Christianne Wilhelmson
Executive Director | Georgia Strait Alliance
Vancouver , BC, CANADA
Non-profit leader in ocean conservation in urban British Columbia, where 75 per cent of the province's population lives, works and plays.
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Biography
Christianne has been Executive Director of Georgia Strait Alliance since 2010 after spending six years as the organization’s Clean Air and Water Program Coordinator. She is an Ontario transplant who came to BC in 1995 to pursue her MSc in ecology at UBC and, like so many, stayed on after graduation. Past experience includes time as a lab technician and freelance science writer. Christianne leads Georgia Strait Alliance’s government and media relations efforts, along with supporting the organization's strategic campaigns and programs. She has a deep passion for social change and connecting with people across sectors to build a better future for our communities. Christianne is the Past-President of the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival Board of Directors and a Founding Board Director and Vice-President of The Elbow Theatre Society.
Industry Expertise (3)
Non-Profit/Charitable
Renewables and Environmental
Fishery and Aquaculture
Areas of Expertise (19)
Ocean Conservation
Whale protection
Habitat protection
Marine planning
Salmon Aquaculture
Sewage
Environmental Policy
Charitable Sector
Governance and leadership
Water and Wastewater Treatment
Waterfront planning
Fresh water conservation
Protection environmentale
Ecology
Environmental Protection
Pollution Ecology
Marine and freswater aquatic ecosystems
Marine Biodiversity
Climate Change
Education (3)
University of Ottawa: BA, English/History/Political Science 1987
Trent University: BSc, Biology/Environmental and Resource Sciences 1993
University of British Columbia: MSc, Ecology 1999
Studied learning and memory in rufous hummingbords
Affiliations (2)
- PuSh International Performing Arts Festival (Board)
- Elbow Theatre (Board)
Links (3)
Languages (2)
- English
- French
Media Appearances (9)
Courts, cashflow and election campaigning: what lies ahead for Kinder Morgan pipeline
Metro News print
2017-01-13
Texas energy giant Kinder Morgan no doubt breathed a sigh of relief this week. That's because on Wednesday, the B.C. government gave it the OK for its $7-billion pipeline expansion, toppling yet another obstacle to it ramping up the flow of diluted bitumen to the West Coast.
B.C. oil spill response times make Trans Mountain Pipeline 'a ticking time bomb'
CBC News online
2016-12-13
Despite assurances from Canada's minister of transport that Kinder Morgan's Trans Mountain pipeline is safe, environmentalists in B.C. fear the expansion is an environmental disaster waiting to happen. Christianne Wilhelmson, the executive director of the Georgia Strait Alliance, said that B.C.'s current spill responses is not effective even for the ships currently operating in the region. "There is no such thing as an oil spill clean-up. There is no such thing as world class spill response. These are two terms that we use a lot that are actually meaningless," she said.
Christianne Wilhelmson , directrice générale de l’organisme environnemental Georgia Strait Alliance, réagit à l’aval donné par Ottawa au projet d’oléoduc Trans Mountain
Radio Canada radio
2016-12-01
Christianne Wilhelmson , directrice générale de l’organisme environnemental Georgia Strait Alliance, réagit à l’aval donné par Ottawa au projet d’oléoduc Trans Mountain. En plus des risques de déversement de pétrole, elle souligne que l’impact de l’augmentation du trafic de pétroliers sur la population d’épaulards évaluée à environ à 80 mammifères.
Dead humpback whale found entangled in empty aquaculture lines
Vancouver Sun online
2016-11-20
A dead humpback whale was found entangled in empty aquaculture lines near Campbell River Tuesday — the second time a whale has been trapped at the fish farm since September.
Victoria yacht club celebrates passage into new environmental world
Times Colonist online
2016-08-20
The Royal Victoria Yacht Club raised a flag Friday to celebrate its new eco-certification. The club has received a Clean Marine B.C. rating of four “anchors,” through the Georgia Strait Alliance. Clean Marine B.C. is a voluntary program recognizing marinas, boat yards and other marine facilities for adopting environmental practices that reduce or eliminate contaminants that could enter the water.
Artificial reefs merit study, long-term impacts unknown
North Shore News print
2016-09-08
Sinking decaying ships to the ocean floor is not a solution to B.C.’s problem of derelict vessels. To seriously suggest this underscores a lack of understanding about the long-term impacts that sunken ships can have on our oceans.
Federal orca plan lacks teeth, critics say
Times Colonist online
2016-07-14
A federal action plan to save endangered orcas that includes fishery closures and marine habitat protection won’t be enough, critics say. Christianne Wilhelmson, executive director of environmental group the Georgia Strait Alliance, said the plan includes too much research and monitoring and not enough “sharp tools” for protecting northern and southern killer whales.
Kinder Morgan: Des consultations pour écouter ou convaincre?
Radio Canada radio
2016-07-07
C'est aujourd'hui, que le gouvernement libéral débute ses audiences publiques au sujet des projets énergétiques, dont celui du double pipeline Transmountain de la pétrolière Kinder Morgan. Le processus de consultation est critiqué par Christianne Wilhelmson du groupe Georgia Strait Alliance.
B.C. updates law on environmental spill response and preparedness
Globe & Mail online
2016-02-29
British Columbia’s environment minister says potential polluters will face new penalties for spills and stronger rules governing cleanups as the government moves to amend environmental legislation.
Articles (3)
Opinion: Is B.C.'s new spill response law really world-leading?
Vancouver Sun2016-04-13
The provincial government’s new and long-awaited oil spill preparedness bill will soon be debated in the legislature for the first time. The bill is an important step forward, promising new provisions aimed at reducing the tremendous gaps in B.C.’s ability to respond to spills. Although this is good, and much-needed in our province, the bill has some notable missing pieces.
A healthy future for Vancouver's waterfront
Georgia Straight2015-09-23
If we see the waterfront as a natural resource and acknowledge that without adequate planning and care it might someday look very different than today, wouldn’t we want to commit to developing a vision for its sustainability in the near and long-term future?
Christianne Wilhelmson: Municipalities, First Nations, deserve say on oil-spill plans
The Province2015-09-22
This week, local politicians will be hunkering down at the Union of B.C. Municipalities convention in Vancouver to discuss key issues facing our communities. Among elected officials’ top priorities, and the fourth item to be debated, is strengthening local oil spill emergency planning and response.
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