On 11 September 2017, Ocean Networks Canada (ONC) board member Don Krusel announced his retirement from his role as president and CEO of the Prince Rupert Port Authority, after serving as a visionary leader of that organization for the past 25 years. Krusel remains a valuable member of the ONC board of directors (Figure 1).
Figure 1. Don Krusel (top centre) is a member of ONC’s board of directors, which is made up of respected leaders from industry, Canadian and US universities, and provincial and federal governments.
“Under Don’s direction the Prince Rupert Port Authority has taken a leadership role in environmental stewardship in the region, making it a model for environmentally sustainable port operations in Canada,” comments Scott McLean, Director of ONC’s Innovation Centre.
According to a Prince Rupert Port Authority news release, Krusel’s retirement “caps a remarkable career in which he led the Port of Prince Rupert through a transition … from a forest and agri-products facility to the fastest growing container terminal in North America.” Prince Rupert Port Authority’s Chief Financial Officer Joe Rektor will be assuming the role of interim President and CEO, effective immediately. There will be a search for Mr. Krusel’s replacement.
Figure 2. ONC’s network of environmental monitoring stations in the Prince Rupert area.
ONC has been working with the Prince Rupert Port Authority since 2013 to develop a long-term monitoring system for environmental baseline data. To complement Prince Rupert Port initiatives, ONC established a community observatory with a network of environmental monitoring stations and oceanographic radars (Figure 2) under ONC’s Smart Ocean program, with funding from Transport Canada, Western Economic Diversification, and IBM Canada.
ONC also is a member of the Port Environmental Stewardship Committee that engages regional stakeholders and indigenous community members to facilitate coordination of regional environmental monitoring.
