The Climate Reality Project Canada welcomes Ian Bruce as Acting Executive Director

Climate Reality Project Canada is excited to announce that Ian Bruce, has joined our team as Acting Executive Director.

Ian will be a familiar face for many of you. A long-time member of our board of directors, Ian recently stepped down from his governance role after 15 years of service. He has also been a presenter and facilitator alongside former US Vice President Al Gore at past editions of 24 Hours of Reality and Climate Reality Leadership Corps trainings — including at the very first Canadian training, hosted in Montréal in 2008.

Ian’s considerable  experience in the climate movement in executive, research and advocacy roles will be invaluable during this leadership transition while the search for a new executive director is underway.

As a strategic thought leader, Ian has been a lead advocate on many high-profile climate action and national policy decisions in Canada, including influential cases at the Supreme Court of Canada. Ian spent four years in executive leadership at the David Suzuki Foundation where he also previously held the role of Director of Science and Policy and directed the Foundation’s climate solutions programs.
 
Ian has advised governments at the federal, provincial and municipal levels, including as a former member of British Columbia’s Climate Solutions Council and Vancouver’s Greenest City Advisory Committee. Ian currently sits on the District of Squamish’s Climate Leadership Team, on the unceded territory of the Skwxwú7mesh-ulh Temíx̱w (Squamish) Nation, where his lives with his family.

Ian is stepping in at an important time for the organization: upcoming provincial elections in British Columbia and in Saskatchewan this Fall and an expected federal election in 2025 will be crucial moments for civic engagement on climate issues. As scientific reports continue to underscore the urgent need to act before it is too late, we will continue uplift and support community-led advocacy based on sound evidence, principles of justice and respectful dialogue.

The Board and the Climate Reality Canada team is excited to work with Ian as we move forward in the delivery of our programs in support of grassroots mobilization and climate education. We remain as committed as ever to working towards more ambitious climate action in communities all across the country. This year, we’re looking forward to publishing the sixth edition of the National Climate League Standings tracking municipal climate policy, to our fourth Campus Climate Action Summit this summer, and to the fourth Dialogues du climat series mobilizing francophone civil society around COP28. Building on the success of our regional Advocacy Training held in the Prairies earlier this year, stay tuned for more opportunities to learn about climate justice and hone your community organizing skills tailored to local contexts.

“As I step into this role, I would like to thank out-going Executive Director André-Yanne Parent for her remarkable leadership in building Climate Reality Canada’s capacity over the past five years. I’m honoured to join a team of such highly dedicated and talented individuals to contribute our critical mission in support local climate advocacy. With the organization’s vast network of committed advocates and community leaders, we’ll continue to prove that civic engagement is key to bringing about ambitious climate policy,” said Ian.

Ian’s appointment follows the resignation of André-Yanne Parent, whose five-year mandate as Executive Director was marked by the successful expansion of our programs, significant capacity development and the implementation of distributed governance structures. Read our statement on her departure here.

Recruitment plans for the next Executive Director will be announced as they become available.