Research and Innovation Symposium 2024 Speakers

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Conference Speakers

Speaker	Biography
Dale Booth Owner and President, Innovation Seven	Dale Booth is the Owner and President of Innovation Seven, a registered Indigenous Business, located in Pikwakanagan, ON., which is 100% First Nations owned and operated and is PSIB compliant. Dale is an expert in Infrastructure procurements, totalling over $5.5B in transactions, across all stages of their development. With more than 20 years of experience working with Indigenous people, all levels of governments and in the construction industry, he is known as a visionary leader with special and tested talents for shaping productive, cooperative working environments by eliminating deficits and creating a successful corporate vision for the future. Dale has 15 years’ experience in the provision of advisory services to public sector clients and First Nations communities related to infrastructure development using alternative procurement solutions such as P3, ASD, and AFP. In addition, Dale has held senior positions within the Department of Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada, and the Assembly of First Nations as the Chief Executive Officer and Director of Economic Development. He has demonstrated keen abilities in the areas of effective strategic planning, operational management, and financial management. To find out more about Dale and Innovation 7, click here
Hannah Brais Head of Research, Old Brewery Mission Montreal	Hannah Brais is the head of research at the Old Brewery Mission, Quebec's largest homeless service provider, where she oversees research to inform and evaluate frontline practices. More broadly, her research is concerned with programming and policy solutions for people across the housing continuum. She is concurrently a doctoral candidate at McGill University in the geography department and a member of the National Advisory Council on Poverty. She resides in Tiohtià:ke (Montréal) with her partner, son, and two cats. To find out more about the Old Brewery Mission Montreal, click here
Jamey Burr Senior Consultant, Innovation Seven	Jamey specializes in helping Indigenous communities and organizations find new ways to address their infrastructure and capacity issues. He has considerable proven experience advising government organizations on how to improve their effectiveness while working with Indigenous partners. With 30 years of service to Indigenous communities, he is skilled at assisting his clients in building partnerships across all levels of government and the private sector with the goal of finding lasting solutions to complex socio-economic challenges. Jamey brings his extensive background in affordable housing, energy projects, skills development and community infrastructure. Jamey has held executive positions with Indigenous Services Canada, PPP Canada, the National Secretariat on Homelessness, and Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, where in each organization he led partnership development teams dedicated to finding alternate solutions. In recent years, his consulting clients have included First Nations, national and regional Indigenous organizations, federal and provincial governments, and non-profit organizations serving vulnerable populations. To find out more about Innovation Seven and Jamey, click here.
Dr. Marco Chitti Postdoctoral Researcher, McGill University; Fellow, NYU Marron Institute of Urban Management	Marco Chitti is an FRQSC Postdoctoral Researcher at McGill University and a Fellow at the Marron Institute of Urban Management at New York University. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Montreal, where he was honored with a Vanier CGS scholarship. Marco's research delves into the international diffusion of practices and ideas in urban planning, as well as transit project planning, design, and implementation from a global perspective. Notably, he co-authored the Transit Cost Project, a comprehensive study investigating the factors contributing to the wide international variability in capital costs of transit infrastructure. His focus extends to understanding why transit projects tend to be more costly to build in countries like Canada and the US compared to their international counterparts. Currently, Marco is exploring diverse topics including surface transit speed, reliability, and priority, mode choice, and transit governance. His overarching aim is to leverage insights from global best practices to enhance transit efficiency and effectiveness within the Canadian context. To find out more about Dr. Chitti, click here.
Sreekanta Das PhD, PEng (AB), Professor Associate Dean – Research and Graduate Studies Chair, Z Modular Centre of Innovation and Sustainable Modular Construction Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering University of Windsor	Dr. Sreekanta Das, Professor of Civil Engineering and Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Studies at the University of Windsor, is a distinguished expert in the field of innovative construction technologies, with a particular focus on 3D printing and modular or offsite construction. His extensive background includes roles as a Defence Scientist for Canada's Department of National Defence, a structural engineer in India, and a researcher in Australia, enriching his work with a global perspective. Dr. Das has been researching steel modular construction for over 10 years. He chairs the Z Modular Centre of Innovation and Sustainable Modular Construction at the University of Windsor, where he leads projects focused on rapidly building affordable, structurally sound, and environmentally sustainable steel modular apartment buildings. His team in collaboration with Habitat for Humanity Windsor-Essex and nidus3D completed Canada’s first 3D-printed housing project which was financially supported by CMHC. He is currently testing 3D-printed walls and beams for strength, thermal resistance, and durability. Actively involved with renowned international organizations like ISO and ASTM, he contributes to developing building design standards for 3D-printed homes. Dr. Das’ research efforts are directed towards fostering automation in the construction industry, boosting Canada's global competitiveness, and creating housing solutions that are affordable, equitable, environmentally sustainable, and accessible. Furthermore, Dr. Das is at the forefront of developing sustainable construction materials from clay and waste products, aiming to lower the construction industry's carbon footprint and align with Canada’s goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. To find out more about Dr. Das, click here.
Stefania Di Mauro-Nava Director of Development, Metrolab	Stefania serves as MetroLab's Director of Development, focused on curating and implementing federal, philanthropic, and corporate development efforts for the organization. Prior to this role, Stefania served in several other capacities at MetroLab, helping to deploy programs, creating communications content, and implementing MetroLab’s Data Science and Human Services portfolio among other activities. Stefania has spent her career working at the nexus of science, technology and society, forging bridges between technical and nontechnical communities in this space. Prior to MetroLab, she served as a Science & Innovation Officer at the British Consulate-General in San Francisco and as an External Development Manager at CRDF Global in Arlington, VA. Stefania is a certified project management professional (PMP) and holds a M.A. in International Science and Technology Policy from George Washington University and a B.A. in International Studies from American University. To find out more about Stefania and Metrolab, click here
Zahra Ebrahim Co-Founder, Monumental	Zahra Ebrahim is the Co-Founder of Monumental. She is a public interest designer and strategist, and an established bridge builder across grassroots and institutional spaces. Her work has focused on community-led approaches to policy, infrastructure, and service design. Prior to Monumental, she built and led Doblin Canada, Deloitte’s Human-Centred Design practice. In her early career, Zahra led one of Canada’s first social design studios, working with communities to co-design towards better social outcomes, leading some of Canada’s most ambitious participatory infrastructure and policy programs. Zahra is currently an Urbanist-in-Residence at the University of Toronto’s School of Cities, and an Adjunct Professor at the Daniels School of Architecture . She has been recognized as a Next City Vanguard Civic Leader, Ascend Canada’s Mentor of the Year, one of WXN’s Top 100 Women in Canadian Business, and most recently recognized as one of the Urban Land Institute’s WLI Champions. Zahra is currently a Board member of the Toronto Arts Council, and the Board Chair for Park People. To find out more about Zahra and Monumental, click here.
Ursula Eicker Canada Excellence Research Chair (CERC) in Smart, Sustainable and Resilient Communities and Cities	Ursula Eicker is the Canada Excellence Research Chair (CERC) in Smart, Sustainable and Resilient Communities and Cities and Founder and Director of the Next-Generation Cities Institute at Concordia University in Montréal. She works on decarbonization strategies for cities using living labs and urban digital twins for scenario modeling, user engagement and operational optimization.   Her research interests cover zero emission and smart cities, renewable energy integration, and sustainable urban infrastructure. With a team of about 50 graduate students and software developers she is working on multiple eco-district projects in Canada and builds the urban modeling and data analytics platform Tools4Cities. To engage users, 3D city models can be accessed via web interfaces or immersive gamification tools. Prof. Eicker has published 8 books, 20 book contributions, over 140 Peer-Reviewed Papers and more than 340 Conference Papers. To find out more about Prof Eicker and CERC, click here
Dr. Colin Ellard Professor, University of Waterloo	Colin Ellard is a cognitive neuroscientist at the University of Waterloo and director of its Urban Realities Laboratory.  Ellard works at the intersection of urban and architectural design and experimental psychology.  He has developed a novel set of methods by which the human response to the built environment can be measured using a toolkit consisting of both traditional psychological methods and sensor-based measurements of physiology and brain function.  Ellard publishes his work frequently in the peer-reviewed scientific literature but he also engages in extensive knowledge mobilization work involving collaboration and partnership with architects, museums and other NGOs. Ellard is an Urban Design and Mental Health Fellow, a Salzburg Global Fellow and an editor of the Journal of Environmental Psychology and the Journal of Urban Design and Mental Health. Ellard’s most recent book is Places of the Heart (Bellevue Literary Press, 2015). To find out more about Colin, click here
Suzanne Faiza Knowledge and Partnerships Lead, Tapestry community Capital	Suzanne Faiza (B.A.S, MSc.Pl.) is an urban planner, and community finance practitioner and  researcher, based out of Toronto (Tkaronto), Canada. She currently works as Knowledge Lead at Tapestry Community Capital where she builds knowledge around community finance and community bonds through research, education and policy advocacy. She works to build the strategic partnerships that enable such knowledge-mobilization to take place. She has previously been the Project Coordinator for Fairbnb Coop Canada and a community organizer with Coming Together Vancouver (a mutual aid organization launched at the beginning of COVID-19. Suzanne’s overall work aims to build a robust alternative to current economic paradigms: a healthy social/solidarity economy. To find out more about Tapestry and Suzanne, click here.
Dr. Adam Found Metropolitan City Fellow, C.D. Howe Institute and sessional lecturer in Economics at Trent University	A recognized expert in municipal finance, Adam Found holds a PhD in economics from the University of Toronto and a Professional Land Economist designation from the Association of Ontario Land Economists. He has written several peer-reviewed publications and engaged media on such topics as property taxation, development charges, tax increment financing, municipal governance, and business tax competitiveness. As Manager of Corporate Assets at the City of Kawartha Lakes, Adam oversees the City’s capital planning, capital budgeting, and development charges portfolios, and in 2023 he was elected to serve as Vice President and President of the Municipal Finance Officers’ Association of Ontario for 2024 and 2025, respectively. He is also a Research Fellow at the C.D. Howe Institute, a part-time faculty member at Trent University’s Department of Economics, and a public finance consultant specializing in municipal finance. As a professional economist and an advocate for municipalities’ autonomy and self-reliance, Adam continues to work in the public finance field through the municipal, academic, public policy, and consulting sectors. To find out more about Adam, click here
Lisa Helps Executive Lead, BC Builds Project Origination and Process Innovation, BC Housing	Lisa is currently working as Executive Lead BC Builds Project Origination and Process Innovation at BC Housing. Previously she was the Housing Solutions Advisor to Premier Eby for the start-up of BC Builds, a new housing program that uses public land, low-cost financing, and other innovative tools to get more housing built more quickly for working people in B.C. Prior to that she was a two-term Mayor of Victoria, British Columbia. As Mayor, Lisa worked hard to create deep collaboration across the community to get Victoria ready for the future and built connection across the Province as Co-Chair of the BC Urban Mayors Caucus to advance shared priorities for cities. Areas of focus included economic development and prosperity, housing, climate action, resilient infrastructure, and reconciliation. To find our more about Lisa, click here
Dr. Craig Jones Associate Director, Housing Research Collaborative, The University of British Columbia	Dr. Craig Jones is the Associate Director of the Housing Research Collaborative (HRC) and the Housing Assessment Resource Tools (HART) project. Through the HRC, Craig supports research on rental housing, evictions, land use, and redevelopment. The HART project develops standardized, replicable, and equity-focused tools, along with associated public information and training, to improve the quality of housing supply decision-making at all levels of government across Canada. Craig is also a published researcher with work in several academic journals including The Canadian Geographer, Housing Policy Debate, and the Who Does What Series on The Municipal Role In Housing among others. Craig received his PhD, MA, and BA from UBC’s Department of Geography and previously taught at the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, and Langara College. To find out more about Craig, click here.
Jonathan Kipling Consultant, Innovation Seven	Jonathan is a consultant with Innovation Seven and a member of Natotkamegwanning First Nation. He has earned a Master of Arts degree in English Literature through his studies at the University of Ottawa, during which he worked extensively with Seven Generations Education Institute in Kenora Ontario. As both an Instructor and an Employment Navigator Jonathan has experience working one-on-one with barriers preventing Indigenous employment and hindering workforce growth. He excels in identifying personal values and experiences to support individuals struggling to balance the demands of employment and life, most prominently in developing and teaching Workforce Literacy and Essential Skills initiatives for unemployed Indigenous Individuals and youth, sharing the tools and knowledge needed to surmount modern workplace expectations without sacrificing identity or agency. With Innovation Seven Jonathan approaches every project and client with this same level of care to provide expertise that is consistent and reflective of the Seven Grandfather Teachings.   To find out more about Jonathan and Innovation Seven, click here.
Dr. Catherine Leviten-Reid Associate Professor, Community Economic Development, Cape Breton University	Catherine Leviten-Reid is an associate professor at Cape Breton University, and teaches in the MBA in Community Economic Development program. She is also a research associate with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives – Nova Scotia office. Catherine does research on affordable housing, homelessness, the social economy and community development, primarily in partnership with community-based organizations. She is currently leading a five-year, pan-Canadian, SSHRC-CMHC partnership grant on affordable housing for those in greatest need. She is also lead of a Community University Housing Research Lab, located in a community development corporation in downtown Sydney, NS.   To find out more about Dr. Leviten-Reid, click here.
Sindhu Mahadevan, AIBC, LEED AP BD+C, CPHD Studio Lead and Head of Research + Development, Michael Green Architecture	Sindhu has over ten years of experience in designing and delivering innovative, high-performance, mass timber projects, and a demonstrated history of developing strategic research and knowledge-sharing initiatives in architecture. Having led a broad range of typologies, including academic, residential and office projects in Canada and USA, Sindhu has a commitment to successful project delivery through innovative material choices, collaborative design processes, and thoughtful management strategies. In parallel, she contributes to various speaking engagements and industry publications on low-carbon design, prefabrication, and material circularity, and strengthens MGA's R+D expertise and strategic research partnerships To find out more about Sindhu and MGA, click here.
Dr. Jayne Malenfant Professor at the Faculty of Education, McGill University in Tio'tiá:ke / Montreal	Jayne Malenfant is an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Education, McGill University in Tio'tiá:ke/Montreal. They are from Kapuskasing, Ontario. Their research focuses on the intersections of the right to education and right to housing, research leadership by people with lived and living experience of homelessness, and the experiences of Two-Spirit, trans, and non-binary communities navigating housing precarity. To find out more about Jayne and McGill University, click here.
Katie Maslechko Chief Executive Officer, BC Rental Protection Fund	Katie Maslechko is the Chief Executive Officer of the Rental Protection Fund, the $500-million Fund established by the Province of British Columbia, which provides equity investments to non-profit housing providers to support the preservation of existing, unsubsidized affordable housing (NOAH) through acquisition and renewal, while expanding the capacity of the community housing sector across the Province of B.C. She finds great passion in, and has a strong track record of, strategic partnerships across the private development, non-profit and government sectors to deliver innovative, community-building projects. In her prior role as Director of Development for a local developer, Katie was at the helm of groundbreaking projects in a variety of sectors and asset classes including: several public-private affordable housing partnerships, Vancouver’s first purpose-built Life Sciences laboratory and manufacturing facilities, and the award-winning MEC Flagship, the largest retail application of mass-timber construction. She has also worked with a New York City non-profit developer delivering facilities for charter schools in underserved neighborhoods through unique development and financing strategies. Katie is the Chair of the Urban Land Institute’s Public-Private Partnership Product Council (Gold Flight), as well as ULI Americas YLG/NEXT Advisory Board and ULI BC’s Management Committee as Chair of DEI+R. She previously served as the Americas Co-Chair of ULI Americas Young Leaders Group, and as Board Director for a non-profit housing society in Vancouver. To find out more about Katie and BC Retal Protection Fund, click here.
James McKellar Professor Emeritus, Schulich School of Business, York University	James McKellar, was Associate Dean, Schulich School of Business, York University, and Professor in the Brookfield Centre in Real Estate and Infrastructure. Prior to joining York University, he was a faculty member at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and also held faculty appointments at the University of Pennsylvania and Johns Hopkins University. He has lectured at universities in North America, Asia and Europe and addressed various industry and government groups across the world. Professor McKellar has a life‐long involvement in many parts of the world on housing, development, finance and investment, asset management, and market performance. He served as Technical Advisor to the Third International Shelter Conference, 1990, sponsored by the U.N. On the practical side, he was also a home builder. For the past decade his teaching and research has focused on private investments in infrastructure and recently released Infrastructure as Business: The Role of Private Investment Capital, Routledge, September 2023. To find out more about James and Schulich School of Business, click here.
Craig Mitchell Principal, BlackBox Offsite Sollutions Partner & Project Development Lead, 720 Modular	Craig Mitchell is passionate about modular and off-site construction.  He has spent 28 years in the modular construction industry with the last decade in senior management roles working with clients in both Canada and the US.  He has been part of project teams that have delivered hundreds of temporary and permanent modular buildings worth nearly $1 Billion including a number of ‘firsts’ in the use of modular construction in Canada. He is currently the Principal of his offsite construction advocacy company - BlackBox Offsite Solutions and Partner / Project Development Lead for 720 Modular, a leader in modular project execution across Canada.  He has held board roles with both the Modular Building Institute (MBI) and with the Vancouver Regional Construction Association (VRCA), where in 2022, he served as Chair of the Board of Directors at the VRCA. Often called upon by media to provide his insights on the adoption of offsite and modular construction in Canada, he also authored “The State of Prefabrication in Canada” in 2022. He welcomes any conversation about how to leverage the power of offsite construction toward achieving high-performance targets in construction. To find out more about Craig, click here
Adam Mongrain Director - Housing Policy, Vivre en Ville	As an expert and manager, he has contributed, among other things, to the Housing and Climate Task Force; the central coordinating committee of the Balanced Supply of Housing Research Collaborative; the PORTES Solution Lab for housing affordability and sustainability; and the document PORTES OUVERTES - Pour une sortie de crise durable en habitation. Adam is supported by a team of experts from the fields of research, private and non-profit real estate development, urban and regional planning, and from the cooperative movement. Before joining Vivre en Ville, Adam accumulated over 10 years' experience in software development and project management. He has also been working on the institutionalization of a rental register since 2018. To find out more about Adam, click here.
Steven Robins Head of Strategy, Canada Infrastructure Bank (“CIB”)	Steven Robins has been the Head of Strategy at the Canada Infrastructure Bank (“CIB”) since December 2020. In this capacity, Steven leads the strategy team and is responsible for impact measurement, our Investment Framework, our overall portfolio strategy and the identification of new opportunities to achieve the CIB’s priority outcomes. Before joining the CIB, Steven was the Commercial Program Director for the Ontario Subway expansion at Infrastructure Ontario, where he stood up the commercial team to structure and deliver four planned subway extensions in Toronto and led the team to commence procurements on-schedule. Prior to joining Infrastructure Ontario, Steven was an Engagement Manager at McKinsey & Company in Toronto, where he led client engagements for electric and gas utilities, and infrastructure clients on energy transition strategy and capital program delivery. Steven also holds an MBA and a Masters in Public Policy from Harvard University, where he graduated as a Baker Scholar. He also received an Honours Degree in Business Administration from the University of Western Ontario. To find out more about the Canada Infrastructure Bank and Steven, click here.
Mary Rowe President and CEO, Canadian Urban Institute	For over 30 years, Mary has acted as an impassioned civic leader and a leading urban advocate championing place-based approaches to building livable and resilient cities. Living in Canada and the United States, Mary has supported a wide range of policy transformation efforts and has led local, national and international urban initiatives such as the self-organizing initiatives that emerged in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina, the initial development of Re-Imagining the Civic Commons in key cities across North America, and the engagement components of HUD-supported Rebuild by Design that informed the creation of the 100 Resilient Cities program of the Rockefeller Foundation. She is also Senior Fellow with Shorefast and is a frequent contributor to national and international city-building programs such as UN Habitat, Ottawa City Building Summit, Livable Cities Forum, Mansueto Institute Summit, the Art of City Building, and the inaugural meeting of the G7 Urban Development Ministers in Potsdam, Germany.   Under Mary’s leadership, CUI has expanded its work to include an international network from government, industry, community and city-building professions to advance research and collaborate on solutions to some of our greatest urban challenges. To learn more about Mary and the CUI, click here.
Jeanhy Shim President of Housing Lab Toronto	For over 30 years, Jeanhy has been involved in a wide range of real estate development activities in the Toronto Region and southern Ontario, including land acquisition, market research, project feasibility analysis, master-planning, project design development, marketing strategy and sales launch. Currently, Jeanhy is President of Housing Lab Toronto – an independent market research and development consulting firm, as well as founder of two non-profit start-ups: Crosswalk Communities – an affordable rental housing development company; and Divercities –an affordable retail and commercial space solutions advisory firm. In her community, Jeanhy teaches a graduate course on affordable housing development at the University of Toronto, where she also serves on the Advisory Board of the Infrastructure Institute at the School of Cities. Recently, she completed a 7-year term on the Board of Directors of Waterfront Toronto – a tri-government agency transforming 800 hectares of waterfront lands. Jeanhy holds a B.A. from McGill University in Montreal and a Master’s degree from London School of Economics and Political Science in England To learn more about Jeanhy, click here.
Conrad Speckert Architect, LGA Architectural Partners	Conrad is an intern architect at LGA Architectural Partners in Toronto with degrees from McGill and Waterloo. He is leading a CMHC-sponsored research project to develop alternative solutions to the building code requirement for two staircases in small multi-unit residential buildings and has proposed a corresponding change to the National Building Code of Canada. This was a recommendation of the 2023 National Housing Accord, the 2022 Ontario Housing Affordability Task Force and the original 2010 City of Toronto Midrise Performance Standards. The work has also been presented at conferences of the Canadian Home Builders’ Association, Urban Land Institute,  Building Officials Association of British Columbia, Ontario Association of Architects and the Society of Fire Protection Engineers. Conrad originally joined LGA as project manager for ‘ReHousing’ - a collaboration with the University of Toronto to visualize gentle density and zoning by-law reform for “missing middle” housing and previously worked for other architects in Toronto, Vancouver, Berlin, and Tokyo. To learn more about Conrad, click here.
Natalie Telewiak Architect, AIBC, AIA Principal, Michael Green Architecture (MGA)	With an education in both architecture and engineering, Natalie’s approach to design is rooted in material logic, collaboration, and connection. As a Principal at MGA since 2018, she leads and inspires her team to deliver elegant solutions that marry structure, systems, manufacturing, and architecture. Natalie focuses on the potential for design to foster community, enhance health and well-being, and connect us back to nature by creating projects that are meaningful, innovative, and more sustainable. Natalie’s career highlights include the Governor General award-winning Ronald McDonald House in Vancouver and a mass timber, multi-activity centre in Gallivare, Sweden. She is currently working on several large-scale international projects, including Google’s first mass timber office development in California. To learn more about Natalie and MGA, click here.
Amina Yasin Director of Public Hearings and Planning at Simon Fraser University – Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue, Renovate the Public Hearing Program and Fellow in urban planning, civic engagement, and housing, as well as Co-Chair Commissioner of the Vancouver City Planning Commission.	Amina Yasin is an award-winning senior urban planner and community advocate with a decade of experience in community, land use, and affordable housing development across Canada. Currently, she serves as the Director of Public Hearings and Planning at Simon Fraser University – Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue, Renovate the Public Hearing Initiative and is a Fellow in urban planning, civic engagement, and housing. Yasin is a sought-after speaker on topics such as affordable housing, civic engagement, aging-in-place, dementia-friendly urban design, policy planning, and active transportation, with an emphasis on researching and unpacking urban inequity, disability justice, and human rights in city planning. Throughout Metro Vancouver and Canada, Yasin is dedicated to advocacy and service on various boards, committees, and commissions. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy and a Master of Science in Planning and Development. She is the Co-Chair Commissioner of the Vancouver City Planning Commission, advising on planning and development issues. Additionally, she is a Board Director with Hogan’s Alley Society, a member of the YWCA City Shift Strategic Advisory Council, and a planning expert on the City of Vancouver Urban Design Panel. Yasin's contributions earned her a nomination for the 2023 YWCA Vancouver Women of Distinction Award and features in numerous media outlets including the CBC, The Guardian, Curbed and Global News. To learn more about Amina, click here.