Sustainable Communities Team

Ann Mortifee is known internationally for her passionate and honest music. Through story, song and participation, Ann inspires her audience to sense their own creative potential and the mystery of what it means to be human. Ann’s deep love and reverence for the land has caused her to support many, many initiatives on behalf of the earth and all her inhabitants. Successful composer, playwright, producer, performing and recording artist she is a founding member of both The Trust for Sustainable Forestry and the Somerset Foundation.

Dr. Murray Journeay was born and raised in the deserts of Arizona. Murray has long been fascinated by the form and evolution of landscapes and the ways in which we make sense of place through science and art. As a geologist with the Earth Science Sector of Natural Resources Canada, he has studied the architecture and evolution of mountain systems in western North America and the ways in which communities interact with this landscape.

Brian Evoy brings perspectives from both community and institutional settings. The past six years have been dedicated to ensuring external stakeholder voice in organizational decision-making processes. He has lead community engagement activities for Vancouver Coastal Health for the past four years.

Jeff Ardron is Scientific Advisor on Marine Protected Areas for the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation, in a contract with BirdLife International. His focus is on MPA modelling and collaborative protected area design, particularly in the NE Atlantic (OSPAR). He is currently Secretariat for the OSPAR MPA Intersessional Correspondence Group.

Jim MacNeill, O.C., D.Sc., LL.D. Until recently Chairman of the World Bank’s Independent Inspection Panel in Washington D.C, Dr. MacNeill is a member of the Caspian Development Advisory Panel and Chairman Emeritus of the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) in Winnipeg.

Ela Kinowska was born and raised in Poland Ela immigrated to Canada in 1990. Since her arrival in Canada, she has focused her career on two paths: civil service and photography. As a civil servant she has dedicated her work to the environment and international development, Ela’s assignments included Environment Canada, Foreign Affairs Canada and currently Natural Resources Canada. Ela speaks seven languages and has lived in four countries; she traveled extensively across Europe, Latin America and Africa.

Stephen Huddart is the Program Director of the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation in Montreal. The Foundation's granting derives from a mandate to fund national initiatives that engage people in building resilient communities – and among others includes programs in environmental and arts-infused education, technical assistance for community economic development, university-based community service learning and community leadership.

Christopher Henderson is Chief Executive Officer of The Delphi Group, Canada's leading strategic
consulting firm in the environment and clean energy sectors.

Laura Chapman is the President of Isuma Consulting Inc. The company's mission is to develop strategies for effective governance, policies and programs through its five business lines - knowledge transfer, community engagement, planning and development, communications and marketing, and organizational change. Laura has thirty years of experience in policy and research in the Government of Canada, much of it as a senior official.

Leanne Cadden is a BC-based artist that was born in 1977 in Vernon BC and spent her younger years painting under the guidance of her Great Grandmother, Di Varley. She continued her education at the University of Victoria, entering the Bachelor of Commerce program and majoring in Entrepreneurship. She successfully launched her Debut Solo Art Show in June 2002 at the Crystal Gardens and began running her own 3,000 sq ft Downtown Studio and Gallery in Victoria BC.