He is an inaugural co-chair of the Canadian Food Policy Advisory Council, which is a multi-stakeholder group that advises the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada on the implementation of Canada’s food policy. He is one of fifteen international experts who sit on the United Nations’ High-Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition. This is the scientific body that advises the Committee on World Food Security and is the top-most global body dealing with issues related to food systems and sustainability. As vice chair of the Maple Leaf Center for Food Security, he helps direct funding to community groups across Canada and as a scientific mentor for Creative Destruction Labs he works with agri-food technology start-ups and entrepreneurs.
Evan is also part of a team made up of producers, NGOs, and the senior leadership from some of Canada’s largest corporate players (including the Royal Bank, Loblaw, Maple Leaf Food, McCains and Nutrien), that founded the Canadian Alliance for Net Zero Agrifood (CANZA). CANZA is initiating programs aimed at creating financial incentives and the infrastructure to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions caused by Canada’s agri-food sector.
Other present and past leadership roles include holding a Canada Research Chair between 2010-2020, being a Fellow of the Pierre Elliot Trudeau foundation, acting as a scientific advisor to Genome Quebec and Proteins Industries Canada, being a member of the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, and a fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society.