Brett Painter: Biodiversity Indicators Lead

Brett Painter is the Biodiversity Indicators Lead with Environment and Climate Change Canada's (ECCC) Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators program and works out of Gatineau, Quebec. Brett’s main role is to provide data and information (indicators) to track Canada's performance on key environmental sustainability issues related to biodiversity. This includes indicators on Canada's conserved areas, species at risk, bird populations, plastic particles in the Northern Fulmar seabird, fish stocks and many others.

In the almost 3 years that Brett has worked for ECCC, he has seen an increased awareness of and more emphasis placed on employee mental health. In addition, Brett sees the department’s implementation of supplying work-from-home-tools an important advancement. While Brett has been working from home for the majority of his career with ECCC, he recalls with fondness getting to know his awesome colleagues, and taking part in a team building activity that included Kayarafting in the Ottawa River.

To learn more about Brett’s work, visit the Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators web site.

Here are a few random facts about Brett:

• If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be? I will take anywhere with a beach and good surf waves!
• What is your favourite game or sport to watch and play? Favourite sport to play is surfing the Ottawa River, and favourite sport to watch is hockey.
• Would you rather ride a bike, ride a horse, or drive a car? It depends on the distance: a bike for short distances and a car for longer ones.
• If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be? If I could only eat one meal it would have to be pizza, it has it all!
• If you could go back in time, what year would you travel to? I would travel to pre-colonial Canada to see the state of the environment at that time, and to observe and learn how Indigenous people lived on the land prior to the arrival of Europeans.
• What are your hobbies? Surfing, canoe camping, cross country skiing, hockey, reading, and biking.
• What is your favourite flavour of ice cream? Chocolate.
• How many pairs of shoes do you own? I might own 5 pairs.
• If you were a super-hero, what powers would you have? I would love to fly. Watching birds fly always makes me think about how great it would be to be able to fly where you need and to view the world from above.
• What form of public transportation do you prefer? (air, boat, train, bus, car, etc.)
  I prefer air because that means I am travelling somewhere!
• Summer or winter? Both because you can surf in both and each have their own great outdoor activities.
• Do you love or hate rollercoasters? I haven't been on a rollercoaster in ages, but I love them!
• Where do you see yourself in 10 years? In the water on a surfboard!