Lifetime Achievement Award Winner

Dr. Robert Slater is Adjunct Professor in the School of Public Policy and Administration at Carleton University where he is also the Executive Director of the Regulatory Governance Initiative.

Throughout his 32 years at Environment Canada, and his following years as President of Coleman, Bright and Associates, Dr. Slater has significantly influenced the regulatory machinery that protects the environment. 

One of his biggest files was the policy on Acid Rain in Eastern North America – a project to which he was dedicated for 17 years and that resulted in the Acid Rain Agreements and the Canada-US Accord on Air Quality. He was responsible for legislative initiatives leading to the Canadian Environmental Protect Act (CEPA) and the Species at Risk Act (SARA) and led development of regulations limiting lead in gasoline and bringing auto emissions standards in line with those in US. He additionally chaired the International Joint Commission’s Great Lakes Water Quality Board, and was instrumental in establishing the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy, and the UN University Institute for Water, Environment and Health.

He was responsible for legislative initiatives leading to the Canadian Environmental Protect Act (CEPA) and the Species at Risk Act (SARA) and led development of regulations limiting lead in gasoline and bringing auto emissions standards in line with those in US. 

For these achievements, and innumerable others, Dr. Slater was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada in 2009.

For all of his many achievements and impacts, it is an absolute pleasure to award Dr. Robert Slater the Exceptional Contribution to Science Policy Award, Lifetime Achievement.