RIVERVIEW, N.B. – At last week’s Moncton city council meeting, Mayor George LeBlanc appointed Winston Pearce and George Somers to TransAqua – the Greater Moncton Wastewater Commission. The new appointees replace Moncton councillors Brian Hicks and Daniel Bourgeois, whose terms on the board have ended.
TransAqua’s Chair, Mr. Pearce has been the Town of Riverview’s appointee since 2012, however he recently moved to Moncton. “I’m very pleased to have been reappointed to TransAqua by Mayor LeBlanc,” he said. “This will provide some continuity on the board as we move forward with major upgrades to meet new federal regulations by 2020.”
Mr. Pearce holds a bachelor of applied science and engineering (civil) from the University of Toronto. He retired from CNR in 1991, having also worked for CN Marine and as a transportation consultant with Canac International. In addition to other volunteer work, he was Riverview’s representative on the Capitol Theatre’s board for 20 years. In 1993, he was awarded an honorary master of transportation engineering degree from the University of New Brunswick.
George Somers holds a bachelor of commerce degree from Mount Allison University and an accounting diploma from the New Brunswick Community College. He retired from a management position with Medavie Blue Cross in 2012 after nearly 28 years of service. At the time of his retirement, he was responsible for provider relations and contractual negotiations with health-care providers across Canada with primary focus on Atlantic Canada. He has also managed the administrative operating budget for several government-sponsored drug programs. After retiring, he subsequently worked as a consultant with the New Brunswick Department of Health.
“At this time, I’d like to sincerely thank Councillor Brian Hicks and Councillor Daniel Bourgeois for their outstanding contribution to TransAqua during their time as Commissioners,” Mr. Pearce said. “They provided very good guidance and counsel on a number of issues, including governance and finance. Their work with us will have a positive effect on TransAqua for years to come. We also look forward to working with Mr. Somers.”
Each municipality in Greater Moncton appoints two Commissioners to sit on TransAqua’s board. With these new appointments, TransAqua’s board now includes Winston Pearce (Chair, City of Moncton), George Somers (City of Moncton), Chanel Michaud (Treasurer, City of Dieppe), Julie Thériault (City of Dieppe), and Clarence Sweetland (Secretary, Town of Riverview.) There is one vacancy from the Town of Riverview. An appointment is expected soon.
TransAqua / Greater Moncton Wastewater Commission (www.transaqua.ca) was established in 1983 to support the wastewater collection and treatment needs of the Dieppe, Moncton and Riverview tri-community. Since then, it has developed a 35-kilometre collection network and a treatment facility to best deliver on this mandate. It has also become a leader in the reuse of biosolids through the generation of type ‘AA’ compost (the highest grade currently achieved in Canada) as opposed to disposal in a landfill site. The organization is now positioning itself to further upgrade its facilities to provide an enhanced secondary treatment approach that will allow it to meet recently introduced mandatory federal regulations prior to the 2020 deadline.
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Media contact:
Winston Pearce, P.Eng.
Chair
TransAqua - Greater Moncton Sewerage Commission
506-381-0899
wpearce@transaqua.ca
www.transaqua.ca