NEWS RELEASE

New Riverkeeper and new Executive Director begin work
Steven Boyce and Jodie Hambrook to replace Daniel LeBlanc

(Moncton – September 25, 2006) – Today marks a historic new beginning for New Brunswick’s Petitcodiac Riverkeeper, a non-profit environmental charity dedicated to the restoration and the protection of the Petitcodiac, Memramcook and Shepody Rivers. Michel Desjardins, Chairman of Petitcodiac Riverkeeper’s Board of Directors, proudly announced this morning that the organization’s cross-country search to find its next Riverkeeper and Executive Director is over.

The organization’s Board has decided to divide its position of Executive Director/Riverkeeper, formerly held by Daniel LeBlanc, into two initially part-time positions. Steven Boyce, a passionate defender of the environment in our community, and Councillor for the City of Moncton, has been chosen as the new Petitcodiac Riverkeeper, while Jodie Hambrook, an experienced and accomplished environmental non-profit project coordinator from Nova Scotia becomes the new Executive Director of the organization.

Boyce takes on the personal responsibility for the protection and the restoration of the Petitcodiac River system, becomes the new voice for the ecosystem and will act as the chief spokesperson for the organization. His duties will include patrolling the area waterways, investigating and documenting suspected violations of marine habitat protection laws, and pursuing appropriate resolution of these violations. Hambrook takes on the responsibility of managing the affairs, the overall well being and the development of the non-profit organization. Her duties will include strategic and financial planning and the continued development of partnerships with the community to enable the organization to accomplish its overall mission.

“The Board of Directors is extremely pleased to welcome these two exceptional individuals to our organization”, said Desjardins. “Both Jodie and Steven bring to the organization a wealth of experience and a passion that will serve our river and this community well.”

The new Petitcodiac Riverkeeper, Steven Boyce, admitted to being humbled at being chosen to follow in LeBlanc’s footsteps. “I’ve admired Daniel’s work for years and feel that it’s truly an honour for me to serve as the next Riverkeeper. Restoring and cleaning up the Petitcodiac River is the most urgent task that needs to be taken care of in our community”, he said, “and from now on this will be my priority.”

Jodie Hambrook, who recently moved to Moncton after working many years in the environmental non-profit sector in Ontario and Nova Scotia, sees a bright future for the organization. “Petitcodiac Riverkeeper has built a strong name for itself in the community and is a highly regarded force for the restoration of waterways in Canada and within the Waterkeeper Alliance. It’s a privilege for me to represent an organization which has such a storied past”, she added.

Daniel LeBlanc, the outgoing Riverkeeper and Executive Director, who spent the last 20 years of his life involved in one way or another with the struggle to restore the Petitcodiac River (nearly eight of those years as the full-time ?Riverkeeper?), was visibly pleased with the choice of his successors and the circumstances in which he hands over the organization.

Under LeBlanc’s leadership, Petitcodiac Riverkeeper became an award-winning organization (Canadian Environmental Award, 2002; Greater Moncton Chamber of Commerce Excellence Award, 2002) at the leading edge of environmental law enforcement and environmental communications in Atlantic Canada.

Between 2000 and 2005, LeBlanc managed to rally the support of nine of the watershed’s ten communities towards the goal of restoring the Petitcodiac by replacing the causeway with a partial bridge, a project that is awaiting approval by the Province of New Brunswick and the federal government. In 2000, he triggered the process that resulted in the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans declaring in March 2001 that the status quo at the Petitcodiac causeway was illegal, which resulted in the recently completed Environmental Impact Assessment recommending the restoration of the river. His final campaign consisted in getting all political parties in New Brunswick, including the newly elected Liberal government, to commit to restoring the Petitcodiac River in a timely manner.

“I couldn’t have imagined a better setting and a better team to take over the management of this great organization,” said LeBlanc. “They’ve got a huge task in front of them and will need the support of everyone in our community and in government to make sure future generations inherit healthier waterways and a better future in this region,” he concluded.

INFORMATION:

Michel Desjardins, Chairman
Petitcodiac Riverkeeper Board of Directors
Tel.: 506-389-8221

Steven Boyce & Jodie Hambrook
Petitcodiac Riverkeeper & Executive Director
Tel.: 506-388-5337 – www.petitcodiac.org