Briony Penn

Briony Penn, PhD., is a Canadian environmental activist, adjunct professor of environmental studies at the University of Victoria, and the Liberal Party of Canada's current candidate for the Saanich – Gulf Islands riding.

Early life and career

A fifth-generation islander, Penn was born October 16th, 1960 in Saanich, B.C., where she was raised. Penn graduated from the international baccalaureate program in Victoria, B.C. in 1977. In 1981, Penn received her BA in Geography/Anthropology from the University of British Columbia. She then studied in Scotland, and in1988 received her PhD in geography from Edinburgh University.

In 1986, Penn opened her own small business, working in consulting for environmental education and museum design in Scotland then BC. She is also an adjunct professor at the University of Victoria and has lectured in the School of Environmental Studies and Restoration of Natural Systems Program since 1991.

Penn wrote the award winning illustrated “Wild Side” columns in various regional publications which won her best columnist in the Western Magazine Awards. She hosted the TV show “Enviro/Mental” for three years, which was nominated one of the top three magazine shows in Canada. For this program, she taped, field produced and edited episodes ranging from the natural death movement to humpback whale research, and she conducted interviews with diverse personalities like philosopher John Ralston Saul, Haida chief Guujaaw and author Tom Robbins.

A pioneer of barefoot mapping, she has created maps and led workshops assisting communities for more than a decade, culminating in several books including Islands in the Salish Sea: A Community Atlas, which was nominated for the BC Book Awards. She also is an award-winning natural history feature writer with her writings for magazines such as Canadian Geographic and Explore. Her book A Year On the Wild Side was a BC Books bestseller.

Penn is also an artist, and has had many exhibits around British Columbia.

Penn currently lives on Salt Spring Island. She raised two sons with her husband, Donald 12-year-old Ronan and 16-year-old Callum, in a large heritage home that they brought from Victoria. She is now designing and building an ecohouse.

Environmental work

As an activist, Briony has worked extensively with both local groups and provincial organizations, such as The Land Conservancy of BC (TLC), which she co-founded in 1997.

Penn has been giving natural/cultural history and stewardship workshops and lectures held in communities in British Columbia since 1991. She has also been a naturalist on the BC coast for ecotour and educational operators since 1980.

Penn has volunteered as the director of Raincoast Conservation Foundation since 1999. She was also a member of the provincial working group on private land stewardship, Stewardship Pledge, and the co-chair of the Environment Advisory Committee, Islands Trust Saltspring Island Local Trust Committee. For 2006-2007, Penn helped developed the media campaign for Land Trust Alliance of BC, on conservation leaders throughout BC.

In addition, Penn has written environmental guides and handbooks for elementary teachers in British Columbia, the topics ranging from forest ecosystems and biodiversity to the natural and cultural history of the Georgia Basin. She received a national Environment Learning award for her work from Canadian Geographic in 2003.

In January 2001, Penn got international attention for her nearly-nude horseback ride as Lady Godiva to protest against logging on Saltspring. Along with other riders, Penn rode past the offices of the logging company, and in so doing she raised interest around the world in protection of endangered ecosystems and helped mobilize support for the protection of thousands of hectares of land.

Political career

Penn, after supporting the Green Party for more than a decade, announced in March 2007 her intentions to run as a Liberal candidate for Saanich – Gulf Islands in the next federal election. The Saanich-Gulf Islands riding is currently held by Conservative Gary Lunn, Minister of Natural Resources.

Penn said she had been approached to run for the federal Green Party and NDP as well. According to an article in the Globe and Mail, she also said she intends on retaining her Green Party membership provincially.