MWC MEMBERS

NANCY ALCOCK, District of Muskoka/Town of Huntsville

For the past 8+ years, Nancy Alcock has represented the Town of Huntsville as a Town and District Councillor, and in 2022, she was elected Mayor. She was first elected as a Town and District Councillor in 2014 and, for the past two terms, has served as the Chair of the District of Muskoka Community and Planning Services Committee. She is currently a member of the Muskoka Watershed Council (MWC) and the Muskoka Area Indigenous Leaders Table (MAILT). In her last term of Council, she served as the Chair of the District of Muskoka Housing Task Force. For over 20 years, Nancy held policy and project management positions with the Government of Ontario, working for the ministries of Finance, Environment and Energy, Intergovernmental Affairs, Ontario Native Affairs Secretariat, Superbuild Corporation and Public Infrastructure Renewal. She spent her last years as the provincial project lead on the Toronto Waterfront Revitalization Initiative. Nancy holds a Bachelor of Environmental Studies from the University of Waterloo School of Urban and Regional Planning and a Master’s of Science from the London School of Economics in Public Policy and Administration. From 2008 to 2016, she was employed as a part-time instructor in the School of Urban and Regional Planning at Toronto Metropolitan (formerly Ryerson) University.

PATRICIA ARNEY, Community - Muskoka Lakes

Patricia Arney joined MWC in 2001 and served as Chair from January 2012 to January 2014. She operated a summer business in Bala for years and moved to Muskoka full-time in 1998. Patricia is a dedicated volunteer, having held executive positions on the Muskoka Ratepayers Association, Habitat Restore Muskoka, Moon River Property Owners’ Association, Muskoka Lakes Chamber of Commerce, and Georgian College Board of Governors. She was a member of the Standing Advisory Committee for the Muskoka River Water Management Plan and the Muskoka Watershed Advisory Group. She offers strong governance skills and a passion for education in all aspects. Patricia has an MEd in Applied Psychology.

JOSE AUGUSTINE, Community - Huntsville

Jose Augustine is a GIS Technician with the Town of Huntsville and the Township of Lake of Bays. He has a Master’s Degree in Space Science, a GIS Application Specialist Certificate from Fleming College, and a Big Data Analytics Certificate from Georgian College. Throughout his career, he’s worked on environmental projects like studying ecosystem changes in the Indian Sundarban Mangrove system, analyzing South-West monsoon rainfall patterns, and using LiDAR for flood planning in Cobourg. Jose is driven by a passion for understanding and protecting the environment. For him, it’s not just about data or technology—it’s about being a steward of nature and ensuring that future generations can experience the beauty and vitality of our planet. He is particularly drawn to the Muskoka Watershed because of its unique and diverse ecosystems. He wants to use his background in GIS and environmental science to help MWC monitor and preserve the health of these watersheds.

SUSAN BOUDREAU, Sunny Lake Cottagers' Association

An avid swimmer, hiker and paddler (mostly kayak), Susan enjoys all sorts of outdoor activities in all seasons. Muskoka, like many areas, has seen increased traffic on its roads, trails and waterways. Like many longtime outdoor enthusiasts, she sees the inherent issues resulting from a lack of knowledge and concern for our natural environment-air, forests, shorelines, waterways and lakes. Grassroots organizations that provide knowledge and encourage supportive, positive participation by all are one way to help keep our natural environment thriving and healthy for generations to come.

MARIO BUSZYNSKI, Township of Seguin

Mario Buszynski is a councillor for Seguin Township. He has a Masters Degree in Forestry and Planning from the University of Toronto and a long career in the environmental assessment field, assisting with large, complex multidisciplinary projects in the resource sector.

JAVIER CAPPELLA, Westwind Forest Stewardship Inc.

Javier Cappella is a Registered Professional Forester and ISA Certified Arborist and manages Crown land forests, as well as providing professional arboriculture services to both rural and urban clients. Javier has a passion for sustainable development, protecting and managing trees, and helping people see the forest for the trees.

JOHN COOPER, Community - Gravenhurst

John Cooper has been a Muskoka cottager for nearly 60 years, a permanent Gravenhurst resident for over 12 and an active pilot for 49 years. Prior to retirement, John was the CEO of Cooper Canada, the largest sporting goods manufacturer in the country at the time and the world’s largest manufacturer of ice hockey equipment. John’s passion is to attract more year-round jobs that pay a fair wage to the region. He is an active member of the Muskoka Watershed Council, Gravenhurst Rotary Club, PROBUS Gravenhurst, the Seniors Centre, and a Director of the Sparrow Lake Association. John has also sat on the economic development advisory board for the Town of Gravenhurst for several years. At any given opportunity, he is a staunch supporter and promoter of the arts and cultural attractions in Muskoka.

CHRIS CRAGG, Muskoka Lakes Association

Chris Cragg is a Director of the Muskoka Lakes Association and Chair of their Environment Committee. Since 2019, he has been a Provincially appointed advisor to the Minister of Environment, Conservation & Parks on flooding and environment in the Muskoka River Watershed, as part of the Muskoka Watershed Advisory Group. A substantial portion of his 45-year engineering career has been spent on dam safety, particularly at Ontario Power Generation’s 70 hydroelectric power stations, which include over 200 dams. He has written some 40 technical papers/conference presentations, including, most recently, “The Evolution of Water Management in the Muskoka River Watershed”, for Muskoka Watershed Council, Nov 2020. His experience includes stints as Chair of the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers and President of the Society of Energy Professionals. Also, former President of the Antique & Classic Boat Society, which showcases antique wooden boats at the Gravenhurst Boat Show since 1993. He is a third-generation owner of a family waterfront property on Lake Muskoka.

JOHN CROWLEY, Moon River Property Owners' Association

Now retired, John spent 30 years in the IT industry in technical, sales and marketing roles throughout North America. He spent a further 16 years as an entrepreneur in his own business, marketing and selling to consumers. John is Vice President of the Bala Curling Club and one of the lead members on the committee of the Bala Trek to Bethlehem annual pageant. He is engaged with several members of the Township of Muskoka Lakes council and numerous Township staff members. John's communication skills, penchant for detail, and willingness to help others in his community will help MWC move forward and expand its reach by engaging community members.

ANN CURLEY, Community - Huntsville DIRECTOR

Ann has had a successful career in Tourism & Museum Management for over 40 years. Prior to moving to Muskoka, she was with the Ministry of Tourism, Muskoka Watershed Council https://www.muskokawatershed.org as a Regional Manager. In 1993, she became the Executive Director of the Gravenhurst Chamber of Commerce, and in 2006, she accepted the position of Operations Manager/Curator of the Muskoka Discovery Centre. Ann's ability to build strong relationships and creativity has benefited the Muskoka Discovery Centre. Her contributions to the revitalization of Muskoka Discovery Centre have included the summer day camp program, Kidzone, serving as project leader for the world-class exhibit Watershed Wonders, and, most recently, Evolving Muskoka. Ann's first Board position was with the Windsor/Detroit International Freedom Festival, followed by board positions with Muskoka Tourism, Huntsville Hawks Lacrosse and as President of the Huntsville Hawks Junior B Lacrosse club and the Madill Church Preservation Society.

LANCE DeCAIRE, Community - Gravenhurst

Lance’s roots run deep in Muskoka. His great-great-grandfather first settled in Muskoka in 1881. Born in Parry Sound, Lance spent his early years in Bala before his family moved to Toronto and ultimately Vancouver. His working career with a major business equipment firm started in Vancouver and took him to Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa and finally back to Toronto. He left the confines of corporate life to start his own company, developing specialized accounting software used by all the major international accounting firms in Canada. After selling his firm, retirement took him to the University of Toronto, where he received a BSc in environmental sciences in 2014. Returning to his roots, Lance has made his home in Muskoka since 2015 and resides in Gravenhurst with his partner, Elga. Lance is a proud member of the Wahta Mohawks First Nation.

MAGGIE DECHERT, Community - Bracebridge

Maggie Dechert is a recent graduate of the Ecosystem Management Technician program at Fleming College and a long-time Muskoka resident. She is a local environmental consultant with experience in remote field work, data collection and analysis, community outreach and education, and habitat restoration.

JOAN FRAIN, Community - Muskoka Lakes DIRECTOR

Joan Frain is a registered professional engineer (Civil), specializing in water resources. She spent over 30 years working for Ontario Hydro/Ontario Power Generation (OPG) in various water resources areas associated with hydroelectric generation, including water management and climate change. Since retiring from OPG, she has worked as a consultant with Hatch on projects related to the Muskoka River Watershed for the District of Muskoka. In addition, she has enjoyed many years as a property owner in the Township of Muskoka Lakes. Joan is participating with the Muskoka Watershed Council to better understand these challenges as they relate to the Muskoka River Watershed and to work towards sustaining a healthy watershed that can continue to be enjoyed into the future.

JO-ANNE GOODWIN, Community - Muskoka Lakes

Jo-Anne Goodwin is hoping to draw from both personal and work experience to contribute to keeping Muskoka beautiful and healthy. Jo-Anne’s love of her childhood home in Muskoka led her to pursue a career as a Senior Water Resources Technologist for several Consulting Engineering firms. At these firms, Jo-Anne worked on many stormwater management, hydrologic and floodplain mapping studies for private industry and government agencies. Larger projects worked on in her career were hydraulic studies for the drainage of the highway. 407, a flooding and remedial measures assessment for the City of Hamilton and a Probable Maximum Precipitation Study for Northern Ontario’s Hydro Dams. Prior to that, Jo-Anne worked for the Toronto Region Conservation Authority, supervising Muskoka Watershed Council https://www.muskokawatershed.org capital work projects aimed at protecting and enhancing the shoreline of Lake Ontario in the Toronto Area. Most of her experience was gained in Toronto, but she is hoping that she can use it now to help Muskoka withstand the changes that it has and will continue to endure. That is what drove her to her career choice in the first place, and being a member of the Muskoka Watershed Council will be a wonderful place to start.

ALLAN HAZELTON, Township of Georgian Bay

Allan Hazelton has been a councillor for the Township of Georgian Bay since 2018. Prior to that he retired from a professional sales career of over 35 years selling Customer Service and Customer Experience Solutions to Executives at Fortune 500 companies in North America. He has over 40 years of volunteer experience with organizations like the Georgian Bay Association (GBA), the Honey Harbour Association, The Go Home Lake Cottagers Association, and the Ontario Onsite Wastewater Association (OOWA), representing cottager and resident interests to local government as well as to Ontario and Federal government ministries.

KATHLEEN HEDLEY, Kawagama Lake Cottagers' Association

Kathleen recently retired to her real home on Kawagama Lake. Kathleen spent over 30 years working in the federal government in various positions, all related to environmental protection. Her choice of career was dominated by her love of the cottage that she spent all of her summers at from a very young age. Kathleen has experience working on a wide range of environmental issues, from water and air quality to contaminated sites and environmental assessment. In her professional career, Kathleen also led numerous multi-stakeholder consultations leading to world-leading regulations and environmental monitoring programs.

NEIL HUTCHINSON, Limnologist

Dr. Neil Hutchinson became passionate about environmental science as a teenager and coupled its emergence as a discipline with his personal attraction to water and Canadian geography. Having worked on water quality from Newfoundland to BC and from southern Ontario to Nunavut, he considers himself fortunate to have taken part in the great strides made in environmental management over his 45-year (and counting!) career as a summer student, graduate student, government scientist, consulting scientist, managing his own firm of dedicated, likeable and talented individuals and, recently, moving into semi-retirement. His professional career has focused on pollutants and stressors of aquatic systems, with a focus extending from geochemical to laboratory to whole-watershed levels of investigation and a specialization in Precambrian Shield systems. He’s a stickler for clarity in thought and writing. He always strives to serve clients with sound and objective advice and creative, feasible solutions. He has worked at the highest levels of peer review, providing input to all levels of the environmental assessment process, providing evidence to the Senate of Canada and serving three three-year terms on Grant and Scholarship Selection Panels of Canada’s Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council. His off-work time finds him messing about in canoes, kayaks or sailboats, skiing and performing music as a flutist or in his alter ego as “Singer-Songwriter-Scientist”, performing his original and Canadian folk music.

PETER JOHNSTON, Town of Gravenhurst

Peter was born and raised in Muskoka, returning after university to settle down and start a family. He served as the Deputy Clerk-Treasurer and Clerk-Administrator for the Town of Gravenhurst, and was elected District Councillor, serving on both the local and Muskoka Councils. Leaving in the mid-80s, Peter served 12 years as a Senior Advisor with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing in Sudbury, the last of which he was the Acting Regional Manager for all of northeastern Ontario. Most recently, Peter was the Chief Administrative Officer for Bonfield municipality near North Bay before being elected as a Muskoka District Councillor for Gravenhurst.