Lindsey Griffith, Chair

Lindsey was born in Hamilton, Ontario and raised in the surrounding area until her pursuit of a post‑secondary education took her to Brantford, and her heart eventually brought her to the Peninsula. Her family settled on the Saugeen-Bruce Peninsula in the late 1950’s, and each generation since has made a home here. In college and university Lindsey studied law enforcement, criminology & contemporary studies, and legal office administration – which has surprisingly all come in handy as she manages our local, family-owned book store.

Lindsey has always had an interest in the history and preservation of the Peninsula, and with the rise in tourism in recent years she has found the need to participate impossible to ignore. Since moving to Tobermory permanently, she has thoroughly enjoyed taking a hands-on approach. She feels it is important to learn how this place came to be, and who was involved, to better understand how and where we need to go from here.

Owen Glendon, Vice Chair

After yearly vacationing in Tobermory since 1971 Owen and his wife Margaret became land owners at the tip of the peninsula in 1981. They built a home in 2000 and have been year round residents since 2015.

He obtained a Bachelor of Engineering degree from the University of Waterloo and spent 30 years of his working career as a Consulting Engineer in building services.

The firm in which Owen worked and was a partner designed Mechanical and Electrical systems and infrastructure for large medical and university campus clients.

Owen currently sits on the Peninsula Bruce Trail Club board and he enjoys the outdoor activities that he area offers.

Daryl William Cowell, Past Chair

Daryl is a geoscientist specializing in the study of caves and groundwater. He was born in Hamilton, Ontario and graduated from McMaster University in Hamilton with a Bachelor’s degree and a Master of Science degree. Daryl worked with Environment Canada in various programs including the Great Lakes Programme and the Acid Rain Programme. He subsequently was involved in the start-up of the first computer mapping based company in North America and was a partner in an environmental consulting company based in Campbellville Ontario. Daryl currently undertakes geoscience consulting through his own company and is particularly interested in gemology. He lives near Tobermory with his wife Judy.

Sigrid Feser, Treasurer/Director

Sigrid is a passionate advocate for preserving the natural and cultural heritage of the Saugeen Bruce Peninsula. She first visited the region in the early 1990s and has since made Tobermory her home.

As a Chartered Professional Accountant, Sigrid spent much of her career as a partner at a leading accounting and consulting firm. After retiring, she pursued a master’s degree in Anthropology combined with Archaeology at the University of Toronto.

Throughout her life, Sigrid has been committed to giving back to her community. Among other appointments, she has served as Treasurer for the Rotary Club and the Academy for Lifelong Learning, both in Toronto. She also supported a young Mexican social entrepreneur in the foundation of “Education for Sharing” (E4S), a not-for-profit organization based on updated United Nations Millennium Goals that promote humanitarian values and environmental sustainability. The E4S program has been introduced as after school programs for young school children, mainly in Mexico and partially in the United States.

Her dedication to environmental and social causes stems from her deep appreciation for the beauty and importance of the natural world.

Rob Klea, Director

Rob holds a diploma in forestry, a degree in environmental geography, and a professional degree in education. He has specialist certification in counselling, special education, and administration. Rob has worked in the field of education for over 30 years as a classroom teacher, counsellor, itinerant behaviour resource teacher, behaviour program teacher, and consultant responsible for behavioural services. He has also taught professional education courses at the college and university level.

Rob has spent a majority of his career working with at risk populations or supporting professionals working with students with social, emotional, and behavioural challenges. Rob created and led an adventure-based program that supported students with behavioural exceptionalities through a variety of therapeutically designed outdoor experiences. In the latter half of his career, Rob was responsible for the coordination of Behavioural Services for a large school board and provided leadership support to itinerant and program-based professionals. He also provided training to various groups in the areas of non-violent crisis intervention, behaviour management, classroom systems design, special education, leadership, and nature connection.

Rob’s passion for the outdoors has always been a common thread in all aspects of his personal and professional life. He began working with youth in the outdoors while supervising Junior Rangers in the 1980’s and worked in wildfire control, wetlands evaluation, and naturalist interpretation prior to his career in education. In addition to being a Forest Therapy Guide, Rob holds qualifications as an Adventure-Based Programmer, an ORCKA certified Canoe Trip Leader, and a Canoe Tripping Instructor. Rob has witnessed the transformational experiences that connecting with nature provides and is excited to bring the practice of Forest Therapy and Nature Connection to others.

Moira Parker, Director

Moira is a Lions Head local, having spent most of her youth in this area (with a 5-year stint in Haida Gwaii, BC with her family in her early years). After graduating from Bruce Peninsula District School, she attended the University of Guelph where she gained her Honours Bachelor of Science in Biology. With experiences working locally for Parks Canada and the Bruce Peninsula Biosphere Association, Moira has a genuine interest in the preservation and protection of the beautiful place where she was raised. She is a globally aware adventurer, having spent extended periods living and studying in Thailand, Mexico, and Switzerland. These travels have served to heighten her appreciation of the Saugeen Bruce Peninsula and her commitment to the community and the natural environment.

Marty Oblak, Director

[coming soon]

John Newitt, Director

John was born and raised in Brantford Ontario, and became a regular visitor to the Bruce Peninsula through family and friend connections in Tobermory and surrounding areas beginning in the 1970’s. After raising their family in rural Brant County, John and his wife Margaret eventually purchased property near Tobermory, and created a home along the shores of Lake Huron to which they moved full time after retirement in 2017.

During his professional career, John worked for many years in the auto and heavy truck parts industries in many capacities, followed by his career in the Material Handling Industry. Providing dedicated and individualized customer service within his role in servicing Industrial, Food, Agriculture, Warehousing and Retail Industries allowed John the opportunity to meet and develop working relationships with clients from varied lines of work and walks of life.

John’s connection to the Peninsula and his community has led him to his current role as coordinator for the Peninsula’s Men’s Breakfast and an active participant in various social groups. He is looking forward to pursuing his interest in the environment, climate change, and being involved in the community that we have on the Bruce Peninsula.

Graham Bland, Director

[coming soon]

Sandy Ashton, Member at Large

[coming soon]

John Greenhouse, Director Emeritus

JPG is a geophysicist, born in Victoria, B.C. He was educated at UBC and the University of California and has worked for The Arctic Institute of North America, Chevron Oil, The Marine Physical Labs of the Scripps Institute of Oceanogaphy, The University of Waterloo, The Ontario Centre of Excellence CRESTech, HydEng Geophysics and the company he founded, Waterloo Geophysics Inc. Geophysical work has taken him to many parts of the world; a wide variety of projects has ranged from measuring depths of ice caps to finding oil to locating fighting tunnels beneath WW1 battlefields, from mapping contaminated groundwater to finding bodies in shallow graves. He lives in Tobermory with his wife and partner Jane. They have 4 children and 8 grandchildren.

Bill Caulfeild-Browne, Director Emeritus

Bill is a retired financial services executive and corporate director who has had a life-long interest in climate. He is particularly interested in the long-term climate trends of the last thousand years. His weather station on Big Tub Harbour has been operating continuously since 1996. An avid photographer, he has published two books celebrating nature, including “Wild Canada” in recognition of the 150th anniversary of Confederation. He is a former Chair of the Nature Conservancy of Canada and currently serves as a Director of Canada’s History Society.

Gordon Nelson, Director Emeritus

Gordon is a geographer and planner who has taught and done research on land use and environmental history and planning for about five decades. He has done a considerable amount of work in the Bruce as a researcher, is a member of the National Park Advisory Committee and an ongoing member of Sources of Knowledge. He has written and published extensively and is currently involved in a number of conservation organizations such as the Carolinian Canada Coalition. He has received a number of recognitions for his work including the Massey Medal of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society.

Cavan Harpur, Parks Bursary Liaison

Cavan Harpur is new to the Sources of Knowledge team. Cavan was born and raised in Tobermory and a graduate from Bruce Peninsula District High School. Cavan received his undergraduate degree in Zoology from the University of Guelph and his masters in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Toronto. Cavan has worked for Parks Canada at Bruce Peninsula National Park, Fathom Five National Marine Park and Pukaskwa National Park since 2006, with a brief break to complete his master’s. Cavan’s master’s research examined changes in the inland lake fish communities on the Northern Peninsula form 1974 to 2007, which he presented at the 2010 Source of Knowledge Forum. He lives in Tobermory with his wife Stefanie and daughter Mairin.

My sad duty as Chair of SoK includes notifying friends and supporters of the Sources of Knowledge Forum that Ivan Smith passed away on Thursday June 17^th, 2021 at age 66.

Ivan was in his first term of the SoK Board. In that time, he contributed greatly and was a regular attendant at meetings even through the difficult Covid-19 period. Ivan was a member of the Bursary Committee and the 2020 Forum Committee. He was also instrumental in delivering SoK/BPEG’s “Essential Businesses Thank You” campaign recognizing workers at Tobermory businesses that continued to serve the community during the first part of the Covid-19 pandemic shut-down.

I first met Ivan when he was General Works Manager for Fathom Five and Bruce Peninsula National Parks and through his time as Park Superintendent. He was a great supporter of SoK and was a prominent, well-known and well-liked citizen of the North Bruce. My best memories of Ivan were during our meetings at the local dog park. Our two dogs – Cody and Bailey – got along great while Ivan would be busy trimming trees and shrubs in the park. Ivan was instrumental in the final construction and on-going maintenance of the park.

Taken way too soon, he will be remembered and missed. Below is the notice of his death provided by Ethan Meleg and testimonials from two of our Board members. These testimonials speak to the man, his character and his actions.
Daryl Cowell, Chair, Sources of Knowledge Board.

“It’s with a heavy heart that I share the news that Ivan Smith passed away yesterday.

“Ivan had an illustrious career with Parks Canada. He worked at sites across the country including Kluane National Park, Trent Severn Waterway, Georgian Bay Islands National Park and here at Bruce/Fathom Five where he was General Works Manager before finishing his career as Park Superintendent.

“Ivan was a parks-guy through and through, and an engaged local citizen. Even after retiring he was still actively volunteering in the community and with initiatives connected to these parks.”
Ethan Meleg, General Works Manager (Acting), Parks Canada

“I have great admiration for the contribution that Ivan Smith made to Parks Canada and the Bruce, especially as Superintendent.  As a member of the Parks Advisory Committee. I watched him encourage the opening up of the Committee in its work for the community, Canada, and Parks Canada.  Previous to his Superintendency, the style and role of the Committee was overwhelmingly to receive information from Parks Canada.  He encouraged the Committee and its members, and the Chair, Ed Doadt, to submit ideas and proposals to Parks Canada and Bruce National Park and Fathom Five National Marine Park.  This revitalized the Committee and led to some significant advances, for example, the establishment of the Sources of Knowledge Forum.  He worked gently and effectively with people.”
Gordon Nelson, SoK Board Member (Emeritus)

“Ivan Smith was indeed a special person, but thanks to his quiet demeanor his qualities could easily be missed.

“I have taken the liberty of passing Gordon’s remarks (above) on to our golfing group of the last dozen or so years, many of whom might not have known much of Ivan’s background. Golf has many detractors (waste of time and farmland, good walk spoiled, etc..) but it has the redeeming virtue of allowing one to spend lots of idle time with fellow players. You learn a lot about them, how they win, how they lose, how they support their fellows, how honestly they score, how they recover from that spell of bad play or luck that always comes along. In Ivan’s case we watched him slowly recover from his first battle with cancer, doggedly playing through the fatigue, never complaining and slowly growing stronger over the years. He was always polite, encouraging, enjoying the success of others as well as himself, even going so far as to play the ball where it landed and not where a subtle “foot wedge” put it. But, at the same time, quietly competitive and very determined.

“All this to say that, along with all his many other accomplishments, Ivan was truly a champion golfer. That is how I would like to remember him.”
John Greenhouse, SoK Board Member (Emeritus)

William Douglas Lionel (Bill) Graham (1935-2020) was a founding Director and a driving force of the Sources of Knowledge Forum through its first 10 years. A man of immense charm, his warmth and approachability belied a life of high achievement in many fields. In 1953, right out of high school he followed in his father’s footsteps by making the roster of the Grey Cup winning Hamilton Tiger Cats, and repeated that victory with the 1957 T-Cats. In 1959, now playing ice hockey with the Belleville McFarlands, he helped that team win the Gold Medal at the World Ice Hockey Championships.

Those fields conquered, Bill turned to other endeavours. Bill quickly became a very successful businessman, holding amongst other notable posts the Director of the Investment Dealers Association of Canada. Sport, though, was never far from his mind. He found time to become President of the Canadian Carriage Driving Society, a champion squash player, an avid fisherman, an expert skier, and generally a man who could play any sport well. Along the way he made a host of lifelong friends.

There can be no doubt that for Bill his crowning achievement was marrying Pat in 1959. Pat predeceased Bill by a few months but they were together for 60 years and raised a large and accomplished family. On his retirement The Bruce beckoned.  Bill and Pat established Graham Farms west of Ferndale where they raised the sturdy breed known as the Canadian Horse. As always Bill took a keen interest in every aspect of his community.  Environmental groups, Chambers of Commerce, hospitals, local government and charities all benefited from his generosity and his interest.

We are grateful that he devoted some of his prodigious energy to the development of SOK, and that we had the opportunity to work and learn with him. In tribute to his many contributions SOK awards the Bill Graham Award of Excellence every year in his memory, to individuals who like Bill undertake extraordinary things.