University of Guelph Names New Ridgetown Campus Director

May 07, 2013

The University of Guelph – Ridgetown Campus has named Ken McEwan as the new director for a five-year term, which began May 1. McEwan will be succeeding Art Schaafsma, who served as director from 2007 to 2011.

Rob Gordon, Dean of the Ontario Agricultural College (OAC) says the Ridgetown community is excited about McEwan’s vision. McEwan has been acting as interim director since Jan. 1, 2012. Prior to that, he was the research co-ordinator at Ridgetown. The director position entails overseeing 120 faculty and staff and an annual budget of $18.5 million.

McEwan has a long history with the college, joining in 1990 as a professor in production economics and agribusiness and teaching at the University of Guelph’s main campus in the Department of Food, Agriculture and Resource Economics. In a press release, McEwan said that it is a privilege to be given this opportunity and says he looks forward to working with community stakeholders in his new role.

Video: Finding a Balance of Innovation and Regulation - Dr. Peter Facchini

Regulations help markets and industry exist on level playing fields, keeping consumers safe and innovation from going too far. However, incredibly strict regulations can stunt innovation and cause entire industries to wither away. Dr. Peter James Facchini brings his perspective on how existing regulations have slowed the advancement of medical developments within Canada. Given the international concern of opium poppy’s illicit potential, Health Canada must abide by this global policy. But with modern technology pushing the development of many pharmaceuticals to being grown via fermentation, is it time to reconsider the rules?

Dr. Peter James Facchini leads research into the metabolic biochemistry in opium poppy at the University of Calgary. For more than 30 years, his work has contributed to the increased availability of benzylisoquinoline alkaloid biosynthetic genes to assist in the creation of morphine for pharmaceutical use. Dr. Facchini completed his B.Sc. and Ph.D. in Biological Sciences at the University of Toronto before completing Postdoctoral Fellowships in Biochemistry at the University of Kentucky in 1992 & Université de Montréal in 1995.