years to restore his and his community’s connection to Manomin (wild rice) – one of the main sources of Anishinabek food security and food sovereignty. James has a B.A. in Native Studies/Cultural Studies from Trent University. He is the published author of “The Vision Seeker” and has participated in live theatre, television shows, and movies/documentaries about Indigenous food. James is the father of four children, grand-father of seven, and great-grandfather of eight.

Sundaura Alford-Purvis

Executive director, Canadian Society for Organic Urban Land Care

Bio
Sundaura Alford-Purvis has been working in the horticultural industry since 1998 and was an avid gardener for over a decade before that. She is now the owner and the landscape designer at A Cultivated Art Inc., teaches the Sustainable Landscape Design course in the Horticultural Industries program at Algonquin college and works part time as the executive director for the Canadian Society for Organic Urban Land Care. Her particular focus is on the role that the horticulture, an industry that heavily influences how the vast majority of green spaces within communities are cared for, can play in restoring relationships between people and the rest of nature, especially in urban environments.

Antonious Petro

Scientific Director, Regeneration Canada

Bio
Antonious Petro is the Scientific Director at Regeneration Canada and Master's candidate in soil sciences at UQAT. He also has a diploma in biology and in community economic development. Antonious is interested in soil carbon sequestration in agricultural soils and in ecological services of urban soils. His specialty is scientific vulagrisation in ecology and agri-food, sustainability project management, and citizen mobilization around climate change.

Bethany Jaqua Siebold

Assistant Manager, Global Sustainability, General Mills

Bio
At General Mills, Bethany Jaqua Siebold helps lead efforts to advance regenerative agriculture and economic sustainability within key raw material categories by building partnerships with internal stakeholders as well as suppliers and farmers. Prior to starting this role in May 2019, Siebold worked at Target Corporation for 4 years in Merchandising and Sourcing.

Jim Eckberg

Agronomist, General Mills

Bio
Jim Eckberg is an Agronomist at General Mills. He builds partnerships that advance regenerative agriculture in the farm community. Working with environmental scientists and farmers, Jim develops outcomes-based approaches to improving farm profitability, soil health, and biodiversity. He completed a MS (University of Nebrask-Lincoln) in ecology and a PhD (University of Minnesota) in agroecology.

Kate Axten

Young Farmer, Axten Farms

Bio
Kate Axten is a 15-year-old with a passion for farming and food. She farms with her family at Minton, Saskatchewan. Kate is currently a grade 10 student at Gladmar Regional School. Kate comes from a family of innovative farmers that like to try new ideas, and this has motivated her to help market Axten Farm’s grain. She puts grain that her family has grown into small bags and sells them on their farm website. Kate is also an active member of the Radville 4H Field Crops Club and is the secretary and treasurer for the club. Kate is involved in the local dance club and plays school sports; volleyball, badminton, and track.

Leah Vineberg

Change Management Consultant, Percolab

Bio
Leah Vineberg specializes in social innovation and change management for whole systems, with expertise in relational culture and well-being. She helps to provide meaningful contexts for communities, teams and organizations where the connection, clarity, energy and creativity still untapped can flourish. Leah helps to access and mobilize collective intelligence so that each person is seen and has a voice, and also in which these stakeholders are personally committed to contributing to the co-creation of the future they wish to achieve. She holds a master's degree in Human Systems Intervention from Concordia University.

Sophie Mandago

Independant Journalist

Bio
Sophie Mangado is a freelance journalist, based in Montreal. As a researcher in print and documentary, she is particularly interested in issues of social justice, environmental justice, human rights and education.

Glenn Munroe

Principal Researcher, Compost Council of Canada

Bio
Glenn has been working in the environmental field for more than 30 years. His work has included policy development with the Ontario government, consulting on environmental issues, managing a composting company focused on research and development, and launching a lab specializing in the biological testing of soils. He has authored several publications, including a vermicomposting manual for farmers that has been widely distributed globally. Since 2016 he has been with the Compost Council of Canada, where his primary focus is soil health. Currently, he is a principal researcher for a project to develop a roadmap to optimizing carbon in Canada’s managed soils.

Michelle Holliday

Consultant and author

Bio
Michelle Holliday is a consultant, facilitator, author and researcher. Her work centers around “thrivability” — a set of perspectives and practices based on a view of organizations and communities as dynamic, self-organizing living systems. With this understanding, we recognize that we can create the fertile conditions for life to thrive at every level – for individuals, for organizations as living ecosystems, for customers, community and biosphere. With this as her guide, Michelle brings people together and helps them discover ways they can feel more alive, connect more meaningfully with each other, and serve life more powerfully and effectively through their collective action. She is the author of the highly acclaimed book, The Age of Thrivability: Vital Perspectives and Practices for a Better World.

Caroline Magar

Landscape Architect

Bio
Caroline Magar a landscape architect. She has been working for 10 years in Montreal in urban ecological planning and in community support. During her free time, Caroline enjoys painting and illustrating landscapes with watercolours.

Florence Bouchard Santerre

Assistant Director, Economic Research, Producteurs du lait du Québec

Bio
Florence Bouchard Santerre has been Assistant Director of Economic Research for Les Producteurs de lait du Québec since 2018. The team she is a part of advises the organization's leaders on policies and issues related to the dairy industry and supports the teams responsible for milk marketing operations on various projects. Florence is notably responsible for the sustainable development file of the organization. Previously, she worked as an economic advisor for the Union des producteurs agricoles [Agricultural Producers Union] after studying agroeconomics and law at Laval University.

Alain Cogliastro

Researcher, Montreal Botanical Gardens

Bio
Alain Cogliastro has been a researcher at the Montreal Botanical Garden since 1990, a research member of the Plant Biology Research Institute (IRBV) and visiting professor at the University of Montreal. He holds a Ph.D from the University of Montreal in Forest Ecology. For over 30 years, he has been carrying out research on the regeneration of deciduous trees in plantations, for the purpose of improving the functioning of agrosystems and forest restoration, seeking to develop a silviculture that results in the production of quality wood. Productivity, wood quality, nutrition, root distribution, competition, carbon footprint, are among some of his interests. Dr. Cogliastro directed and co-directed the work of master's and doctoral students on these different themes.

Drew McIver

Founder and CEO, Can-Dairy Inc.

Bio
Drew McIver is the Founder/CEO of Can-Dairy Inc. and the Emerald Grasslands brand of grass-fed organic Jersey butter. Drew worked in brand management and development in the USA before moving back to Canada to start fulfilling a dream to bring the most premium and innovative butter products to market in Canada. Today, Drew and the team at Can-Dairy are on a mission to support Emerald Grasslands being the first Regenerative Organic Certified dairy brand in Canada. Can-Dairy aims to support and help scale regenerative organic dairy production across Canada.

Ghalia Chahine

Environment Coordinator, L'Union des producteurs agricoles

Bio
Ghalia Chahine is Environment Coordinator at L'Union des producteurs agricoles.

Graham Calder

Designer, P3 Permaculture

Bio
Graham spent his formative years on a 75 acre farm, surrounded by forest on the eastern seaboard of Nova Scotia, Canada. He received his bachelors from Concordia University in Montréal in 2009, with a specialization in Human Environment and a minor in Ecology and received his PDC at Pacific Permaculture in 2009. Later that year he traveled to Australia to apprentice under Geoff Lawton with the Permaculture Research Institute of Australia (PRI), where he managed Lawton’s nursery. In 2009, he founded P3 Permaculture: a social enterprise with a mission to make permaculture accessible. To date Calder has taught over 16 courses and has certified over 200 students in permaculture.

John Winter Russell

Chef and Owner, Candide

Bio
John Winter Russell is chef and owner of Candide in Montreal.

Julien Poisson

Program Director, Nature Conservancy of Canada

Bio
Once he obtained his bachelor's degree in biology (specializing in ecology) as well as his master's degree in environment from the University of Sherbrooke, Julien Poisson continued his graduate studies in Morocco with a master's degree in International Ecology. Program director for southern Quebec since 2017 and project manager since 2010 at the Nature Conservancy of Canada, he has developed his expertise in managing large-scale projects, as well as in communication and consultation. He has also developed solid relationships with the various partners collaborating with CNC, at all levels. His tasks include the coordination of research projects on species at risk, the identification of conservation priorities, the management and enhancement of protected natural environments, the development of community partnerships, as well as the establishment of activities for the improvement of natural habitats. Julien sits on the board of directors of the Quebec Council of Invasive Alien Species as treasurer. He is also part of the chevalier cuivré restoration team and sits on several environmental tables and committees in the territories of the St. Lawrence River islands, the Richelieu River watershed and the montagnes Vertes.

Jane Rabinowicz

Executive Director, SeedChange

Bio

Jane is Executive Director of SeedChange. Founded in 1945, SeedChange works with 35,000 farmers in 13 countries to build food sovereignty, save seed diversity, and spread sustainable farming. Jane is also co-founder of the Silver Dollar Foundation, and serves on the Board of Directors of Tides Canada. Jane has dedicated her career to supporting grassroots community leadership. She was profiled by the CBC in their We Are Canada series highlighting young leaders, named one of the 53 most influential people in Canada's food system by The Globe and Mail, and one of Canada's leading women changing the way we eat by Châtelaine Magazine. Jane splits her time between Montreal and Ottawa.

Alix Tabet

GEO-O Coordinator, Canadian Organic Growers

Bio
Alix is a farmer, organizer, and facilitator. She is passionate about activating social change through food and farming and has a background in campaign organizing and popular education. She has also supported the efforts of several non-profit organizations by organizing events, facilitating with strategic planning and managing communications - including at Regeneration Canada! In 2019, she started her own farm on rented land in L'Ange-Gardien, QC, where she grows certified organic vegetables and cut flowers using regenerative farming principles. In the off season, she coordinates a transition program in Eastern Ontario with Canadian Organic Growers.