Rooted in Resilience

LAURA KIELPINSKI

Event host and Organizer

Laura works full time as the Director of Education and Operations for the Canadian Ecology Centre (CEC) and is a qualified teacher as well.  She is trained as a certified Forest Therapy Guide with ANFT (Association of Nature and Forest Therapy), as well as certifications in SFA/CPR, GPS and Wilderness First Responder.

Her passions and interests include sharing her love of the natural world with all those around her and helping others to find comfort and enjoyment from spending time in the outdoors. She enjoys being active in a variety of outdoor activities (mountain biking, running, canoeing, hiking, and cross country skiing) with her friends, family and two children.

Laura strongly believes in the power of community and building relationships will all the guests and clients who visit the CEC.

WAYNE REID – Retired Forester

Andrea Prazmowski

Andrea is Ottawa’s first Certified Nature & Forest Therapy Guide and guides public and private walks to help people discover the many gifts of deepening and re-weaving our nature connections, for our minds, bodies and spirits. She earned her certification in 2017 with the Association of Nature & Forest Therapy (ANFT) and has served as an ANFT mentor and trainer. Prior to that, Andrea worked as a freelance writer and editor and facilitated learning groups and community partnerships of various kinds for more than 25 years.

Andrea is a graduate of the International School of Storytelling (Emerson College, England) and has certifications as a Hike Leader, in Permaculture Design and as a Reiki Master. For several years she facilitated a regenerative practice called the Work That Reconnects. She volunteers with the Birch Path Healing Forest and Healing Pathway in Ottawa and hosts quarterly Equinox and Solstice community gatherings.

Dr. David Pearson

David Pearson was the Project Director and then founding Director of Science North from 1980 to 1986 and is currently Senior Science Advisor to the centre. He has hosted two science television series: “Understanding the Earth” for TV Ontario, and “Down to Earth” for Mid-Canada Television, as well as a weekly radio spot, “Radio Lab”, on CBC Northern Ontario Radio. He received the Ward Neale Medal from the Geological Association of Canada for promotion of the Earth Sciences in Canada in 2001 and the McNeil medal for science communication from the Royal Society of Canada in 2003. David chaired the Ontario office of the Canadian Climate Impacts and Adaptation Research Network from 2002 to 2007; co-chaired the Ontario Expert Panel on Climate Change Adaptation, and chaired the Far North Science Advisory Panel for the Ontario Government that released its report “Science for a Changing Far North” in 2010. David is currently Science Advisor to the Ontario Centre for Climate Impacts and Adaptation Resources at Laurentian and is working with Far North Ontario First Nation communities on climate change adaptation plans.

JANE LAGASSIE

As a traditional knowledge holder, Jane will be available to share the Indigenous archaeological and cultural heritage of the Mattawa valley, helping us connect to this land.

BILL STEER

Bill is the founder of the Canadian Ecology Centre concept.  He is a longtime environmental and outdoor educator.  Through the lens of risk management he developed the School Trip Preparedness planning approach for school trips.  In social media he is known as “Back Roads Bill.”

JOHN PINEAU

John is the former ED of the Ontario Woodlot Association (2020-2025) and a Biologist.  John teaches part-time with the Forestry Technician Program at Algonquin College in Pembroke.  John has been a constant supporter and presence with the CEC since the beginning, offering and sharing his knowledge and passion for forest science.  

SCOTT MCPHERSON

DR. GERARD COURTIN 

(to be confirmed)

ANGELA LARMER

Registered Psychotherapist, Registered Nurse & Grief Counsellor

Angela Larmer is a Registered Psychotherapist, Registered Nurse and Grief Counsellor with more than 25 years of experience supporting people through life’s challenges, loss and change. She owns The Rooted Heart Psychotherapy and Counselling in North Bay, Ontario, and has an interest in supporting nurses, healthcare professionals, first responders and those experiencing grief, loss and life transitions.

Angela takes a holistic, compassionate approach to her work, grounded in the belief that our well-being is shaped by our connection to ourselves, each other, nature and the world around us throughout our lives. Alongside individual psychotherapy, she facilitates a support group for nurses and co-facilitates Grounding Grief, a group centred on connection, belonging and shared experiences of grief and loss.

KAREN MELNECHENKO