Meg Barker Acting Chair and Board Member

Ms. Barker is a regulatory compliance professional, a qualified mediator, and a professional geologist with extensive experience relating to energy regulation, resource development, environmental stewardship, and land use planning, having worked for over 25 years with independent quasi-judicial regulatory boards, administrative tribunals, and government agencies in the energy and resource industries across western Canada. Ms. Barker's career in the regulatory compliance field has included establishing and leading corporate-wide regulatory and compliance assurance departments at three large independent oil and gas companies. She has advised companies, within and outside the energy industry, on how to manage activities to meet the expectations of regulators and stakeholders and ensure compliance by developing a culture of accountability and integrity and supporting a culture of safety, environmental stewardship, and a regard for stakeholders. Ms. Barker has served as a member and Vice Chair of the City of Calgary's Subdivision and Development Appeal Board, is a rural landowner, acts as a community representative, and has been an active participant on a variety of City of Calgary land use planning and policy development issues. She holds a B.Sc. (Honours) in Geology from the University of Manitoba, and Q.Med. certification through the ADR Institute of Canada (ADRIC). Ms. Barker was formerly the manager of compliance for a major oil and gas company. She was appointed as a member of the Environmental Appeals Board on October 5, 2016, and is cross-appointed to the Public Lands Appeal Board. Effective April 21, 2020, Ms. Barker became the Acting Chair.

Kurtis Averill Board Member

Mr. Averill has a B.Sc. from the University of Alberta's Environmental and Conservation Science program, specializing in Land Remediation and Reclamation. He works at the intersection where energy development meets rural communities and the natural environment. With over two decades of experience in the natural gas and oil industry, Mr. Averill has extensive knowledge in all stages of project development; from land-use planning, community consultation, exploration and construction, through to closure and reclamation. His holistic understanding of the lifecycle of oil and gas development and its impacts on stakeholders and the environment positions him as a progressive leader in the industry with a proven track record of finding practical solutions to seemingly complex land-use challenges. Mr. Averill is the Manager of Stakeholder Relations, Surface Land and Closure for a medium sized Alberta-based energy producer. He was appointed as a member of the Environmental Appeals Board on February 25, 2020, and is cross-appointed to the Public Lands Appeal Board.

Brenda Ballachey Board Member

Dr. Ballachey is a biologist with expertise in wildlife and marine biology, toxicology, genetics, and animal sciences. Dr. Ballachey received B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in Animal Sciences from Colorado State University and a Ph.D. in Animal Breeding from Oregon State University. She did post-doctoral studies at South Dakota State University and then worked as a staff officer at the National Research Council in Washington, DC. Subsequently, Dr. Ballachey took a position in Alaska with the U.S. government, studying long-term effects of petroleum contaminants from the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill on nearshore marine communities, including sea otters and sea ducks. She retired from the U.S. Geological Survey in 2015, but retained emeritus status and participates in several ongoing research projects in Alaska while continuing to manage the family ranch near Millarville, Alberta. Dr. Ballachey was appointed as a member of the Environmental Appeals Board on October 5, 2016, and is cross-appointed to the Public Lands Appeal Board.

Tamara Bews Board Member

Ms. Bews is a lawyer and has practiced primarily in the areas of administrative law, commercial law, and regulatory compliance for the past twenty-two years. Over the course of Ms. Bews' legal career, she has gained a broad range of experience on energy, transportation, and agricultural issues. She has worked as a lawyer in both private practice and as in-house legal counsel for TransCanada Pipelines Limited, the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board, and Canadian Pacific Railway Company. Ms. Bews has represented clients in significant regulatory applications before provincial and federal administrative tribunals, and in judicial review applications before the Alberta Court of Appeal. She has acted as a session chair for energy-related industry conferences, and co-developed and co-instructed for courses on energy-related issues to professional organizations and post-secondary institutions. Ms. Bews holds a B.Comm. (Finance) and a LL.B. from the University of Calgary. After graduating with her business degree in 1987, Ms. Bews gained international experience in the financial and information services industries in her work for one of Denmark's largest banks. In 1991, Ms. Bews returned to Calgary to pursue a law degree and was called to the Alberta Bar in 1995. Ms. Bews is a board member of the Alberta Surface Rights Board and Alberta Land Compensation Board; and a member of the Governance Board for the Calgary Rural Primary Care Network. She was appointed as a member of the Environmental Appeals Board on October 18, 2017, and is cross-appointed to the Public Lands Appeal Board.
 
 

Barbara Johnston Board Member

Ms. Johnston is a lawyer and chartered professional accountant with expertise in risk management, consumer banking transactions, debt financing, asset acquisition and divestiture, and retail resource product network transactions. She has provided legal and business advice and educational services to numerous client groups as in-house counsel for a large integrated resource company, as well as audit financial preparation services for diverse client groups at a large public accounting firm. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce (accounting) from the University of Calgary and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Alberta. Ms. Johnston was appointed as a member of the Environmental Appeals Board on February 25, 2020, and is cross-appointed to the Public Lands Appeal Board.
 
 

Line Lacasse Board Member

Ms. Lacasse is a lawyer with over 25 years' experience advising clients on regulatory, administrative, indigenous, and environmental matters. She worked in private practice focusing on aboriginal and environmental matters, followed by several years as Board counsel for the Energy and Utilities Board, and as in-house counsel for a large resource development company. She has represented clients in court cases and regulatory hearings, developed, negotiated and implemented agreements, participated in energy projects development, assessment and implementation, and was involved in developing corporate strategies and policies in Alberta, Quebec, and British Columbia. On October 31, 2017, Ms. Lacasse was appointed as a Board member of the Surface Rights Board and of the Land Compensation Board of Alberta. Ms. Lacasse holds a civil law degree from the University of Montreal and a common law degree from McGill University. Ms. Lacasse was appointed as a member of the Environmental Appeals Board on November 26, 2018, and is cross-appointed to the Public Lands Appeal Board.
 
 

Dave McGee Board Member

Mr. McGee has expertise in environmental issues, negotiation, government regulatory procedures, and water policy. He received a B.Sc. (Geography/Geology) at the University of Alberta, then completed 37 years of experience in Alberta water management, including in decision-making roles under the Alberta Water Act and Alberta Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act. He has negotiated agreements on landowner and municipal issues, regional water sharing agreements, and First Nations' settlement agreements. He represented Alberta on an International Joint Commission Task Force in a boundary water dispute. His work has been published, and he has presented water governance work to numerous universities and conferences, and appeared before joint Canada/Alberta water project hearings and the Alberta Environmental Appeals Board. Mr. McGee currently operates Blue Horizon Resources Corp. providing consultation on water management issues, while continuing to manage the family interests in a ranching operation in the Lundbreck area. He was appointed as a member of the Environmental Appeals Board on October 18, 2017, and is cross-appointed to the Public Lands Appeal Board.
 
 

Anjum Mullick Board Member

Ms. Mullick is an environmental engineer whose area of focus has been in contaminated site assessment and remediation in the oil and gas industry. She has a M.Sc. in Environmental Engineering from the University of Alberta and a B.A.Sc. in Civil Engineering from the University of Waterloo. Currently, she is the Vice-President Operations and Engineering at Growing Greener Innovations. Her previous experience includes working in both public and private sectors. While working in the private sector, Ms. Mullick was developing and managing oil sands mine reclamation and closure projects, specifically focused on tailings pond reclamation. She has been involved with the management and execution of Site Specific Environmental Liability Assessments for large upstream oil and gas operators and other industrial clients. Throughout her career, she also led the development and implementation of a equity, diversity and inclusion programs, focusing on the advancement of women. As a former member of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta Environmental Committee, Ms. Mullick has worked with both industry stakeholders and government organizations to develop environmental policy and guidelines. Ms. Mullick was also a member of the Canadian Council of Professional Engineers' Canadian Engineering Qualifications Board Environment and Sustainability Committee to develop a National Practice Guideline on Environmental Site Remediation. She was appointed as a member of the Environmental Appeals Board on October 5, 2016, and is cross-appointed to the Public Lands Appeal Board.
 
 

Chris Powter Board Member

Mr. Powter has a B.Sc. in Ecology and a M.Sc. in Plant Ecology from the University of Guelph. He is the owner of Enviro Q&A Services, a consulting firm providing environmental advice and guidance to the resource industry and government regulators since 2015. From April 2010 to December 2014 Mr. Powter was the Executive Director of the Oil Sands Research and Information Network (OSRIN) in the School of Energy and the Environment at the University of Alberta. His work involved identifying research and information gaps related to environmental impacts of oil sands mining, filling those gaps through research, and providing information to regulators, industry and the public. Mr. Powter worked for Alberta Environment for 29 years, including duties in land reclamation from 1981 to 2002, in policy and legislation development from 2002 to 2007 and finally as the head of the provincial environmental assessment program from 2007 to 2010. Mr. Powter was a member of the National Energy Board's Participant Funding Review Committee. Mr. Powter was the recipient of the Canadian Land Reclamation Association's (CLRA) Edward M. Watkin Award in 1988, the Noranda Land Reclamation Award in 2001 and the Alberta Chamber of Resources 2004 Reclamation Citation for lifetime achievement. He was also a longtime editor of the CLRA's Reclamation Newsletter and the International Affiliation of Land Reclamationists' (IALR) Newsletter, and author of Curmudgeon's Corner in the Canadian Reclamation magazine for 10 years. He was appointed as a member of the Environmental Appeals Board on November 27, 2018, and is cross-appointed to the Public Lands Appeal Board.
 
 

Chidinma Thompson Board Member

Dr. Thompson is a lawyer and partner with the law firm of Borden Ladner Gervais LLP. Her practice focuses on disputes including regulatory law, environmental & climate change law, and arbitration (domestic and international). She co-chairs the firm's Alberta Environmental and Climate Change Practice Group. Dr. Thompson has experience in dealing with environmental and climate change matters in a broad range of sectors including oil and gas, electricity, petrochemicals, utilities, municipal, real estate, agriculture, automobile and other industrial undertakings. She specializes on all aspects of project licensing and approvals, water license, release of substances, contaminated sites, reclamation, greenhouse gas and methane emissions, renewable fuels and energy alternatives. Dr. Thompson has experience in regulatory hearings before the Alberta Energy Regulator and its predecessors, the Alberta Utilities Commission, the Canadian Energy Regulator and its predecessor, the Natural Resources Conservation Board, and other regulatory boards. She has appeared before all levels of Court in Alberta and the Federal Court of Canada. Dr. Thompson is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators Canada and a member of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Canada Arbitration Committee. She has taught Environmental Law in the Energy Sector at the Haskayne Business School's M.Sc. Program on Sustainable Energy Development at the University of Calgary. She speaks on environmental and climate change matters at seminars and conferences. Dr. Thompson has contributed book chapters in the Canadian Environmental Law (Loose-leaf) and Environmental Law and Policy 4th edition. She was appointed as a member of the Environmental Appeals Board on February 25, 2020, and is cross-appointed to the Public Lands Appeal Board.
 
 

Nick Tywoniuk Board Member

Dr. Tywoniuk is a Civil Engineer with substantive dispute resolution experience. He currently operates his own consulting business that provides environmental, engineering, and mediation and arbitration services. He has a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering (Water Resources) from the University of Ottawa. Dr. Tywoniuk is a member of the Alberta Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists (APEGA), the ADR Institute of Alberta, and the ADR Institute of Canada. He has worked with Environment Canada and Public Works and Government Services Canada, and internationally in Eastern Europe and Pacific Rim countries. Dr. Tywoniuk is a chartered arbitrator and chartered mediator, and participates in conflict resolution programs at the Alberta Civil Courts, Service Alberta business licence appeals, and Alberta Municipal Affairs. Dr. Tywoniuk was appointed by the Law Society of Alberta as a public adjudicator for the Society's discipline hearings. In February 2020, he was appointed to the Alberta Surface Rights Board and Alberta Land Compensation Board. Dr. Tywoniuk was appointed as a member of the Environmental Appeals Board in 2010 and is cross-appointed to the Public Lands Appeal Board.
 
 

Gilbert Van Nes General Counsel and Settlement Officer

Gilbert Van Nes serves as the Board's General Counsel and Settlement Officer for the Environmental Appeals Board and Public Lands Appeal Board.  Mr. Van Nes provides advice to the Boards as well as coordinates the Boards' alternative dispute resolution activities.  Mr. Van Nes has been a lawyer with the Government of Alberta since 1992. His employment history includes that of an Environmental Prosecutor with the Special Prosecutions Branch of Alberta Justice.  Mr. Van Nes' experience includes seven years with the Environmental Law Section of Alberta Justice serving his main clients in the Departments of Environment, Infrastructure, and Agriculture, Food and Rural Development.  While with the Environmental Law Section, Mr. Van Nes assisted in drafting legislation such as the Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act and the Water Act, developed enforcement programs, appeared before the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board, and joint Natural Resources Conservation Board/Canadian Environmental Assessment Act panels.  Mr. Van Nes graduated with a Bachelor of Laws in April 1991 and was admitted to the Bar in July 1992. Mr. Van Nes also has a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and a certificate in Conflict Management from the Alberta Arbitration and Mediation Society.

Aurelia Gordon Board Counsel

Aurelia Gordon provides legal services to staff and Board members of the Environmental Appeals Board and Public Lands Appeal Board. Prior to commencing with the Boards, Ms. Gordon worked at Alberta Justice and Solicitor General. She has practiced primarily in environmental regulation and compliance, parks and protected areas, public lands, regional planning, and water. Her experience also includes working in policy development and legislative drafting. Ms. Gordon has appeared before the Provincial Court, Court of Queen's Bench, and administrative tribunals. She obtained her law degree in 2006 from the University of Alberta and was admitted to the Bar in July of 2007. Ms. Gordon also holds an Honours Bachelors of Arts in History and Business from the University of Waterloo.  

Denise Black Board Secretary

Denise Black is the Board Secretary for the Environmental Appeals Board.  Reporting to the General Counsel, the Board Secretary is responsible for the overall operations of the Board.  Staff of the Environmental Appeals Board also work for the Public Lands Appeal Board. Ms. Black has served the provincial government since 1981 commencing with the Solicitor General’s.  She has held various operational and corporate positions in Alberta Justice prior to joining the Environmental Appeals Board in 1996. 

Valerie Myrmo Registrar of Appeals

Valerie Myrmo is the Registrar of Appeals for the Environmental Appeals Board and Public Lands Appeal Board. Valerie is responsible for the administration of the appeals that come before the Board, coordinating appeal proceedings, monitoring the flow of documentation, and providing information and assistance to participants and the Board throughout the appeal process. She has worked with the Government of Alberta since 1994, at Municipal Services, the Law Enforcement Review Board and Correctional Services, and has been with the Environmental Appeals Board since 1999.

Jennie Delaney Administrative Assistant

Jennie Delaney is an Administrative Assistant with the Environmental Appeals Board and Public Lands Appeal Board. Jennie carries out an array of functions in support of the Board related to the general administration of the Board and appeals that are filed with the Board. After studying Fine Arts at the University of Alberta and Art at the University of Calgary, she has been employed with the provincial government and in the private sector, performing a variety of administrative, financial and marketing functions.
 
 

Candice Mah Administrative Assistant

Candice Mah is an Administrative Assistant with the Environmental Appeals Board and the Public Lands Appeal Board. Candice provides support to the Registrar of Appeals, the Board Secretary and the Board's General Counsel. Her primary responsibility is providing support for the processing of appeals. She has worked with the Government of Alberta since 2009 for the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program and the Appeals Secretariat, and joined the Environmental Appeals Board in January 2015.