Douglas Jack
Class of 1969

After finishing JRHS in 1969, I worked that summer as a 'Geological Field Assistant' to a Queen's U. doctoral student on a Geological Survey of Canada structural mapping survey of the Selkirk Mountains above Revelstoke, BC. I tried a few months of Grade 12 at Lindsay before realizing that; I was there only by force of habit and family expectations. Community projects, Liberal Religious Youth dances, the Grape Boycott, James Bay Native Solidarity, Vietnam and other services became my home. When a mining exploration job came midterm to return to the mountains of BC for 1970, I left.

In 1971, I attended a four month, 'Course in Community' along with 22 other youth to live together at the Sorrento Center of the Anglican Church in BC and study 'Group Dynamics'. I bicycled to another summer 1971 doctoral Geology structural mapping project above Stanley, Idaho with the USGeological Survey. As I read more about ecology, I realized that; geology = mining and the earth really needs resource recycling. I wanted to map life.

From 1971 to 80, I lived around Castlegar BC among Dukobour, Mennonite and Quaker peoples (was neighbours with Doreen Sinclair, 69), bought an orchard, planted trees, gardened, hosted a Food Co-op, became vegetarian, worked at a Pulp Mill, formed a Pollution Control Committee for the union, became a Health and Safety Officer became involved in volunteer involvement with folks with Intellectual Differences as well environmental issues on Uranium, Pesticides, Damming, Energy Conservation & Nuclear Proliferation.

I returned to Montreal in 1980, worked in the Natural Food Co-op network, for Source Recycling, opened Indigene Community Foods, 1983-86, have a daughter born in 1985 & worked as a Specialized Educator 86-93 for folks with Intellectual Differences. Since 94 with the Sustainable Development Association coordinated an Ecological Mapping of the greater Montreal region Tiohtiake www.eco-montreal.mcgill.ca We co-founded the international Green Map System www.greenmap.org involving over 200 communities on every continent.

Since 1999 Eco-Montreal has devoted its efforts to working with Kahnawake, Kanehsatake and other First Nation communities in Heritage mapping. In cooperation with 'A Coordinated Conservation Plan' for twelve West Island Communities we are soon releasing a mapping of one hundred First Nation Placenames for Tiohtiake. A First Nation cultural portrait for sustainable development of the West Island is part of this mapping. I have a son born in 2000 and live with my wife Rebecca in LaSalle. I am interested in First Nation economics and collective living.

Douglas Jack, 1969, [email protected]