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Guest Speakers Schedule
Guest Speakers Bios
Hosted by
James Bay Market
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Brian Minter, Minter Country Garden
Brian is a horticulturalist and businessman who co-owns with his wife, Fay, Minter Gardens, a 32 acre world class show garden in Chilliwack, and Minter Country Garden, a destination garden centre and greenhouse growing operation. He is a well-known award-winning garden host and columnist for radio, print and TV. He lectures internationally on gardening, tourism and business trends, and has been a board member for many service, professional and trade organizations in higher education and tourism. Currently, Brian is Chair of Tourism Chilliwack, First Chancellor of the University of the Fraser Valley, and Chair of BCAA. You can hear Brian on AM650 Radio every Saturday 9-10AM PST, or CBC Radio One BC Almanac every second Thursday 1-2pm PST.
www.mintergardens.com
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Kelly Klassen, Deep Roots Organic Garden Services
Kelly Klassen owns and operates Deep Roots Organic Garden Services and assists his wife in operating Rare Earth Organics, their certified organic market garden. He is a Gaia College certified Ecological Landscape Designer, Organic Turf Manager, and has over 10 years experience in landscaping, ornamental gardening, and organic vegetable growing. Kelly is committed to maximizing efficiency in the garden by utilizing natural ecological processes and minimizing the need for outside inputs.
kfklass@telus.net
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Jacqueline Bradbury, Garden Arts
A professional gardener of 20+ years, Jacqueline is an avid grower of her own fruits and vegetables.
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Lise Townsend, Greenway Consulting
Lise Townsend, MSc UVic, is an environmental consultant who advises developers, landowners and local governments about protection and restoration of aquatic and riparian ecosystems, and urban water management. Lise is currently developing a management plan for Swan Lake entailing a study of the watershed, and is a volunteer member of the Bowker Creek Initiative. She has a certificate in Low Impact Development (LID) from Washington State University, and is working to promote the adoption of LID technologies to improve the health of urban watersheds. (LID is an alternative site design strategy that uses natural and engineered infiltration and storage techniques to control storm water where it is generated.)
lisetown@telus.net
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Justin Napier, Mushroom Expert
Justin is the owner of Victoria’s Oystercatcher Mushrooms and a local expert on mushroom cultivation. In the late 90s Justin grew his first shiitake mushroom kit, and knew then his fate was sealed. With a long background in the horticultural industry, Justin has pioneered the cultivation of gourmet edible mushrooms in Victoria and developed a local food production business.
thejustinnapier@gmail.com
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Philip Young, Glendale Gardens/Horticulture Centre of the Pacific
Starting out as a student working in commercial orchards around Kelowna, Philip now has 40 years experience as an amateur gardener growing fruit. He teaches fruit growing at Glendale Gardens/Horticultural Centre of the Pacific and with the help of students and volunteers, cares for the fruit trees there.
www.hcp.bc.ca
(Picture credit: Jennifer Blyth, Victoria News)
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Kate Green, Unitarian Service Canada (USC)
Kate is a Program Manager at USC Canada, an international social justice and development agency that works with farming communities in the Global South to secure local food and seed systems and support sustainable livelihoods. She is currently the Program Manager for Nepal, and for 10+ years worked with programs in Bangladesh, India and Ethiopia. Kate focuses on organic and sustainable farming methods in challenging environments, gender analysis in the seed and food systems, and the struggles with biotechnology and farmers rights. She earned degrees from Queen's, University of East Anglia in Norwich, England and Ryerson University.
www.usc-canada.org
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Robin Tunnicliffe, Saanich Organics
Robin Tunnicliffe is an organic farmer, food activist, and part-time graduate student studying food policy and food sovereignty at UVic. She co-owns Saanich Organics, a farmer-run local food distributor. Robin is a board member of USC Canada, UBC Farm, Moss Street Market Society and the Islands Organic Producers Association. She passionately believes in the need for a strong alternative food system driven by farmers. She is a mentor to new farmers and writes for farmer publications in order to share information and to help build the agriculture sector.
www.saanichorganics.com
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Steve Mitchell, Bee Haven Farm
Steve and his wife Gail operate a small market garden in the Cowichan Valley and raise both honey and mason bees. Steve was a UVic Biology Lab instructor and former research technician in Honey Bee biology at SFU. Teaching areas included general biology, algae and fungi, flowering plants and plant physiology. The couple are editors of the Cowichan Valley Naturalist Society newsletter.
beehaven@shaw.ca
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Brock McLeod and Heather Walker, Makaria Farm
Brock and Heather launched Island Grains in 2009, hosting a series of workshops and hands-on growing experience for 50 families. They own and operate Makaria Farm, a 10 acre farm in the Cowichan Valley.
www.makariafarm.com
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Carolyn Herriot, The Garden Path Organic Nursery
Carolyn Herriot is author of "A Year On The Garden Path, a 52-Week Organic Gardening Guide". She is a passionate educator and regular columnist for GardenWise and Common Ground magazines. After 20 years operating The Garden Path Nursery, Carolyn now concentrates on growing certified organic "Seeds of Victoria" at The Garden Path in Victoria. Her latest book, "The Zero-Mile Diet – A Year-round Guide to Growing Great Organic Food" (Harbour Publishing), will be released in April.
http://earthfuture.com/gardenpath
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Marilyn Soames, Saanich Fair Poultry Show
Marilyn’s love of chickens began in 2001 and soon after she acquired her own flock of heritage birds. She helps with the education and organization of the poultry exhibition at the annual Saanich Fair, and is a member of the Cowichan Feather Fanciers. Marilyn presents gardening workshops for the People, Plants and Homes department of BC Housing, to encourage residents to grow their own food. Recognizing that much knowledge of chicken husbandry is in danger of being lost, Marilyn enthusiastically shares what she has learned from the many elderly men and women who have mentored her about chickens.
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Patrick Steiner, Stellar Seeds
Patrick is an educator and organic farmer from Sorrento, BC who operates Stellar Seeds, a seed company specializing in open-pollinated and heritage vegetable seed varieties.
www.stellarseeds.com
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