OTTAWA, ONTARIO, June 28, 2005 -- The Honourable Stéphane Dion, Minister of the Environment, is pleased to announce the appointment of four renowned Canadians to the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada (HSMBC): Ms. Ingrid Diana Kritsch, from Yellowknife, NWT; Dr. Veronica Strong-Boag, from Vancouver, British Columbia; Mr. Eric Kenneth Jerrett, from Bay Roberts, Newfoundland and Labrador; and Dr. Robert OKell, from Winnipeg, Manitoba.
"With their dedication and expertise, we can count on these four distinguished Canadians to be valuable additions to the Board, said Minister Dion. They are joining a passionate group of individuals who care deeply about preserving our past for the benefit of future generations. By agreeing to share their knowledge and expertise, they will contribute to the exemplary work the Board has done for nearly a century to commemorate the people, places and events that have shaped Canadas history.
Ms. Kritsch is the director of the Gwichin Social and Cultural Institute, which she founded in 1993. She is recognized for her knowledge of First Nations and Métis in the Yukon and the Northwest Territories, and is the recipient of numerous academic scholarships and awards, including the Walter H. Johns Graduate Fellowship.
A recognized historian and professor at the University of British Columbia, Dr. Strong-Boag has specialized in the history of Canadian women, children and education. Actively involved in a number of learned societies, including the Canadian Historical Association and the Canadian Society for the History of Education, she is also the recipient of the Senior Killam and the Woodrow Wilson Center fellowships, and a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.
Mr. Jerrett is a licenced architect with the Newfoundland Association of Architects, a notary public, and licenced land surveyor. He has successfully completed a number of civil and municipal architectural engineering projects, and received Southcott Awards for the restoration of Gower Street United Church in St. Johns, and the Cable Building in Bay Roberts. His heritage activities include the founding of the Baccalieu Trail Heritage Corporation and the Bay Roberts Heritage Society, and two terms as director of the Museum Association of Newfoundland and Labrador.
An expert in Victorian and Romantic literature, Dr. Robert OKell recently completed a five-year term as Dean of Arts at the University of Manitoba, where he has taught since 1970, as well a four-year term on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences. Previously, he was president of the Victorian Studies Association of Western Canada, and has worked as managing editor of Victorian Studies.
The HSMBC advises the Minister of the Environment on the designation of places, people and events of national historic significance. With Parks Canada, it also ensures that commemorative plaques describing the historic significance of all such designated people places and events are placed at appropriate locations, both within Canada and abroad.
Created in 1919, the HSMBC has 17 members: the National Archivist, an officer of the Canadian Museum of Civilization, and one part-time Governor-in-Council appointee for each province and territory, with the exception of Quebec and Ontario, which have two part-time members each. Appointments are made by the Governor in Council on the advice of the Minister of the Environment.
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Information:
Brigitte Caron
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of the Environment
(819) 997-1441
Michel Audy
Executive Secretary
Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada
(819) 997-0129
