Dr. Thomas Gunton is Professor and Director of the Resource and Environmental Planning Program at Simon Fraser University. Previously, Dr. Gunton held positions as Deputy Minister of Environment, Lands and Parks, Deputy Minister of Cabinet Policy Secretariat, and Deputy Minister of Finance (Treasury Board) for the Government of British Columbia. He has also held senior positions with the Government of Manitoba, including Assistant Deputy Minister of Energy and Mines, Senior Economic Analyst for the Ministry of Economic Development and was Visiting Professor in resource and environmental economics at the University of Manitoba.
Dr. Gunton holds an MA in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Waterloo and a PhD in Community and Regional Planning from the University of British Columbia. Dr. Gunton regularly provides advice to private sector and public sector clients. His work includes evaluation of resource development projects, regional development strategies and negotiation and collaborative models for resolving resource and environmental conflicts.
Dr. Gunton is Chair of the Sustainable Planning Research Group and heads a research team providing advice to First Nations on impacts of oil and gas development and pipeline proposals, including the Enbridge Gateway project. He has been an expert witness for various regulatory agencies including the National Energy Board, the Ontario Energy Board, and the Manitoba Public Utilities Commission. He has also been an expert witness before the BC Arbitration Panel providing evidence on natural resource markets and pricing. Dr. Gunton has published over 80 refereed articles in scientific journals and over 100 technical reports for private and public sector clients on resource and environmental issues and project development.