a path forward that focuses on innovation, research and beneficial management practices

René Drolet

Mr. Drolet is a seasoned sustainability policy advisor, an experienced process facilitator and a strategic planner. He has been working in the field of environmental management and sustainable development for over 30 years. His main fields of expertise relate to public policy and regulatory analysis, in particular with respect to climate change, air quality, water and the transition to a low-carbon economy. As a consultant, he participated in over 25 policy reports since 2013, for various government and private sector clients across Canada and the United States. He also has 15 years of experience in multi-stakeholder consultation and engagement, process facilitation and strategic planning. Before starting his consulting business, he worked almost 20 years in the federal government, including four years as Director of Policy and Research for the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy (NRTEE). Mr. Drolet has a B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Biology, and a Certificate in Business Administration, all from Laval University.

Giulia Brutesco , P.Eng

Giulia Brutesco , P.Eng. is Partner and Strategic Policy Pathfinder of Stratesco Group and is highly experienced in developing successful science-based policy strategies and achieving results. Giulia has led the development of GHG policy across several industry sectors, identifying sources of emissions and developing data-driven recommendations. In her more recent work, in the vision of Net Zero 2050, Giulia led the development of the Canadian Fuel sector’s position on the Clean Fuel Regulations while seeking out strategic partnerships with oilseed/biofuel producers and exploring credit opportunities via carbon capture and storage.Throughout her career, Giulia has tackled highly regulated and policy-driven issues related to environmental issues (e.g., GHG, air pollutants, hazardous waste, and emergencies), transportation of dangerous goods, and product-specific protocols for the steel, electricity, fertilizer, and fuels industries. She has also represented industry as part of the Canadian delegation on the United Nations Environmental Programme and International Maritime Organization

Selena-Fraser-Arvai

Ms. Fraser-Arvai, P.Eng. has over fifteen years of experience identifying, quantifying and verifying greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. She has provided her GHG expertise to numerous projects spanning voluntary quantification to mandatory reporting for government compliance, in nearly all major sectors. She has also carried out GHG reduction estimation and validation to comply with government program funding requirements.

She has acted as associate verifier, lead verifier and/or designated signing authority for GHG verifications for both compliance purposes as well as GHG offset projects.

Ms. Fraser-Arvai was responsible for developing and implementing a method to estimate the technical and realized potential of the number of carbon offsets that could come on-line in Canada over the time frame of 2013-2020 for offset types including Solution Gas Conservation, Wind Energy, Carbon Capture and Storage and Nitrous Oxide Reductions from Agriculture. The analysis was done at the Provincial level and was commissioned by Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development. She was also responsible for estimating the number of offsets that could come on-line in Saskatchewan over the time frame 2013-2020 for the offset types including Solution Gas Conservation, Wind Energy, and Landfill Gas Capture and Utilization.

Her expertise is rounded out with experience in assessing climate change impacts and adaptation measures; environmental impact assessment; environmental processes and systems; and program, policy and project evaluation.

Ms. Fraser-Arvai holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Environmental) and a Master of Engineering (Environmental) from Carleton University and is registered as a Professional Engineer in the Province of Ontario.

Noah Arshinoff

Noah Arshinoff is a lawyer and consultant, with extensive experience in anti-corruption, supply chain transparency, and regulatory policy. He runs ACT International – a legal and policy consulting firm and is an adjunct professor of anti-corruption law at the University of Ottawa. Noah has worked to strengthen whistleblower infrastructure in Africa, promote environmental footprint transparency regulation in the European Union and Canada, and delivered courses to prosecutors on how to detect, and adequately sanction corruption offenses. Over the course of his career, Noah has represented large national associations, spent time as in-house counsel, and been very active in policy development with a focus on balancing the public interest with on the ground realities.

Brendan Phillips

Brendan and his family operate a grain farm in south western Manitoba near the town of Hartney. They crop Canola, Wheat, Corn, and Soybeans. Brendan serves as second vice to the Grain Growers of Canada and represents Manitoba Pulse and Soybean Growers. Brendan has been actively farming since 2006 and returned full time to the farm in 2012 after attending University of Manitoba and working in the industry. Brendan has seen how technology advancements have a great influence on farm sustainability, economically and environmentally and hopes we can work to ensure farmers have access to the tools needed to continue to improve their operations. Brendan feels strongly that farm policy needs to be developed by farmers taking into account regional differences in practices, scope of operations, and individual goals of the farmers while balancing goals of our collective industry. Canadian grain growers are on the ground providing the solutions we need as a country to the many challenges we face now and in the future.

Brendan and Jaclyn have 3 kids Danica (7) Harris (5) and Louie (2) and hope that their work on the farm and in the industry will ensure the next generation will have a agricultural sector that should they choose to be part of is strong vibrant and full of opportunity.

Jocelyn Velestuk

Jocelyn has a passion for the pursuit of sustainable agriculture and is on the board of directors of Sask Wheat Development Commission, who sponsors her to be on the GGC sustainability committee. She brings her knowledge of soil science and environmental science through her education with a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from the University of Saskatchewan majoring in environmental and soil science as well as her Masters’ of Science research in soil science, specializing in soil fertility and phytoremediation. While Jocelyn grew up on a grain farm, she began her career out of university in environmental consulting for seven years where she learned how to obtain permits for construction projects to move them forward with least impact to the environment. Jocelyn and her husband decided to jump in to full time farming in 2015 and have tried many different crops and practices. Jocelyn also has operated an agronomy consulting business with Western Ag Agronomy Consulting since 2015 and has spoke with numerous farmers for crop and soil fertility planning and about 4R practices and agronomic practices. She is a past president of the Saskatchewan Soil Conservation Association where she was on the carbon committee, which led soil carbon policy for many years. Jocelyn hopes to bring her knowledge and experience as well as practical farm business perspective to the Expert Advisory Council for the GGC Road to 2050 project.

Justine Raftis

Justine Raftis is a Policy Manager with the Canadian Canola Growers Association (CCGA) where she focuses on environment and sustainability issues affecting the 43,000 canola farmers in Canada. Justine has spent the last five years working in the agriculture industry in Saskatchewan, including in field carrying out water monitoring programs and working with farmers to design and implement ecological goods and services projects on the landscape. She now focuses on monitoring and participating in ongoing environment and sustainability policy development, assessing implications of changes, and researching and developing policy alternatives. Justine holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Environmental Science degree.

Shannon Sereda

Shannon is an experienced government relations professional with a penchant for politics and the public policy process. Working as an organizational lobbyist for a non-for-profit in agriculture has brought Shannon back to her Alberta roots after spending many years abroad as a Trade Commissioner with the Canadian Embassy in Quito, Ecuador. Shannon holds a Bachelor of Management degree and a Master of Science in Sustainable Energy Development from the University of Calgary. Her educational pursuits have given her a strong global perspective, and a well-rounded understanding of the impacts of business and politics on all facets of the economy, environment and society. In her spare time you will find Shannon adventuring with her son either travelling abroad or in the mountains - hiking, biking, camping and skiing.

Salah Zoghlami

Salah has an engineer degree in agronomy and a master of science in rural economics. He also followed studies in agro-environment farm management. He grew on the family farm and since has been involved in agriculture sector.

Salah worked as agro-environmental adviser for cash crop growers, then he worked at the horticulture sector and retuned back to grain sector taking care of research, agronomy, environment and sustainability at PGQ since 2010.

Nevin Rosaasen

Nevin Rosaasen passionately describes himself as a fourth-generation food, feed, fiber, and fuel production engineer. Nevin continues to farm with his family on a century farm in Eastern Saskatchewan and has grown over 27 different crops in his 25 years as an active partner. Nevin has an undergraduate degree from the University of Saskatchewan in Agricultural Sciences with an Agronomy major and a minor in Agricultural Economics. Nevin also holds a Masters Degree in International Trade Policy from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, California. Nevin has worked at the provincial, national and international levels including the United Nations, studying carbon accounting. Nevin currently works for Alberta Pulse Growers, a farmer elected and directed non-profit as the Sustainability and Government Relations lead. Nevin also sits on various boards and working groups. He is the current Vice Chair of Biological Carbon Canada, an Alberta based non-profit that works to create carbon offset protocols for the farming and ranching sectors. Nevin also participated in the Canadian Standards Association Agricultural Sub-Committee for Green Finance. Nevin was featured in the Top 100 Professionals Magazine for Canada in 2020. Mr. Rosaasen is a leading Agricultural Climate Economist within Canada who choses to go to work everyday for grassroot farmers. Nevin is trilingual, fluent in English, Spanish and French, loves to rock climb and surf, and enjoys hiking and camping with his young family.

Cassandra Cotton

Cassandra Cotton is a Vice President at Fertilizer Canada where she is responsible for building a robust program and policy platform that forms the foundation for the organization’s advocacy work.

Specifically, she directs the development and delivery of a number of wide-ranging issues including 4R Nutrient Stewardship, climate policy, product regulation, safety and security, and transportation through engagement with industry members, stakeholders and government agencies.

Cassandra currently resides in Prince Edward Island and has worked in the agriculture industry for a decade.

Tyler McCann

Tyler McCann is the Managing Director of the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute. His career in agri-food policy includes working for federal ministers, farm groups, industry associations and agri-food businesses. Tyler also farms with his family in Western Quebec.

Derek Eaton

Derek Eaton, PhD is Senior Director of Public Policy Research and Outreach at Smart Prosperity Institute, where he leads research teams working on clean growth in agriculture and opportunities for Canadian clean competitiveness within the global transition to net zero. His global experience ranges across agriculture, food, energy, water, trade, investment, finance and innovation. Through previous positions with UNEP, the Global Footprint Network, the Graduate Institute Geneva, and Wageningen Economic Research, he has played a leading role in the development of the international agenda on climate change, green economy, and the bioeconomy. Derek’s experience in government, research organizations, think tanks and consulting spans the entire research, policy and practice interface. He recently served as an expert advisor to EC’s DG CLIMATE on emissions in the land use sector as part of the European Climate Target Plan and Green Deal. Derek has a PhD from Wageningen University in the Netherlands based on research on the economics of innovation in agriculture, and an MSc in Environmental Economics from University College London.

Joy Agnew

Joy grew up on a grain farm near Prince Albert, Saskatchewan and earned her Ph.D. in Ag/Bio Engineering at the University of Saskatchewan. Her graduate work and early career at the Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute was focused on answering questions related to on-farm waste management, converting waste to energy, understanding the carbon footprint of agriculture, and helping producers understand how to better manage in-bin grain drying and storage systems. She joined Olds College in January 2019. At Olds College, Joy oversees the Olds College Centre for Innovation (OCCI), the research division of the College, which focuses on applied research in crop and livestock production with a focus on technology integration and data utilization to improve productivity and sustainability of food production. Joy also has a leadership role in the development of the College's Smart Ag Ecosystem, bringing together the academic programming, applied research, strategic partnerships, smart farm operations, and extension & communication activities to help the College meet its goal to be a leader in Smart Agriculture. Joy is also past president of the Canadian Society of Bioengineering and is an adjunct professor at the University of Saskatchewan. In 2021, Joy was named one of Canada’s top 50 most influential people in Canadian Ag by Canadian Western Agribition.

Mario Tenuta

Mario Tenuta is the NSERC/WGRF/Fertilizer Canada Senior Industrial Research Chair in 4R Nutrient Stewardship and Professor of Applied Soil Ecology at the University of Manitoba. His training includes a B.Sc. in Botany and Physical Geography, an M.Sc. in Soil Fertility, a Ph.D. in Plant Pathology, and Post-Doctoral research in Nematology. The 4R Industrial Research Chair Program is advancing research in 4R nitrogen management practices to give farmers and industry solutions to achieving nitrous oxide emission reductions as well as improved soil health and crop productivity.

Rory Degenhardt

Dr. Rory Degenhardt is the Field Sciences (FS) Research Leader for Canada. He is a member of the Canadian Leadership Team and the North American FS Leadership Team. Rory and his research team are responsible for characterizing and developing new crop protection and trait technologies to address the evolving needs of Canadian farmers and consumers.

Rory grew up on a mixed grain and cattle farm in east-central Alberta and has always had a passion for the science of agriculture. He completed both a BSc in Biological Sciences and an MSc in Plant Science at the University of Alberta, and a PhD in Plant Molecular Biology at the University of Saskatchewan. Rory joined Corteva Agriscience in 2008 as a field scientist and subsequently served as a project leader for cereal herbicide research in Canada and North America before taking his current role.

"Innovation is at the heart of everything we do in Corteva Agriscience and the entire 5000+ strong global R & D organization is committed to finding novel solutions to the complex challenges that limit the productivity, profitability or sustainability of farmers here in Canada and abroad".