John Shields is stepping down as director of operations for The Land Conservancy of B.C. after helping the non-profit group navigate creditor protection.
Shields, who was retired when he accepted the post as operations director in August 2013, is returning to retirement at the end of this month.
He was in a serious vehicle accident in September that sent him to hospital with fractured vertebrae. He has since returned home.
“The future of the organization is in great hands,” Shields said in a Monday statement. “The team is terrific.
“Together we have accomplished amazing feats in the past two years. As a TLC member, I look forward to witnessing the organization’s next great contribution to the conservation and land trust movement.”
Shields is a former Catholic priest who became a social worker and then led the B.C. Government and Service Employees’ Union for 14 years.
He has worked long hours at the Land Conservancy to help the non-profit, Victoria-based organization restructure so that it can continue operations.
It ended up with a debt of close to $8 million and entered into protection from creditors in the fall of 2013. The Land Conservancy is working toward paying off its creditors.
It is divesting itself of most of its properties, sending them to other agencies that will protect them.
A handful of properties, including Abkhazi Garden, will remain with the Land Conservancy.
Cathy Armstrong, acting director of operations, said Shields led the group through a “complex and challenging process.”
Briony Penn, chairwoman of the Land Conservancy’s board of directors and friend of Shields, said the organization will be “forever grateful for his contributions.”
