PARTICIPANTS

Dr. Gord Surgeoner
Ontario Agri-Food TechnologiesÊ
President

Dr. Gord Surgeoner, the president of Ontario Agri-Food Technologies. Dr. Surgeoner was born and raised in Southern Ontario and received his agricultural education at the University of Guelph and Michigan State University.

Since his secondment from the University of Guelph in 1999, Gord has been the President of Ontario Agri-Food Technologies, a non-profit organization consisting of members from farm associations, universities, industry and governments. The organization focuses on Ontario's participation in developing, promoting and adopting biotechnology, including bioproducts, in an ethical and environmentally conscious manner, for the agri-food sector of the province.

His academic studies and research were in the area of entomology (insects). He was a professor in the Department of Environmental Biology, and then the Department of Plant Agriculture, at the university of Guelph until his retirement in January 2004.

Gord has over seventy scientific publications to his credit and serves on numerous provincial and federal advisory committees. Gord has received the Distinguished Teaching Award from the Ontario Agricultural College Alumni Association and the T.R. Hilliard Award for Notable Contribution to the Agricultural Extension in the Province of Ontario. He has been honoured with an endowed Chair at the University of Guelph bearing his name, and received the 2002 Award for Contribution to Advancing the Benefits of Biotech for Canadians, and is a recipient of the Queen's Golden Jubilee Award.

Gord is a strong advocate for Canadian agriculture, the Canadian regulatory system and the opportunities Canada has in the global marketplace.

Participants | Agenda