Christopher Hilkene has been an environment and sustainable development professional for over 30 years. He has worked in government, academic, consulting and not-for-profit settings and spent the last seven years as the Chief Executive Officer at Pollution Probe, one of Canada’s longest serving environmental organizations.
Specializing in environmental policy and strategic communications, Chris is recognized as a leader in freshwater policy and Great Lakes issues. From 2014 to 2020, he was a Canadian appointee to Great Lakes Water Quality Board of the International Joint Commission (IJC), where he was the Canadian Lead on emerging issues. In 2007, Chris was appointed to the National Roundtable on the Environment and the Economy, where he served as Chair of the Water Programme.
He is an active volunteer and has served on boards and advisory bodies for numerous organizations including Toronto Metropolitan University, Pollution Probe, WaterAid Canada, Carleton University’s Global Water Institute, the City of Toronto’s Task Force to Bring Back the Don, Green Living Enterprises, the Vimy Foundation and the George and Helen Vari Foundation.
David Donovan is the Vice President of Corporate Business Development and Strategy at Ontario Power Generation. Prior to this, David was the Chief of Staff to Ontario’s Energy Minister, a role he served in for over three years. David has considerable experience in the energy and environment space, serving in both the Ministry of Energy and Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks, as well as in the private sector, including time at Canada’s largest energy infrastructure company. His background ranges from liquids pipelines, natural gas networks, carbon markets, utilities, nuclear power, renewables and air, land and water protection. Notably, while at the province he led policy development of Ontario’s Environment Plan, Emissions Performance Standards, recycling reforms, COVID-19 Small Business relief measures, environmental assessment reform, expansion of Ontario Parks, and helped lead the province’s response to a significant rise in electricity demand with the Powering Ontario’s Growth energy plan. David also supported Ontario’s renegotiation of the Canada-Ontario Agreement on the Great Lakes Water Quality and the Canada-Ontario Lake Erie Protection Plan.
Joseph (Joe) LeClair is the Director of Corporate Finance and Administration for the Ontario First Nations Technical Services Corporation where he is responsible for leading the organization’s finance and human resource functions. He has over 25 years of cross-functional experience in finance and information technology working within the banking, energy, mining and infrastructure sectors for North American and global organizations.
Joe is a member of the Bingwi Neyaashi Anishinaabek (formerly Sandpoint First Nation), located in Northwestern Ontario. He is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CMA) and has a Master of Business Administration degree from the Ivey School of Business, University of Western Ontario.
As the Executive Director of the Ontario Water Works Association (OWWA), Michele is an advocate for sustainable water management. She leads initiatives that advance water quality, infrastructure resilience, and professional excellence across Ontario’s water sector. With over 25 years of experience in the water industry, Michele is an expert in the planning, operation, and optimization of municipal drinking water and wastewater systems. Her expertise spans projects at more than 100 water and wastewater facilities, where she has contributed to the delivery of safe, reliable water servicing for communities across Ontario.
A graduate of the University of Ottawa with a degree in Chemical Engineering, Michele began her career with the federal government and later held senior roles with XCG Consultants and Associated Engineering. In addition to her work with OWWA, she has served on the boards of the Canadian Water and Wastewater Association, the Ontario Environment Industry Association, the Ontario Coalition for Sustainable Infrastructure, as well as the Toronto Metropolitan University Urban Water Centre Board of Advisors.
Passionate about collaboration and knowledge sharing, Michele also hosts What You Need to H2Know, a podcast highlighting industry leaders and innovations. She is committed to empowering the members of Ontario’s water community and fostering sustainable solutions for future generations.
Debbie is a registered Professional Engineer in the Province of Ontario with more than 40 years’ experience in municipal engineering. She joined the OCWA Board in 2017. In 1991 she joined the Regional Municipality of York as a project engineer, and worked in several positions to eventually become the General Manager, Water and Wastewater in 2005. While at York, she served as a municipal representative on the CTC Source Protection Committee. She was also closely involved with implementation of policies under the Oak Ridges Moraine Protection Plan, the Lake Simcoe Protection Plan and Source Water Protection Plans. Debbie left York Region in 2008 to pursue a broader career in Public Works with the Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury, where she worked with staff to develop a strategic plan for the newly formed engineering services department, combining roads, water, wastewater, development engineering and asset management and bringing in-house capital delivery. She joined Simcoe County and April 2013 as the General Manager, Engineering, Planning and Environment with overall responsibility for Transportation, Solid Waste, Planning, Forestry, Economic Development, Tourism and By-Law. Debbie retired from the County in 2021 and now devotes her time to OCWA and volunteer work.
Melanie Debassige has over 17 years of experience in Aboriginal Economic Development. She is currently employed with the British Columbia Assembly of First Nations as the Chief of Staff. She obtained a Diploma in Native Management and Economic Development from Trent University and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Western Ontario. She also has a certificate in Economic Development from the University of Waterloo and is a certified Professional Aboriginal Economic Developer with the Council for the Advancement of Native Development Officers. Melanie held the elected position of Councillor with the M’Chigeeng First Nation Chief and Council for eight years and was appointed as a police commissioner with the United Chiefs and Councils of Manitoulin Police Services for seven years. She also holds a position as Director on the Mother Earth Renewable Energy Board that oversees the for-profit wind turbine corporation that is solely owned by M’Chigeeng First Nation. Melanie has also served on the Great Spirit Circle Trail Board of Directors, a not-for-profit destination marketing organization. Melanie was appointed by the Lieutenant Governor to the Ontario Clean Water Agency Board of Directors in October 2013, where she leads the Board’s First Nations Task Force. Melanie completed the Director’s Education Program at the Rotman School of Management and is now a certified corporate director. She also has a Master’s in Business Administration. Melanie was just recognized by the Canadian Board Diversity Council in the Diversity 50, which recognizes fifty Board ready candidates across Canada.
Richard Austin was born and raised in Toronto. He spent most of his professional career as a financial services lawyer and became increasingly involved in securities, and mutual fund dealer, financial planning and securities dealer matters in particular, over the last 20 years. He has held a variety of positions, including Senior Legal Counsel with the Ontario Securities Commission, Vice President, Legal and Business Affairs for Money Concepts, Deputy Head of Compliance, Wealth Management Scotiabank and Counsel at Borden Ladner Gervais LLP. He works part-time as the General Counsel of Lending Loop, a peer-to-peer fintech lending organization.
Richard was admitted to the Ontario Bar in 1983 after receiving his law degree from the University of Windsor in 1981. He received a B.A. (Honours) majoring in Economics in 1978 from the University of Toronto and an MBA majoring in Finance from York University in 1984. He has been a member of boards of the Investment Funds Institute of Canada, Scotia Securities Inc. and the Association of Canadian Compliance Professionals and the author of a number of courses and articles related to the securities industry. He currently is a member of Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada’s Hearing Panel and the Administrative Penalty Tribunal of City of Toronto.
Joseph Pennachetti’s storied career in municipal public service spans about four decades. He became Toronto’s Chief Financial Officer in 2002 and City Manager in 2008, where he was responsible for the city’s budget until his retirement in 2015. Of his many accomplishments at the City of Toronto, Pennachetti developed the City’s strategic plan for 2014-2018 in order to build on the city’s key achievements from the previous decade, advancing City Council’s vision, mission, and goals for years to come. Under his leadership, the City of Toronto was – and continues to be – recognized internationally for quality, innovation and efficiency in delivering public services and is among the highest ranked cities for tax competiveness, business investment, labour attractiveness and livability.
Prior to joining the City of Toronto, Mr. Pennachetti was the Chief Financial Officer for the regional municipalities of Peel and York, held a senior financial position with the regional municipality of Durham and spent ten years at the City of Edmonton. Mr. Pennachetti was appointed to the Board of Directors for the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System Sponsors Corporation in January of 2016. He joined the University of Toronto as executive adviser to the Global Cities Institute and the World Council on City Data and as a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Municipal Finance and Governance in November of 2015.
Laila Hulbert graduated from the University of Toronto with a degree in Engineering Science, with Honors, in 2013, and has worked in the semiconductor industry since. Laila is currently a Staff Engineer and Technical Lead for a hardware design verification team at a large industry-leading multi-national corporation. She has worked primarily on cutting edge hardware to support Artificial Intelligence and image processing applications on mobile platforms. She is passionate about increasing diversity in engineering, and has led numerous initiatives to promote women in engineering.
Candice White is the Chief Administrative Officer for a rural municipality in Peterborough County. She is a results-focused Municipal Manager specializing in finance and executive leadership. While promoting balanced economic growth, she has demonstrated significant accomplishments in streamlining operations, maximizing efficiencies, driving strategic outcomes, and developing an effective communication plan for relationship building. After two decades in finance, she has taken specific interest in asset management and the benefits that program provides. Known as a proficient grant writer, she has successfully received millions of dollars for municipal infrastructure and community programming for her community. Candice also sat as a member of the York Region Wastewater Advisory Panel and is the Secretary-Treasurer for the Police Services Board.
