A local committee, working to protect municipal drinking water sources, has two new members. Doug Hocking, of Exeter, and John Thompson, of Goderich, are the newest members of the Ausable Bayfield Maitland Valley Drinking Water Source Protection Committee (SPC). They took part in their first SPC meeting on March 1, 2023 in Holmesville.
The SPC creates policies to protect local sources of municipal drinking water from possible threats such as fuel, chemicals, nutrients, pesticides, and hazardous waste in areas near the wells.
Doug Hocking is a Property Owner representative on the committee and John Thompson is a municipal representative for the region’s northern municipalities (Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh; Goderich; Huron-Kinloss; and South Bruce).
Committee member John Thompson.
SPC Chair Matt Pearson welcomed the two new members to the committee. “Both John and Doug have a great deal of interest in, and knowledge of, drinking water source protection,” he said. “With their strong backgrounds in environmental issues they will provide great insight and commitment as we continue to implement source protection planning policies.”
John Thompson was elected Councillor for the Town of Goderich in 2022. He has a lifelong interest in ecological concerns. He has a Master in Environmental Studies degree from York University in 1992 and a PhD in Human Development and Applied Psychology from the University of Toronto. He has been a volunteer in his community including work with environmental organizations. He has worked as a journalist and rural economic development researcher. He has also been a library planner and computer consultant.
Committee member Doug Hocking
Doug Hocking has Bachelor of Science in Agriculture (Honours Program) and Bachelor of Arts degrees from the University of Guelph. He is a long-time resident of Exeter who was raised on a farm in West Perth and who also lived in Listowel. Before retirement, Doug worked in close partnership with local urban and rural landowners for more than 30 years in water quality stewardship at Ausable Bayfield and Maitland Valley conservation authorities. In addition to stewardship work, he also analyzed thousands of surface water and sediment samples from drains, rivers and Lake Huron.
The source protection committee has 12 members plus a Chair and non-voting liaisons. The 2023 committee includes Chair Matt Pearson and the following members: Municipal: Allan Rothwell (East); Paul Heffer (Central); John Thompson (North); Dave Frayne (South West); Economic: Philip Keightley (Commerce); Rowland Howe (Industry); Bert Dykstra (Agriculture); Mary Ellen Foran (Agriculture); and Other: John Graham (Environment); Jennette Walker (Environment); Doug Hocking (Property Owner); and Alyssa Keller (Public-at-Large).
To find out more visit the Ausable Bayfield Maitland Valley Source Protection Region committee web page on the local source protection website at sourcewaterinfo.on.ca.
