Jeffrey Port, M.Sc., MCIP, RPP
Jeff was born and raised in upstate New York, where he completed his undergraduate degree in Environmental Science at Cornell University. He moved to Canada in 1981 to pursue graduate studies, and received a degree in planning and economic development from the University of Guelph.
Jeff has worked in Northwestern Ontario for the past 35 years, and has extensive experience working in the public sector, private sector and Indigenous communities. His experience ranges from community planning and economic development, to tourism, strategic planning, urban design, infrastructure development and local government services.
Kerri Reid
Kerri has over 10 years experience working as a rural planner beginning in the Municipality of Sioux Lookout to her current role as Manager of Planning for the Municipality of Oliver Paipoonge. She has worked extensively in economic development, building and development and rural planning through the course of her career to date. Kerri is also the Secretary-Treasurer for both the Lakehead Rural Planning Board and Committee of Adjustment in Oliver Paipoonge. With a degree in Psychology from Lakehead University, working with the people, and in the community she grew up in, is a great privilege.
Kris Orsan, CPT
Kris Orsan is a Planner with a Planning Technician background in Urban Design and Lifetime Member of CACPT and a graduate of Fanshawe College. Kris is currently the Planning Manager with the Municipality of Dysart et al, in Haliburton County, known as the highland. Kris has over 17 years experience, with 12 of them in municipal government, where he has worked in various capacities including Development and Policy planning, Urban Design, and Planning/GIS Technician. Most recently, Kris’s career has been spent in the rural planning field focusing on managing changes in the related legislation and undertaking work that ensures the adequate provision of planning across the municipality, that Dysart et al developments meet the diverse needs of a growing population, while ensuring that residents are engaged in the planning process. Challenges for the years ahead include affordable housing, housing shortages, revitalization of the town’s downtown, protection of the many lakes and wetlands in the municipality and planning of infrastructure to accommodate the increased and project population including both young families and retirees moving to the community.
John Watson
John Watson is the Environmental Manager for the Municipality of Dysart et al, in the Haliburton Highlands. A typical day includes managing waste diversion programs, picking up illegal dumping, scheduling bin pickups, developing promotion and education materials, and overseeing environmental compliance. Previously he worked for ReCollect Systems where he implemented waste management web and mobile apps for municipalities across North America, and he worked for Halton Region where he developed waste diversion communications and outreach programs.
Mark Browning, CPT
Mark Browning is a Subdivision and Land’s Coordinator for the City of Whitehorse, with previous experience working as a Planner 2 for the City of Whitehorse. He has over 34 years of planning experience in the private and public sectors in both Ontario and Yukon. He has been involved in developing several Official Community Plans and zoning bylaws, most of which were for smaller rural communities. The last 12 years he has been working mainly as a subdivision and condominium approving authority, preparing legal land agreements and advising on planning land matters as they relate to the built world.
Mathieu Marois
Mathieu is a Senior Planner for the City of Whitehorse, with previous experience working in the public and private sectors in New Zealand and Québec. He has gained extensive experience in environmental and community planning, managing multiple planning projects involving the participation of various interested and affected parties, including self-governing indigenous groups. Projects include the development and implementation of residential land use master plans and housing and environmental policy and regulations. He also assisted in the preparation of the City of Whitehorse’s recently adopted Whitehorse 2040: Official Community Plan.
Justin Franz
Justin Franz is the Branch Manager for Menard’s Kelowna office servicing the BC Interior. He has worked in multiple industries in his career including heavy civil, industrial, development and contracting in the field of Project and Development Management. Justin has experienced construction and development throughout Western Canada, mostly in remote and rural settings. Justin joined Menard approximately two years ago to open the Kelowna branch after seeing firsthand the immense value that ground improvement brings to projects and their communities. When he is not in the field or at the office, Justin enjoys spending time with his young family, skiing, fishing and the lake during the long Okanagan summers.
Neil Isenegger P.Eng
Neil Isenegger is a practicing geotechnical engineer with an intimate knowledge of Canadian soil conditions, specifically building structural foundations on poor soil sites. He is regarded as the go-to source for everything ground improvement related and has been an active contributor to the geotechnical sector for over 15 years. As Menard Canada’s Hamilton area Branch Manager, Neil oversees all aspects of foundation design and advises clients on how to best approach their most challenging foundation projects. Neil has done countless speaking engagements and many publications on the numerous benefits of ground improvement. His intimate understanding of ground improvement goes hand-in-hand with his expertise in the statistics behind site development and excess soil creation. Through the dedication of his work, Neil has helped many clients avoid the disposal of millions of tons of poor soil.