Dr. John Colton
Professor
Head of Community Development
Office: CD House, 24 Highland Ave., 2nd Floor
Education
- Ph.D., University of Alberta (Sustainable Tourism)
- M.A., University of Alberta (Geography)
- B.A., University of Washington (Geography)
2022-2023 Courses
- Sustainable Tourism (Fall 2022)
- Global Issues and Social Advocacy (Winter 2023)
Scholarly Interest & Expertise
- Sustainable Community Development
- Community-Based Renewable Energy
- Tidal Energy Development: Socioeconomic Dimensions
- Ecotourism/Sustainable Tourism and Indigenous Tourism
Did You Know?
- I was a member of the Nova Scotia Renewable Energy Steering Committee that developed Nova Scotia’s renewable energy targets in 2009.
- I am a founding member of the Acadia Tidal Energy Institute and Flourish Community Development Cooperative.
- I teach a Marine Renewable Energy and an Applied Methods in Community Development courses in Iceland for the University of the Westfjords, Coastal Marine Management and Economic Development graduate programs.
- I worked with the Halifax Regional Municipality in training their staff on sustainability using the Natural Step as the sustainability framework.
- I guide northern wilderness river expeditions in Alaska, the Yukon and Northwest Territories and British Columbia.
- I’ve worked for National Geographic as their sustainable tourism evaluator for eastern Canada.
Highlights of Scholarly and Professional Work
- Exploring climate change impacts to the Tatshenshini-Alsek watershed in the Yukon Territories, British Columbia, and Alaska (current work).
- Director of the Atlantic Canada Sustainability Initiative, a multi-year project focused on providing strategic planning and sustainability training/coaching to municipalities and organizations in Atlantic Canada.
- Chair, Centre for Rural Sustainability and collaborator with the Town of Wolfville on the Wolfville Sustainability Initiative.
- Co-authored the Bay of Fundy Strategic Environmental Assessment Update for Tidal Energy Development.
- Co-authored the Community and Business Tidal Energy Toolkit andthe Tidal Energy Community Engagement Handbook.
- Co-authored Energy Projects, Social Licence, Public Acceptance, and Regulatory Systems in Canada: A White Paper, a report sponsored by the School of Public Policy at the University of Calgary to encourage greater transparency and accountability in energy development.
- Authored several book chapters and scholarly paper on Indigenous Tourism in northern Canada.