2009 Featured Guests
Gord Downie
While the occupation that Gord Downie lists on his passport is "musician", he could just as easily have cited "songwriter", "poet", "video director", or even, existentially speaking, "restless spirit". "I enjoy the process of writing to a fault," he admits. "I love doing the work. I love solving the puzzle."
Gord Downie is perhaps best known as the lead vocalist and lyricist of Canada’s most beloved band, The Tragically Hip, who have thrilled audiences around the world with their live performances for over two decades. In this, Gord has achieved the enviable status of a musician that enjoys both mass popularity with over 8 million albums sold worldwide, as well as peer recognition with 31 Juno Award Nominations and 11 wins.
On the screen, Gord appears most recently in Michael McGowan's film, One Week, as a pot smoking philosopher starring fellow Canadian Joshua Jackson. Downie also has cameo appearances in Men with Brooms, the Trailer Park Boys’ movie The Big Dirty, and on television in the series finale of Trailer Park Boys, "Say Goodnight To The Bad Guys", and Corner Gas "Rock On!". He also starred in the short film At The Quinte Hotel, featuring Canadian poet Al Purdy's poem of the same name.
Gord has released two solo albums, Coke Machine Glow (2001) and Battle of the Nudes (2003). The Tragically Hip will release their 12th studio album, We Are The Same in April, 2009.
He is a Trustee of Lake Ontario through his support of the Waterkeeper Alliance.
Mark Mattson
As President and Waterkeeper of Lake Ontario, Mark Mattson works tirelessly to promote and defend the ideals that safe waterways belong to the people. Mark in 2001 founded Lake Ontario Waterkeeper to give a voice to the cares and concerns of the millions of people who live in the Lake Ontario Watershed.
Mark received his Bachelor of Arts from Queens University, graduated of the University of Windsor School of Law, and is a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada. Since Mark made the move from criminal law to a practice focused on environmental and regulatory matters, he has acted as counsel for environmental and public interest groups at over fifty hearings, including the Walkerton Inquiry.
Mark has also appeared on behalf of clients in front of the International Water Tribunal in Amsterdam, and serves as the Canadian representative to Waterkeeper Alliance’s Board of Directors. He is the supervising attorney with the Clean Water Workshop, a program dedicated to mentoring law students and providing legal tools to citizens fighting for clean water in their communities.
Mark has been investigator and/or co-counsel on nearly every Fisheries Act private prosecution in Canada. He has been credited with helping Ontario residents win some of the largest fines ever levied under Canada’s Fisheries Act.
Prior to launching Lake Ontario Waterkeeper, Mark Mattson founded the volunteer-based Environmental Bureau of Investigation, dedicated to identifying and prosecuting environmental offenders and served as a board member of Great Lakes United.
Mr. Mattson is co-author of The Citizens Guide to Environmental Investigation and Private Prosecution. Mark is host of the weekly radio show and podcast Living At the Barricades, alongside Vice President Krystyn Tully.
