Following the retirement of Dr. Christopher Wilkie, the International Joint Commission is pleased to announce that Dr. Glenn Benoy has been appointed as the new Secretary of the Canadian Section.
Glenn transitions from his role as the Director of Sciences and Engineering at the IJC to the role of Secretary of the Canadian Section as of August 29, 2025. In his capacity of the Director of Sciences and Engineering, Glenn skillfully led a talented team of scientists and engineers in advising the Commission and the work of its boards on the understanding and management of shared waters with the United States, including most recently on the implementation of the historic Elk-Kootenai/y water pollution reference. Notably, he also served the Canadian Section as its Senior Water Quality and Ecosystem Advisor when he first joined the IJC.
The role of Secretary taps into Glenn’s latent interests in geopolitics and science diplomacy. “It’s a pleasure to serve an organization that has a mandate to prevent and resolve disputes involving waters shared by Canada and the United States,” he says. “It’s fortunate to have wonderful colleagues and to be able to work with an amazing network of inspiring and hard-working people who live, work and play in the transboundary watersheds.”
During his impactful career in public service thus far, Glenn has contributed to and led numerous environment-focused teams including as a National Manager with the Environment and Biodiversity Sciences Branch of Fisheries and Oceans Canada where he was responsible for national fish and fish habitat and Arctic science programs.
This experience builds on his time as a research scientist with Environment and Climate Change Canada and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada where he carried out research in the areas of agri-environmental standards development for aquatic ecosystems, biological indicators of aquatic ecosystem health, and environmental modelling.
An accomplished leader with a demonstrated record of building and maintaining partnerships, as well as valuing the support and counsel of his colleagues both inside and outside the IJC, Glenn is poised to continue his successful track record in this expanded role.
Glenn is originally from Mississauga, on the shores of Lake Ontario just outside Toronto. He has a BSc from the University of Toronto, an MSc from McGill University and a PhD from the University of Guelph.
