Business and governments are beginning to experience the impacts of climate change in a range of areas: business interruption, asset management and economic development and security. Join our animated panel of experts to look at how a changing climate is affecting the business environment and consumer lifestyles in British Columbia.
You’ll gain valuable insights on the need for formal adaptation/resilience strategies – economic, environmental and social – and how to integrate them with climate mitigation strategies, including energy conservation and efficiency.
Moderator:
Renee Smith-Valade Senior Vice-President, Customer Care and Communications, BC Hydro
Panel Members:
Brenda Goehring Corporate Environment & Sustainability Manager, BC Hydro
Deborah Harford Adaptation to Climate Change (“ACT”) Program Director, Simon Fraser University
Peter Judd General Manager of Engineering Services, City of Vancouver
Ron Macdonald Senior Environmental Engineer, Stantec Consulting
Bob Purdy Director, External Relations and Corporate Development, Fraser Basin Council
Professional Credit(s) Available
1.5 non-core
Architect Planning Institute of BC
.5 CEC
BC Society of Landscape Architects
1.5 Credit hrs
Canadian Homebuilders Association of BC
1.5 LU
Planning Institute of BC
1 CEU
Interior Designers Institute of British Columbia/Interior Designers of Canada
Senior Vice-President, Customer Care and Communications, BC Hydro | bchydro.com
Renee Smith-Valade is Senior Vice-President of Customer Care and Communications at BC Hydro. She joined BC Hydro in August 2010 as Senior Vice-President of BC Hydro’s Communications business group.
With more than 25 years of experience, Renee has held a number of senior communication roles, including Vice-President of Communications for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Also, she has senior experience in the Canadian airline industry and local government.
Renee is responsible for Power Smart and Customer Care, as well as BC Hydro’s central communications including: corporate and employee communications, capital projects communications, marketing communications, public affairs and media and government relations.
Outside of work, Renee enjoys spending time with her family, travelling and pursuing a love of running, swimming, skiing and all outdoor sports.
Brenda Goehring
Corporate Environment & Sustainability Manager, BC Hydro | bchydro.com
Having worked at BC Hydro for more than 20 years, Brenda Goehring manages the Corporate Environment & Sustainability group, which provides policy and management system oversight on BC Hydro’s environmental performance, developing strategies for the corporation to address and manage emerging issues like climate change.
She leads a team focused on the integration of BC Hydro’s management systems with an emphasis on identifying and controlling risk and assessing the implications of emerging regulations like the modernizing of the Water Act.
Also, her team works to develop mitigation and adaptation schemes for climate change, driving new initiatives and metrics to support BC Hydro’s new Mind our Footprint strategic objective. The intent of this work is to create a sustainable energy future in BC by carefully managing impacts on the environment and fostering a culture of energy conservation and efficiency.
Deborah Harford
Executive Director, Adaptation to Climate Change (“ACT”), Simon Fraser University | sfu.ca/act
As Executive Director of ACT, Deborah Harford is responsible for the development of the initiative’s pioneering vision and its unique partnerships with the public and private sectors, as well as overall coordination and management of the program.
Also, Deborah directs and produces ACT’s policy research and recommendations for effective adaptation strategies at all levels of government and industry, as well as communication and promotion of the program’s outcomes.
Through Deborah’s efforts, ACT has created networks between local, national and international climate change research practitioners, NGOs, industry representatives, varying levels of government, First Nations groups and local communities.
Deborah’s work with ACT has gained her national recognition as a resource for those seeking information on climate change adaptation and practical coping strategies.
Peter Judd
General Manager of Engineering Services, City of Vancouver | vancouver.ca
Peter Judd joined the City of Vancouver in 1982 after graduating from the University of British Columbia with a degree in Civil Engineering. He has held a number of positions with the City, including the head of the Streets, Water & Sewers and Electrical & Equipment Divisions, as well as Director of the City’s Transportation Plan.
In 2009, Peter became General Manager of Olympic & Paralympic Operations for the City of Vancouver and led the organization through the 2010 Olympic & Paralympic Winter Games. When the Games ended, he was appointed General Manager of Engineering Services, where he now oversees a department of more than 1,800 employees who provide public works design, construction and maintenance services.
Throughout his career, Peter has focused on organizational development and change management to help the City meet the changing expectations and needs of its citizens.
Peter is a Professional Engineer registered in the Province of British Columbia. Also, he is a member of the City’s Corporate Management Team and Development Permit Board and currently serves as the Deputy Subdivision Approving Officer.
Ron Macdonald is a professional engineer with a Master’s degree in environmental engineering. He started in the petroleum sector in Alberta and then worked in water and wastewater management in BC, melding the two in his current practice areas of municipal energy planning, urban resource conservation and Life Cycle Assessment.
Ron has facilitated the development of numerous energy and greenhouse gas inventories as well as action plans for communities at both the corporate operations level and the community scale. These plans are developed in concert with municipal staff, stakeholder groups as well as the public. Recent plans have proposed implementing the latest provincial legislation including the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets Act and the Sustainable Communities Act (Bill 27).
With climate change adaptation increasingly moving on to the municipal “radar screen,” Ron’s work in mitigation now extends to local governments, where he helps to define the needs of communities as they adapt to climate change.
Bob Purdy
Director, External Relations and Corporate Development, Fraser Basin Council | fraserbasin.bc.ca
A senior executive with the Council, Bob Purdy oversees communications, marketing and fund development for the organization. He joined the Council in 1999 following several years as a sales and marketing executive in the technology industry, including an assignment as Vice-President of a Vancouver-based environmental software company.
At the Council, Bob has designed and facilitated a wide range of multi-stakeholder consultations and decision-making processes on topics ranging from abandoned mine remediation and aboriginal economic development to sustainability planning for communities in transition and multi-jurisdictional conflicts over funding of public safety infrastructure.
Plenary Panel
RESILIENCE & ADAPTATION: ADJUSTING TO A CHANGING CLIMATE IN BC
Tuesday, October 18, 2011: 8:30a.m. – 10:00a.m.
Sponsored by:
Business and governments are beginning to experience the impacts of climate change in a range of areas: business interruption, asset management and economic development and security. Join our animated panel of experts to look at how a changing climate is affecting the business environment and consumer lifestyles in British Columbia.
You’ll gain valuable insights on the need for formal adaptation/resilience strategies – economic, environmental and social – and how to integrate them with climate mitigation strategies, including energy conservation and efficiency.
Moderator:
Panel Members:
Professional Credit(s) Available
Senior Vice-President, Customer Care and Communications, BC Hydro | bchydro.com
Renee Smith-Valade is Senior Vice-President of Customer Care and Communications at BC Hydro. She joined BC Hydro in August 2010 as Senior Vice-President of BC Hydro’s Communications business group.
With more than 25 years of experience, Renee has held a number of senior communication roles, including Vice-President of Communications for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Also, she has senior experience in the Canadian airline industry and local government.
Renee is responsible for Power Smart and Customer Care, as well as BC Hydro’s central communications including: corporate and employee communications, capital projects communications, marketing communications, public affairs and media and government relations.
Outside of work, Renee enjoys spending time with her family, travelling and pursuing a love of running, swimming, skiing and all outdoor sports.
Corporate Environment & Sustainability Manager, BC Hydro | bchydro.com
Having worked at BC Hydro for more than 20 years, Brenda Goehring manages the Corporate Environment & Sustainability group, which provides policy and management system oversight on BC Hydro’s environmental performance, developing strategies for the corporation to address and manage emerging issues like climate change.
She leads a team focused on the integration of BC Hydro’s management systems with an emphasis on identifying and controlling risk and assessing the implications of emerging regulations like the modernizing of the Water Act.
Also, her team works to develop mitigation and adaptation schemes for climate change, driving new initiatives and metrics to support BC Hydro’s new Mind our Footprint strategic objective. The intent of this work is to create a sustainable energy future in BC by carefully managing impacts on the environment and fostering a culture of energy conservation and efficiency.
Executive Director, Adaptation to Climate Change (“ACT”), Simon Fraser University | sfu.ca/act
As Executive Director of ACT, Deborah Harford is responsible for the development of the initiative’s pioneering vision and its unique partnerships with the public and private sectors, as well as overall coordination and management of the program.
Also, Deborah directs and produces ACT’s policy research and recommendations for effective adaptation strategies at all levels of government and industry, as well as communication and promotion of the program’s outcomes.
Through Deborah’s efforts, ACT has created networks between local, national and international climate change research practitioners, NGOs, industry representatives, varying levels of government, First Nations groups and local communities.
Deborah’s work with ACT has gained her national recognition as a resource for those seeking information on climate change adaptation and practical coping strategies.
General Manager of Engineering Services, City of Vancouver | vancouver.ca
Peter Judd joined the City of Vancouver in 1982 after graduating from the University of British Columbia with a degree in Civil Engineering. He has held a number of positions with the City, including the head of the Streets, Water & Sewers and Electrical & Equipment Divisions, as well as Director of the City’s Transportation Plan.
In 2009, Peter became General Manager of Olympic & Paralympic Operations for the City of Vancouver and led the organization through the 2010 Olympic & Paralympic Winter Games. When the Games ended, he was appointed General Manager of Engineering Services, where he now oversees a department of more than 1,800 employees who provide public works design, construction and maintenance services.
Throughout his career, Peter has focused on organizational development and change management to help the City meet the changing expectations and needs of its citizens.
Peter is a Professional Engineer registered in the Province of British Columbia. Also, he is a member of the City’s Corporate Management Team and Development Permit Board and currently serves as the Deputy Subdivision Approving Officer.
Senior Environmental Engineer, Stantec Consulting | stantec.com
Ron Macdonald is a professional engineer with a Master’s degree in environmental engineering. He started in the petroleum sector in Alberta and then worked in water and wastewater management in BC, melding the two in his current practice areas of municipal energy planning, urban resource conservation and Life Cycle Assessment.
Ron has facilitated the development of numerous energy and greenhouse gas inventories as well as action plans for communities at both the corporate operations level and the community scale. These plans are developed in concert with municipal staff, stakeholder groups as well as the public. Recent plans have proposed implementing the latest provincial legislation including the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets Act and the Sustainable Communities Act (Bill 27).
With climate change adaptation increasingly moving on to the municipal “radar screen,” Ron’s work in mitigation now extends to local governments, where he helps to define the needs of communities as they adapt to climate change.
Director, External Relations and Corporate Development, Fraser Basin Council | fraserbasin.bc.ca
A senior executive with the Council, Bob Purdy oversees communications, marketing and fund development for the organization. He joined the Council in 1999 following several years as a sales and marketing executive in the technology industry, including an assignment as Vice-President of a Vancouver-based environmental software company.
At the Council, Bob has designed and facilitated a wide range of multi-stakeholder consultations and decision-making processes on topics ranging from abandoned mine remediation and aboriginal economic development to sustainability planning for communities in transition and multi-jurisdictional conflicts over funding of public safety infrastructure.