Adam Schwartz
Adam Schwartz is the Placemaking Manager at ActivateYYC. Activate YYC is a microgrant program operated by the Federation of Calgary Communities, that launched in 2017. This program is funded by the City of Calgary Mobility team, offers community associations, businesses, not-for-profits and individuals resources to pursue placemaking and tactical urbanism projects. These projects transform their neighbourhoods spaces into places, using temporary, cheap and cheerful initiatives that promote movement, safety, and neighbourliness.
Alastair Craighead
Alastair is the chair of Friends of Rails to Trails Vancouver Island, FORTVI. He was co-founder of the Greater Victoria Cycling Coalition (now Capital Bike). Alastair is also a former Victoria City Councillor, Capital Region Director and BC Transit Regional Director. He was involved in many initiatives including the study for an LRT in the Capital Region on supported by the BC Minstry of Transportation and Transit.
Alex Leffelaar
Alex Leffelaar grew up in the Kootenays and is and avid gardener, outdoor enthusiast, and musician. He splits his time working as a Low Carbon Building Specialist for the City of Nelson and a Climate Action Assistant for the Regional District of Central Kootenays. Throughout all of his work and personal pursuits Alex strives to support rural communities with sustainable development.
Brendon James
Brendon James is a transportation technologist with a growing focus on micromobility and active transportation solutions that support healthier, more sustainable communities. With 17 years of experience across leadership, business, and communications, Brendon brings a unique cross-sector perspective with a focus low carbon transportation solutions. Currently working in municipal transportation planning, Brendon is passionate about developing programs that reduce car dependency, address climate change, and make it easier for people to walk, cycle, and use shared mobility options. He has played a key role in the expansion of shared micromobility in his community as well as the North Shore E-Cargo Bike Lending Program, a successful initiative that lowers barriers to e-cargo bike access for residents and businesses, enabling more trips to be shifted from cars to bicycles. Brendon’s work is grounded in collaboration. He has built strong partnerships with organizations such as the Province of British Columbia, BC Hydro, TransLink, Vancouver Coastal Health, and a range of non-profits, universities, and federal agencies—all working toward shared goals of reducing congestion, cutting emissions, and creating more livable urban spaces. Brendon is particularly interested in the intersection of micromobility, transportation demand management, and community engagement as powerful levers for driving lasting mode shift.
Brent Hagel
Dr. Brent Hagel completed his BPE (1993) and MSc (1998) at the University of Calgary and PhD (2003) at McGill University. He is a Professor in the Departments of Pediatrics and Community Health Sciences in the Cumming School of Medicine and Adjunct Professor in Kinesiology at the University of Calgary. He is Director of the Healthy Children, Families and Communities Program of the Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute and a member of the O’Brien Institute for Public Health. His key research interest area is child and adolescent injury prevention currently focused on the determinants of child and youth bicycle, pedestrian, ski-snowboard, and ice hockey injuries. He co-led the Child Active-Transportation Safety and the Environment (CHASE) program of research and is a member of the CapaCITY/É team with the broad aim of increasing the implementation of sustainable transportation interventions.
Brooke Jones
Brooke is a middle school teacher based in Nelson, BC, with a focus on outdoor education and community engagement. Originally from Uxbridge, Ontario—“Trail Capital of Canada”—she has a lifelong passion for trails and active living. Brooke is a co-cordinator of SheRides, a program within the Nelson Cycling Club (NCC) that offers mountain bike clinics, races, and free weekly group rides for womxn. She also serves on the NCC board, supporting the growth and sustainability of local trail networks and diverse.
Ciel Sanders
Ciel advocates using human powered transportation for rural revitalization, active transportation, and community development in British Columbia. Ciel serves as the volunteer president of Trails Society of BC (TrailsBC) which she joined in 2015. The challenges of biodiversity loss and climate change must be met and she believes one solution is to ensure the rail trails of the Trans Canada Trail are prioritized for active greenways in British Columbia, free from motorized vehicles. Since 2017 Ciel has been on the board of the Outdoor Recreation Council of BC as a Board of Director and also served as a member of the Thompson Okanagan Regional Wildlife Advisory Committee.
Colleen MacDonald
Colleen MacDonald is the author of the website Let's Go Biking and three BC cycling guidebooks: Vancouver, Okanagan and Vancouver Island. She loves exploring and discovering great places to ride, walk and roll in BC and Around The World.
Danielle Wiess
Danielle is a sustainability professional with over 15 years of experience in environment, risk management, community relations, and communications. She has led initiatives in sustainability reporting, employee engagement, and strategic communications, while managing projects with diligence and clarity. Known for her ability to translate complex strategies into actionable plans, Danielle excels at relationship building and collaboration. Passionate about stewardship and accountability, she is committed to advancing solutions that foster a future built on sustainable principles and a positive impact on our natural resources.
Diana Barboza
Diana holds a Civil Engineering degree from the University of Costa Rica and joined UBC’s REACT Lab in 2022. Now pursuing a PhD in transportation, she draws on her experience as an active commuter in Vancouver to help create more livable, inclusive cities through people-centered mobility solutions.
Don McCormick
Don McCormick is serving his third term as mayor, fourth on Council. Originally from Saskatchewan, he and wife Bev moved to Kimberley in 2003, earning official ‘locals’ status in 2023. Don's business experience includes corporate sales and marketing, adventures with several start-ups, and as consultant to entrepreneurs whose companies are start-up or early revenue stage. Don has extensive community service that includes the Kimberley Rotary Club and Director of several local and regional organizations – President of the Kimberley Chamber of Commerce, a founding Director of Tourism Kimberley, Chair of Community Futures East Kootenay and a Director for Columbia Basin Trust. Mayor McCormick’s vision is a sustainable Kimberley that manages our resources in a way that lets us enjoy our chosen lifestyle while also ensuring that it will be shared by future generations.
Eleanor McMahon
A passionate advocate for the safety of cyclists, Eleanor founded the Share the Road Cycling Coalition in Ontario in 2007 following the death of her husband, OPP Sergeant Greg Stobbart, killed by a careless driver while on a training ride on his bicycle. Since then she has served as MPP for Burlington, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport, as well as President of the Ontario Treasury Board. She was instrumental in passing Ontario’s One Metre Safe Passing Law (2015) and creating Canada’s first Vulnerable Road User legislation in 2017. She is a former CEO of the Trans Canada Trail and former VP of University Relations at the University of Waterloo.
Isobel Duxfield
Isobel has worked in sustainable transportation policy and cycling journalism for several years, in Europe and North America. Last year she cycled around the world working with local biking charities and the cycling industry to advocate for more inclusive biking.
Jasmine Smith
Jasmine is a Transportation Engineer with seven years of experience in transportation planning and design. Jasmine has a broad skillset including corridor and network planning, traffic modelling and operational analysis, road safety assessments, concept development and evaluation, and multi-modal transportation design. Growing up in Parksville on Vancouver Island, Jasmine now resides in Kelowna BC and enjoys hiking the Okanagan valley and the local arts, culture, and food.
Joanne Kautz-Allard
Joanne Kautz-Allard is a Program Manager at The Society for Children and Youth of BC. Joanne has spent her career supporting children and families in a variety of ways including youth mentoring, employment, surviving family violence, community outreach and as a child and youth worker. She brings these skills and experiences to continue her work in encouraging children to be creative, active, and explore their communities.
Justin Cook
Justin Cook is a Senior Planner with the City of Kimberley, who has embraced active transportation both professionally and personally.
Karen Redfern
An accomplished recreation programmer, administrator, and facilitator, Karen Redfern is dedicated to fostering community wellness and sustainable living through inclusive, outdoor-focused initiatives. With over 15 years of experience leading recreation and active living programs, she currently serves as General Manager of the Nelson Nordic Ski Club, where she is spearheading a Club and community-driven project to integrate cross-country skiing into a broader active transportation corridor. Her background includes leadership roles in ski and paddle sport programming, active camp coordination, and community event planning with organizations such as the RDCK, School District 8, West Kootenay Cycling Coalition, and the Nelson Kayak and Canoe Club. Karen brings deep expertise in program development, strategic planning, and public engagement - anchored by a passion for promoting movement, connection, and accessibility for all.
Kerri Wall
Kerri Wall is a community health facilitator at Interior Health, where she has worked since 2011. She supports the development of healthy public policy and planning with local governments throughout the Kootenays as part of the Healthy Communities Program within the Population Health portfolio. Kerri has a Master of Arts degree in Leadership and Training from Royal Roads University (2006) and certificates in both Negotiation and Third-Party Mediation from the Justice Institute of British Columbia. Kerri is grateful to reside in ʔamakʔis Ktunaxa, and she has lived in Fernie for 17 years.
Kristi Denby
BC Assembly of First Nations
Louise Pedersen
Louise Pedersen has led the Outdoor Recreation Council of BC since 2019, bringing a strong focus on impact, inclusivity, and long-term sustainability in the outdoor recreation sector. She holds a Master’s degree in Natural Resource Management and a postgraduate diploma in Public Relations, and has spent over two decades working in communications and philanthropy for conservation organizations in Canada and the UK. Based in Revelstoke, Louise is an avid outdoor enthusiast with a love for kayaking, Nordic skiing, gravel biking, fishing, and camping.
Matthew Corkum
Passionate, full of animation and energy as a speaker, Matthew never backs down from difficult topics. He has always pushed the limits through his life to prosper in a wide range of environments, regardless of living with cerebral palsy. Valediction of Acadia University’s class of 2006, Matthew went on to achieve a PhD from in atmospheric science at York University and now works as head meteorologist in Calgary. He not only knows how to track the weather, he knows what it is like to be excluded, bullied, and discriminated against. He is a Director of Rocky Mountain Adaptive and on the Community Advisory member of Calgary Adaptive hub and past member of the City of Calgary’s Advisory Committee on Accessibility. He was chosen in 2023 as one of Calgary’s Top 40 under 40 by Avenue Magazine for his advocacy and speaking on inclusion of those with disabilities and Acadia University Distinguished Alumni of 2025. His contagious smile and one-line jokes often lighten the mood as he tells stories his new hobby; downhill skiing and traveling the world. Matthew loves to share experiences how his traveling and lived experience can help build an Inclusive Community and transport system/trails/sidewalks.
Michael Glotz-Richter
Michael is movmi's Practice Lead for Transportation Policy Planning. He is a globally renowned and awaded expert leading shared mobility, micromobility, cycling audits and workshops worldwide. Michael translates European best practices into local action - 30 km/h zones, calm-street design, safety training, stakeholder coalitions, and developer partnerships.
Moe Nadeau
Moe Nadeau (she/her) is an avid bikepacker, mountain biker, and community organizer, based in Nelson, BC. The owner of Moe Nadeau Consulting, she specializes in advancing systems change at the intersection of climate, equity, and conservation. Moe has ridden her bike to various corners of North America, and created the West Kootenay Route Network Hub for BIKEPACKING.com. Most recently she started Building Momentum Bikepacking, an organization designed to provide women and non-binary people with skills and experiences to thrive on bikepacking adventures.
Molly Barkowsky
Molly is a Children's Mobility and Active Travel specialist. She draws on her background in Planning, Transportation and Design to strategize and coordinate multi-sectoral partnerships and initiatives that empower children's knowledge of and access to healthy and sustainable travel choices around Metro Vancouver and beyond.
Patricia Dehnel
Patricia (Trish) Dehnel RPP, MCIP, is Chair of the Planning Institute of BC’s Climate Action Sub-Committee and BC Cycling Coalition Board Member. Based in Nelson, BC, she is Principal of Dehnel Planning and was volunteer Project Coordinator for the West Kootenay Cycling Coalition project, Castlegar-Nelson Active Transportation Corridor Vision. Trish is passionate about healthy built environment, community connection and inclusiveness. She has 30 years of experience working with BC Local Governments on land use planning, stakeholder engagement, active transportation, community outreach, community energy planning, public administration and policy development. Trish believes in collaboration, resourcefulness and working to keep our communities healthy, liveable and safe for all and for future generations.
Peter Holton
Peter Holton has diverse experience in public and private land use and community development planning. The majority his work has been in rural communities in the North America. He has worked for regional and municipal planning departments, and private planning and law firms doing long range and current planning, permitting, project management, and environmental impact assessments. He is interested and experienced in developing simple yet effective planning approaches that address community needs while respecting the philosophies of residents. As the past president and current treasurer of a California based Land Trust, he understands the structure, dynamics, and decision-making systems of non-profit organizations.
Peter Ladner
Peter is a retired author, columnist, politician and business owner. He was first elected to Vancouver City Council in 2002, re- elected in 2005, and ran for mayor in 2008. Peter has been publisher, president and part owner of the Business in Vancouver Media Group, which he co-founded in 1989 and for which he wrote a weekly column for 28 years. He has more than 35 years of journalistic experience in print, radio and television and has been a frequent speaker on business, community, transportation and food issues. From 2018-2020 he was Chair of the Better Transit and Transportation Coalition, a group of business, labour, environmental and health organizations advocating for better transportation options in Metro Vancouver, He has been a commuter and recreational cyclist and cycling advocate for more than 40 years. He is the author of The Urban Food Revolution: Changing the Way We Feed Cities and a former Fellow at the SFU Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue. He is also on the board of the Cultivate Canada Society. He has been the board chair of The David Suzuki Foundation and The Natural Step Canada.
Roy Symons
Roy Symons is a Sustainable Transportation Specialist with ISL Engineering, dedicated to advancing innovative active transportation solutions, in particular drawing on Dutch design principles. He focuses on improving infrastructure safety and comfort to enable everyone in the community to choose active modes of travel if they wish.
Ruth LLoyd
Ruth Lloyd is a multimedia journalist and dedicated advocate for safe, accessible active transportation. After moving back to her hometown of Williams Lake in 2020, she was struck by how far the city lagged behind in cycling infrastructure—dominated by trucks and highway design that made it hostile to cyclists.
In response, Ruth co-founded Streets For All Williams Lake with her friend Denis, a grassroots group focused on raising awareness and pushing for safer infrastructure in the community.
Ruth brings a strong background in non-profit organization development, fundraising, marketing and communications, cycling education, and event planning. She played a leading role in organizing local Go By Bike initiatives, serving as a coordinator for a year, and is a regular participant in the annual Bike Rodeo. She also helped develop an arts centre for a local non-profit and currently contributes her expertise to the City of Williams Lake’s Active Transportation Working Group, helping shape the city's AT network plan.
An avid cyclist, Ruth has ridden in diverse environments around the world—whether commuting, touring, mountain biking, or gravel riding. Her passion for cycling and community building, combined with her on-the-ground experience in rural and underserved regions, makes her a strong voice for equitable and inclusive transportation solutions across B.C.
Santana Patten
Santana is a passionate and innovative community-based planner dedicated to strengthening rural communities through building local capacity and developing creative, place-based solutions. With a focus on addressing the unique challenges each community faces, Santana works to foster vibrant, inclusive spaces that reflect local identity and needs. An advocate for mixed-use spaces, Santana brings an enthusiasm for wall murals, food trucks, bike lanes, and urban gardens to every project. Her work is driven by the belief that thoughtful, community-led planning can transform neighborhoods into thriving, connected places for all.
Scott MacDonald
Scott MacDonald is a Sustainable Transportation Planner and emerging leader in ISL’s Active Transportation team. With over seven years of experience in planning and design, he focuses on creating safer, more sustainable urban networks, drawing on a background in municipal design and community planning to support healthier, more livable communities.
Tessa Williams
Tessa is a transportation planner with over five years of experience working in communities of all sizes across the country. At Urban Systems, she leverages her unique background in local government and research to contribute to active transportation projects, including the British Columbia Active Transportation Design Guide and Design Guide for Active Transportation on Yukon Highways.
Troy Pollock
Troy Pollock is the City of Kimberley Planning Manager since 2008, working to advance housing, transit, and active transportation.
Venkatesh Gopal
Venkatesh Gopal is the CEO of movmi, a Vancouver-based consultancy specializing in shared mobility. He leads the firm’s work on business feasibility, viability assessments, and electrification, bringing strategic insight to projects across shared micromobility, carsharing, mobility-as-a-service (MaaS), and mobility hub planning. With hands-on experience from over 37 projects, Venkatesh combines deep industry knowledge with a personal commitment to sustainable transportation as he proudly lives car-free.
Xeudan Xu
Xuedan Xu is a Project Lead at Green Communities Canada where she leads the National Active School Streets Initiative. In her 4 years with Green Communities Canada, she has supported School Travel Planning, active transportation campaigns, and a national school travel data collection pilot project. Xuedan has also worked at municipalities and not-for-profit organizations to build accessible and equitable community engagement initiatives. She holds a degree in Natural Resources Conservation from the University of British Columbia.