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Director Biographies (CAN)

During his business career, Bird served as a Director of several local and national companies, including Noranda Inc., Enbridge Gas NB and Acadian Timber Corp. In 1967, he was first elected to public office as a City Councillor, and became Mayor of Fredericton two years later. In 1978, he was elected to the Provincial Legislature, and was appointed Minister of Natural Resources for the Province of New Brunswick. In 1988, he was elected as a Member of Canada’s federal Parliament in Ottawa. While serving as Minister of Natural Resources, Bird was responsible for introducing the first ever harvest tagging system for Atlantic salmon, the management concept which was eventually adopted throughout the wild salmon world. In recognition of his combined business and public service careers, Mr. Bird received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of New Brunswick in 1987; he was made a Distinguished Citizen of Fredericton in 1997; he was appointed an Officer in the Order of Canada in 2001; and in 2004 was presented with the Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Wild Atlantic Salmon Conservation.
Stephen Bronfman is a businessman and philanthropist born in Montreal, Quebec. For the last 15 years, Stephen has been working at Claridge Inc., a private holding company founded in 1987 by his father, Charles Bronfman. He was named President and CEO of Claridge Inc. in 2007 and is expected to hold the role of Chairman of the Board, September 1st, 2011. Before working at Claridge Inc., Stephen Bronfman occupied a variety of positions within the Montreal Expos Baseball Club. In 1990, he joined Claridge Properties Ltd., the real estate arm of Claridge Inc. and later moved to implementing a program focusing on Claridge’s investment opportunities in the sports, entertainment, broadcasting and communications fields.

Under Stephen Bronfman’s leadership, the program yielded successful ventures such as NetStar Communications Inc. and TNA International Ltd. Mr. Bronfman was also the one who initiated the partnership with world-leading music promoter, Michael Cohl – the man behind the sold-out 2002-2003, Rolling Stones Forty Licks tour, the 2005-2007 Rolling Stones A Bigger Bang tour, as well as Dick Clark Productions – which led to the creation of Grand Entertainment Ltd. In 2001, Mr. Bronfman spearheaded the creation of Claridge Foods, an initiative to develop a large, high growth food platform composed of premium brands and manufacturing assets. One of Claridge’s most successful investments in this area was with SunOpta, an important, publically-traded supplier of organic ingredients. Mr. Bronfman has also been an active Board member of several organizations, including The Seagram Company Ltd. and the Executive Committee of the Montreal Expos Baseball Club. Today, he sits on the Boards of The David Suzuki Foundation, the Canadian Centre for Architecture as well as B2Ten, a privately funded, CRA registered, charitable organization operating as a Registered Canadian Amateur Athletic Association. Stephen and his wife Claudine are Co-Chairs of the Claudine and Stephen Bronfman Family Foundation established to carry out philanthropic activities including support for the arts, the environment, youth entrepreneurship and the Jewish community, locally and abroad. Mr. Bronfman is also President of the Samuel and Saidye Bronfman Family Foundation, the family’s oldest foundation. Mr. Bronfman resides in Montreal, Canada with his wife Claudine Blondin-Bronfman and their four children.
John Cleghorn retired as Chairman and CEO and a director of Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) in 2001. He has served on several corporate boards including Molson Coors Brewing Company. He is currently a director of the Atlantic Salmon Federation, a Member of the First World War Steering Committee of The Canadian War Museum, Chancellor Emeritus of Wilfrid Laurier University, and Governor Emeritus of McGill University. He is an Officer of the Order of Canada, a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario and a fellow of the Order of Chartered Accountants of Quebec. He is a Companion of the Canadian Business Hall of Fame, an Officer of YMCA Canada’s Fellowship of Honour, and a recipient of the Honorary Associate Award from The Conference Board of Canada. He holds honorary degrees from Acadia, Bishop's, McGill and Wilfrid Laurier Universities.
Born in Montreal, Philippe Couillard received his medical degree in 1979 and completed his specialty training in neurosurgery in 1985. After 20 years of medical practice he became Quebec’s minister of health during 5 years, left politics, only to return as Quebec’s 31st Premier between 2014 and 2018. During his term, Mr. Couillard undertook many initiatives in the environment, electrification and energy transition sectors, while balancing the public finances, reducing debt and overseeing a period of significant economic growth.

Since leaving politics in 2018, Mr. Couillard has been a senior business advisor at Dentons and the Vice-President of Britishvolt Canada, a subsidiary of Britishvolt, a UK based corporation manufacturing battery cells for electric vehicles with two industrial sites in development in the UK and Quebec.
John Dillon joined Evercore Partners, an investment bank, in March 2005. John retired as chairman and chief executive officer of International Paper on October 31, 2003. He served as chairman and chief executive officer from April 1, 1996, to his retirement. From September 1995 to April 1996 he served as the company’s president and chief operating officer. Before he was appointed the president and chief operating officer, John was executive vice president – packaging. In this position, he was responsible for the company’s industrial and consumer packaging businesses, as well as its corporate engineering and technology staffs. John was also in charge of the company’s operations in Asia and served on the board of directors of Carter Holt Harvey, a New Zealand paper and forest products company. John joined the company in 1965. In 1982, he was elected vice president and group executive for the land and timber group, assuming additional responsibilities for wood products in 1986. In 1987, he became an executive vice president responsible for the company’s packaging sector. John was elected to the company’s board of directors in 1991. John received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Hartford in 1966 and a master’s degree from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business in 1971. His professional affiliations include membership on the board of directors of Kellogg Company and Progressive Waste Solutions, Ltd. John retired as a Caterpillar director in December 2010 and DuPont director in April 2011. He was a long time member The Business Council. John served as chairman of the Business Roundtable (BRT), chairman of the board of the American Forest and Paper Association (AF&PA), chairman of the board of directors of the National Council on Economic Education (NCEE), and chairman of the board of governors of the National Council for Air and Stream Improvement (NCASI). John was a member of the President’s Advisory Council on Trade Policy and Negotiations.
Kevin Davidson is president of the NB Salmon Council NBSC. His career has included 40 years as a fisheries and wildlife biologist, as consultant, biologist and program manager with DFO, plus as a senior manager with the Canadian Wildlife Service. His expertise includes research, regulatory and management experience in conservation of fish, fisheries, migratory birds, species at risk, and their habitats. He is an enthusiastic salmon conservationist who recognizes the ecological, cultural and economic roles played by the species.
Alan Graham is a native of Kent County in New Brunswick. He was first elected Member of the New Brunswick Legislature Assembly in 1967 under the then Premier Louis J. Robichaud. He served as the MLA for the riding of Kent for 31 years, until his retirement from politics in 1998. Between 1970 – 1987 while in opposition he acted as critic for Agriculture, Natural Resources, Housing, Health and Transportation. He was also Liberal Caucus Chairperson and Opposition House Leader. In 1987 under Premier Frank McKenna Mr. Graham was named Minister of Agriculture from 1987 – 1991. He then was named the Minister of Natural Resources and Energy from 1991-1998. During that time he served as Chairman of the Board of Forest Protection Ltd. and Maritime Forestry Complex Corporation. He was also a member of the Board of Directors of Provincial Holdings Ltd. and the New Brunswick Government Economic Development Fund Inc. In 1997 under Premier Ray Frenette he was named Deputy Premier while still keeping his portfolio as Natural Resources and Energy Minister, until his retirement. In 1999 he became a Board Member of the South East Health Care Corporation and served as Chairman of the Finance Committee until his retirement in 2001. Mr. Graham now serves on various board such as the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, a Trustee of the Nature Conservancy of Canada, a past Director of the Board of Vanerply AB in Otterbacken, Sweden, a Director of the Board of Systemair Inc., a member of the Board of Atlantic Salmon Federation Canada and a member of the Board of Miramichi-Uganda Foundation Inc. He also is Honorary President of the Atlantic Canada Woodworking Centre of Excellence. He serves on several boards of the family-owned businesses related to lumbering, agriculture, transportation and export, including Graham Export Sales, Graham & Associates and Alcon Holdings Ltd. Alan and his wife, Connie have five adult children. Mr. Graham is self-employed and now resides in Rexton, NB with his wife.
Dan Greenberg is a businessman and philanthropist born in Ottawa, Ontario. He is president of Ottawa-based Ferguslea Properties Limited. Since he was young, Dan has been a lover of the outdoors and has tried to apply 'green' principles to managing his real estate properties. Dan has been an avid Atlantic salmon angler since he caught two parr in 1995. His growing passion for flyfishing has led him to becoming a part-owner of two salmon lodges in the Gaspé. Dan and wife, Barbara Crook, live in Ottawa and are proud supporters of the Ottawa Senators. He does not like the colours blue and white.
Mr. Hamm has a background of 40 years in the financial business community with the first 10 years being spent in retail sales, retail management and institutional sales. The following several years were spent developing the business, marketing and sales strategies that helped create the leading independent mutual fund company in Canada. Following this time was invested in building and selling a financial business to a major bank, working with structured product specialists and participating in venture capital. In the mid 90’s he co-founded a new real estate development company whose mandate is to purchase, redevelop and manage distressed shopping plazas. It trades publicly as a REIT. Over the past few years, time has been dedicated to building Bristol Gate Capital Partners, an investment management firm focussed on integrating Artificial Intelligence and fundamental analysis. Mr. Hamm holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours), Queen’s University, 1976. Various charitable concerns including past Board involvement: Board Chair of Roy Thomson and Massey Hall; Special Olympics, Trails, Regent Park/Duke of York Foundation and various local charitable initiatives. Mr. Hamm became a Director of ASF (Canada) in May, 2018.
John Houghton of St. Catharine’s, Ontario, was Chairman of Quebec - Labrador Foundation. Mr. Houghton received a B.Sc. from the Technical University of Nova Scotia; attended Advanced Management studies at Harvard University; and received an LLD (Honorary) at Brock University. Mr. Houghton has been a member of ASF (Canada) and ASF (U.S.) Board of Directors since 1991, and was Chairman of ASF (Canada) from 1998 – 2004. In 2004 he was the recipient of the Wilfred Carter Conservation Award, and in 2007 was the recipient of the Happy Fraser Award. Mr. Houghton’s wife’s name is May Ella and they have three daughters.
Ted Johnson joined Power Corporation of Canada in 1985. He retired as Senior Vice-President, General Counsel, and Secretary of Power Financial Corporation and Power Corporation in 2012, having passed the Power group’s normal age of retirement. He continues to serve as Vice-President of Power Corporation International, based in Montreal. He began his career as a financial analyst and securities representative at BeIl, Gouinlock and Company, a Toronto investment firm. Following his studies in law, he was appointed Special Assistant to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, a position he held until 1978, when he assumed similar responsibilities in the Office of the Minister of Finance. In 1979, he joined the Department of Justice Canada as Tax Litigation Counsel, and in 1980 was appointed Executive Assistant to Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau, a position he held until June, 1984. Upon leaving the Prime Minister’s Office, Mr. Johnson joined the Law firm of Lang, Michener, Cranston, Farquharson and Wright in Toronto. Mr. Johnson is a director and former Chairman of the Board of the National Theatre School of Canada, a Director of the Atlantic Salmon Federation, a FeIlow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, and a Founding Member and Vice-Chairman of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation. Mr. Johnson holds a Bachelor of Law degree from Queen’s University and an Honours Bachelor of Arts (HBA) degree in Business Administration from the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario. He also holds a Certificat d’études politiques from the Institut d’Études Politiques deParis. In 1978, he was admitted to the Bar by the Law Society of Upper Canada.
David Lank (Honorary Director) of Montreal, QC is retired as Director of the Dobson Centre for Entrepreneurial Studies in the McGill Desautels Faculty of Management in 2012 after having been named Distinguished Professor in the Faculty and the outstanding Faculty Lecturer for the entire university. He has served for more than a decade on the selection committee for the annual conservation stamps of both Wilderness Habit Canada and La Fondation de la Faune du Quebec. He has written many books dealing with wilderness art, wildlife artists and The Gospels According to St. Salmo and the Psalms According to St. Psalmo. In 2013 the David Lank Collection of books dealing with natural history and art was officially opened to the public at the Université of Montréal. On November 28, 1996 Mr. Lank was awarded the Order of Canada, in part for his conservation efforts for the Atlantic salmon. He was President of the Atlantic Salmon Association (ASA) for 10 years. He was honored with ASF’s TB Happy Fraser Award and was inducted into the Atlantic Salmon Hall of Fame. He has written several articles for the Atlantic Salmon Journal over the years.
Phil Lind, C.M., of Toronto, Ontario is Vice Chairman of Rogers Communications Inc. Mr. Lind has been with Rogers Communications Inc. for over 40 years. Over the years, Mr. Lind’s primary focus has been on strategic planning and positioning, in particular, on expanding the scope of the company. When Mr. Lind joined Rogers in 1969 they had 15,000 cable subscribers. Today, the company has grown to become Canada’s largest cable operator with 2.5 million cable customers in Canada and 8 million cellular customers.. Mr. Lind serves on many Boards as well, including those of Rogers Communications Inc. and Brookfield Asset Management, Art Gallery of Ontario, Council for the Business of the Arts, Central Canadian Public Television Association and the Cable Center. Mr. Lind has two children, Sarah and Jed.
Stephen Lloyd was born and lives in Montreal, Quebec. He is a partner with and Canadian board member of the global law firm 大成 Dentons, practicing corporate commercial law, often involving the forest products sector. He also sits on various boards and acts as an advisor for a number of private family-owned businesses. In the field of conservation work, he sits on the board of American Friends of Canadian Nature. He was also for many years on the board of directors of The Nature Conservancy of Canada and served as Chair of their Quebec branch. He currently also serves as an elected councillor for the Town of Barkmere, a conservation-minded community in the Laurentians area of Quebec, in charge of planning and zoning issues. He has worked actively to reconcile commercial real estate interests and conservation priorities on the Island of Montreal, through his presidency of the 1000-member Association for the Protection of Angell Woods. His other not-for-profit contributions include acting as the long-time Vice-Chair for Bishop’s University, where he currently sits on the board of its Foundation. He also sits as a trustee of the McGill University Martlet Foundation and a member of the McGill Sports Hall of Fame committee, in support of elite athletics at McGill. He received a B.A. in Economics at Bishop’s University and his law degree at McGill and has three university-aged children with his wife Marie-Hélène Gauthier.
Tim MacDonald, C.M. is president and CEO of Ideal Supply, a family held electrical supplies and auto parts distributor based in Listowel, ON with multiple locations in Central Ontario. Ideal Supply has been named as one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies for eight consecutive years. Tim attended Carleton University studying Political Science and English, and joined Ideal Supply in 1981. His community engagement initiatives include: President of the Listowel Chamber of Commerce, Chair of the Western Ontario Chapter of YPO and Chair of the Electro-Federation Canada. He sat on the Board of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival and was the Founding Chair of the Stratford Perth Community Foundation. He is the recipient of and Honorary Doctorate of Laws from Assumption University and the Queens Diamond Jubilee Medal and is a member of the College of Fellows of the Royal Canadian Geographic Society. Tim and Jim Balsillie co-founded the Arctic Research Foundation in 2010. Tim and his wife Alexandra live in Stratford, Ontario.
John Lorn McDougall, Q.C., B.A., LL.B.; lawyer; born in Ottawa. Attended Carleton University, University of British Columbia and Osgoode Hall Law School. Independent Arbitrator, Arbitration Place, Toronto and 3 Verulam Buildings, London, England; Formerly Partner Emeritus and Counsel, Dentons Canada LLP (formerly Fraser Milner Casgrain, formerly Fraser & Beatty); Delegate, Commission on Arbitration, International Chamber of Commerce; Chair, Canadian National Arbitration Committee, Canadian Chamber of Commerce; member, International Arbitration Panel of International Chamber of Commerce, London Court of International Arbitration, International Centre of Dispute Resolution and International Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution; Panellist, Kuala Lumpur Regional Centre for Arbitration. Appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1980; Chartered Arbitrator and Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers; Honourary bencher of the Middle Temple, London, England; Honourary overseas member, Commercial Bar Association of England & Wales; Fellow, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators; member Canadian Bar Association; International Bar Association; Law Society of Upper Canada; Law Society of Alberta; Law Society of North West Territories; Law Society of the Yukon; Law Society of Nunavut; Canadian International Council; Osgoode Society; Advocates’ Society (Past Director).
Michael Meighen of Toronto, Ontario, was educated in Nova Scotia, Quebec and Ontario. He graduated from McGill University (B.A.) and Univesité Laval (LL.L cum laude) and thereafter practiced law in Montreal and subsequently Toronto. He was elected National President of the Progressive Conservative Association of Canada and was the Party’s official candidate for the riding of Westmount-St-Antoine in the 1972 and 1974 Federal elections. He acted as Co-Chief Counsel to the Deschênes Commission on War Criminals and, in 1990 was appointed to the Senate of Canada where he served for 21 years including a three year term as Chair of the Standing Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce. Mr. Meighen has been a director of numerous public, private and not-for-profit companies. In addition to the Atlantic Salmon Federation (Canada), Mr. Meighen also Chairs the T.R. Meighen Family Foundation and is the recipient of honorary degrees from Mount Allision University, the University of New Brunswick, Western University and McGill University. In 2014 Michael Meighen was appointed the 19th Chancellor of McGill University. In 2015 he was made a Companion of the Order of Canada. Michael and his wife Kelly have three grown sons and reside in Toronto, Ontario and St. Andrews, New Brunswick.
Sandy Miller was educated in Toronto graduating from U of T(Trinity College) with a BA in Political Science and Economics. He joined the investment firm of Mcleod Young Weir where he spent his whole career retiring in 1998. His fly fishing experiences reach back to his youth mentored by uncles fishing the Tobique,St John and St Marys rivers in Atlantic Canada. Current primary fishing rivers are the Moisie, Miramichi and the Deschutes in Oregon. His two sons are also very keen fly fishermen which brings home in a very personal way, the importance of the work of the ASF.
Stephen Molson (Honorary Director) of Quebec, is Director and Vice President of The Molson Foundation. Mr. Molson also serves on the Board of the Quebec-Labrador Foundation Inc.; Fondation Hospitalière Maisonneuve-Rosemont; Butters Foundation. Mr. Molson received a B.A. from McGill University.
Ernie Nutter of Toronto, Ontario joined the investment team at Los Angeles headquartered money manager Capital Group in June 2004. Prior to this Mr. Nutter spent almost 14 years with the Royal Bank of Canada group where he was Managing Director of RBC Capital markets, head of RBC’s Global Mining Research team and former Chairman of RBC Dominion Securities’ (now RBC Capital Markets) Strategic Planning Committee. He is both author and co-author of technical and financial publications dealing with mineral exploration, deposit types, and markets, has presented papers on mining finance and a variety of related mining topics to organizations throughout the world. He was ranked as a top mining analyst by institutional investors in each of the last 10 years in the brokerage business. Mr. Nutter is also Past Chairman and holds a BSc in Geology from Dalhousie University (1976).
Robert Pace is President and CEO of The Pace Group which operates several companies across Atlantic Canada including Maritime Broadcasting System, a 24 radio station group, MBS Reality and Shredder’s. He holds a Bachelor of Laws and Master of Business Administration from Dalhousie University and an Honorary Doctorate of Commerce from Saint Mary’s University. Between 1981 and 1984, Mr. Pace served as Atlantic Advisor to the Prime Minister of Canada. Mr. Pace serves as Chairman of the Board of Canadian National Railway. He is also Director of High Liner Foods Inc. and Chairman of the Public Gardens Foundation and the Walter Gordon Foundation.
Brian Porter assumed the role of Scotiabank’s Chief Executive Officer in 2013. Prior to becoming CEO, Mr. Porter served as the bank’s Chief Risk Officer, Group Head of Risk and Treasury, and Group Head of International Banking. He joined the Bank in 1981. Mr. Porter is also Chair of the University Health Network (UHN) Board of Trustees and his current board memberships include the Council of the Americas and The BlackNorth Initiative. Most recently, Mr. Porter assumed the role of Chair of the Board of Governors of Huron University College at Western University. Mr. Porter previously served as Vice Chairman and Treasurer of the Washington-based Institute of International Finance (IIF). Mr. Porter earned a B.Comm. from Dalhousie University, and has been awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws (LLD) from Dalhousie University (2008) and Ryerson University (2018). He is a graduate of the Advanced Management Program of the Harvard Business School.
Andrew Pringle worked in the investment business at RBC Capital Markets from 1972 to 2002, where he retired as Head of Global Fixed Income and a member of the firm's Executive Committee. He was one of the founding directors of Freedom International Brokerage in 1987. In 2009, Andy was one of the founding partners of RPIA and serves as Chair. He also chairs the McMichael Canadian Art Collection and the Canadian Foundation for Aids Research (CANFAR). He is a member of the board of Fidelity Canada Ltd, the Atlantic Salmon Federation and Mount Sinai Health Foundation. He is a past chair of the Shaw Festival, the Toronto Police Services Board and the Board of Governors of Upper Canada College. He chaired the PC Ontario Fund from 2004 to 2008. In June 2016, Andy was awarded the Order of Canada. He lives in Toronto with his wife, broadcaster Valerie Pringle.
Graham W. S. Scott, C.M., Q.C. was born in Halifax, NS. He is the Partner Emeritus at McMillan LLP and President of Graham Scott Strategies Inc. He was Executive Assistant to the Leader of the Opposition for Canada, The Rt. Honourable Robert L. Stanfield, from 1970-76. In the province of Ontario, he has held the positions of Executive Coordinator, Planning & Operations, Ministry of the Attorney General (1976-77); Assistant Deputy Attorney General, Courts Administration and Inspector of Legal Offices (1977-79); Associate Secretary of the Cabinet (1979); Deputy Minister of the Environment (1979-81) and Deputy Minister of Health (1981-84). He has advised the governments of Canada, Ontario and Nova Scotia on health and is a leader in the field of accountability, governance and amalgamations in the health sector. Graham currently serves as Chair of the University Naval Training Divisions Association of Canada, LDIC Inc. and Rothesay Netherwood School. He is a past chair of the IRPP, Canada Health Infoway, and The Canadian Institute for Health Information. Graham was appointed to the Order of Canada as a Member in 2005. He is married to Gail and they have two daughters.
Bill Taylor of St. Andrews, N.B., is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Atlantic Salmon Federation. Mr. Taylor joined the staff of ASF in 1988, serving as Manager of Regional Programs, Director of Communications, Executive Director of Public Policy and in 1995 was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer. He has served on several regional, national and international conservation boards and committees including Canada’s Atlantic Salmon Advisory Committee and as an NGO representative to the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization. In 2015 he co-chaired the Minister’s Advisory Committee on Wild Atlantic Salmon in Eastern Canada. He has received several awards in recognition of his work in Atlantic salmon conservation, among them the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. Mr. Taylor graduated from Acadia University in 1983.
John Thompson recently retired as the Chairman of the Board of TD Bank. He previously retired as the Executive Vice-Chairman and a Director of the IBM Corporation, where he had oversight responsibility for worldwide technology, manufacturing and business strategy. Thompson began his IBM career in Canada in 1966 and was elected Chief Executive Officer of IBM Canada in 1986. He is a graduate Western University with a degree in Engineering Science and completed executive management programs at the Ivey School of Business at Western University and the Kellogg Graduate School of Business at Northwestern University. Thompson is a Director of Thomson Reuters Corporation and Atlantic Salmon Federation and is a Fellow of the Institute for Corporate Directors. He previously served as a Director of TD Bank, Director and Vice Chairman of Philips Electronics NV, Trustee and Vice Chairman of the Hospital for Sick Children, Director of Robert Mondavi Corporation and Director of Hertz Corporation. He was Chancellor of the Western University from 2008 to 2012.
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