Job Category	Consulting and Planning
Employee	Glenn Northern Development Adviser Regional Economic Development Branch
Ministry	Ministry of Northern Development and Mines
Region	North
City	Sudbury

Before I joined the OPS, I … studied at Sir Sanford Fleming College where I specialized in Fish and Wildlife Biology.

I began my career in… in the OPS in 1972 working as a Forestry Technician in the old Ottawa District with Lands and Forests (now known as the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR)). In 1975 I changed jobs and moved to Lanark where I was employed as a Conservation Officer with MNR. I remained in Lanark until 1979 when I accepted the position of Commercial Fisheries Officer with MNR in Sudbury. My job was to monitor and enforce commercial fishing regulations on Georgian Bay as well as enforce sport-fishing and hunting regulations.

And now I am … an advisor for Tourism in Northern Ontario, I am involved with many aspects of the tourism industry having a focus on economic development, both for the public and private sectors.

A day in my shoes… include evaluating and administering Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation approved projects, counselling tourism clients on how to upgrade, expand or diversify their businesses, provide clients with advice and research statistical information on marketing trends and assist new tourism businesses to obtain the proper permissions and licenses.

I have chosen to work for the public service because… of the diversified opportunities that have been offered to me in several disciplines and for the benefits that are offered by the province such as health, dental and pensions.

The thing that has surprised me the most about working for the OPS is… how quickly technology has changed how we do business and its influence on what we do as compared to just a few years ago. In many cases technology (e-mail etc.) has replaced face-to-face business contacts that were prevalent in the past although making communication more efficient.

Outside of work, my most memorable achievement is/was... founding and operating a fireworks company that designed and fired special shows for events including the closing of the World Junior Track and Field Championships, the opening of the qualifications for the World Nordic Games, many Canada Day celebrations across Northern Ontario, The Grand opening of Dynamic Earth (a major tourist attraction in Sudbury), special effects for a mine opening in Levack and several New Years Eve celebrations.I am also involved with Minor hockey and am a Director of the Big Nickel “AAA” Hockey Tournament that is considered one of the premier tournaments in North America.