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Stories and photos by Caroline Phillips
Longtime supporter Gary Zed, with his daughter, Olivia Zed, at the Ottawa Riverkeeper Gala.
Ottawa-based musician Kathleen Edwards took to the stage to entertain the crowds at the Ottawa Riverkeeper Gala.
Ottawa Riverkeeper Meredith Brown with Sen. Murray Sinclair, the 2017 Honourary Riverkeeper, and the non-profit organization’s executive director, Patrick Nadeau, at this year’s gala held at Lemieux Island on the Ottawa River on May 31.
FUNDRAISER
MONDAY, JUNE 5, 2017
Gala-goers shower Riverkeeper fundraiser with record $265K in donations
OBJ.CA
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There’s no room at the Ottawa Riverkeeper Gala for fair-weather friends. That’s because it’s the kind of outdoor gala where one happily attends, rain or shine; it’s just that much fun. And this year’s gala was no different, despite some scattered rain. Some 450 attendees of the $250-a-ticket gala returned May 31 to Lemieux Island in the middle of the scenic Ottawa River. Popular options for getting there included walking, biking or car shuttle. There, the crowd raised a record $265,000 for Ottawa Riverkeeper, a citizen-based action group that protects and promotes the ecological health and diversity of the Ottawa River and its tributaries. With the forecast looking iffy, galagoers got updates from organizers throughout the day, including a revised dress code of “riverside cozy.” That meant stilettos were out and Blundstones were in. Surprisingly, many women pulled off the “rain boot look” quite nicely. A giant clear-topped party tent was beautifully decorated with strings of lights and chandeliers and white umbrellas suspended from the ceiling. A second large party tent (with a billiards table, to boot!) was positioned nearby for social butterflies to escape to during speeches. Seen were Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson and such city councillors as David Chernushenko, Tobi Nussbaum, Michael Qaqish and Tim Tierney, as well
as Gatineau Mayor Maxime PedneaudJobin, Environment Minister and Ottawa MP Catherine McKenna, Green Party leader Elizabeth May and Treasury Board president Scott Brison. Journalist Evan Solomon was back to host the evening while the lovely Kathleen Edwards, an acclaimed musician and Ottawa Riverkeeper ambassador, performed for the crowd. Attendees also included those whiz kids from Shopify, including co-founder and CEO Tobi Lütke and COO Harley Finkelstein (here’s a tell-tale sign of a good bash: when those two are there). The evening acknowledged EY Ottawa managing partner Gary Zed, who is leaving the firm on a high note, having led the Ottawa office to new heights and supported its sponsorship of the Riverkeeper event for a number of years. He will shortly be starting a bold new entrepreneurial venture. Sen. Murray Sinclair, co-chair of the Aboriginal Justice Inquiry in Manitoba and chief commissioner of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, was the 2017 honorary Riverkeeper. He was presented by Ottawa Riverkeeper Meredith Brown and executive director Patrick Nadeau with a hand-carved canoe paddle, similar to ones given in previous years to prime ministerial wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, former sergeant at arms-turnedambassador to Ireland Kevin Vickers, Bank of Canada governor Stephen Poloz and his predecessor, Mark Carney.
From left, Treasury Board president Scott Brison with Susan Smith, principal at Bluesky Strategy Group, and Brison’s husband Maxime St-Pierre.
From left, Ottawa Riverkeeper board member Colleen Westeinde with Environment Minister Catherine McKenna at the Ottawa Riverkeeper Gala.
From right, Shopify CEO Tobi Lütke at Lemieux Island with Shopify senior vice-president of engineering Jean-Michel Lemieux (no relation to the island) and his wife, Nadine Martel.
Beacon Hill-Cyrville Coun. Tim Tierney and his wife Jenny at the Ottawa Riverkeeper Gala.
From left, Alex Ross and Kathleen Edwards with Mayor Jim Watson and Gatineau Mayor Maxime Pedneaud-Jobin at the Ottawa Riverkeeper Gala.
Sinclair, who was the first aboriginal judge appointed in Manitoba and only the second in Canada, was named to the senate last year. “Water is life, as you know,” he told the room. “Those of you who follow our traditions and know our teachings a little bit will know that’s a common refrain that you hear.” He warned of the great risks that exist of losing our waters, both in Canada and beyond, to industry and pollutants. “It’s really bizarre when you think about it, that we pay more for a gallon of water than we do for a gallon of gas. We pay a huge amount of money for what used to be free, and yet we don’t seem
to have a really good set of policies and laws around that to protect from that kind of exploitation and overdevelopment and misuse and abuse.” Ottawa lawyer Lawrence Greenspon quieted down the chatty crowd for long enough to sell an all-red Martone commuter bike (snapped up by Dr. Bella Mehta and her husband, Sanjay Shah, president of ExecHealth), a Wood Duck 12 recreational kayak, an oil-on-canvas painting of a view from Lemieux Island Bridge by Ottawa artist David Lidbetter, and an Adventure Canada expedition to Canada’s Sable Island. It went for $11,000. — caroline@obj.ca