Board Members

Mr. Ron Merkley – Chairman

Mr. Ron Merkley, Chairman, is owner/operator of a real estate appraisal and sales operation. He is past president of the Ontario Real Estate Board and has chaired the 1000 Islands Community Development Corporation since 2017.

Mr. Lawrence Fielding – Past-Chairman

Mr. Lawrence Fielding, Past Chairman, is an independent financial advisor with several years experience in the banking industry.  He is a past director with St. Vincent DePaul Hospital and is actively involved with many local charitable initiatives. He chaired the 1000 Islands CDC for several years.

Mr. David Boyd

Mr. David Boyd, Director, owns a sporting goods wholesale company buying and selling sporting goods in Canada, USA, South America and Europe. Among his community contributions, he is particularly proud to coach rowing to the young people of our area. He also presently sits as director and treasurer for the Brockville Rowing Club.

Mr. David Hain

Mr. David Hain, Director, is a retired solicitor who offered services in Brockville for almost 40 years. He has continued to remain active in the community with multiple volunteer commitments, particularly in the fields of education and music.

Shelley Hirstwood

Shelley Hirstwood, Director of Business Development specializes in Investment Attraction and Business Growth. Her core responsibilities encompass the identification of prospective business opportunities and the facilitation of foreign direct investment to encourage enterprises to establish a presence in Kingston. In her capacity, she engages various stakeholders, including all levels of government, real estate professionals, site selection experts, and key industry partners, to streamline investment opportunities.

With a career spanning 18 years in the field of economic development, Shelley brings a wealth of experience to her role. Prior to joining the Kingston team, she served as an Economic Development Manager in Gananoque, ON and Gravelbourg, SK. Throughout her career, her focus has remained centered on investment attraction, business retention and expansion, entrepreneurship, and community development.

Shelley’s academic background includes a Bachelor of Science degree from Trent University, complemented by the EDAC Economic Development Certificate from the University of Waterloo. Furthermore, she has honed her expertise through Training for Small Business Counsellors at Acadia University and completed the Queen’s Executive Program at Queen’s University, Smith School of Business.

In addition to her professional commitments, Shelley is actively engaged in the industry as a board member of the Economic Development Association of Canada. She has also served as the past president of the Ontario East Economic Development Commission.

Mr. Bob Runciman

Mr. Bob Runciman, Director, is former leader of the official opposition in the Ontario Legislature.  First elected as Member of Provincial Parliament in 1981, he held the seat continuously for 29 years.  He was appointed to the Senate of Canada in 2010 and for almost 6 years chaired the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee.  He retired from the Senate in August, 2017. He is current Chairman of the St. Lawrence Parks Commission and he volunteers in support of several causes of great importance to the community.