Cowichan Watershed Board Members

Co-Chair

Chief William Seymour, Chief of Cowichan Tribes First Nation

Chief William (Chip) Seymour (Squtxulenuhw) served as a Cowichan Tribes Councillor from 2005 to 2013. In 2013 he was elected Chief. He grew up exploring the Cowichan watershed, the river and its tributaries. As Chief his primary focuses are education, employment, training, culture, housing and working to re-establish a sense of hope among young people. In his role of Co-chair of the Cowichan Watershed Board he intends to reinforce the importance of whole of watershed thinking and collaborative approaches to achieving the Watershed Board’s targets. He is particularly concerned about the impacts of forest practices on water quality, fisheries and other resources. Chief Seymour has coached sports for over thirty years initially coaching lacrosse and then soccer.

Co-Chair

Mayor Aaron Stone, Chair of Cowichan Valley Regional District, Mayor of Ladysmith

(Bio to follow)

Tim Kulchyski – Natural Resource Consultant, Cowichan Tribes

Tim Kulchyski is a community member of Cowichan Tribes. He has worked with a variety of clients assessing upland, freshwater and marine ecosystems for over 20 years. His work often involves examining the impacts of development on cultural values. Recently he participated in a program to control invasive plants in the watershed. Tim has travelled extensively studying the interaction between resource issues and cultural heritage. He was involved in a major Hul’qumi’num language revitalization initiative. Tim now works as a Natural Resource Consultant in the Cowichan Tribes Lands and Self-Governance Department and serves as a member of the Cowichan Watershed Board.

Lori Iannidinardo – CVRD Director, Area D (Cowichan Bay)

Lori Iannidinardo was elected an Area Director in November 2008. She has lived in the Cowichan Bay area for over 40 years. Lori has been an active volunteer for the betterment of local schools, parks and recreation local planning and the Cowichan Bay area. She has been particularly active in the local food movement. In her first year as director, she helped lead Cowichan Bay to become the first community in Canada to gain International Cittaslow status.

The Honourable David Anderson – Former Federal Fisheries Minister, Former Federal Environment Minister

David Anderson’s experiences include an Olympic silver medal (rowing), foreign service, environmental consultant, professor, Member of the BC Legislature, and Member of Parliament. David was elected as an MP six times and held four Cabinet portfolios including Transport, Fisheries and Oceans and Revenue. In addition he was Canada’s longest standing Environment Minister. A fisherman, David is an active outdoors enthusiast and has a special fondness for the Cowichan region. In the 1990s, he was instrumental in the Cowichan River being designated as a Canadian Heritage River. David has received numerous awards and two honorary degrees for his support for the environment.

David Slade – former President of the BC Groundwater Association

Since 1982, David has been a partner in the Duncan based, family business, Drillwell Enterprises Ltd. Drillwell provides well and environmental drilling services to a variety of clients. David is passionate about groundwater and its relationship to the rest of the environment. He has been very active with both the Canadian and BC Groundwater Associations recently serving as President of the BC Association. David is an active community volunteer and supporter contributing resources and spare time to volunteer firefighting and youth sports in particular.

Debra Toporowski – Cowichan Tribes Councillor

As a Councillor with Cowichan Tribes, Debra Toporowski (Qwulti-stunaat) sits on a number of committees – Fishing, Housing, Health, Watershed – which are concerned with the same issues as the Cowichan Watershed Board.

Dr. David Froese, former fisheries biologist, medical doctor

Dave Froese has been a family doctor in the Cowichan Valley for over 30 years. Before entering Medicine at UBC he worked as a fisheries biologist. He has worked for the D.F.O., M.O.E., West Water Research and The Environmental Land Use Committee. He lived with his family at Green’s Pool on the upper Cowichan for 5 years. They used the river as a water source for drinking in the winter. Dave has served as Medical Chief of Staff for Cowichan District Hospital, president of the Cowichan Valley Medical Society, president of the Medical Undergraduate Society of BC, and Chief Intern of Victoria General Hospital. Dave now works in Lake Cowichan as a family doctor and is on and in the water as much as possible. He continues to have a passionate interest in the health of the Cowichan River and all of its surrounding environs.

Dr. Shannon Waters, Medical Health Officer for the Cowichan Valley, Vancouver Island Health Authority

Dr. Shannon Waters is Coast Salish and a member of Stz’uminus First Nation on Vancouver Island. She completed the First Nations Family Practice program at the University of British Columbia and worked as a family doctor in Duncan, BC. While honored to work close to home Shannon become frustrated with seeing people mostly when they were unwell and wanted to focus on keeping people healthy in the first place so she returned to school and completed her specialty training in Public Health and Preventive Medicine. Shannon worked as the Director of Health Surveillance at First Nations and Inuit Health Branch and, at First Nations Health Authority as the Acting Senior Medical Officer for Vancouver Island Region. She has worked with Vancouver Island Health Authority as a Medical Director and with the Ministry of Health as the Aboriginal Physician Advisor. She is currently honored to have come full circle and to be working in her home territory as the local Medical Health Officer with Vancouver Island Health Authority.

Alison Nicholson – CVRD Director, Area E (Cowichan Station, Glenora, Sahtlam)

Alison was honoured to become the CVRD Director for the Cowichan Station/Sahtlam/Glenora area in 2014. The Chemainus, Cowichan and Koksilah rivers all pass through Area E and working with the community to care for those watersheds is her number one priority. She has a background in biology, ecology, and public administration and lives on a small farm in the Koksilah watershed.

Kristine Sandhu, Lake Cowichan Councillor

Counciilor Sandhu has served on the Town of Lake Cowichan council previously for a 2005-2008 term and was re-elected a council member in October, 2018 for a four year term. She is married and is the mother of three children.

Stuart Pagaduan – Cowichan Tribes Councillor