Paul Kariya is the son of a Japanese Canadian fisherman who grew up in Ucluelet, with the west coast and marine environments shaping his interests and work life.
Paul has worked in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors and in academia. He was the CEO of the Crown Corp Fisheries Renewal BC and the first Executive Director of the BC Treaty Commission. He has also led the Clean Energy Association of BC and the Pacific Salmon Foundation. His university positions have been at UBC, UNBC, SFU, Carleton, and Trinity Western. Most recently, Paul has worked for the Great Bear Initiative Society and Great Bear Carbon Corp, owned by the Coastal First Nations of Northern BC and Haida Gwaii.
Kariya’s board work has been international with ARocha (Christians in Conservation) , national with QUEST Energy Solutions, and local with Big House Theatre, Vancouver Maritime Museum, Nikkei Place Foundation, Burnaby Winter Club, and National Nikkei Museum and Cultural Centre. Paul represented Canada on the Pacific Salmon Commission.
An ongoing commitment has been to the Japanese Canadian community. Paul was a guest in the House of Commons when Prime Minister Mulroney apologized to Japanese Canadians on September 22, 1988, and was in the audience when Premier Horgan made a history-making Legacies Settlement Announcement in Steveston on May 21, 2022.
Paul has a BA Hon from UBC and an MA and PhD from Clark University in Worcester MA.
These days, when not fretting on his guitar he is fretting about not getting his boat into the water. Paul loves introducing his grandkids to the wonders of the ocean and he and Diana split their time between Ucluelet and Vancouver, hence a regular traveller on BC Ferries.