Photo © Courtesy of Nature Conservancy Canada
“No matter where I go, I always ask, ‘Where can I find some green space?’ Nature plays a vital role in my personal and family life because it is essential to our well-being,” Catherine Grenier, Nature Conservancy of Canada president & CEO explains. “I strongly believe it’s important to cherish it and to build a sustainable legacy so that our children and even those seven generations from now can have the same opportunities that we have had.”
Over the last decade, Grenier has held executive positions with some of Canada’s foremost nature conservation organizations. She has worked to create opportunities for Canadians to connect with nature and build a lasting legacy. As vice-president for national parks operations with Sépaq, she was responsible for the management and development of 27 Quebec parks and resorts. Before joining Sépaq, Grenier held senior roles with Parks Canada, where, among her achievements, she led the process to create Canada’s first national urban park in Toronto’s Rouge Valley.
This fall, Grenier’s career took a new turn as she joined the Nature Conservancy of Canada as its president and CEO. Thinking about her role, she says she is most looking forward to building new relationships and cultivating Canada’s love of nature. With the increased pressures of rapid biodiversity loss and climate change, Grenier believes the need for conservation has never been greater.
“Canada is probably one of the wealthiest countries on Earth when it comes to our natural areas,” reflects Grenier. “Our love of nature is part of our culture, but it needs to be cultivated.”
“I am honoured to have been selected to lead a team that is shaping the future of conservation in Canada,” says Grenier. “This is such a unique opportunity to accelerate the scope and scale of conservation in our country, to connect with Canadians and to build lasting support for nature. I can’t wait to get started.”
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Since 1962, the Nature Conservancy of Canada and its partners have helped to protect 14 million hectares (35 million acres), coast to coast to coast.