> > > > For a complete Curriculum Vitae see: Ballantyne CV

Over the past 24 years, Mr. Ballantyne has worked in various positions throughout Canada's north associated with resource development and protection of the environment.

With the federal government during the 1980s, he was responsible for land use administration; permit issuance, inspections, monitoring and enforcement of conditions applied to mining, oil and gas development and forestry programs. Many of these developments were in remote locations across the north where protection of fragile northern ecosystems had to be balanced with the need to develop resources.

In his last position prior to retiring in August 2004, Mr. Ballantyne was the Director of Environmental Programs with the Yukon Government. Starting in 1990, he was responsible for the development and implementation of a comprehensive environmental protection program. In 2003, Mr. Ballantyne also became responsible for the Water Resources Program in Yukon, resulting from a federal program transfer. This included water quality, hydrology and enforcement. For eighteen months (2000-2001) prior to Devolution of federal programs, he was on an interchange assignment with the federal government in Whitehorse and was in charge of Water, Lands, Forests, Contaminants Program, District Operations and Forest Fire Fighting.

Mr. Ballantyne was a member of the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment Steering Committee beginning in1991. The Council brought national focus to topics such as municipal wastewater effluent, contaminated sites management, cleaner fuels, ozone depleting substances, recycling programs, hazardous waste, air quality and the development of Canada-Wide Standards. Mr. Ballantyne has also been on a number of task groups formed under the steering committee to evaluate and update guidelines and standards.

In recent years, with increased attention being given to Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol, he served on the Canadian Climate Program Board and represented the Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunuvut. He also participated on a national energy and environment committee established under the Energy and Environment Ministers' forum. This committee was focused on greenhouse gas reduction measures to enable Canada to meet its Kyoto commitment. Mr. Ballantyne contributed substantially to this national committee and particularly in providing an appropriate northern context to these national deliberations.

He was instrumental in establishing the Northern Climate Exchange at Yukon College in 1999, a partnership involving the Federal and Territorial Governments and the College. He made the point successfully, that impacts and adaptation to climate change are extremely important in the north where the effects of climate change are likely to be most dramatic.

Over his career in the North, Mr. Ballantyne has consulted and involved stakeholders and First Nation organizations and governments in environmental program development and evaluation as a means to achieving a workable balance between development and conservation.