CRAA Board of Directors (and executive posts)

Chairman: John Kendell (President)  I have been President of CRAA since 1993 and Chairman since 1994. I was a member of the organization since shortly after it was formed in 1990 and saw the great potential the organization had. I have had the fortune to work with many wonderful past and present members who share a similar passion for the outdoors and protecting our resources to make them better for the next generation.

I have an honours degree in Biology, Geography and Environmental Management from the University of Toronto (Mississauga Campus) – where I might add a few lectures were missed due to good fishing in Erindale! I own three private corporations (my day jobs) and devote as much of my free time to my wife and two children, protecting the river and building CRAA as I can. My wife is also a talented angler and nothing makes me happier than to see my son and daughter grinning from ear to ear as they reel in a big one.

I have sat and/or still sit on many committees to protect fisheries including; The first Lake Ontario Atlantic salmon advisory committee (1993-96), Credit River Fisheries Managemnt Plant, Etobicoke Creek, Georgian Bay PAC meetings, CRFMP Implimentation Committee, and may more.

Under my management CRAA has grown from a small grass roots organization focussed on Erindale Park (pre 1994) to engaging the whole Credit Watershed, and now working on all the western GTA rivers. With more involvement from other volunteers CRAA has grown to helping on many other Ontario Rivers and even been involved in some US states to assist clubs grow and conduct rehabilitation work. In that time CRAA has raised millions of dollars for stream rehabilitation, stocking, tree planting and more. I caught my first brook trout and steelhead when I was 5 years old and have been hooked ever since. I have been an ardent steelheader since the mid 1980's, down rigged since the mid 80's and fly fished since 1989. I love all the species and all the fishing techniques.

I hope one day I will take my children fishing on the Credit and they can enjoy a great migratory fishery, resident fishery and have a chance at a once extinct Atlantic salmon.

Vice Chair: Louis Milo ( Vice President) The son of parents who immigrated to Canada in the 50`s Louis inheritated a keen interest in cold water fishing from his father. Living close to the Credit allowed his father to teach him the love of river angling.  His desire to see a world class fishery on the Credit stems from those early 80`s fishing excursions. Louis gained his Masters in Business from the Univeristy of Miami, following that worked briefly in the US banking system.

Growing tired and missing his fishing he moved back to Mississauga and began working with RBC only to decide that the private sector was more inline with his choices in life.

Louis sits on the FMZ 20 Advisory council, CRFMP Implimentation committee and has been involved with many other committees for improving fishing. Louis has 3 children a great wife and lives just minutes from the Credit River so when the itch strikes to fish he is there. Louis is heavily involved in the management of CRAA, representing the club at meetings and being the most active member of the team in political circles. He holds regular meetings with the Minister of Natural Resources and is in contact with many MPP's to ensure fishery protection is on the minds of our elected officials. He can often be found at the fishway in spring and involved in many other club projects.

Director: Pete Pettos (Forks of Credit Rehab) I have been involved with CRAA since the later part of the 1990's, and from time to time before that. I am a dedicated fly angler and now a sworn spey fisher. I also sit on the board of directors of the TU-Greg Clack chapter and the Atlantic salmon advisory committee.

I am also a devote of the upper Credit resident trout fishery and have worked with all the groups on rehabilitation projects. I look forward to ongoing rehabilitation works on the whole watershed to benefit the entire watershed so I too have a place to fish with my son and watch him catch fish on the fly.

Director: Brian Morrison I am the fisheries biologist at the Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority.  I received my honours B.Sc at Trent University in 2004 and a Fish and Wildlife Technologist diploma from Sir Sandford Fleming in 2002. I have previously worked for three other conservation authorities ( Credit Valley , Nottawasaga and Halton) as well as the MNR in a range of roles and capacities.

Director: Mike Brady Mike has been an active volunteer in CRAA since he was barely a teenager back in the mid 90's. Mike has a degree from the University of Toronto and has been a full time member of the Canadian Armed Forces since 2004. Mike served a tour in Afganistan in 2006-7 and now works full time in administration.

He has been an avid angler, with both a float rod and a fly rod for 15 or more years and has fished all over for salmonids. Mike also managed the CRAA rehabilitation crew one summer while in University and managed the Launch Ramp Crew another year while in school.

CRAA Executive

Exec. Secretary: Rick Symanski I started fishing the Credit River in the fall of 1987. I learned how to bottom bounce for salmon and trout by fishing with my dad. I started float fishing for steelhead, browns and salmon in the spring of 1993, and have been doing it ever since. I started volunteering with CRAA in 1995 after reading about the club in a fishing magazine. Helping lift steelhead at the Streetsville fish ladder is where I got my start!

I did not get heavily involved until the spring of 1997 when I took a more active role in the fishway and attended other meetings and rehabilitation projects. Since then I have actively promoted CRAA by participating in events such as tree plantings and fishing shows. Most of my time has been spent managing, operating and maintaining the Streetsville fishway in the spring and fall and working with other members to organize the fish transfers.

I work as an electrician by day, but get on the water as much as my work and family life permit. The driving force behind volunteering for more than a decade now with CRAA is to turn the Credit River into a world class fishery.

Membership: Wayne Vierhout I live, work, and fish in Mississauga . My ambition in my personal life is to take care of family, do volunteer work and catch big fish on flies. When not fishing I'm likely transporting one of my children to a sporting event. I've recently become enamoured with swinging large flies for steelhead and salmon on the two handed fly rod.

Hatchery Mgr: Joseph Ward I am the regional manager for a communications company based in Mississauga and am married with two young daughters. My educational background is from the Sir Sanford Fleming College Aquaculture Program. I studied fisheries at SSFC out of my passion for fishing and the outdoors.

Managing the CRAA Fish Hatchery is a natural fit with my education and passion. I oversee a team of 5-10 CRAA volunteers who give their all to growing steelhead, brown trout and Atlantic salmon and maybe other species in the near future.

I live on the Credit River in Huttonville and fish the river as often as time permits. I am an avid steelheader and Lake down rigger angler. I have volunteered at the fishway, tree planting events and other projects for a decade and have been heavily involved in CRAA since 2005.

Editor: Cameron Walker Cameron Walker is our most recent addition to the CRAA executive team as the editor of our quarterly newsletter. Cam has been involved with the club for several years and is a familiar sight at the fish ladder lifting and transferring fish. Cam has been float fishing for quite a few years and just this summer picked up fly fishing.

Halton Projects: Derek Koneiczny Derek Konieczny is a resident of Georgetown and employed as a Business Specialist within the Mutual Fund industry.  He has an honours Bachelor of Arts majoring in Environmental Management with minors in Environmental Science and Geography. In fact, he shared several classes with John Kendell at UTM as they have almost the same area of study.

An avid angler Derek enjoys fishing for a wide diversity of species through all four seasons.  Other outdoor pursuits include hiking and cycling.  As a CRAA member Derek's focus is on projects in the Halton Hills area largely involving working with private land owners.  In addition to CRAA, Derek is also an active volunteer with the Halton-Peel Woodlands & Wildlife Stewardship and Literacy North Halton. 

Transfer/Watch: David Leschied Dave has been a leading volunteer since 2002 with CRAA. He is at the fishway every moment work permits in spring and fall. He is one of the coordinators of the fish lift, steelhead transfer and egg taking. Dave is also extremely active helping at the CRAA hatchery and has spent many nights and weekends giving his time to pick eggs, feed fish or install and clean tanks.

Dave is also one who makes it out for almost every tree planting CRAA has. Shovel in hand he is ready to go make the river a better place. Dave was also instrumental in organizing many River Watch patrols on the Credit River from Erindale Park to the Forks of the Credit at Highway 24. He also updated CRAA's River Watch brochure that volunteers give to anglers for education purposes.

Dave works in a senior IT position for one of the chartered banks in downtown Toronto . He is always working to fix some computer problem. He is available too!

Tournements: Justin Elia Justin is 26 years old and currently resides in Etobicoke , Ontario . He works with one of the largest commercial real estate sales firms in the world (Cushman & Wakefield), and has been in this field for 5 years. Justin is extremely passionate about fishing and conservation, especially on his home river ( Credit River ).

Etobicoke Mgr: Ken Paterson ( Fly Fishing ) Fly fisher, fly tier and custom bamboo fly rod builder calling the Credit River my home waters for over 50 years. CRAA representative on the Etobicoke/Mimico Watershed Coalition as part of the Toronto Region Conservation Authority as well as sitting on subcommittees for the South/Little Etobicoke Creek Community Action Group and the Heart Lake Community Action Group.

The EMWC is trying to restore the watershed and improve water quality for improved fishing opportunities and other outdoor activities in Peel region.

The watershed is broken up into five different regions from the Headwaters action group to the lower Mimico and Etobicoke creeks action groups with regeneration and restoration projects throughout the region.

A few of the projects include the restoration of the valley lands adjacent to Etobicoke creek in the Town of Caledon with plantings of native trees and shrubs, restoring the wetlands and improving and constructing trails. The same for the Malton area with tree plantings and habitat restoration and improving trail systems. The Upper Mimico is working on improving water channel conditions and removing in–stream barriers while the lower Mimico creek is looking to restore its coastal wetlands area and replacing in-stream barriers with fish friendly and lamprey stopping ones. The lower Etobicoke creek is concerned with barrier removal as well and improving the trail system so that soon there will be a continuous trail from the Lakeshore to Brampton joining the trail system there.

The EMWC is also working with the Peel Village Golf Club with naturalizing of the Etobicoke creek adjacent to the golf coarse with a number of riparian habitat and water quality enhancements with tree plantings and reductions in pesticide and fertilizer use.

The EMWC is also a very active member in the Peel Children's Water festival at Heart Lake Conservation area an effective forum to show students and the public the importance of healthy watersheds and source water and the need to protect them.

It's been a busy year with the EMWC with lots more work to done. I'll be posting upcoming volunteer projects for the coming year on the board if you would like to help out.

Graphics: Mark Polanski Being a member of the Credit River Anglers Association since 2001 I have developed and grown a much more profound view to what conservation really means to me. Growing up in the Credit Valley area the Credit River and its surrounding forests and valleys have always kept me interested in one way or another. At a younger age the Credit Valley offered a form of escape from the real world which has really developed a huge passion inside of me from the time I first visited it. There was something about it that kept luring me back over and over again.

Over time my fishing experience grew and developed very quickly even at a fairly young age. Spending so much of my time on the river I began to feel as if it were my second home, that being so, I heard about the Credit River Anglers Association and the purpose of the organization serves quite quickly. After doing some of my own research about the club I quickly drew a huge interest in it and couldn't wait to help out myself first hand. I still remember that first day at the fish ladder early that spring of 2001. I don't think I have ever handled so many steelhead in one short afternoon before that day. I was hooked and there was no turning back. As time went on my involvement with the club grew drastically and I could never get enough. Still attending school at the time I always had to make some room somewhere to help out whenever I got the chance. Through the club I met a huge variety of people not only that share the same interests 
as I have had my entire life, but also people that are just beginning to understand what conservation is really all about and what a huge difference a little help makes in the community. Like they say a little help goes a long way.

As of 2008 my years of involvement with the club has rewarded me with a spot on the Credit River Anglers Association executive team as well as the Atlantic Salmon Recovery Team at the age of 21 which I am very proud of. I still give as much time as I can to the club even with the busyness of everyday life. Much of my computer skills which I had developed at the University of Toronto at Mississauga have enabled me help the club out with other projects such as new signs for the river, posters and also the clubs brochure. The club has really developed me as a person and active community member in ways that I wouldn't think I could of if I had not experienced it first hand as I did. Every one grows up with some sort of passion in their lives and it is up to them to use the skills they have toward it; mine has and will always be fishing and the great outdoors. Remember learning experience never stops, so why stop now?

Rehab Specialist: Nick Karol Nick first became involved with CRAA in 1999 as a highschool coop student working in summer with our crew.  Nick has been a hard core fisherman since an early age, growing up on the banks of the Nottawasaga and Credit as a child fishing with his father and grand-father.  Nick has worked for CRAA's crews most summers since 2000 and has been involved with more CRAA rehabilitation projects than any member except John Kendell.

Nick loves to float and fly fish and is dedicated to conservation and rehabilitation.  Nick attended Sir Sandford Flemming College following his outdoor passion.  Nick has worked as the CRAA crew leader for several summers, assistant manager several other years and volunteered thousands of hours for CRAA over the past ten years planting tens of thousands of trees and helping fish in the ladder and in transfers.  Nick just loves wild fish!

Web Master: Jerry Tusa An avid angler, his interest in CRAA grew while attending university in Mississauga and fishing in Erindale Park. He is the owner of a successful web design and graphic arts business with over 10 years experience in the field. He has done amazing work for CRAA to build the website, chat boards and maintain it so the whole thing works.