Board

Ross Keith, Chair, Saskatchewan

Ross Keith practiced commercial law in Regina for ten years. Since 1983 he has worked as the president and principal shareholder of Nicor Group, a Regina real estate development company which has successfully developed many heritage properties in Regina. He is a founding director and lifetime member of Heritage Regina and served as chairman for five years. He has also played a major role in other key organizations with responsibility for community planning and economic development. Ross was a board member of the Canadian Wheat Board for seven years. This experience has enabled him to acquire expertise in governance issues as well as valuable experience in board and committee work in a large corporation. Ross is a developer who can speak with authority on business and financial issues related to heritage. He is also a long time activist in the heritage movement.

Henry Maisonneuve, vice-chair, Alberta

Henry Maisonneuve has over 25 years of experience in the design and construction industry, with a broad background of experience on a variety of both large scale and small scale institutional, retail and commercial projects. His involvement in contract administration and project management provides solid practical site solutions and focused team collaboration. His technical background for building code review during design development facilitates multiple design solutions, leading clients to more options and value. His involvement with the Old Strathcona Foundation started in 1996, volunteering on the planning/design review committee. He volunteered because the legacy and the vision the Old Strathcona Foundation had for his native Edmonton’s Whyte Avenue created an area in a city that residents and commerce valued. As a member of the board of directors, Henry liaises with provincial heritage funding agents and other key stakeholders.

Tom Urbaniak, vice-chair, Nova Scotia

Tom Urbaniak, PhD, is a political scientist at Cape Breton University. He often works at the intersection of heritage conservation policy, community economic development, social policy, and non-profit sector governance. He  brings this inter-sectoral, creative approach to the HCF board. Tom is chair of CBU's Housing Applied Research Group and has encouraged demonstration projects that link affordable housing and heritage conservation. He is the author of four books, including Action, Accommodation, Accountability: Rules of Order for Canadian Organizations and Her Worship: Hazel McCallion and the Development of Mississauga. He proposed the establishment of Nova Scotia's first local heritage revolving fund, now being administered by the recently established Sydney Architectural Conservation Society, and successfully encouraged Habitat for Humanity Nova Scotia to become involved in renovations as a part of the solution to the Cape Breton region's vacant buildings crisis. He serves on the board of the Heritage Trust of Nova Scotia and the Old Sydney Society.

Helen Edwards, British Columbia

Helen Edwards is a writer, researcher and heritage professional. She is a 2001 graduate (B.A. with distinction) of the University of Victoria. Since then, she has worked on projects for government and private clients, independently and in collaboration with Jonathan Yardley and Hal Kalman. Helen has volunteered in the heritage field for many years. She continues to fund-raise for Hallmark Society projects and works as chief researcher and manager. She was a director of Heritage BC for eight years and recently completed her third term as president of the Heritage Legacy Fund of BC. Helen is the past president of the Canadian Association of Heritage Professionals and is a member of Heritage Canada’s National Roundtable for Heritage Education, representing the bridge between educators and professionals. Her contribution to the local heritage scene was acknowledged in 2005 when the Victoria YM/YWCA named her a Woman of Distinction.

Catherine Nasmith, Ontario

Catherine Nasmith is a practicing architect specializing in heritage research, planning and restoration. She is past president of the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario—where under her leadership the number of branches more than doubled—, past chair of the Toronto Preservation Board, and a founder of the Doors Open program in Canada. She is the recipient of the Heritage Canada Foundation’s 2006 Journalism Prize as publisher of the bi-weekly e-bulletin Built Heritage News, which has over 1,800 subscribers across Canada. Catherine is a Fellow of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, the recipient of the 2005 Ontario Association of Architects Order of da Vinci Medal for service to the community and the profession, the 2010 Jane Jacobs Prize winner, as well as a recipient of the Queen’s Jubilee Medal for her work on behalf of Ontario’s heritage. She is particularly proud of the recently completed Alton Mill project, which has received awards from the Heritage Canada Foundation and the Canadian Association of Heritage Professionals.

Greg Thomas, Manitoba

For three decades, Greg Thomas has shown creativity and leadership nationally in the field of cultural resource management. Recently retired from Parks Canada, where he worked as an historian, planner and cultural resource manager, Greg was involved in the planning, development and operation of National Historic Sites across western and northern Canada. Complementing this professional experience as a practitioner and manager, Greg has taken a leadership role in Manitoba’s heritage and built environment community since the 1970s. A decade on the executive of the Manitoba Historical Society, including a term as President, provided excellent experience on the management of historic properties. Greg has volunteered on numerous committees responsible for Manitoba’s, and particularly Winnipeg’s, cultural heritage. The parent of three, he has a particular interest in projects that will raise the profile of heritage and connect with a younger generation.

Richard Bégin, Québec

Originally from Quebec City, Richard Bégin lived in the Montreal region before resettling in Ottawa-Gatineau where he studied Canadian history at the Master’s and Ph.D. levels. In conjunction with his career in the federal government (Public Archives, Foreign Affairs, Privy Council Office, etc.), he has headed a range of community, social, heritage, cultural and business organizations in the last 35 years: Tel-Aide Outaouais, Association québécoise des centres de détresse, Club Richelieu, Aylmer Heritage Association, Symmes Inn Museum, Association des professionnels, industriels et commerçants d’Aylmer (which is managing a project to revitalize Rue Principale), Comité consultatif d’urbanisme (Urban Planning Advisory Committee), Conseil régional de la culture de l’Outaouais, and Fédération des sociétés d’histoire du Québec / FSHQ, whose 231 affiliates comprise the largest number of history and heritage organizations in Quebec.

Marion Beyea is Provincial Archivist and Director of the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick since 1978, managing an integrated program of recorded information management and archival services.Marion has served the archival community in a number of capacities on technical and professional committees, grant adjudication bodies and editorial boards including founding president of the Canadian Council of Archives, president of the Association of Canadian Archivists, and as Chair of the Committee on Best Practices and Standards of the International Council of Archives.New Brunswick’s representative on the Historical Sites and Monuments Board of Canada 1987-1993, Marion is a member of the Fredericton Heritage Trust since 1985, assisting in such projects as the bi-annual tour of gardens in the heritage district, and Fredericton Icons (annual competition to name people, places and objects of iconic stature in Fredericton).

David Bradley, Newfoundland and Labrador

David Bradley is an archivist at Memorial University's Maritime History Archive. A former president of the Newfoundland Historical Society, he is also the founding and current chair of the Association of Heritage Industries, an umbrella group of provincial heritage organizations which lobbied for and helped to shape the province’s first cultural policy. David is also president of the Bonavista Historical Society and chair of its affiliate, the Bonavista Historic Townscape Foundation, the organization responsible for an ongoing transformative and award-winning heritage consrevation and redevelopment project in the Town.

Prince Edward Island representative Kim Devine brings seven years experience as a municipal councillor to the Heritage Canada Foundation Board.  Kim served on Charlottetown City Council for two terms, winning election in 2003 and 2006.  She served as chair of both the Planning and Heritage Committees for five years.  During that time, Kim was committed to raising awareness of the value of Charlottetown’s architectural and social history.  She promoted heritage preservation as an economic development tool and as a distinctive characteristic that makes Charlottetown a very special city. Kim works in communications for the province of Prince Edward Island.  She has a BA from the University of Prince Edward Island and a Journalism Diploma from Holland College.  She currently serves as a board member of the PEI Museum and Heritage Foundation, and Friends of the Farm, an organization formed to protect land belonging to the agricultural research station in Charlottetown. She lives in downtown Charlottetown in the original 500 Lots of the city.

Marc Johnston, Yukon

Marc Johnston’s professional life has hinged around broadcast journalism which has seen him employed in various parts of the country including Halifax (CHNS), Toronto (CFRB), and Victoria (CFAX). He moved to the Yukon in 1996 in order to build a radio station and train the employees and after successfully doing so, he decided to stay in the North. Marc currently sits on the board of directors of the Yukon Historical and Museums Association which is an umbrella group that represents the issues of museums and cultural centres across the Yukon to the Yukon Territorial Government. He also sits on the board of directors of the Klondike Visitors’ Association which runs Diamond Tooth Gertie’s Gambling Casino in Dawson City and uses the proceeds to advertise and encourage visitors to visit the Klondike. Apart from the somewhat arcane skills associated with restoration of artifacts Marc brings a full understanding of media to the Heritage Canada Foundation.

Richard Moorhouse, Director at Large

After over 30 years experience in the heritage conservation sector, Richard Moorhouse recently retired as executive director of the Ontario Heritage Trust. During his time with the Trust, he established the agency as one of the preeminent bodies of its kind in Canada, with a mission that includes conservation of both natural and cultural resources. Richard was instrumental in the protection and preservation of a number of sites of provincial and national heritage significance, and in the creation of numerous new province-wide programs. He is currently a member of the Ontario Association of Architects, a member of the Board of Directors at the Willowbank School of Restoration Arts and Vice-President of the Arts and Letters Club of Toronto. Richard is a recipient of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal for his years of service and significant contributions to the conservation of Ontario’s heritage.

Peter Buckley, Director at Large

Peter is a partner with Buckley Patterson Asset Management, an independent financial consulting firm, and has been in the financial services industry as an advisor for 27 years. He lives in Rothesay New Brunswick and is married with two teenage children. Peter has been involved in various charities and community organizations. He enjoys coaching and playing sports, music and reading