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Bill Turner was born in Victoria, B.C., and he has always had a love for British Columbia\u2019s diverse natural areas, and their inherent beauty.\u00a0\u00a0 Bill has a strong, principled and determined character, especially when it comes to things he cares about passionately, such as nature, history, natural beauty, justice, fairness and public service.\u00a0\u00a0 He has spent much of his life working to build his community and make it a better place than he found it, and to make sure that the values inherent in a healthy environment would be preserved for future generations.<\/p>\n
Bill was first drawn to public service with a successful career in law enforcement, as a police officer with the Saanich Municipal Police.\u00a0 After retiring from active duty, he moved into the field of public safety, at the time when BC was developing its Ambulance Service. \u00a0As a First Aid instructor to First Responders Bill\u2019s police experience was invaluable.\u00a0 \u00a0His company helped design and build the first standardized fleet of ambulances in the province.\u00a0 He then went on to establish a computer business designed to supporting the medical profession.<\/p>\n
Looking for new challenges, Bill sold the computer business and entered commercial real estate work, obtaining the Accredited Land Consultant designation from the Realtor\u2019s Land Institute (its highest designation).\u00a0 In real estate Bill found an opportunity to combine all of his passions in one role, focusing in conservation real estate.\u00a0 First leading environmental tourism initiatives, and then getting involved with the Nature Conservancy of Canada, he began to look at the value of land conservation and to appreciate the need for action in this area.<\/p>\n
Over the years, Bill had come to know and support the work of the National Trust (of England, Wales and Northern Ireland), which was one of the world\u2019s most successful conservation organizations.\u00a0\u00a0He recognized that his work with the Nature Conservancy \u2013 while important and rewarding \u2013 was not reaching out as broadly as he felt was necessary in this area, and that too much of our irreplaceable natural and cultural heritage continued to be lost at an alarming rate.\u00a0 BC (and Canada) needed a force more like the National Trust to help galvanize public energies behind conservation.<\/p>\n
So, in 1996 he began working with a small group of volunteers to create just such an organization \u2013 The Land Conservancy of BC.\u00a0 For the next sixteen years, Bill led TLC \u2013 both as Executive Director and (in the earlier years) also as Chair of the Board \u2013 to evolve into one of the most effective conservation organizations in the Province.<\/p>\n
Since leaving TLC in 2012, Bill has continued to work in the field of land and heritage conservation.\u00a0 He served as the Vice-Chair of the International National Trusts Organization (INTO) until September of 2015, a network of National Trust type organizations around the world which works to coordinate land conservation efforts and foster establishment of trusts in developing countries.\u00a0 He also volunteered with INTO in the position of Manger of Information Technology.\u00a0\u00a0 He also worked with several partners to establish the National Trust for Land and Culture, and also to set up a consulting company, Change Canada Consultants, which specializes in Conservation matters and organizational development.<\/p>\n
In 2005 Bill was made a member of the Order of Canada for his public service and in 2007 he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Victoria.<\/p>\n
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Bill Turner, C.M.<\/p>\n
Partner\/Director, Change Canada Consultants Ltd.<\/p>\n
Chair, National Trust for Land and Culture.<\/p>\n
Former Vice-Chair, International National Trusts Organization.<\/p>\n
Fprmer Manager Information Technology, International National Trusts Organization.<\/p>\n