Regent Park Revitilization
Ran Chen, Senior Urban Designer - Toronto & East York District, City of Toronto, Planning Division
Ran is a Senior Urban Designer with the City of Toronto, Downtown section. She holds a Bachelor degree in Architecture from Universidad de Panama and a Master degree in City Planning from Pratt Institute in New York. In her current role, she has worked on various guidelines, studies and precinct plans, including the Unilever Precinct Plan and Regent Park Revitalization projects. Prior to joining the City of Toronto, Ran worked with the Provincial Planning Policy Branch at the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing in a variety of projects under the "Why Plan" Initiative.
Before moving to Canada, Ran worked in New York City and Panama for non-for-profit planning organizations that aim to create sustainable, community-friendly developments. Ran worked later in Shanghai and was involved in the design of various Eco-Cities in Asia.
Alison Platt has worked at the The Daniels Corporation since 2015 and is currently the Director, Development. Since joining Daniels she has worked on the redevelopment of Regent Park, with her work focussed on Phase 3 of the Revitalization. This has included a number of buildings including a purpose built rental, several market condominiums, and a social housing building.
Remo Agostino, M.Sc.Pl., MCIP – Vice President, Development
Remo Agostino has over 25 years of experience in professional planning and real estate development. Remo joined Daniels in 2003 after approximately 7 years with a private planning consulting firm, specializing in land use development. Remo is a graduate of the University of Toronto, Masters in Planning program, Member of the Canadian Institute of Planners and a Member of the Urban Land Institute.
Remo is a partner at Daniels and leads a dynamic development group at Daniels. Remo analyzes land acquisition opportunities, manages developments through the development entitlement process by engaging with a diverse range of public and private stakeholders. Since 2006, Remo has been a key member of Daniels' team implementing the Regent Park Revitalization. Remo has also participated in the City of Toronto's Private Sector Affordable Housing Roundtable, which produced the report "Housing Makes Economic Sense".
Katherine Bailey, Senior Planner - Toronto & East York District, City of Toronto, Planning Division
Katherine is a Senior Planner with the City of Toronto. Her work involves reviewing development proposals within the Downtown, including Phases 4 & 5 of Regent Park as well as the West Don Lands, King-Parliament, and the Yonge Street and Bay Street corridors. Prior to joining the City, Katherine was a planning consultant at a private Toronto consulting firm.
Creating a Complete Community and Climate Resilient Downsview
Alicia Rinaldi, MES (PL.)
Alicia Rinaldi is a planner at the City of Toronto within the Strategic Initiatives section of City Planning. Alicia is part of the Update Downsview Study team, which is developing the land use, public realm, infrastructure, and economic and social development framework for the re-development of the Downsview airport lands. She is the public engagement lead for the Study, and supports the coordination and multi-disciplinary collaboration on various project deliverables and approaches. These include the Community Development Plan, Urban Design Guidelines and green infrastructure.
Alicia holds a Master in Environmental Studies (Planning) from York University and a Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) from the University of Toronto in Architectural Studies, Human Geography, and Women & Gender Studies.
Kristy Shortall, MCIP, RPP
Kristy Shortall is the Senior Vice-President of Development at Northcrest, a subsidiary of PSP Investments, with 18 years of experience in securing approvals for a variety of urban and rural development projects. Her experience includes managing and coordinating the professional and technical teams involved in the land development projects, reporting project progress; coordination, negotiation and communication with municipal/regional departments and representations; organizing public consultation sessions; assisting with development agreements and aligning development objectives with provincial and municipal regulations and guidelines. Currently working on the redevelopment of Downsview Airport, a 370-acre transformational mixed use project in the heart of Toronto. Prior to joining Northcrest, Kristy was Vice-President at Metropia, a master-planned developer specializing in mixed use communities.
David Anselmi, OALA, FCSLA
David Anselmi is Regional Director, Real Estate for Canada Lands Company CLC Limited, an arm- length, commercial Crown Corporation owned by the Government of Canada. Canada Lands Company purchases federal properties at market value, master plans, services and sells these properties in order to optimize their financial and community value. Canada Lands Company also holds and operates selected assets such as the CN Tower, Old Port of Montreal and Downsview Park.
Canada Lands Company and Downsview Park amalgamated in 2013, whereby Canada Lands Company has direct responsibility for the real estate development of the Downsview Lands, leveraging its extensive experience and proven track record in community building, along with responsibility for the ongoing capital improvements and operations of Downsview Park itself. David is responsible for the overall planning and development activities to realize the vision for the Downsview Lands as a great new urban community, combining public open space, recreation, and cultural activities with residential, commercial and institutional neighbourhoods. David is a past president of the Ontario Association of Landscape Architects serving from 1996-1998, and a Fellow of the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects. As well, David served as Chair of the City of Toronto's Public Art Commission, a member of the Toronto Community Housing Design Advisory Panel, and a member of the City of Mississauga Design Advisory Panel. David was an Associate Professor at University of Toronto, faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design from 1990-1997.
Emily Reisman
Emily is a planner and partner with Urban Strategies Inc., a Toronto-based planning and urban design studio. Urban Emily's work is focused in the GTA and she has been working with Canada Lands and Northcrest to reimagine the future of the Downsview Lands since 2018, leading the approvals process. Other large scale projects include authoring the City of Vaughan's transformative City-wide Official Plan, preparing a master plan and policy to guide the next several decades of growth on the University of Toronto's iconic St. George Campus, and the master plan for the 200 acre Lakeview Lands for the City of Mississauga. She regularly undertakes significant master planning and policy planning exercises for public and private sector clients, delighting in the complexities of urban development.
Climate Solutions Park
Jose Etcheverry, Board of Governors, York University
Jose Etcheverry, BA Hons (Geography & Environmental Studies, York), MA (Geography & Environmental Studies, U of T), PhD (Geography, U of T) is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Environmental Studies. He is Co-Chair, Sustainable Energy Initiative (SEI). His work is focused on developing practical policy solutions to climate change through collaborative efforts, particularly in strategies to develop all renewable energy sources to their full potential and in finding new ways to communicate effectively about solutions to climate change and energy problems.
As Co-Chair of SEI he is working on efforts to advance the Global Campaign for 100% Renewable Energy in key cities in Canada and internationally through the development, with the best national and international partners, the new International Renewable Energy Academy (IREA) which will provide unique opportunities based on experiential learning. His research focuses on climate change mitigation strategies, storage solutions for renewable energy, transportation and renewable energy, and sustainable energy development at York University. He is part of the Scientific Committee of the International Renewable Energy Storage Conference that is held every year in Dusseldorf, Germany. He also worked with the Work in a Warming World (W3) project on Adapting Canadian Work and Workplaces to Respond to Climate Change and with the Canadian Urban Transit Research and Innovation Consortium.
Housing, Intensification, and Climate Action in Established Areas-Mid-Rise Buildings in West Queen West
Matt Armstong, Senior Planner, Strategic Initatives, City Planner Division
Matt Armstrong is a broadly experienced urban Planner currently working in the Strategic Initiatives Unit of the City of Toronto's City Planning Division. Most of Matt's career has been spent working on planning studies including supporting and leveraging rapid transit investment, urban issues, policy development, public life studies, and urban design guidelines. Matt has also worked in development review and on projects to rapidly provide homes for people experiencing homelessness. Matt has worked for two public bodies, two private firms, and completed commissions working independently. Matt strives to be a well-rounded Planner with a solid understanding of the diversity of the field, advancing projects that consider myriad voices and make a measurable impact.
Toronto Western Hospital Wastewater Energy System
Fernando Carou, B.A.Sc, P.Eng. City of Toronto – Environment & Climate Division
Fernando is responsible for accelerating environment and climate action in Toronto through partnerships and innovation. He leads a multi-disciplinary team focused on creating, developing, and operating best-in-class programs, policies, and projects for net-zero development, electric vehicles, and renewable energy. He has lead the leveraging of municipal soft and hard assets for climate action, including innovative business models and partnerships, such as:
renewable and low carbon district energy systems,
Wastewater energy program to decarbonize buildings by displacing natural gas use.
Fernando holds an engineering degree from the University of Toronto, has sustainability training from the Harvard University Extension School, and completed courses in Advanced Local Government from Western University.
Cam Quinn, Senior Project Manager, Noventa
Cam is Senior Project Manager at Noventa and he oversees the detailed design, construction, commissioning, start-up, and operations for all of Noventa's projects, including the Wastewater Energy Transfer™ project at Toronto Western Hospital. He is a licensed Professional Chemical Engineer with over ten years of experience in the energy industry and holds a master's from the University of Cambridge. He previously worked for North West Redwater Partnership in Alberta and was involved from the conceptual design through to commercial operation of the 50,000 barrel-per-day Sturgeon Refinery. Cam is proud to be a part of a dedicated team of highly motivated individuals working to reduce our impact on our planet. Outside of work, Cam enjoys exploring the great outdoors.
Alex Sotirov, President, Noventa Management Services
Alex leads the Noventa Management Services team which oversees the construction and operation of all Noventa's renewable energy projects. He brings creative problem-solving skills and proven project delivery experience gained over 22 years with Enwave Energy, where he oversaw the design and construction of all major projects, from DLWC to the Well Project. Before joining Enwave, his career included roles at Petro-Canada, Lake Ontario Refinery (Colt Engineering), Polysar Rubber (Bayer AG Company), Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, Public Works and Government Services Canada and Ontario Hydro Nuclear Operations, Western Division. Alex has a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Waterloo.
Securing Economic Opportunity for Local Residents in the Greater Golden Mile
Tasleem Thawar, Director, Strategic Initiatives, United Way Greater Toronto
Tasleem Thawar has more than 20 years of experience working on multi-stakeholder initiatives in the not-for-profit, private, and public sectors. Prior to joining UW, she was Executive Director at PEN Canada. She is also a Freelance Strategy, Policy, and Research Consultant and has worked in Canada and internationally, including with the Museum of Immigration and Diversity, and the RSA in the UK, the Aga Khan Foundation in Tanzania, and Hitachi Ltd. in Japan. Tasleem has a Master's Degree in Environment and Development from the London School of Economics, and a Bachelor's of Commerce from Queen's University. Outside of work, she is a freelance writer of fiction, non-fiction, and book reviews.
Smart Sustainability for the Future
Jacob Kessler, Project Principal and Director of Account Management, Partnerships, and Content Production at BSI
He links and aligns all key disciplines and teams at the BSI along with partners and other stakeholders. And he is responsible for the communications and content produced through the BSI Studio. For over 20 years, Jacob has built businesses and teams in the entertainment, marketing & advertising, and technology sectors. He is an Award-winning Branding and Marketing strategist and producer.
Jacob has worked on projects and campaigns with organizations such as Audi, Live Nation, Abbott Labs, University of Toronto, Canadian Olympic Foundation, Spider-Man: The Musical, Rogers Sportsnet, Canadian Red Cross, Havergal College, and Renova. Part of his specialty has been advertising in the real estate new development market, working on branding projects for some of the top developers and sites in Canada. He is proud to have launched Plan Canada's 'Because I am a Girl' movement across Canada, which won Gold at the Cassies Awards (top Advertising Award for Results) 2 years in a row, plus became a program that rolled out around the world and influenced the UN to make October 11 as International Day of the Girl