Our People

On behalf of Nature United’s team and Board of Directors, I would like to express our sadness at the passing of our dear friend John Honderich. A legendary Canadian, champion for journalism, and committed father and grandfather, John was a true ally in our mission to advance solutions for nature and people.

John was a lover of nature. Whenever he had the chance, he spent time at his cottage in Georgian Bay, Ontario. But the true testament of his love was the journey John set out on in 2017. To mark Canada’s 150th, John visited all 45 of Canada’s national parks, writing about the importance of protecting our natural places and the people who call them home.

John also believed in and cared about people, and he supported many causes in Toronto and across Canada. In the context of our work, he was an ardent believer in the power of supporting Indigenous leadership and stewardship. Together, John and I visited the Great Bear Rainforest, in British Columbia, in 2016, following a trip he had taken years before where he realized that this was no place for a pipeline. John was so inspired by meeting with leaders and youth from the Heiltsuk First Nation, in Bella Bella, that he wrote an op-ed about his experience. From that moment on, John was our strongest champion for our Emerging Leaders program.

Read the rest of our tribute to John Honderich