Biography of Alan Latourelle, Brandwein Medal Recipient
Over a 13 year period as CEO of Parks Canada , Alan Latourelle oversaw one of Parks Canada’s most significant National Parks expansion in the organization’s century of operations. Under his leadership, land managed by Parks Canada has increased by 30 percent through the establishment of 10 National Parks or Marine Parks and has taken key steps that will result in a further 30 percent increase. He has also made it his personal mission to establish Parks Canada as an international leader in working collaboratively with indigenous people and also with the tourism industry. He has lead the implementation of the most significant ecological restoration program in the organization’s history, the establishment of Canada’s first National Urban Park in the Rouge Valley in the GTA and the Agency’s unwavering drive to connect youth and new Canadians to nature.
He has chaired the World Protected Areas Leadership Forum (WPALF) twice and has Co-lead the “inspiring a new generation” theme at the World Parks Congress in Sydney, Australia in November 2014, where he received the 2014 Fred Packard Award from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) for his extraordinary contributions to protected areas conservation, in Canada and around the world. He became the first Canadian to be awarded the George Wright Society’s top honor when he received the 2015 George Melendez Wright Award for Excellence in recognition of a lifetime contribution as an international leader in innovative conservation practices, methods for heritage presentation, and providing exceptional experiences. Under his leadership, a Reader Digest survey ranked Parks Canada as the third most trusted institution in Canada.
Very recently, Parks Canada lead the largest search ever for the Franklin Ships in partnership with Federal, non-profit and private sector organizations that resulted in the discovery of HMS Erebus, Captain Franklin’s ship and has also secured a $3 billion Federal investment in Parks Canada infrastructure, the largest investment in Parks Canada’s 104 year history.