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Appointee Biographies

Ontario Clean Water Agency

JOE FARAG

Joe Farag is a former Interim Chief Financial Officer for the City of Toronto, and a former Executive Director of Corporate Finance for the City of Toronto. His community involvement has included serving as a board member with the Toronto Portlands Company, and with the Toronto Investment Board.

HAO LI

Hao Li is a Chief Financial Officer for Canuc Resources Corporation, and a senior staff accountant for Ernst & Young. Hao’s community involvement includes formerly serving as a Board of Directors Member (Treasurer) for Peel Condominium Corporation 419.

NIKE DATTANI

Dr. Nike Dattani was born in Scarborough (now Toronto) Ontario to refugee parents from Uganda. He attended elementary school in Whitby and high school in Markham. While at University of Waterloo, he worked as a scientific researcher with many professors, including Bob LeRoy, and Ray Laflamme (then the Director of the Institute for Quantum Computing, and a former PhD student of Stephen Hawking). He completed his PhD at Oxford University while funded by multiple different scholarships, including the prestigious Clarendon scholarship which is the most competitive scholarship available to all Oxford applicants. While at Oxford, he won the Heatherington Prize for the best doctoral thesis presentation. He then held many research positions including (but not limited to) JSPS Fellow and Fukui Fellow at Kyoto University (Japan), Research Fellow at Nanyang Technological University (Singapore) and the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (USA), and Banting Fellow at McMaster University. With a passion for protecting nature, an understanding of the challenges the natural world faces, and a spirit of ruthless optimism, Dolf DeJong has enjoyed an incredible career in the parks, conservation, wildlife protection and education field. Dolf began as Chief Executive Officer of your Toronto Zoo in September 2018, and his focus revolves around a commitment to raising the Zoo’s community connections to ensure we are working together to deliver on the new Strategic Plan to protect nature for future generations. Dolf has a Master of Environmental Studies from Wilfred Laurier University, a Bachelor of Education from the University of Toronto, and a Bachelor of Science (Honours) from Brock University.

MITCHELL ZAMOJC

Mitchell Zamojc has worked in the municipal field for over 40 years and as the Commissioner of Public Works for both the Region of Peel and the Region of Halton for 18 of those years. In addition, he spent time in Peel as the Director of Operations and the Director of Capital Construction. Mr. Zamojc has program knowledge in: water, wastewater, waste management, roads and transportation, engineering services, water revenue management, transportation planning, assisted transit, development planning and long range planning. He has a Bachelor of Applied Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Waterloo and is a registered Professional Engineer.

MICHAEL WATT

Michael Watt is a professional engineer and Executive Vice President of the Environmental Division at Walker Industries, headquartered in Niagara Falls. Michael is on the Walker Executive Committee and leads a group of 470 employees. He is responsible for a wide portfolio of business in the environmental field and he also specializes in change management and mergers and acquisitions. Currently the Vice Chair of the YMCA Board of Directors. Michael also sits on the Niagara Health Board and the Ontario Waste Management Association, where he previously served as Chair for two terms. Additionally, he is an active corporate board member of abatement Technologies in Fort Erie as well as the Thompson Gordon Group in Burlington.

MELANIE DEBASSIGE

MBA, ICD.D – Currently serves as a Director on the Mother Earth Renewable Energy Board that oversees the for-profit wind turbine corporation that is solely owned by M’Chigeeng First Nation. Melanie was appointed to the Ontario Clean Water Agency Board of Directors, in October 2013 where she was recently appointed as Chairperson of the First Nations Committee. In March 2018, she was appointed to the Board of Reconciliation Canada where she holds the position of Director/Treasure. Melanie completed the Director’s Education Program at the Rotman School of Management and is a certified corporate director which complements her Master’s in Business Administration. Melanie has been recognized by the Canadian Board Diversity Council in the Diversity 50 which is a list of highly-qualified board candidates. Melanie most recently has undertaken the role as strategic advisor to the National Energy Board of Canada.

RICHARD AUSTIN

Richard Austin has held a variety of positions, including Senior Legal Counsel with the Ontario Securities Commission, Vice President, Legal and Business Affairs for Money Concepts, Deputy Head of Compliance, Wealth Management Scotiabank and Counsel at Borden Ladner Gervais LLP. He works part-time as the General Counsel of Lending Loop. Richard was admitted to the Ontario bar in 1983 after receiving his law degree from the University of Windsor in 1981. He received a B.A (Honors) majoring in Economics in 1978 from the University of Toronto and an MBA majoring in Finance from York University in 1984. He has been a member of boards of the Investment Funds Institute of Canada, Scotia Securities Inc. and the Association of Canadian Compliance Professions and the author of several courses and articles related to the securities industry. He currently is a member of Investment Industry Regulatory Organizations of Canada’s Hearing Panel and a member of the Tribunal Panel of College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants. Richard also serves a member of the Boards of the Ontario Cleans Water Agency, Credit Counseling Society, Pan-African Credit Union and the Condominium Authority of Ontario.

QUIRIEN MUYLWYK

Quirien Muylwyk is an Americas Practice Director for Water Quality for AECOM Canada Limited, and a former Canada Water Business Development and Technology Manager for CH2M Hill Canada Limited. As a civil engineer practising in drinking water treatment, Quirien leverages infrastructure projects to improve public health and equity in communities.

DEBORAH KOROLNEK

Deborah Korolnek is a registered professional engineer in the Province of Ontario. She graduated from the University of Guelph in 1983 with a Bachelor of Science in Water Resources Engineering. She began her career in consulting engineering, working in municipal water and wastewater. In 1991, she joined the Regional Municipality of York as a project engineer, and worked in several positions to eventually become the General Manager, Water and Wastewater, in 2005. She left York Region in 2008 to pursue a broader career in Public Works with the Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury. She joined Simcoe County in April 2013 as the General Manager of Engineering, Planning and Environment with oversight of the Planning, Solid Waste, Roads, Forestry, Economic Development and By-Law Departments. She remained at Simcoe County until her retirement in 2021. Deborah is a past president of Ontario Public Works Association, a chapter of American Public Works Association, and is a Director of the Muskoka Lakes Association. She is also a member of the Transportation Advisory Group for Nuclear Waste Management Organization.

CANDICE WHITE

Candice White is the Chief Administrative Officer for a rural municipality in Peterborough County. She is a results-focused Municipal Manager specializing in finance and executive leadership. While promoting balanced economic growth she has demonstrated significant accomplishments in streamlining operations, maximizing efficiencies, driving strategic outcomes and developing an effective communication plan for relationship building. After two decades in finance she has taken specific interest in asset management and the benefits that program provides. Known as a proficient grant writer she has successfully received millions of dollars for municipal infrastructure and community programming for her community. Candice also sat as a member of the York Region Wastewater Advisory Panel and is the Secretary-Treasurer for the Police Services Board.