At the recent IDA Annual General Meeting, the board of directors introduced what will become an annual award for Lake Simcoe Champions. Named in memory of long-time director and undoubted champion of the lake, Mary-Jane Brinkos, the award recipients will display the same drive and determination to protect Lake Simcoe and its watershed.
Claire Malcolmson
The inaugural award was presented at the AGM to Claire Malcolmson for more than 20 years as a leader in Lake Simcoe protection initiatives including The Lake Simcoe Protection Act (2008) and The Great Lakes Protection Act (2015). She has served as the Chair of the Lake Simcoe Coordinating Committee and the Oak Ridges Moraine Foundation Board, was appointed to the Lake Simcoe Stakeholders Advisory Committee and is the past president and current executive director of the Rescue Lake Simcoe Coalition.
To further her abilities in her passion for the lake, Claire completed a Masters in planning and integrated watershed management in 2011. She also holds undergraduate degrees in anthropology and environmental studies.
As one IDA member reflected, “The first award HAD to go to Claire. Without her, it may have been already too late to save Lake Simcoe.