NVCA chair re-elected

Fred Nix, Town of Mono appointee to the Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority's board of directors, was elected to the position for the third consecutive year at the authority's 48th annual meeting last week.

"I am looking forward to 2008 and am confident the NVCA will continue to grow and mature as the lead environmental agency in this watershed," said Nix, who has been a member of the board for almost 16 years.

The board is made up of 26 municipal appointees from the watershed's 18 municipalities.

When recapping NVCA highlights from 2007, Nix described the year's two major challenges. The first was the impacts caused by the summer drought and the second was lower planning revenues than budgeted.

However, Nix was proud of many NVCA accomplishments including the introduction of the watershed report card as a main source of public communication, the ability of the authority to carry out its duties assigned by the Clean Water Act, and the role it played in establishing the South Georgian Bay Lake Simcoe Source Protection Committee, which focuses on improving municipal drinking water.

The members of the 2007 executive committee were also re-elected. In addition to Nix, the committee is made up of vice chair and Shelburne councillor Walter Benotto, Barrie councillor Barry Ward, Mulmur Township mayor Gord Montgomery, New Tecumseth representative Joan Sutherland, Grey Highlands mayor Brian Mullin, and Springwater Township representative Tom Elliott.

The only new board member for 2008 is Chris Carrier, mayor of Collingwood. Carrier is the former chair of the NVCA and replaces Dave Labelle.