Marie A. Dumontier has been re-elected as chairman of The Pulp and Paper Technical Association of Canada (PAPTAC) for 2008. She is corporate director of environment, health and safety for Fraser Papers Inc. in Thurso, QC.

To succeed the retiring councilors who have completed their terms of office, Dr. Julie Giasson, mill manager, Cascades East Angus inc., East Angus, QC and Dr. Martin Fairbank, manager, technology, AbitibiBowater, Montreal, QC, have begun to serve as new members of the executive council, for 2008-2010, as of the Association's Annual Meeting in Montreal.

Julie Giasson graduated from the Université du Québec ˆ Montréal with a Bachelor of Science in chemistry in 1986, a Ph.D. from McGill in 1995, and an MBA from the University of Sherbrooke in 2001. During her studies, she worked for the AbitibiBowater mill in Kénogami, as a teaching assistant at the Université du Québec ˆ Montréal, in the labs at FPInnovations, Paprican Division. She was employed by Virchem Canada/Hoechst Celanese Corp. to 1993, and by Sentinel Canada to 1995. She then joined Cascades Inc. and worked there in the R&D centre, then as mill manager for Forma-Pak, for Papier Kingsey Falls and for Cascades East Angus. Julie has been a member of PAPTAC since 1992.

Martin Fairbank has a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, and has worked for AbitibiBowater and its predecessors since 1985. In his current role as manager of technology at AbitibiBowater's head office in Montreal, Martin is responsible for evaluating and implementing new technologies in their pulp and paper mills.

A member of PAPTAC since 1986, Martin has delivered lectures at TECH courses in wet end chemistry and mechanical pulping, at the student open house, and has been a judge of student papers at the Annual Meeting. He has also participated at various times in the Research, Recycling and Energy Cost Saving committees. Martin has authored several journal articles and two patents, and currently chairs the FPAC climate change committee.

Retiring from the executive council are Guy Martin, Domtar Inc., Montreal, QC, Yonghao Ni, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB and Douglas J. McKenzie, Pope & Talbot Ltd., Nanaimo, BC.

Continuing their terms as councilors are André Bernier, president, SFK Pâte SENC, Montreal, QC, Terry Gerhardt, VP operations, Minas Basin Pulp and Power, Hantsport, NS, Donald A. Olson, process engineering superintendent, Cariboo Pulp & Paper Company, Quesnel, BC, Gerry Pageau, senior process engineer, Howe Sound Pulp and Paper Partnership, Port Mellon, BC and Yves L'Italien, paper mill operations leader, Irving Tissue, Toronto, ON.