Environmental scientist, educator, historian, webmaster.
A member of the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Manitoba, prior to moving to the University in 1996, he worked for seven years at Brandon University and four years at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. He has also been employed as a Research Scientist by the Manitoba Department of Environment (now Manitoba Conservation and Climate).
He researches the impacts of humans on the aquatic environment, water quality, and the ecology of plants and algae in wetlands and lakes. He has published articles in scientific journals and has contributed to three scientific books. He is a member of the Society of Wetland Scientists. He was a member of the Lake Manitoba Regulation Review Advisory Committee (2001-2004), founding Chair of the Lake Manitoba Stewardship Board (2007-2012), a member of the Lake Manitoba Lake St. Martin Regulation Review Committee (2011-2013), member (2007-2014) and Chair (2014-2018) of the Manitoba Water Council, and member of the International Red River Board of the Canada-US International Joint Commission (2003-2018).
As an active member of the Manitoba Historical Society, he has served as its Vice-President (2003-2004, 2017-2019), President (2004-2006, 2019-present), Past-President (2006-2008), Secretary (2010-2013), member and Chair of the Management Committee for Dalnavert Museum (2004-2010), Pageant Editor and Production Coordinator of Manitoba History and its successor Prairie History (2005-present), and Webmaster (2003-present). He has also served as a member of the City of Winnipeg’s Historical Buildings and Resources Committee (2017-2019), Heritage Committee of Engineers Geoscientists Manitoba (2014-present), Legislative Building Restoration and Preservation Advisory Committee (2019-2021), and Secretary of the Board for the Manitoba Agricultural Museum (2017-present). He does a weekly column “Abandoned Manitoba” on the CBC Radio 1 Weekend Morning Show (2015-present) and contributes a weekly column “This Old Elevator” to the Manitoba Co-operator (2015-present).
He has written four books: With One Voice, A History of Municipal Governance in Manitoba (2008), Delta: A Prairie Marsh and Its People (2015, co-written with Glen Suggett), Abandoned Manitoba (2016), and More Abandoned Manitoba (2018). The latter won the 2019 McNally Robinson Book of the Year Award.
His community service has been recognized by a Queen Elizabeth Silver Jubilee Medal (1977), University of Manitoba Outreach Award (2001), Douglas Kemp Award (2009), and Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012). He was inducted into the Order of Manitoba (2021).
