Praised for his "superb technique coupled with rare expressivity" (Kitchener-Waterloo Record) Bernard Farley has performed as soloist and chamber musician in concerts and festivals in Canada, the Caribbean, the United States and Europe. With his wife, soprano Meredith Hall, he has toured throughout Canada and Japan and has recorded a CD of folksongs, arias, and lieder entitled My Fond Heart. Bernard has been broadcast on Radio France, NPR and CBC. A native of Toronto, his first teacher was Eli Kassner, with whom he studied at the University of Toronto. He went on to study historical guitar repertoire and technique with Patrick O'Brien in New York.

A writer, environmental activist, politician and farmer, Michelle Regalado Deatrick lives in Michigan, where she is a technical editor and, with her family, cares for an 80-acre farm and restored native prairie. She is deeply engaged in social, environmental and climate justice issues ranging from fighting against dangerous pipelines and for workers’ rights in her community, to advocating for bold climate legislation nationally.

Michelle’s writing centers on nature, environmental justice, and politics. Her work has appeared in Southern Poetry Review, American Literary Review, Mid-American Review, Copper Nickel, Best New American Voices, and more. She won the Chautauqua Poetry Contest and second runner-up in the Boulevard Emerging Poets’ Contest. One Hundred Thousand Poets for Change selected one of her environmental poems for a Global Action protesting the Keystone XL Pipeline; it was mailed to President Obama by tens of thousands of poets internationally. A finalist for both the Rita Dove Poetry Award and the James Wright Poetry Contest, Michelle has received fellowships from MacDowell and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, and multiple residencies from the Ragdale Foundation.

Michelle holds degrees from Wesleyan and Harvard, an MFA from the University of Michigan, and did further graduate work in policy and statistics at Stanford. She served in the Peace Corps in Kenya, and has worked as a shoe salesperson, a cafeteria worker, a receptionist, a cashier, a community college and high school instructor, a policy analyst, and an elected county commissioner. She has taught poetry workshops privately and at the University of Michigan’s adult education program.

Elaine joined Ecojustice in 1999 and is a PhD level environmental engineer who applies her expertise to work related to air quality, water pollution, and toxic substances, including pesticides. Elaine leads the Healthy Communities team, where she’s challenging all levels of government to protect every Canadian’s right to a healthy environment — especially the most vulnerable. When Elaine’s not fighting injustices she can be found hanging out around Toronto with her family and friends, cycling, and sailing on the Great Lakes.

For 31 years, Ecojustice has used the power of the law to defend nature, combat climate change, and fight for a healthy environment for all. Our strategic, public interest lawsuits and advocacy lead to precedent-setting court decisions that deliver lasting solutions to Canada’s most urgent environmental problems. In collaboration with partners, our law reform practice enables proactive participation in strengthening environmental laws across the country. As the ‘law firm to Canada’s environmental movement, we represent Indigenous groups, environmental NGOs, community groups, and individual Canadians free of charge to ensure their voices are heard.

The Canadian fossil fuel industry is aggressively seeking to expand the production and export of fracked gas – which is widely marketed as a ‘clean and renewable’ source of energy. Ecojustice lawyers, government relations experts, and strategic communications team are fighting the proliferation of fracked gas on many fronts. We’re challenging greenwashing and misleading marketing, fighting new and expanded infrastructure, and mobilizing Canadians to oppose the fossil fuel industry – and secure a brighter environmental future.