Commissioner Biographies

The Niagara Escarpment Commission has 17 members (Commissioners) appointed by Order-in-Council.  Nine members, including the Chair, represent the public-at-large and eight municipally-elected members represent counties, cities and regions within the Niagara Escarpment Plan area.

Jim Collard

Chair

Jim Collard has lived in Niagara-on-the-Lake since 1950. He is married with two children. Jim was an educator for thirty-two years. He served the D.S.B.N. as a Department Head of Business Studies at both Grantham High School and Sir Winston Churchill Secondary. Jim was subject area chair for Business Studies for the D.S.B.N. He was a teacher moderator for United Nations Debating, Ski Club and Yearbook production. In 2001, he was given an Outstanding Leader Award by the D.S.B.N. Jim was elected to Town Council in 1985 and served as councillor for thirty years. As such, he chaired all corporate committees and served on the Municipal Heritage Committee, Museum Board and Town Golf Committee. He has helped raise in excess of one half million dollars for community needs. In 2003, as part of the Arena Project, Jim was Citizen of the Year. He was a member of the Association of Ontario Municipalities Executive Board and Small Urban Caucus Chair and Convention Coordinator. An avid golfer and fisher, Jim looks forward to continued service to his town and province.

Laurie Golden

Municipal Representative - Bruce County

Laurie Golden is an Office Manager for Miller Lake Rona. Her community involvement includes serving as a committee member for St. Edmunds Recreation Committee, St. Edmunds Museum, and National Park Advisory Committee.

Dane Nielsen

Municipal Representative - Grey County

Dane Nielsen is currently the Deputy Mayor of Grey Highlands and a Grey County councillor. He lives in a multi-generational home with his wife, two children and his wife’s parents. He also has horses, goats, and chickens to keep him company on his 28-acre hobby farm. Owner of a small business in Eugenia, Dane has a passion for the Beaver Valley and the Escarpment as a whole, having hiked a lot of the Bruce Trail.

Lynn Kiernan

Municipal Representative - Peel Region

Councillor Lynn Kiernan was first elected in 2018 and served her first term representing the residents and businesses of Ward 1 as Area Councillor. In October 2022, Councillor Kiernan won the support of her community to continue to serve as the Ward 1 Councillor. During her first four years, Councillor Kiernan acted on significant issues for residents and business such as: being a persistent and strong advocate for much-needed safety measures for the highway 10 corridor as well she championed the development and approval of the aggregate interim control bylaw in collaboration with the Forks of the Credit Preservation Group. She has a long history of community involvement and will continue supporting grass roots, resident-led organizations. Prior to entering the political world, Councillor Kiernan enjoyed a successful career in the investment industry. Councillor Kiernan has lived in Caledon all her life and currently resides in the village of Inglewood.

Gordon Krantz

Municipal Representative - Halton Region

Gordan Krantz has been serving the Milton community continuously since 1960. Elected as a Local Councillor to Milton Town Council in 1965 and as Mayor and Head of Milton Town Council in 1980. Also, Mayor Krantz has been an essential contributor to the Region of Halton’s growth plan, by serving on the Regional Municipality of Halton Town Council since 1980, Conservation Halton Board of Directors since 1973, the Niagara Escarpment Commission for three terms and various Ad-Hoc and Standing Committees. Mayor Krantz is a founding member and strong supporter of the Greater Toronto Marketing Alliance.

Albert Witteveen

Municipal Representative - Niagara Region

Albert Witteveen has been sitting as a volunteer on boards within the community and on committees at the Niagara Region. His list of involvement includes, Waste Management Advisory and Steering Committees, Chair of the Agriculture Policy Action Committee, Chairman of the Ontario Hop Growers Association, Chairman of the Niagara North Federation of Agriculture. Member of the Industry Advisory Committee at Niagara College.

Matt Francis

Municipal Representative - City of Hamilton

Matt Francis is newly elected as councillor to represent the City of Hamilton in Ward 5 for the 2022-2026 term of council. Matt has been a key figure in a number of community initiatives, most notably spearheading the successful “Save Our Pier - Hamilton Beach Community” campaign. Matt has dedicated years of service to his community in many volunteer and leadership capacities. Matt has a passion his community, sport, outdoors and the Niagara Escarpment which his home is situated adjacent to. This is where Matt spends quality family time exploring and enjoying.

Douglas Measures

Municipal Representative - Simcoe County

Doug Measures has resided in Simcoe County since 1977. He has been an elected official with the Township of Clearview since 2006 and had a 36-year career in local community television.

Michael Curley

Public at Large

Michael Curley is a Business Owner operating a Project and Construction Management Company in Grimsby, Ontario. Mr. Curley has a Chartered Professional Accountants (CPA) designation. Michael’s career highlights include projects for IBM Canada, Microsoft, the Government of Ontario, local school boards, library design and construction and community centers. His financial background provides extensive training and experience with projects and cost controls and management, treasury management and financial and stakeholder reporting.

Gordon Driedger

Public at Large

Gordon Driedger is the President of Skyline Retail Asset Management Inc. and is accountable for all aspects of Skyline’s growing retail real estate portfolio across Canada.  Gord has over 30 years of experience in Canadian and international real estate markets. Gord holds membership and is active in many industry organizations including Corenet Global, International Council of Shopping Centres, and the Canadian Institute of Planners/Ontario Professional Planners Institute.  Gord is also active in his community as Board member of a not-for profit seniors housing corporation and non-profit children’s charity.  Gord is currently Chair, of the Halton Hills Committee of Adjustment. Gord Driedger received a Bachelor of Environmental Studies in the School of Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Waterloo and a Masters of Corporate Real Estate from the Corenet Global organization.

Ron Gibson

Public at Large

As project manager, and later project director of a joint initiative between municipal Chief Administrators and the Province of Ontario, Ron oversaw the planning and implementation of a series of innovative pilot projects to advance accounting, asset management, and performance reporting in the municipal sector. This required coordinating, collaborating and consolidating the work of over 600 members on 35 project teams from 15 municipalities, 42 professional associations, and 5 Ontario Ministries. Best practices and lessons learned were shared through workshops across Ontario. As a consultant to the Asia Productivity Organization, Ron trained representatives from 21 countries on advanced business improvement methodologies. Prior to this, he held management positions at the Region of Niagara, in Community Planning (Special Projects) and Community Services (Quality Assurance and Program Evaluation). Born and raised in Grimsby on a farm near the Bruce Trail, Ron is committed to balancing conservation and development per the NEPDA.

David Hutcheon

Public at Large

David Hutcheon teaches Municipal Government at Humber College, Toronto.  A long time environmental advocate he served as a volunteer on the Humber Watershed Task Force and Alliance, Toronto and Region Conservation Authority.  For his work on the Humber River, David received the S. George Rich Award for Planning Excellence Grand Prize, Canadian Institute of Planners.  He has served as Vice Chair of the Environmental Review Tribunal and a Hearing Officer for appeals and hearings related to the Niagara Escarpment.  Prior to this he was a Toronto City Councillor, Budget Chief and Commissioner of the Toronto Harbour Commission.  David has a Master of Public Administration from the University of Western Ontario.  He is a recipient of the Confederation Medal of Canada.

Johanna Chevalier

Public at Large

Johanna Chevalier is a former Peel Council member & former Town of Caledon Council member. Johanna has served on the Greenbelt Council, Golden Horseshoe food & farming alliance (Chair), Credit Valley Conservation Authority (vice chair), Peel Community Safety and wellbeing, Peel Diversity, Equity & Anti-Black Racism (Chair) Peel Public Health (Chair). Johanna currently works as a consultant in the private sector and continues to serve the community of Halton and Peel as a volunteer for Caledon Community Services, Credit Valley Conservation Foundation, Peel Anti-Human trafficking SPT, Burlington Minor Football Assc., GHFFA and Volta Research. Johanna resides in Halton Region where she is raising four teenagers and enjoying the view of the escarpment.

Ken Lucyshyn

Public at Large

Ken is an Executive Vice President operating an aggregate and road building business in Southern Ontario for over 20 years. Ken brings to his position an extensive background serving on numerous industry organization boards including The Ontario Stone Sand & Gravel Association (OSSGA), The Ontario Aggregate Resources Corporation (TOARC) and the Cornerstone Standards Council.  For several years, Ken served on the Niagara Escarpment Commission’s Public Interest Advisory Committee (PIAC) as well as the St Catharines Rodman Hall Arts Centre.   Ken is a large supporter of research and development supporting sustainable forward thinking land rehabilitation and stewardship. 

Duncan McKinlay

Public at Large

Duncan McKinlay brings a passion for environmental stewardship, sustainable land use planning and progressive rural communities, as seen through his work as a municipal councillor, county councillor and Grey County Warden.  He has worked in agriculture as a farm manager and as a farm specialist in a rural mental health facility for children. Currently, he is a beef farmer at Farview Farm in Ravenna, Ontario with his wife Susan. Enjoyment of the outdoors is shared with their three children and ten grandchildren.  Duncan believes strongly in our duty to leave our environment and our communities better than we found them.

Jennifer Vida

Public at Large

Born and raised in the Niagara Region, Jennifer Vida left the area to pursue education and career development. Jennifer ultimately ended up settling back in Niagara to continue her passion in development. Jennifer is a mother of one. For 18 years, Jennifer has been working as a planner to facilitate wise land development and construction throughout the province in cities that included Ottawa, Toronto, Oakville and the entire Niagara Region. Jennifer has a passion for building and has developed a deep and abiding respect for the beautiful landscape we are so lucky to be blessed with in the Niagara Region. Jennifer received a Bachelor of Urban and Regional Planning from Ryerson University and she maintains professional memberships as a Registered Professional Planner (RPP) with the Ontario Professional Planners Institute and is a member of the Canadian Institute of Planners (MCIP). Jennifer also sits on the Government Liaison Committee for the Niagara Home Builders Association (NHBA). Jennifer is passionate about her industry and strives to play a role in how it progresses.