Conference Speakers 2019
Michael Abe |
| Michael Abe, a third generation Japanese Canadian, has been involved in the Japanese-Canadian community in both Ontario and Victoria. He is the past president and former newsletter editor of the Victoria Nikkei Cultural Society and was instrumental in forming Support Japan 2011 Gambare Nippon. Michael is the project manager for Landscapes of Injustice, a seven-year research project based at the University of Victoria that is focussed on researching the dispossession and forced sale of Japanese Canadians during the 1940s. Michael’s mother’s family lived in Paldi before being interned in New Denver and finally settling in Ontario. His father’s family were in Port Alberni before being interned in Lemon Creek. |
Karen Aird |
| “A member of Saulteau First Nations in Treaty 8 Territory of BC, Karen Aird has worked as an archaeologist then in cultural heritage management for the past 23 years on many projects that convey a strong sense of place in Indigenous landscapes, encompassing the stories, legal traditions and the intangible and tangible elements into Indigenous heritage. As a consultant, Karen has worked as the Cultural Heritage Planner for the Treaty 8 Tribal Association, the Tse’K’wa (the Charlie Lake Cave house) Heritage Society and the Nun WaDee (Dane-zaa Caretakers Society); as project coordinator for Tk’emlups te Secwepemc Cultural Heritage Study; and as Curator for the Secwepemc Museum and Heritage Park. And, more recently, Karen has embarked on the position of Heritage Manager for First Peoples Cultural Council.Karen is one of the founding directors and now the President of the National Indigenous Heritage Circle, a non-profit organization focused on the identification, management and conservation of Indigenous heritage.” |
Jessica Birch |
| Jesse Birch has worked as a curator, artist, writer and educator. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts Photography) from Emily Carr (2001), and a Masters of Arts degree in Art History (Critical and Curatorial Studies) from the University of British Columbia (2008). In 2007, he was a curatorial fellow at de Appel arts centre in Amsterdam, and was Co-Director/Curator of Access Gallery in Vancouver from 2008 to 2010. Birch maintains an active practice as a writer, and has published in art magazines including C Magazine and fillip. In 2013, he received the Art Writing Award from Ontario Association of Art Galleries for his essay on artist Kika Thorne for the Art Gallery of Windsor. From 2009 to 2013, Birch taught at Emily Carr University of Art and Design in the Critical and Cultural Studies faculty. Before accepting the position in Nanaimo, Birch was Exhibitions Curator at The Western Front (Vancouver). He has served on the Board of the Or Gallery (Vancouver) and as treasurer of the Pacific Association of Artist Run Centres. |
Mark Thompson Brandt
Mark Brandt has over 30 years’ experience in Architecture, Planning, Urban Design and Conservation and is a leader in Eastern Ontario/Western Québec in these fields. A former professor of Architectural Design at Algonquin College School of Advanced Technology, and member of Algonquin’s Architectural Advisory Committee, Brandt has taught at Carleton University School of Architecture and delivered numerous lectures, presentations and published articles on Heritage Conservation & Sustainability, Adaptive Reuse, EcoDistricts and other subjects. Mark is the Co-Chair (Canada) for the Association for Preservation Technology’s Sustainable Preservation Committee and has served as officer and board member on many key organizations in the natural & cultural conservation and urban development fields. Mark is the Senior Conservation Architect & Urbanist, MTBA Associates Inc. and the co-author of “Building Resilience: Practical Guidelines for the Sustainable Rehabilitation of Buildings in Canada”.
Rick Budhwa |
| Rick Budhwa is an applied anthropologist who has worked within the realm of Indigenous cultural resource management for 25 years. Rick is the principal of Crossroads CRM – a company which ensures projects go beyond typical archaeology to reflect the complexities and intangible aspects of culture. Rick attended the University of Western Ontario, where he received BA (honours) in Anthropology. Later, he completed a Post-Baccalaureate Diploma in Archaeology and a Master’s Degree in Anthropology/First Nations Studies/Archaeology at Simon Fraser University. He also teaches anthropology, archaeology, history, and sociology at Coast Mountain College. Rick has been formally adopted into the Gitdumden Clan of the Wet’suwet’en peoples in the traditional territories where he lives with his wife and two young boys. He is also the publisher of Culturally Modified: The Journal of Cultural Resource Management |
Geneviève Casault |
| Geneviève Casault earned a Master’s degree in International Museum Studies from the University of Gothenburg (Sweden) and worked at the Musée D’Ixelles in Brussels, a public art gallery with an extensive collection of European and Belgian art. Genevieve’s passion for intangible cultural heritage stems from her graduate studies, her experience working at the Maritime Museum of BC and, more recently, from developing the Economusée network in BC – a network of artisans who believe in safeguarding traditional production techniques and transmitting their knowledge to current and future generations. For the past 4 years, she held senior leadership positions within the BC public service focused on strategic planning, program evaluation and reporting. She joined the Heritage Branch in the fall of 2018 as the Manager of Heritage Programs and Services. |
Kirstin Clausen |
| Prior to joining the Britannia Mine Museum in 2000, Kirstin had 15 years’ experience in mid-sized museums as a Director/Curator (Town of Peace River, AB) and Collections Manager and Educator (Langley Centennial Museum). Both positions gave her experience in managing heritage buildings as assets including being the lead for the historic renovation of the Northern Alberta Railway Station in Peace River. Kirstin is mindful of excellence in nonprofit management and has guided the Britannia Mine Museum through three significant capital expansions, the most recent one being the Mill Experience which opens June 2019. Britannia has a collection of several historic buildings, including the Mill, a National Historic Site. She has overseen the growth of the Britannia Mine Museum from 25,000 visitors and a budget of less than $500,000 to what it is today – $2 million annual operation, with nearly 80,000 visitors and over 30 staff. She has solid know how to manage growth and an organization that measures its success by balancing a mix of imperatives such as tourism, education, and cultural heritage and reflecting the values of the mining industry. |
Katie Cummer |
| Dr. Katie Cummer has a wide range of knowledge and expertise in heritage conservation, including conservation education, heritage-focused research and area conservation planning. She is an active researcher and writer, conducting assessments of sites to facilitate informed decision-making, including Heritage Evaluations, Statements of Significance and Conservation Plans. She has authored and co- authored a number of academic papers, books, book chapters and consultancy studies on topics related to heritage conservation, including site analysis, area conservation planning, interpretation, policy studies and recommendations on best practice for official Government use. She is a Professional Member of the Canadian Association of Heritage Professionals (CAHP), accredited for the Education, History and Planning specializations. She is also a Professional Member of ICOMOS Canada as well as The Hong Kong Institute of Architectural Conservationists (HKICON). She is the Vice President of the BC Association of Heritage Professionals (BCAHP) as well as a Member of Heritage BC’s Program Committee and a Member of the Heritage Advisory Panel for the City of Victoria. |
Meaghan Cursons |
| Meaghan Cursons is a member of the Cumberland Heritage Commission, an interpretive guide for the Cumberland Museum and Archives and Executive Director of the Cumberland Community Forest Society, a conservation organization dedicated to purchasing privately owned forests surrounding the Village to protect them for their ecological, social and cultural values. Meaghan is a high energy presenter with a passion for story telling, place making and community building. Working in a heritage landscape significantly altered by mining and logging, Meaghan uses creative place-making to activate the community in support of unique heritage and ecological conservation projects. She is also a musician, event producer and in demand facilitator who has lived, worked and played in the Village of Cumberland for 25 years. |
Arlene Deptuck |
| Arlene is proud and honoured to belong to the Ganhada (Raven) family of the Kitsumkalum (People of the Robin) community within the Tsimshian Nation and is grateful to live, work, and make art in Snuneymuxw and Snanawwas ancestral lands. The rich and vibrant philosophies of her Tsimshian nation, as well as other Indigenous communities she has had the honour to work with, inspire her commitment to engage in better understandings with all Canadians as we navigate the waters of positive change. Arlene is passionate about art, languages and learning and will share an Indigenous greeting when you meet her! |
Sean Edmunds |
| Sean Edmunds currently serves as Chief Operating Officer for On This Spot. Sean is primarily responsible for designing and implementing On This Spot’s business strategies, plans and procedures. He has an extensive background in finance, sales and marketing. He holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Victoria in Economics and a minor in Business. |
STOLȻEȽ John Elliott |
| STOLȻEȽ John Elliott is a respected Elder of the Tsartlip First Nation and has taught at ȽÁU,WELṈEW Tribal School in Saanich for over 30 years. His dedication to the revitalization of First Nations languages began over 30 years ago, inspired by the efforts of his father, David Elliott, to preserve the SENĆOŦEN language. In 1999, Mr. Elliott co-founded FirstVoices, a suite of web-based tools that supports language archiving and learning, and which is now used worldwide. |
Philip Evan |
| Philip is a principal at ERA Architects and the founder of Culture of Outports. Philip is known for transforming challenges into opportunities. He gives sound advice and guidance to better manage cultural, heritage, and property assets to leverage economic success while maintaining the highest level of integrity. He brings a collaborative spirit to a diverse range of working relationships, and his clients have included private and public developers, communities, municipalities, provinces, and private citizens. He works both in the office and in the field, and has practiced on either side of (as well as within) the Atlantic. He appreciates working in a range of built environments, including urban, suburban, and rural settings. |
Andrew Farris |
| Andrew Farris is the CEO of On This Spot, a historical walking tour app that uses then-and-now photos to make history come alive. Andrew grew up in Vancouver and has been deeply passionate about history since childhood. After studying history at UVic he worked as lead researcher and writer for the EnergyBC project at UVic’s School of Earth & Ocean Sciences, and as a reporter for the Black Press. Later he went backpacking and developed a blog featuring then-and-now photo essays that ranged from the beaches of Normandy, to the ruins of Nagasaki and the skyscrapers of New York. Afterwards he teamed up with two other UVic graduates to develop the blog into a free walking tour app that uses striking then-and-now photos to present in-depth historical walking tours. He has since written 25 walking tours and taken over 2,000 then-and-now photos in 10 Canadian cities for the app. Andrew is working with a growing team to launch historical walking tours in a further 15 cities by this July, including cities in every province. |
Chelsea Forseth |
| A member of the Seabird Island Band – Sto:lo Nation, Chelsea is both educated in archaeology from the Gothenburg University in Sweden and anthropology at the Vancouver Island University. During her last year of studies, she created an anthropology-based podcast/radio show on CHLY radio Culture Talks. After recently graduating from VIU in 2018, she started her professional journey by accepting an acting position at the Nanaimo Museum, became a working board member at the Parksville Museum and contributed to the BCMA’s podcast. She is passionate about intangible heritage, minority representation and cultural diversity in heritage. |
Mark Forsythe |
| Mark Forsythe spent his youth in Ontario, two years in Quebec, and landed his first radio jobs at CFBV Smithers and CJCI Prince George in 1974. He joined CBC Radio at Prince Rupert in 1984, moved to Kelowna to help establish a new CBC bureau and joined CBC Vancouver in 1989, hosting CBC Radio current affairs programs, including B.C. Almanac for 18 years. Mark co-authored four books with listeners about B.C. history, culture and recreation. From The West Coast to the Western Front: British Columbians and the Great War (with co-author Greg Dickson) won the B.C. Historical Federation’s Lieutenant-Governor’s Medal for Historical Writing. Mark taught Writing for the Media at BCIT for ten years and retired from CBC in 2015. He lives in historic Fort Langley where he volunteers with the Langley Heritage Society, and is a council member with the B.C. Historical Federation. He still does some freelance journalism work, writes book reviews for BC Bookworld, The Ormsby Review, a column for the British Columbia History Magazine, and dreams of more travel adventures in B.C. with his wife Cat. He received the RTNDA Lifetime Achievement Award. (Radio & Television News Directors Association.) |
Julia Hulbert |
| Julia Hulbert is the Arts and Culture Planner for the Vancouver Park Board and a graduate student at Simon Fraser University writing her thesis on Decolonizing Municipal Heritage Programs. Julia has over a decade of experience working in the arts and culture sector and most recently worked as a consultant on cultural plans for the City of Victoria and Maple Ridge. She served as a Heritage Commissioner to the City of Vancouver for nearly 4 years and recently served as a heritage advisor to the Vancouver School Board. Julia was a 2018 Radius Fellow, a fellowship for individuals working in systems change and the former Chair of the Kitsilano Thingery, a lending library of things. |
Jennifer Iredale |
| As a heritage professional for close to 40 years and as the former Director of the BC Heritage Branch, Jennifer has been involved in provincial and national heritage initiatives. From 1985 to 2009 she was a Curator for the Provincial Heritage Properties, working on building conservation, exhibition and collections projects. Now focused on research and writing, her current projects are in the Gulf Islands and the Fraser Canyon. Jennifer sits on several Boards and her work has earned a BC Museums Association Award for Outstanding Achievement. |
Aman Gill |
| Aman Gill is a senior policy analyst in the Building and Safety Standards Branch, Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Province of British Columbia. He is trained as an urban geographer, having completed graduate degrees at the University of Victoria and McMaster University examining housing markets, the role of private sector in planning Canadian cities and consumer culture. Aman has worked in local government as a policy planner, contributing to the development, implementation and monitoring of secondary and official community plans. |
Carla Jack |
| Carla Jack, a member of Penelakut Tribe, grew up in the Cowichan and K’omoks territories of Vancouver Island. She has worked in the cultural heritage sector for about 15 years, from museums and film to values-based management, place-based heritage conservation and intangible cultural heritage. As a linguist, she is passionate about how languages shape speakers’ world view and about the way that place names connect culture and land. Carla is the Provincial Toponymist, managing the BC Geographical Names Office, and represents B.C. on the Geographical Names Board of Canada. |
Vincent Kwan |
| Vincent Kwan is the Executive Director of the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden in Vancouver. Born in Hong Kong, he lived in Canada, U.S and China for many years. His professional experience spans across sectors in business management. Because of the multicultural exposure, Vincent has a unique perspective when managing a cultural organization. He believes that success in the current cultural heritage work requires a new openness to community engagement and creative merger between cultural and economic considerations through collaboration between a wide array of cultural stakeholders. He holds a degree in Master of Business Administration from University of Hong Kong and Bachelor of Science degrees in Computer Science as well as Biology from University of British Columbia. |
Imogene L Lim |
| A descendant of two historic Chinatowns, Cumberland and Vancouver, Imogene Lim is an anthropologist (BA Hons, Simon Fraser University; AM & PhD, Brown University) at Vancouver Island University. She teaches anthropology and in the Global Studies Program. For the past two decades she has focused her research interests on Vancouver Island—ethnicity in Canada and Asian Canadian history—engaging in communities from Cumberland to Duncan. She was a Legacy Initiatives Advisory Council member, working on two of its Legacy Projects: Historic Places and the Celebration Book. At present she sits on the provincial government’s Working Group: Chinese Canadian Museum. |
Born and raised in Vancouver, Donald Luxton has a passionate interest in local history and heritage. Involved in the field of heritage and cultural resource management since 1983, he is a well-known consultant, advocate, educator and author, and has worked on numerous projects throughout western Canada, including municipal planning, the restoration of residential, commercial, and institutional buildings, and the development of museums and cultural facilities. Among his publications, Building the West: The Early Architects of British Columbia (2003; 2nd ed. 2007) was recognized with the Heritage Canada Achievement Award in 2003 and a BC Book Prize in 2004. His interest in the preservation of architecture has led to his continuing involvement with a number of heritage societies. |
Gord MacDonald |
| “Gord is a master carpenter and building conservator with more than 30 years’ experience working with wooden buildings and timber structures. He has led his carpentry teams through a range of interesting and award-winning projects from the restoration of medieval castles in Europe to the re-creation of a 30-ton Roman war machine for BBC Television. Gord has worked at many diverse locations including the equatorial jungles of Suriname and the Ross Sea area of Antarctica where he has spent nine seasons and more than a year ‘on the ice’.
Gord is an instructor with the Cultural Resource Management Program at the University of Victoria where he teaches practical building conservation, and an instructor with the International Course on Wood Conservation Technology at Riksantikvaren, Norway. He is the Canadian representative to the International Wood Council, and an Expert Member of the International Polar Heritage Committee (both Special Scientific Committees of ICOMOS). Gord is the President of Heritage BC, the founder of the specialist carpentry company Macdonald & Lawrence (M&L) and a partner with Heritageworks Ltd. an international heritage conservation company based on Vancouver Island, BC. Gord is currently undertaking doctoral research with the Department of Archaeology and Ancient History at University of Leicester; his thesis relates to the impacts of global climate change on polar heritage and examines the ways that technology and citizen science might play a role in creating a new methodological approach to interacting with imperiled heritage sites.” |
John MacFarlane |
| As Director of The Nauticapedia Project John is realizing a dream dating back to 1976 to highlight the defining stories of British Columbia’s nautical heritage. He was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, (London U.K.) in 1994. He is the scion of three generations of Pacific coast tug boaters and naval officers. He is a retired Director of the Maritime Museum of British Columbia in Victoria BC and is now the Curator Emeritus. John is the author of numerous books and articles on maritime, naval and aviation topics. |
Pamela Madoff |
| An involvement in community activism, particularly related to heritage issues, led to Pamela serving on Victoria City Council for 25 years. During that time she advocated on behalf of heritage issues, urban planning and arts and culture. She was the BC Governor on the Heritage Canada Foundation and Vice- Chair of the B.C. Heritage Trust. She is currently Chair of Victoria’s Heritage Advisory Panel and a member of the Advisory Design Panel. She also sits on the boards of the Victoria Civic Heritage Trust and the Victoria Heritage Foundation. She has also returned to community activism working with, and supporting, neighbourhood associations and residents, with issues related to heritage and planning. |
Sophia Maher |
| Sophia Maher has just returned to Nanaimo from Edmonton where she and her family lived and worked for the past 5 years. While there Sophia worked at Fort Edmonton Park, a large living history museum, as the Managing Director of Visitor Experiences. She was honoured to have the opportunity to work with representatives from the Confederacy of Treaty 6 First Nations and the Metis Nation of Alberta on the development of new programming and exhibits at the Park. Previous to that she spent a number of years working at the Capilano Suspension Bridge and while there worked closely with First Nations artists and teachers. Sophia is now back in Nanaimo, grateful to be living on the traditional territory of the Snuneymuxw First Nation, and is the manager of the Nanaimo Museum. |
Geraldine Manson |
| A member of Snuneymuxw First Nation was appointed as the first full-time VIU Faculty, Elder-in-Residence in 2012. The Elder-in-Residence position provides guidance and support to Aboriginal and non- Aboriginal students, including sharing traditional knowledge, protocols and practices to the Faculty of Health and Human Services (HHS). C’tasi:a previous role 17 years as an Elder’s Co-ordinator for her community.
A key part of Manson’s role as Elder-in-Resident is assisting in the understanding of Indigenous Knowledge weaving where necessary into VIU curriculum. Geraldine’s activities across campus is co-teaching, participating in class lectures and opening special events hosted by VIU. |
Charlotte McCarroll
| Charlotte McCarroll moved to Canada 4 years ago from a small village in Normandy, France. She is currently Executive Director at the community French radio station in Victoria. “History has always been a very important part of my life. Growing up, my grand-parents would always talk about WW2, German occupation, and D-Day. Remembering was — and still is — very important to understanding my heritage. I’m proud today to be able to promote French heritage in another part of the world.” |
Brian McLoughlin |
| Brian McLoughlin is currently a Master of Community Planning student at Vancouver Island University. He has a background in local government administration, utilities, and city planning. Before studying at VIU, Brian worked with community groups on placemaking projects, which reinforced neighbourhood character and identity through improvements to public space. He is passionate about community engagement, policy, and the design of public space which is the focus of his academic study. |
Judith Mosley
| Judith Mosley is the Executive Director of Vancouver Heritage Foundation. She has a degree in History from the University of Cambridge and an MSc in Conservation of Historic Buildings from the University of Bath. She has been a member of the Canadian Association of Heritage Professionals since 2016. Judith’s career experience includes 17 years in marketing and business management in the UK and Canada.Vancouver Heritage Foundation promotes the appreciation and conservation of historic places in Vancouver through educational programming, online resources, projects and grants. Along with over fifty public events each year, recent initiatives have included a homeowners guide to building code requirements, a financial incentives study, a new energy-efficiency grant program, a neighbourhood heritage tour, and interactive web tools that help people learn about the history and heritage of Vancouver. |
Christine Meutzner |
| Christine Meutzner has been the Archivist at the Nanaimo Community Archives since 1996. In that capacity, she has processed 1000s or records and served 1000s of researchers. Meutzner served on the Nanaimo Community Heritage Commission from 1996-2016 and has written over 200 Statements of Significance for mid-island municipalities. Currently, Meutzner is a director of the Friends of Morden Mine and Nanaimo Historical Societies. |
Tania Muir |
| As the Director of the Cultural Resource Management Program at the University of Victoria, Tania Muir oversees a range of educational programs for emerging and midcareer professionals in the museum, heritage and cultural sector including a Diploma in Cultural Resource Management, Professional Specialization Certificate in Collections Management, and Certificate in Aboriginal Language Revitalization. Tania’s educational and professional path has been guided by her passion for arts, culture and education. She has spent her career in the cultural heritage sector working in the museums and galleries in the areas of education, public programming, community engagement, and communications. In addition to her current role at the University of Victoria, Tania also serves as the current President of the BC Museums Association. Formerly managed her family’s packaging company and is now a conscious developer. |
Nav Nagra |
| Nav brings her positive energy and a keen eye for detail to her role as Communications & Events Manager. She enjoys putting the awesomeness of Vantage Point on paper and looks forward to humble-bragging all about our upcoming projects. Nav completed an Associate of Arts in Creative Writing at Douglas College and an undergrad in English and Communications at Simon Fraser University. Nav is passionate about creative writing and finding avenues to explore the creative process. Since Nav was 13 years old she has been an avid volunteer and loves the positive mindset and passion she finds in the not-for-profit sector. Nav was part of the organizing team for Papergirl Vancouver for 3 years and is a collective member at Room Magazine. Nav is the Communications & Events Manager for Vantage Point. |
Andrew Pape-Salmon |
| Andrew Pape-Salmon is the Executive Director of the Building and Safety Standards Branch with the BC Government. The Branch is responsible for: · The Building Act and building regulations such as the BC Building, Plumbing and Fire Codes, including the Energy Step Code which provides a technical roadmap to net-zero energy construction. · Homeowner Protection Act, including home warranty insurance and builder licensing. · Safety Standards Act, including the electrical and gas codes. Andrew is a Professional Engineer with a Master’s Degree in Resource and Environmental Management, specializing in building, energy and resource economics and policy. He has worked with several municipalities on energy planning and strategy, including an assignment with the City of Victoria to evaluate deep-energy retrofit opportunities for heritage buildings. He also developed a program design paper for Heritage BC. |
Britney Quail |
| Britney Quail is the Heritage Planner at the City of New Westminster. In this capacity, she administers the City’s Heritage Conservation Area, Historic Districts, Heritage Revitalization Agreement program, and a variety of protected properties. She has a Master’s degree in Community and Regional Planning from UBC and an Honours degree in Public Policy from Carleton University. Britney has been working in the heritage sector for eight years between museums, historic sites, education, and community planning, though currently specializes in development policy and long range planning. Britney is Past President of the BC Heritage Fairs Society, a Heritage BC award-winning program form youth engagement in local history, and past Chair of the City of Richmond’s Community Heritage Commission. |
Jessica Quan |
| Jessica is a third-generation Chinese Canadian and Sansei (Japanese Canadian) who grew up in Vancouver. After a B.A. Literature and Art History along with a Bachelor of Education, she worked in semi-rural Japan, and lived in London, UK volunteering as a docent at the Handel House Museum and Fenton House. Living abroad solidified her love of heritage, architecture, history, and arts and culture- and upon returning to Vancouver, she became involved in various heritage organizations. She has been working at Vancouver Heritage Foundation since 2011 managing the Places That Matter project, Heritage Site Finder Interactive Map, and most recently the Heritage Study Guide for Schools. Jessica (on occasion) uses her kids ages 5 and 3, to see what peaks their interest when it comes to heritage and history. |
Dian Ross |
Work experience with the Province of B.C.:
A member of the family responsible for Emily Carr House, Dian Ross has a life long interest in built heritage. She recently co-authored with Alistair Lauder, Emily Carr Intellectual Property: Opportunities for Emily Carr House. |
Laura Saimoto |
| Laura Saimoto is an Alumni and board member of the Vancouver Japanese Language School & Japanese Hall. She was the project chair of the Heritage Daycare Renovation Project which renovated their 1928 Heritage Building to transform it into Children’s World Childcare Care, a licensed childcare facility in 2012. She was also the project chair of the Japanese Canadian Legacy Committee which manifested and executed the Highway Legacy Signage Project in partnership with the Ministry of Transportation in 2018. |
Chris Sholberg |
| Chris Sholberg is the City of Nanaimo’s Culture/Heritage Planner. He has been employed in various planning positions with the City of Nanaimo since 1992, including posts as the City’s Land Use and Community Planner. Since 1999, he has administered the City’s Heritage Conservation Program and since 2014 has served as the City’s Culture Planner as part of the Community and Cultural Planning section. |
John Y. Somogyi-Csizmazia |
| John Y. Somogyi-Csizmazia is an archaeologist that has worked from the sands of Petra in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to the sub-arctic historical site of York Factory on the shores of the Hudson Bay. Mr. Somogyi has over 20 years of diversified international, national and local experience in assessments relating to cultural/heritage resource management and planning in both the private and public sectors.He has recently participated in a report titled “Safeguarding Canada’s Indigenous History and Heritage”. Mr. Somogyi enjoys looking at holistic and creative problem-solving methods in everchanging and challenging environments. He is currently based out of Victoria B.C. where he runs he own consulting company. |
Maria Stanborough |
| Maria Stanborough is a registered urban planner and planning consultant. For 3 years she was the City of Kelowna’s heritage planner where she developed a love of heritage, and a curiosity as to how to make heritage planning more inclusive. Through her current work as a planning consultant she focuses on how to create inclusive, innovative and exciting places to work, play and visit. She approaches heritage from the perspective of how to engage all sectors of the community, and how to represent the diversity of our communities’ histories. |
Katt Stearns |
| We all have a story to tell. Sharing it in a manner that educates, empowers, entertains and engages your audience requires Strategic Social. Katt Stearns is the founder of Katt Stearns Consulting. She has worked with numerous small and medium sized organizations helping them develop marketing strategies that share their stories and grow their organizations. She has a passion for the business of digital and social media marketing and loves to share this. Katt is the recipient of the 2015 Canadian Digital Marketer of the Year Award and was also nominated for the 2014 British Columbia Small Business Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year. |
Kamala Todd |
| Kamala Todd is Metis-Cree with roots in St. Paul de Métis Settlement and Whitefish Lake Alberta. She was born and raised in the beautiful homelands of the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓- and Skwxwú7mesh-speaking people, also known as Vancouver. Kamala is a community planner, filmmaker, writer and curator with a Masters degree in cultural Geography (UBC). For six years she was the City of Vancouver’s Aboriginal Social Planner (2000-2006), and she has recently returned to the City as the Indigenous Arts and Culture Planner. Kamala’s film credits include Indigenous Plant Diva, Cedar and Bamboo, RELAW: Living Indigenous Laws, and an Indigenous law video series for the Indigenous Law Research Unit. She writes and directs for children’s television, including the Indigenous science series Coyote’s Crazy Smart Science Show on APTN. She is the author of “This Many-storied Land”, in In This Together: Fifteen Stories of Truth and Reconciliation and a ground-breaking report for Vancouver Park Board entitled, Truth-Telling: Indigenous Perspectives on Working with Municipal Governments. Kamala has curated special events and exhibits for such groups as Indian Summer Festival, David Suzuki Foundation, and the Roundhouse. She is also a Gladue Report Writer with BC Legal Services. Kamala is the proud and grateful mother of Kai and Anostin, emerging artists and storytellers themselves! |
Yvonne Vander Kooi |
| Yvonne Vander Kooi has lived and worked as an artist and educator on Vancouver Island for the past 20 years. Originally from Ontario, Yvonne holds a bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts and has continued her studies here and in Toronto. She served on the Board of Directors at the Nanaimo Art Gallery when she first came to the island and has been an active member of the Nanaimo art scene for many years. In recent years, Yvonne has led numerous community public art projects including the painting of large- scale murals and delivering innovative art programming in a variety of settings. |