Our Team
Photo : Nathalie Bergeron
Administration
Photo : Yanick Briand
Sidney Ribaux, Co-founder, executive director of Équiterre
Sidney founded Équiterre with fellow colleagues in 1993, and was Chairman of the Board of Directors until 1998. Since then, in his capacity as Executive director, he has participated in the development of Équiterre's strategies and educational projects on fair trade, ecological agriculture, energy efficiency, climate change, green buildings and sustainable transportation. He has authored papers, reports, articles and documents on related issues. From 1996 to 2003, his passion for urban planning also led him to chair Montreal’s Environment Council, a network of 100 organizations active in the field of urban ecology. He played an important role in campaigns to promote and obtain more furnding to public transit, in Canada's ratification of the Kyoto Protocol and in the adoption by Quebec of one of the most progressive action plans on climate change in North America.
While working for the consumer protection group Option consommateurs from 1992 to 1998, he was responsible for the energy file and helped set up an energy-efficiency program targeted to low-income families. Sidney has been involved in many organizations and presently sits on the board of the Fonds d’action québécois pour le développement durable and presides the Centre for Sustainable Development an ambitious green building project to be located in downtown Montreal. He is a frequent lecturer and is regularly interviewed by the media. In 2007, he was received as an Ashoka Fellow, an international organization promoting social entrepreneurship. A lawyer by training, Sidney lives in Montreal with his wife and daughter and has never owned a car!
Steven Guilbeault, Co-founder, Deputy exectutive director and Spokesperson for Climate and Energy
Founding member of Équiterre, Steven Guilbeault has focused on climate change since 1994 and was responsible for many campaigns on this hot topic. He coordinated the Climate and Energy campaign for Greenpeace for 10 years and was director of the Greenpeace office in Quebec for 7 years. He is presently a columnist for many publications, among them Métro, Transcontinental, and Le Voir. He is member of the council committee of Cycle Capital Management and of the board of directors of the Agence de l’efficacité énergétique du Québec. Mr. Guilbeault participated in most international United Nations conventions on climate change. He is the proud father of three children.
François Boulanger, Energy Efficiency Coordinator
Active in the environment for fifteen years, and chief engineer for the international engineering firm Honeywell for nine years, François chose to dedicate himself fully to the environment. François was part of the early beginnings of Équiterre and has observed the development of the organization with keen interest. He is concerned in particular with the accountability of individuals at the environmental and social levels.
Halima Elkhatabi, Fundraising & Development Coordinator (maternity leave)
Halima joined Équiterre with a mandate to increase the organization's self-financing capabilities and to take charge of all aspects of fundraising. She holds a master’s degree and a Diplôme d’études supérieures spécialisées (specialized graduate diploma) in communication and marketing. A citizen of the world, she has always had an interest in social and environmental causes. Following her move to Quebec in 2000, Halima worked for several years as a marketing consultant for an advertising agency before deciding to follow her heart and join Équiterre.
Brigitte Labrecque, Administrative Coordinator
Member of the Ordre des comptables en management accrédités, Brigitte is the head of accounting, administration, and human resources at Équiterre. As far back as she can remember, Brigitte has been dedicated to the protection of the environment and social justice, in particular the condition of women from all over the world. An idealist, she dreams of seeing composting centres in the place of landfills as well as full-cost budgeting at companies to account for environmental and social externalities. She is glad to have given up driving a car many years ago; her “transportation cocktail” now is walking-biking-metro-Communauto!
Anny Létourneau, Sustainable Transportation Coordinator
Annie holds a degree in political science from the Université de Montréal and has acquired a solid expertise in energy and environmental issues over the years. Before working for Équiterre, she steered a number of important projects and campaigns in support of higher education. She has been the coordinator of Équiterre’s Sustainable Transportation and Energy Efficiency programs since 2002.
Marie-Ève Roy, Communications Coordinator
Holder of a bachelors degree in communications and public relations from the Université du Québec à Montréal as well as a certificate in political science from the Université de Montréal, Marie-Ève is a passionate communicator. After cultivating her art for two years at a public relations firm, she decided to “go green” in August 2004 by joining the ranks of Équiterre. As project manager for communications, she has been responsible for the management of the Centre québécois d'actions sur les changements climatiques. She is now dedicated to the management of communications and events. The dynamism and passion of Marie-Ève have marked “Équiterrian” life and contribute to advancing the organization’s goals.
Hugo Séguin, Public Affairs Coordinator (on leave)
Prior to his arrival at Équiterre in 2003, Hugo served as assistant cabinet secretary to the Quebec Minister of State for Municipal Affairs, Environment and Water from 2002 to 2003. In this capacity, he managed two major projects: national water policies and climate change. Hugo studied international relations at the Norman Patterson School of International Affairs in Ottawa and has a bachelor’s degree in political science from the Université de Montréal.
Isabelle St-Germain, Agriculture, food, and commerce Coordinator
Holder of a bachelors degree in ecology, Isabelle began her involvement with Équiterre in 1998 and has actively participated in the development of the organization. With a focus on the fair trade sector for 10 years, Isabelle works closely with producers and business actors. She is a member of the board of directors of the Fond capital équitable and of the Association des organismes de coopération internationale (AQOCI). At Équiterre, Isabelle initiated and developed the programs for fair trade and responsible consumption by means of awareness-raising campaigns, the production of various documents (e.g., the responsible consumption guide), the co-organization of two international colloquia, and the development of many partnerships. Isabelle serves regularly as a speaker and is an active, responsible consumer in her personal life as well as in her work life.
Board
of Directors
Brigitte Lepage, President
Brigitte Lepage is founder of Équiterre’s first action group, the Mauricie Action Group. Ms Lepage has been a member of the Équiterre board of directors since February 2007. With a bachelor’s degree in literature and a diploma in education, she began her career as president of the Conseil permanent de la jeunesse. In 1995, she launched System Technologies for Industry Inc., a company active in industrial data processing. There she has been responsible for administrative management and human resources and today concentrates on business development. The company has three branches: one in Trois-Rivières, one in the United States, and one in Brazil. Aside from her involvement with Équiterre, Ms Lepage sits on the board of the Société de développement du centre-ville de Trois-Rivières.
Marie-Claude Grignon,
A lawyer and member of the Ordre des conseillers en ressources humaines et en relations industrielles agréés du Québec, Ms. Grignon received a master’s degree in industrial relations from Université Laval in 2000. She presently works as a legal counsellor with an expert tribunal. After having received a training at the International Labor Organization, she worked in Paris at an institute specialized in labour relations and human resources management. Marie-Claude serves as a volunteer in many non-profit organizations, such as Amnesty International, Lawyers Without Borders Quebec, Monde équitable, and Assistance d’enfants en difficulté (AED). She is interested in particular in labour issues related to fair trade and has initiated an environmental committee in her professional setting.
Craig Ryan,
Mr. Ryan has been working for the public good for twenty years. He worked in the Canadian Parliament, the Canadian Ministry (Environment Canada and CIDA), as well as in developing countries on projects concerning environmental policies and the fight against poverty. He is currently working for a government financial corporation dedicated to small and medium-sized businesses where he specializes on governance, transparency, and accountability—primordial challenges for NGOs as well as for governments and businesses. For that organization he is also in charge of developing a social responsibility plan. Mr. Ryan has a bachelor’s degree in political science, a master’s degree in international relations, and a master’s degree in public administration.
Chantal Blouin, Board Member
Researcher at Institut Nord-Sud since the year 2000, Ms. Blouin’s main interests concern the impact of international trade and business agreements, in particular WTO agreements, on developing countries and the reduction of poverty. Since 2003, she has been working in collaboration with the World Health Organization on the impact of trade on healthcare systems and the health of populations in developing countries. Ms. Blouin completed her studies in political science at the University of Toronto and Université Laval.
Amélie Ferland
Project manager - Communications and Conference Services, Board Member
Holder of a bachelors in communications and public relations from the Université du Québec à Montréal, Amélie Ferland also studied education at the Université de Sherbrooke. Her marked interest for projects related to social education and her competency in environmental communication have allowed her to collaborate with the planning and deployment of many major awareness-raising campaigns. In her professional engagements as in her private life, she tries to have a sustainable, positive impact on the environment and society. Biking and walking are her means of transport throughout the year.
Clément Guimond, Board Member
Clément Guimond is a born collective entrepreneur. Prior to becoming General Coordinator of the Caisse d’économie solidaire Desjardins de Québec in 1986, he took part in each step of building this formidable business cooperative . He directs a team of 80 employees. Several bold projects, such as Cirque de Soleil, owe their existence to his ability to listen to the needs of promoters of collective entrepreneurship in Quebec as well as to his creative and innovative spirit as a banker who shares their aims. Under his inspiration and thanks to his connections in Quebec and abroad, Caisse populaire Desjardins has become a unique crossroads, bringing together a number of organizations and individuals whose practices breathe new life into finance and the economy.
Lucie Rioux, Board Member
Lucie Rioux is the owner of Ferme Logi-Bio, one of the farms of the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. She feels that the CSA network should be represented on the board of Équiterre, in particular in order to ensure the proper management of resources. Her farm responds to the needs of consumers to eat healthy, organic food that was produced in harmony with nature. Lucie Rioux is convinced that everyone has a large role to play in sustainable and equitable development. She is greatly inspired by the Équiterre way of sensitizing and educating people about the environment and for developing a feeling of social belonging.
Alain Webster, Board Member
Vice provost for administration and sustainable development at the Université de Sherbrooke, Alain Webster is responsible for the sustainable development policy and its action plan as well as the university’s sustainable transportation strategy. As a professor, Webster has a university education in ecology and economics. His main fields of research include the use of economic tools in climate change management. He teaches environmental economics and climate change at the Centre universitaire de formation en environnement and the faculty of administration at the Université de Sherbrooke.