Commission members

Learn about how Commission members are appointed, and read their biographies.

Appointments

The Nuclear Safety and Control Act allows the appointment of up to 7 permanent members. They are appointed by the Governor in Council based on their qualifications and expertise. Commission members may be removed only for cause. Most members are appointed on a permanent, part-time basis.

The President of the Commission is appointed on a full-time basis. Temporary members may also be appointed to the Commission. Commission members commit to the highest standards of ethics and conflict-of-interest guidelines, and carry out their duties impartially.

Permanent members:

The 6 permanent members include:

• Pierre Tremblay
• Timothy Berube, PhD
• Andrea Hardie
• Jerry Hopwood
• Marcel Lacroix, PhD
• Dr. Alexander “Sandy” McEwan
• Victoria Remenda, PhD

Permanent members

Pierre Tremblay

Pierre Tremblay began his term as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) on August 12, 2024.

Mr. Tremblay is an accomplished leader with over 40 years of experience in nuclear engineering, security, operations, maintenance and management, including most recently as President of AECOM Canada Nuclear Services Inc.

He served as Chair of the CNSC’s Departmental Audit Committee from 2017 to 2023, providing advice and recommendations on our organization’s internal audit functions, frameworks and processes for risk management, control and governance. This role underscored his proven commitment to regulatory excellence and his support of our mandate to regulate the use of nuclear energy and materials to protect health, safety, security and the environment.

Mr. Tremblay began his career as a trainee engineer with Ontario Hydro (now Ontario Power Generation), where he rose through the ranks to become Chief Nuclear Operating Officer, responsible for the operation and maintenance of the nuclear fleet, achieving significant safety improvements.

He subsequently served as President of Canadian Nuclear Partners (now Laurentis Energy Partners Inc.), where he led trade missions to China, South Korea and India to create new opportunities for Canadian nuclear companies and their supply chains.

Mr. Tremblay is a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering, and holds a Master of Business Administration from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto and a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Chemical Engineering from Queen’s University.

Timothy Berube, PhD

Dr. Timothy Berube was reappointed on April 19, 2022, as a permanent, part-time Commission member for a 5-year term. He served as acting president of the Commission from October 14, 2023, to August 11, 2024.

A resident of Thunder Bay, Ontario, Dr. Berube holds an Electrical Technologist diploma from Confederation College, Ontario; a Bachelor of Engineering (Electrical) from Lakehead University, Ontario; a Master of Business Administration (International) from the University of South Australia; and a Master of Science (Leadership) from Capella University, Minnesota, U.S. He also holds multiple non-secular degrees in metaphysics and divinity from the University of Metaphysical Sciences, California, U.S., culminating in a Doctor of Philosophy (Metaphysical Sciences) and a Doctor of Divinity (Spiritual Counselling).

Dr. Berube has over 30 years of experience in the areas of global leadership, executive management, governance, business development, operations, sales, marketing, engineering, project management and consulting. Included in this profile is a 10-year international portfolio resulting in the creation of 2 multi-million-dollar multinational enterprises.

Dr. Berube’s extensive career has been varied. He has held positions with the Canadian Forces Communications Command as Deputy Commanding Officer, with Ontario Hydro as a nuclear operator, and with several telecommunications companies in Canada and abroad. He also served as the President and CEO for Westman Communications Group based in western Manitoba.

Dr. Berube is Métis. He has served on multiple for-profit and not-for-profit boards, including the North West Local Health Integration Network, Digital Engineering Inc., Science North and The Battalion Senate of 18 (Thunder Bay) Service Battalion.

Andrea Hardie

Andrea Hardie was appointed on September 25, 2023, as a permanent, part-time Commission member for a 5-year term.

With over 20 years of experience as a strategic leader and engineer within the energy industry, Ms. Hardie brings extensive knowledge of regulatory environments, the technical challenges facing the sector, and the ability to balance diverse interests across industry, government, and community groups. Throughout her career, she has worked in various capacities with the Canada Energy Regulator, the Alberta Energy Regulator and Energy Efficiency Alberta, in addition to holding industry association and private industry roles.

With a career focus on safety and a passion for building relationships with diverse interest groups, Ms. Hardie has conceived, designed and delivered on strategic initiatives that address the challenges faced by communities, workers, industry and government bodies as the energy industry evolves and transforms across Canada.

Ms. Hardie has a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Saskatchewan and holds a Professional Engineer designation with the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta.

Jerry Hopwood

Jerry Hopwood was appointed on September 25, 2023, as a permanent, part-time Commission member for a 5-year term.

Since 2016, Mr. Hopwood has served as President of the University Network of Excellence in Nuclear Engineering (UNENE), leading Canada’s university–industry partnership in nuclear research and education.

Mr. Hopwood was educated at Oxford University, where he studied applied physics, and he has over 4 decades of extensive experience in the nuclear industry. After starting out in the nuclear field in Great Britain, he moved to Canada to join Atomic Energy of Canada Limited as a reactor safety specialist. After secondments to Point Lepreau during its initial operation and later to South Korea as technical director for AECL, Mr. Hopwood held progressively senior positions in design, product development and business development with AECL. From 2011 to 2015, he worked with SNC-Lavalin (now AtkinsRéalis) CANDU Energy as Vice President for Product Development. He has published more than 40 journal articles and conference papers covering all aspects of nuclear technology.

Mr. Hopwood volunteers with the Canadian Nuclear Society and internationally, in collaborative education activities with the IAEA. He serves as the chair of the international Nuclear Education Networks association, covering networks of educators on all continents. In June 2019, he received the CNS/CNA Harold Smith Outstanding Contribution Award for services to the nuclear community.

Marcel Lacroix, PhD

Dr. Marcel Lacroix was reappointed on March 25, 2022, as a permanent, part-time Commission member for a 5-year term.

A resident of Montréal, Quebec, Dr. Lacroix holds a bachelor’s degree in physics, magna cum laude, from the University of Ottawa, Ontario; as well as a master’s degree and PhD in nuclear engineering from the École Polytechnique de Montréal, Quebec.

Dr. Lacroix is a full-time power and process engineering consultant and adjunct professor at the Université de Sherbrooke.

Dr. Lacroix designs and develops simulation models and expert systems for the utilization, control and management of energy systems (nuclear, electric, thermal, solar and chemical). Over the last 40 years, he has worked for many companies and organizations, including Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, Hydro-Québec Gentilly-2 Nuclear Generating Station, Atomic Energy Control Board of Canada, QIT Iron and Titanium, Rio Tinto Alcan, Metso Outotec, and Électricité de France. Dr. Lacroix was also a full professor at the Université Claude Bernard in Lyon, France, and at the École des Mines de France. He has authored and co-authored hundreds of peer-reviewed scientific papers and has published several textbooks on thermodynamics, energy and nuclear technologies. During his career, Dr. Lacroix has held 15 invited professorships at foreign universities. He is a keynote speaker at international conferences as well as a public speaker. He appears regularly in the media across Canada to comment on issues pertaining to energy technologies.

Dr. Alexander “Sandy” McEwan

Dr. Alexander “Sandy” McEwan was appointed on February 3, 2026, as a permanent, part-time Commission member for a 5-year term.

With over 40 years of experience in oncology and nuclear medicine, Dr. McEwan is a world-renowned expert in nuclear medicine and medical isotopes. He previously served as a Commission member between 2013 and 2018, and was appointed Special Advisor on Medical Isotopes to the Minister of Health in 2009. From 2003 to 2006, he was a member of the Board of The Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging and in 2007–08, he also served as president of the Society.

As an academic physician, Dr. McEwan was chair of both the departments of radiology and oncology at the University of Alberta for nearly 20 years. He worked as a physician at Alberta Health Services for over 30 years, and has had additional postings that included clinical director of the Cross Cancer Institute and clinical head of diagnostic imaging at the University of Alberta Hospital.

In industry, Dr. McEwan has held senior leadership roles, most recently chief medical officer at Ariceum, a company developing novel medicines for systemic targeted radiotherapy. Immediately prior to that, he held the position of vice-president of radiopharmaceuticals at Ipsen.

Dr. McEwan has an impressive background in clinical research, and has authored more than 120 publications in oncology, radiopharmaceuticals and systemic targeted radiotherapy. He has been recognized for his research on radioisotope therapy, novel radiopharmaceuticals, clinical trials with imaging biomarkers, radiopharmaceutical dosimetry, and the effects of very low-dose radiation in radioisotope therapy.

He has won several awards for his work, including the Journal of Nuclear Medicine’s Manuscript of the Year Award, the University of Alberta’s McCalla Professorship, and the Western Regional Society of Nuclear Medicine Distinguished Scientist Award for Distinguished Contributions to Nuclear Medicine.

Dr. McEwan is a member of the Society of Nuclear Medicine and the European Association of Nuclear Medicine. He is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Oncology in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Alberta.

Victoria Remenda, PhD

Dr. Victoria Remenda was appointed on May 18, 2022, as a permanent, part-time Commission member for a 5-year term.

She holds a PhD in earth sciences from the University of Waterloo, with a specialty in the hydrogeology of low-permeability earth materials. Dr. Remenda also holds a Bachelor of Engineering and a Master of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Saskatchewan. She is currently a professor in the Department of Geological Sciences and Geological Engineering at Queen’s University, and resides in Kingston, Ontario.

Dr. Remenda was inaugural Chair of the CNSC’s Independent Advisory Group on GeoScience, which provided objective, independent advice to CNSC staff on the geoscience aspects for the long-term management of Canada’s used nuclear fuel. This role allowed her to gain in-depth knowledge of the scientific, engineering, regulatory and rights- and stake holder issues of siting and constructing a deep geological repository for the management of high-level nuclear waste.

A member of Queen’s since 1993, and an elected member of the Queen’s Board of Trustees from 2020 to 2025, Dr. Remenda has extensive experience with legislative procedures and policies. As a professional engineer, scientist, instructor and researcher, she has investigated topics of federal and provincial guidelines and legislation concerning the practice of civil and geological engineering, siting conditions, environmental assessments, and occupational health and safety, to name a few.

Dr. Remenda’s work in a variety of sectors and roles has required her to build relationships, listen carefully, learn quickly and be prepared to consider and to embrace dissenting ideas and opinions. She has considerable experience evaluating technical and non-technical information from a variety of sources and disciplines.