Land Use Planning
Rob Conway – Planning, Land Use, Regulatory Procedures
Manager, Cowichan Valley Regional District’s Development Services
Rob Conway is a Registered Professional Planner living and working in the Cowichan Valley. Rob has a post graduate degree from the University of Toronto and strong interests in land economics and urban design. He has worked as a land use planner in the South Cowichan Island Region for the past 20 years in both the public and private sectors and is currently employed as the Manager of the Cowichan Valley Regional District’s Development Services Division.
Matt Thomson – Zoning , Regulatory Processes, Planning
Matt Thomson Consulting
Matt Thomson is a policy and planning consultant. He holds a Master’s Degree in Urban Planning from the UBC. He has provided research and planning services in the field of housing and homelessness to communities across BC since 2010. Matt works with senior and local governments and community stakeholders to develop housing policies and solutions. Matt also works in housing research, community and policy planning. He has both led and assisted federally and provincially-funded studies on housing and homelessness in BC. Previously, Matt worked for two years at the Social Planning and Research Council of BC. as a researcher and consultant.
Harv Weidner – Planning, Zoning, Regulatory Procedures
Developer Green Building Blocks, Former Vancouver Senior Planner
Harv Weidner is in project development at Justbiofiber Structural Solutions, an innovative new building product manufacturer. He has MA. in Urban Planning from UBC where he initially explored his interest in sustainability through his MA thesis exploring impediments to energy efficiency in new housing. He has previously worked for the City of Vancouver in a combination of roles including as a Community Planner working with communities to develop community plans and as a Project Planner working on redevelopment plans and specific land use studies in residential, industrial and commercial areas.
Financing
Mark Fulmer – Financing
Vancity Community Business Account Manager
Mark Fulner is an Account Manager for Community Business and a Business Account Manager at Vancity Credit Union since 2008 and he is also a Certified Financial Planner. Mark previously worked as a Branch Manager and Senior Commercial Credit Analyst with the Royal Bank of Canada, starting in 2001. More info
Additional advisors in this capacity will be joining the group shortly.
Legal
Ethan Krindle – Environmental Law and Legal Research
Private Practice and Legal Researcher
Ethan Krindle is a lawyer providing legal research services in environmental, aboriginal and municipal law from his Victoria office. Before entering private practice, he articled at the University of Victoria Environmental Law Centre and worked at Ecojustice. His past work includes: the powers of BC local governments to regulate mining projects; enhancing First Nations self-governance and territorial protection through protected area designations; and a forthcoming update to the Green Bylaws Toolkit.
Mary Childs- Corporate, Non Profit, and Estates Law
Ethos Law
Mary Childs is a partner with Ethos Law Group. Mary assists businesses and non-profit organizations with wide range of business law matters, including incorporation, organization and restructuring. She has law degrees from UBC law school and Oxford University. She has practiced law in two of Vancouver’s largest law firms, and maintained her own practice before co-founding Ethos Law Group in 2010. She has taught business law in universities in Canada and the UK for many years. She has volunteered at Pivot Legal Society since 2002. Her areas of practice include Business Law; Non-profit Foundation and Charity Law; Wills and Estates. More info
Jill Jacobs – Real Estate, Business and Sharing Law
Jill Jacobs Law
Jill Jacobs practices real estate and small business law for environmentally and socially friendly businesses, organizations, and individuals. She is a member of the California and Santa Cruz County Bar Associations. More info
Martha Rans – Non Profit, Corporate, Governance Law
Law for Non Profits
Martha Rans has been a lawyer since 1997. Her Vancouver-based law practice specializes in the legal needs of non-profits, charities and digital creatives. She spent 10 years as labour employment and human rights lawyer/mediator with the BC and Ontario governments. She has appeared before administrative tribunals, provincial and BC Supreme Court. She advises on charity law, incorporation, governance, privacy, employment, labour, health & safety and human rights and is an advocate for public legal education and information. She is the founder of Law for Non Profits. More info
Stay tuned to this list as our new members are joining our group.
Intentional Community Development
Doug Makaroff – Zoning, Financing, Development
Living Forest Communities
Doug Makaroff has 23 years experience as an urban planner and real estate developer, primarily focusing on applying the principles of Ecological Sustainability and New Urbanism to highly marketable real estate projects. His consulting company, Living Forest Planning Consultants Ltd., is the Development Manager for the Partnership developing Elkington Forest as a conservation community. From 1991 Doug’s urban planning consulting firm has developed a wide variety of planning studies, including the creation of urban tree preservation bylaws, comprehensive land use bylaws, development permit guidelines and official community plans. More info
Diana Leaf Christian – Group Communications, Governance, Ownership
Eco-Village News
Diana is an advocate for sustainable living in human-scale communities, especially ecovillages and other kinds of intentional communities. She focuses on ecological aspects of ecovillages as well as the economic and social/cultural/spiritual aspects. She edits and publishes a free online newsletter, Ecovillages. She wrote Creating a Life Together: Practical Tools to Grow Ecovillages and Intentional Communities (New Society Publishers, 2003) and Finding Community: How to Join an Ecovillage or Intentional Community (New Society Publishers, 2007). Diana lectures and presents workshops about starting communities, and consults about reducing conflict for existing communities. To learn more, see her website.
Bill Friedel – Governance, Ownership, Zoning, Development
Eco-Initiatives and Orca Design Ltd
Bill Friedel, is co-founder of two successful multi-million dollar eco-developments. He co-authored the Community Stewardship Development Zone model which has permanently protected hundreds of acres of forest bordering the eco-developments. Bill also brings a background in sustainable development, eco-forestry, sustainable development and zoning. Bill is passionate about helping people live in harmony with nature through sustainable development and alternative land tenure solutions.
Project Administration
Tatha Cornish – Administrative
Harmony Habitat
Volunteer Co-Director, Tatha Cornish is currently leading organizational development, communications and research while we prepare to hire management staff . She will assist with the research and team communications during the development of the land share model. Her bio is listed on this page.
Louise Takeda – Research and Strategic Advisor
Harmony Habitat
Volunteer Co-Director and Policy Analyst, Dr Louise Takeda has a PhD in Development and the Environment. She has analytical strengths in environmental and social impact assessment, ecological economics and ecological governance and environmental policy analysis. She will provide policy review support through the land partnership development. She is currently a Senior Policy Analyst with BC’s Climate Action Secretariat. Learn more about her here.
Bruce Jamieson- Accounting, Financial Analysis
Harmony Habitat
Volunteer Bruce Jamieson, CPA, CMA, MBA, has 40 years of experience working as a professional accountant in a variety of public and private sector areas. He has served as the Past National President of The Financial Management Institute of Canada and he is a Past President of the Board of the United Way of Central New Brunswick and the founder of their endowment fund known as the Forever Fund. He has also worked in economic development, developing and introducing new products to the marketplace. For the past 25 years he has been an active supporter of Ducks Unlimited Canada and now also volunteers with Oceanside Chapter in Parksville/Qualicum Beach.
Vanya Koleva CPA-CMA, MBET – Financial Analysis, Accounting
Harmony Habitat
Volunteer Financial Analyst, Vanya Koleva CPA-CMA, MBET is an Accountant with a proven track record in the non profit, business and government sectors. She has provided financial consulting and business analysis in corporate and municipal government environments as well as general accounting, financial analysis and financial reporting/auditing.
Communications
Dyan Dunsmoor Farley – Stakeholder Engagement Advisor
Wave Consulting
Wave Consulting is an independent consulting service providing management, policy and strategic support to community organizations and government agencies in the social services, health care, arts and culture and urban planning sectors. Dyan Dunsmoor Farley is the Director of Wave Consulting and has over two decades of experience supporting government and community organizations. Previously she has served as Assistant Deputy Minister for the Ministry for Children and Families, Ministry of Health Services and Ministry of Women’s Equality and as a Policy Analyst for Ministry of Social Services and Housing for eight years. More info
Chloe Straw – Communications Creative Support
Video Communications, Close to the Sun Productions
Chloë is a project manager, community development worker, adult educator and producer. With 15 years experience in the field of cross-cultural communication and community development, she has a proven ability to design and manage projects that respond to community needs, hopes and dreams. She has designed, coordinated and managed workshops and development projects on three continents and is driven by a passion for social justice and intergenerational connection. Chloe lives on Gabriola Island, where she runs a media production company with her husband, Jules Molloy.
Jules Malloy – Communications Creative Support
Video Communications, Close to the Sun Productions
Prior to starting Close to the Sun, on Gabriola Island, BC, Jules worked as Creative Director for Media Sphere in Vancouver. He created and managed digital media campaigns with high quality web and video content for clients ranging from small start-ups to established corporate clients and Canadian television broadcasters. He has written and directed work for several government agencies. He also worked as a Producer’s Assistant for Legacy Films at Lionsgate Studios in Vancouver and taught as a Mentor at the Gulf Islands Film and Television School.