Roland (Rolly) Montpellier is a climate advocate, a climate communicator and a blogger. He’s a member of  Climate Reality Canada, 350.Org (Ottawa) and Citizens’ Climate Lobby (Canada). He is also Canada’s climate ambassador for We Don’t Have Time. Rolly has been published widely in both print and online. You can follow him on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and Instagram.

He has been a participant in dozens of activist events mostly in Ottawa — climate marches, protest rallies, lobbying of elected officials on Parliament Hill, radio podcasts, film screenings, climate discussion groups, official presentations to government agencies and the like.

Inspired by the birth of his four grandchildren, Rolly now devotes his time and energy to what he believes is “the most critical issue of our times”. Along with Ken Johnson, his colleague and co-founder of Below2°C, his primary goal is to raise awareness about climate change and influence our politicians to take pressing action on pricing carbon and kick-starting our transition to a clean energy platform by 2050.

Rolly has a BA in geography, political science and urban planning from Laurentian University and the University of Waterloo. He has an SOQP Certificate in Educational Administration from the University of Toronto (OISE).

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Ken Johnson, PhD. Over the past four years, Ken has focused increasingly on the clean tech renewables revolution, climate change, sustainability and the impact of international trade agreements on sustainability.

An image showing the rapid decline in the extent of Arctic icecap over the last 3 decades, triggered a shift in focus from his earlier life as a chronic disease epidemiologist. He remains an adjunct professor at the School of Epidemiology, Public Health and Preventive Medicine at the University of Ottawa.

Between 1982 and 2013 he was a research scientist/ senior epidemiologist with the Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Control, Public Health Agency of Canada and Health Canada. His epidemiological work focused primarily on environmental risks related to specific cancers.  His research included: extensive primary and synthesis research on the relationship of second-hand smoke, active smoking and breast cancer; drinking water quality and gastrointestinal cancers; occupational exposures to diesel fuel and several cancers; physical activity and breast cancer;  and the efficacy of breast cancer screening.

By night he continues to do perinatal epidemiology on home birth and vaginal breech birth in the upright position with his partner, midwife Betty-Anne Daviss. RM, MA

Ken has a Bachelor of Environmental Studies from the University of Waterloo and a Ph.D. in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from McGill University.