The Ontario Municipal Water Association (OMWA) announced that two new members have joined its board of directors. The fifteen-member board named Bonnie Clark and Michael Mortimer to positions during its Annual General Meeting in Barrie, Ontario, earlier this month.
“We are honoured and pleased to welcome our new members,” said OMWA president, Rosemary Kelleher-MacLennan. “We always appreciate getting fresh perspectives and new ideas about municipal water systems. Everyone in the association benefits from the collective experience and high calibre of expertise the board brings.”
Bonnie Clark will serve as political director on the board. Clark serves as a council member for Otonabee South Monaghan municipality and is a retired nurse (R.N.). She is a member of the Trent Conservation Coalition Source Protection Committee.
“Municipal experience would be a great starting point and give you a solid knowledge base to choose the direction and path you would like to go down,” Clark said to OMWA. “The need for safe water will always be there.”
Clark expressed her hope to OMWA that the organization can increase its representation of First Nation communities during her tenure.
Michael Mortimer has joined the board in the role of technical director. Mortimer is currently employed by the City of Stratford, Ontario as manager of environmental services.
“I’ve always had a passion for the regulatory, legislative, and policy components that shape a large part of (the public water) industry,” Mortimer said to the Stratford Beacon Herald. “The OMWA allows me an opportunity to contribute to these conversations with other stakeholders as we continue to face challenges and adapt as an industry.”
Mortimer began his career as a water and wastewater treatment operator with the District of Muskoka before taking roles at the Region of Waterloo and City of Waterloo. He took his current position with Stratford in May of 2015.
He currently serves on the Walkerton Clean Water Center Training Advisory Committee and is the municipal representative for Stratford, St Mary’s, Perth and Huron Counties on the Thames Sydenham and Region Source Protection Committee.
