Water Policy Fellowships

Hugh Benevides

Hugh's work as a Gordon Foundation Fellow centred on the review of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA), first passed in 1972. The history of the GLWQA shows it to have had a strong influence on the policies of Canada and the US as well as state, provincial and local governments. As a Fellow, Hugh participated in a number of GLWQA Review Groups. One of the major findings of his research is that the review of the Agreement provides the opportunity to reinforce and provide support for key ideas such as zero discharge and pollution prevention.

From 2006 to 2008, Hugh was employed as Counsel by the Canadian Environmental Law Association (CELA), the legal aid clinic that was the NGO partner for his fellowship. He participated in the official review of the GLWQA, as well as in the parliamentary review of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999, which also has direct implications for water quality.

The support provided by the Gordon Fellowship gave Hugh time and resources to gain a thorough understanding of the long and complex history of the GLWQA, before he began to become involved in the review of the Agreement. His work at CELA was very much a continuation of that carried out as a Fellow. From September 2008 to March 2009, Hugh was executive director and counsel at East Coast Environmental Law Association in Nova Scotia. He lives in Antigonish, Nova Scotia.

See Hugh's Oct.24th Toronto Star article "Cleanup not on Canada's agenda".