Lucas Harris is Surfrider Canada’s first Executive Director and will lead Surfrider Foundation Canada through the process of becoming an international affiliate organization of the Surfrider Foundation based in the US, as it aims to strengthen and expand the existing Canadian chapter network. Under Harris’s leadership, the organization will build out its advocacy and chapter tools to support grassroots campaigns around key issues including, plastic pollution, water quality, beach access, coastal preservation, and ocean protection.

Harris has a long history with Surfrider Foundation Canada, first volunteering for the Vancouver Island Chapter in 2007 and as Chapter chairperson from 2011-2013. He initiated and led the Chapter’s first remote beach cleanups across Vancouver Island and has been a key voice in raising awareness about plastic marine debris in the province. 

As a former regulator with the British Columbia (B.C.) Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy, Harris has spent the last decade supporting the introduction of groundbreaking plastic pollution prevention policies and programs, including Canada’s first province-wide extended producer responsibility program for packaging and the Clean Coast Clean Waters initiative, the largest shoreline cleanup in the history of B.C.

“Lucas has demonstrated leadership, collaboration, and strategic thinking throughout his career. He has focused on developing research, campaigns, policies, and programs that help reduce negative impacts to the marine environment so all people can enjoy these important places,” said David Boudinot, President of Surfrider Foundation Canada. “We are looking forward to working with Lucas as the organization strengthens its operations in B.C. and expands its presence to new communities across the country.”

”As a grassroots organization built from the ground up by its volunteers, Surfrider Foundation Canada has developed a distinct voice and perspective that has led to exceptional results and coastal victories throughout B.C.,” said Harris. “I am excited to lead Surfrider Foundation Canada to support the existing chapter network and to share the organization's mission to protect and enjoy oceans, waves, and beaches, for all people, through a powerful activist network with new communities across Canada.”

Lucas holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Environmental Studies and Political Science from the University of Victoria and a Masters of Science degree in Geography from the Memorial University of Newfoundland, where he published leading research on the relationship between plastic marine debris, citizens science, and government plastic policy interventions. He is an avid surfer and currently resides in Victoria B.C. with his wife and two children.

To learn more about Surfrider Foundation Canada, visit http://www.canada.surfrider.org.