This article is part of a seven-part series celebrating Niagara College’s Alumni of Excellence – the highest honour bestowed upon NC alumni. The series features outstanding graduates who were also nominees for the 2025 Ontario Premier’s Awards. Mark Fisher (Ecosystem Restoration, 1997) was recognized in the Entrepreneurship and Economic Development category.
Since earning his Ontario College diploma in Ecosystem Sustainability from Niagara College nearly 30 years ago, Mark Fisher has built a career dedicated to protecting Canada’s freshwater. The program gave him hands-on experience with environmental systems and field projects, laying the foundation for his work advising governments, shaping cross-border water agreements, and leading initiatives in sustainable water management.
Early in his career, Fisher moved to Ottawa and volunteered in the Parliamentary office of his local Member of Parliament, then Minister of Environment. Within six months, he secured a junior position in the Minister’s office, followed by a role as Policy Advisor at Environment Canada, focusing on Canada’s international water engagements and strategies to protect shared drainage basins with the United States. Over the next 16 years, he gained extensive experience in Canada-U.S. relations, trade, security, natural resource development, and environmental protection.
In 2014, Fisher helped establish the Council of the Great Lakes Region (CGLR) and its U.S. subsidiary organizations, advancing shared economic prosperity and environmental stewardship. Under his leadership, CGLR launched several transformative initiatives, including:
- Great Lakes Sustainable Growth Forum – convening leaders from government, business, academia, and the nonprofit sector to tackle pressing environmental and socioeconomic challenges.
- Great Lakes Water Stewardship and Innovation Exchange – strengthening best practices in water stewardship among businesses.
- Circular Great Lakes Initiative and Great Lakes Plastic Cleanup – reducing plastic waste and litter entering the Great Lakes in collaboration with Pollution Probe.
- Great Lakes Carbon Collaborative – a partnership with the U.S. Business Council for Sustainable Development to lower carbon emissions while enhancing economic vitality.
Fisher also served as an external advisor during the creation of the Canada Water Agency and now serves as the agency’s President, advancing sustainable water management to ensure Canada’s fresh water remains safe, clean, and well-managed for future generations.
Reflecting on his college experience, Fisher emphasized the lasting impact of hands-on learning.
“I certainly just remember the hands-on, out-in-the-field projects that we were able to work on,” he said. “The diversity of the programming, getting out in the field, and doing practical projects really prepared me for the real world.”
He also credits the opportunity to remain connected with Niagara College as part of his growth.
Reflecting on his nearly three decades of work in public policy and freshwater sustainability, Fisher credits his NC education for helping shape his approach to problem-solving and leadership in environmental policy.
“I’m deeply grateful for the Alumni of Excellence pin and proud to be part of a community that values experiential learning and impact,” Fisher added.
