Dennis LaPierre
I have a lot of experience relevant to the job of being your electoral area director.
I've been a member of the Falkland and area community for 34 years, having bought our farm in 1992
following the birth of two more sons and the desire for us to raise them in a rural community.
I raised purebred sheep on the farm and sold breeding stock into the US and other parts of Canada.
I also had a home based business manufacturing saddlepads on a machine I invented and I grew and
sold pasture-raised chicken.
My local government involvement began with being on an advisory planning commission with the csrd,
later ending up with my becoming your electoral area director.
That job earned me becoming the CSRD chair in my 3rd year, becoming a director on the Fraser Basin
Council and a representative of this community on the LRMP.
I became involved in the SRWR in 1995 when the federal Fraser River Action Plan sought to establish a
community led sustainability initiative for the Salmon river watershed.
That involvement led to my becoming its chair at one point and I helped ovesee a lot of riparian
restoration work done aimed at improving the health of the river.
It also brought me an invitation to join the board of the BCAC, a non-profit producer organization that
speaks to the province on policy matters.
On it, I represented the interests of small lot farms, the organic sector and First nations agricultural
interests.
That led me to being a director on the Investment Agriculture Foundation, a non-government organization
given the authority to consider and approve funding applications for worthy projects, some of which were
substantial, using federal/provincial money.
Following that, I was a director on the Farm Industry Review Board, another organization separate from
government but responsible for overseeing supply managed and regulated commodities. In that role, I
held hearings and was the decision-maker on contested matters. I provided written decisions.
Right now, I chair a regional agricultural advisory committee for NORD.
The current drought situation has raised a lot of concerns and unhappy outcomes as well as interest in
finding ways to store water so that both the fish and the farmers have the water both need.
I can help with that. I, too am a licensed water user and have the academic background, experience and
training to contribute to that initiative.
My extensive board involvement also gives me the experience to make a solid contribution as your
electoral area director as a member of the CSRD board.
When I was your electoral area director in the past, I took a professional approach to the job. I had the
CSRD establish a website and start providing corporate annual reports to the public.
I also wrote an annual report to my constituents and had several opportunities to address community
interests and needs.
Examples include my trying to establish an ambulance service in Falkland, in making sure no fee applied
to using the free store at the area transfer stations, in influencing the relocation of the Emcon site to
where it now is. And, as usual, helping support grant in aid requests.
It is my hope that you'll find that the accumulation of my experience remains valuable and that I remain
qualified to once again do the job. If so, I'd be very happy to get back into the role and do it once again
for you.
Yesterday I had a long meeting with the groups trying to establish a park on Mallory Ridge. They will be
supporting me.
About Dennis LaPierre
26 years with the Calgary Police Service, retiring with the rank of Staff Sergeant, awarded a distinguished service medal.
Bought a farm near Falkland in 1992, moved my sheep flock and horses from our acreage near Cochrane, Alberta, renovated our new home and raised our three sons in the Falkland rural environment. Our sons have flourished. One is a professional grower, raising millions of trees from seed for the forest industry. Another has become a registered professional biologist and is working for a consulting firm in Alberta. The eldest earned a graduate degree in mathematics and now teaches math at the college level in the lower mainland.
As outlined in my pitch, I have a lot of history and experience relating to local government, non-profit organizations and local interest groups, especially as it relates to watershed sustainability.
On the farm, I raised purebred sheep and sold breeding stock into the USA, manufactured saddlepads as a home-based business on a machine I invented, and pasture raised chickens I direct sold as a farmgate enterprise.
I continue to be interested in watershed health and am particularly supportive of the need to find ways to store spring runoff to meet both fish and farm needs.
I also remain supportive of other watershed initiatives and have the training, background and ability to help them.
Experience and qualifications
MA,, Applied Communication Royal Roads University. University of Calgary, Political Science
I spend almost 3 years on the Board of the Investment Agriculture Foundation, an organization independent of government given the authority to consider funding proposals and spend significant federal/provincial dollars on worthy agricultural projects.
I Chaired and then Co-chaired a Minister of Agriculture's Innovation Advisory Committee.
I spent 5 years as a Director of the BC Farm Industry Review Board, an organization independent of government with legislated oversite authority over supply-managed and regulated agricultural commodities. The role included conducting dispute hearings and, as the decision-maker, I provided parties with written decisions including awarding costs and sometimes conditions. Parties involved often had legal representation, sometimes took up to 2 days to conclude, and were structured in the same way as all other court hearings.
I believe my history, experience, training and skills to be very transferrable to the Electoral Area Director role and would very much enjoy occupying that role once again.
Electoral area Director among other experiences and qualifications
I have a lot of experience relevant to the job of being your electoral area director.
I've been a member of the Falkland and area community for 34 years, having bought our farm in 1992
following the birth of two more sons and the desire for us to raise them in a rural community.
I raised purebred sheep on the farm and sold breeding stock into the US and other parts of Canada.
I also had a home based business manufacturing saddlepads on a machine I invented and I grew and
sold pasture-raised chicken.
My local government involvement began with being on an advisory planning commission with the csrd,
later ending up with my becoming your electoral area director.
That job earned me becoming the CSRD chair in my 3rd year, becoming a director on the Fraser Basin
Council and a representative of this community on the LRMP.
I became involved in the SRWR in 1995 when the federal Fraser River Action Plan sought to establish a
community led sustainability initiative for the Salmon river watershed.
That involvement led to my becoming its chair at one point and I helped ovesee a lot of riparian
restoration work done aimed at improving the health of the river.
It also brought me an invitation to join the board of the BCAC, a non-profit producer organization that
speaks to the province on policy matters.
On it, I represented the interests of small lot farms, the organic sector and First nations agricultural
interests.
That led me to being a director on the Investment Agriculture Foundation, a non-government organization
given the authority to consider and approve funding applications for worthy projects, some of which were
substantial, using federal/provincial money.
Following that, I was a director on the Farm Industry Review Board, another organization separate from
government but responsible for overseeing supply managed and regulated commodities. In that role, I
held hearings and was the decision-maker on contested matters. I provided written decisions.
Right now, I chair a regional agricultural advisory committee for NORD.
The current drought situation has raised a lot of concerns and unhappy outcomes as well as interest in
finding ways to store water so that both the fish and the farmers have the water both need.
I can help with that. I, too am a licensed water user and have the academic background, experience and
training to contribute to that initiative.
My extensive board involvement also gives me the experience to make a solid contribution as your
electoral area director as a member of the CSRD board.
When I was your electoral area director in the past, I took a professional approach to the job. I had the
CSRD establish a website and start providing corporate annual reports to the public.
I also wrote an annual report to my constituents and had several opportunities to address community
interests and needs.
Examples include my trying to establish an ambulance service in Falkland, in making sure no fee applied
to using the free store at the area transfer stations, in influencing the relocation of the Emcon site to
where it now is. And, as usual, helping support grant in aid requests.
It is my hope that you'll find that the accumulation of my experience remains valuable and that I remain
qualified to once again do the job. If so, I'd be very happy to get back into the role and do it once again
for you.
Yesterday I had a long meeting with the groups trying to establish a park on Mallory Ridge. They will be
supporting me.
As outlined above. I remain capable and interested in the role.
Where Dennis LaPierre stands
-
This is indeed an issue for those living nearby the facility
Interestingly, I visited a large dairy operation in the lower mainland as part of a tour while with the Investment Agriculture Foundation. It had funded, in part, the building of what, in many respects looked like a mini-refinery. This dairy mixed cow manure and truckloads of stale-dated produce from grocery wholesalers and retailers and were able to produce gas it was able to feed back into the Fortis natural gas network. There was no smell to the operation and added a profitable augment to the dairy itself. I have wonder whether a similar approach, with a bit of funding help, can be taken to address the composting problem. -
In addition to the facts outlined by Melanie, I fully support the initiative being championed by the Salmon River Watershed committed.
The Salmon River Watershed committee is a product of efforts by local farmers and ranchers to find ways to preserve spring runoff and increase the storage capacity of watershed lakes to regulate water flows throughout the year so that both agricultural water needs interests and fish habitat can be protected. This will be an expensive undertaking and is being supported to the extent possible in these early stages by personal financial committments of the licensed water users in the watershed. I applaud that and, as a licensed user myself, will be making my own contribution. Additionally, I have a lot of valuable background information stemming from my experience with the Salmon River Watershed Roundtable that may be helpful in meeting the financial cost in facing this onerous task. -
This Electoral Area has long opposed having to obtain building permits.
Melanie is correct in her presentation of the facts. This electoral area has long opposed having to obtain these permits. That is not to say not having one would lead to shoddy work. There are many very lovely homes in the area, all of which were no doubt build to Code. People expect this and can ensure the work is done by privately hiring an inspection service to review the work. Similary, I expect mortgage lender will often insist the building meets Building Code standards. In my own case, when we bought our farm in 1992, I hired an inspector to evaluate the house and tell me what it needed. It was valuable information and I used that information to complete several renovations to make our house our home.