OTTAWA, ONTARIO (October 23, 2019) – Canoe Kayak Canada (CKC) is delighted to announce that Chris Helyar has been confirmed by the Board of Directors as CKC’s new President for the next two years.

Hailing from Toronto, Helyar has been a key member of our Board for the past four years and has volunteered on several fronts including serving as Treasurer of our Finance Committee, Chair of CKC’s Sprint High Performance Committee and provided interim volunteer assistance with our high performance program management in the lead up to the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. Chris also Chaired the Sport Organizing Committee for Canoe Sprint for the 2015 Pan Am Games and served as a lead official at 2017 Canoe Polo World Championships. Chris is also an avid paddler who participates regularly in Masters Sprint competitions and Marathon Canoe Events.

“We’re delighted to have Chris play a lead role for the Organization,” said Casey Wade, CEO of Canoe Kayak Canada. “It’s been over four years since our new governance model and related structures have been in place and Chris is well positioned to lead, with our Board and staff, the assessment of where we are at as we continue to look at ways to strengthen the organization.

CKC would also like to thank outgoing President Peter Giles who served in the position for four years. Peter played a valuable role in leading CKC through a critical time of change as we developed our new governance approach with supporting strategic direction guided by key organizational values and goals.

About Canoe Kayak Canada

Canoe Kayak Canada (CKC) is the national governing body for competitive paddling in Canada, one of Canada’s top performing summer sports with a total of 24 Olympic medals, and a leader in the Paralympic movement. Canoe Kayak Canada is a member-based organization that includes an intricate network of clubs as well as provincial, territorial and divisional paddling associations. Elite National Team athletes proudly represent Canada at various competitions around the globe – most notably the Olympic Games, Paralympic Games, Pan American Games, ICF World Cups as well as Junior, Under 23 and Senior World Championships. Follow Canoe Kayak Canada on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

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For more information :

Colleen Coderre

Communications Lead

ccoderre@canoekayak.ca

Maryn Sommerfeldt

Communications Assistant

intern@canoekayak.ca