Local Leadership on Climate and Biodiversity: Lessons from Nunavut, Vancouver, and Toronto - 1.0 PDH (LA CES/HSW)

Includes a Live Web Event on 06/26/2025 at 1:00 PM (EDT)

Hear from Canadian landscape architects working in local and regional government on how to overcome national obstacles and advance biodiversity and climate goals. Learn about Nunavut’s Climate Adaptation Plan, Vancouver’s Blue Green systems, and Toronto’s performance requirements for low carbon, resilient, and biodiverse development – which have all been led by landscape architects. Discover new ways to move forward policy and action in an equitable way at the local and regional levels.

Learning objectives:

Understand how climate and biodiversity policies are developed at the national, regional, and local levels in Canada
Gain insight into equitable planning and design strategies that involve Indigenous and underserved communities
Understand how Canadian landscape architects in public practice are developing policies at the regional and local levels on climate adaptation, biodiversity, green infrastructure, and water and land resource management

Image credit: New Brighton Park Salt Marsh, Vancouver, Canada / Wilco/Brett Ryan Studios

Cameron DeLong

Director of the Climate Change Secretariat

Government of Nunavut

Calling Iqaluit home, Cameron has worked across Nunavut for over 15 years and had the opportunity to visit communities in all three regions of the territory. He is a board member of the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects (CSLA) and current Treasurer and Past-President of the Nunavut Association of Landscape Architects (NuALA). Cameron has a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture (Hons) from the University of Guelph and a Bachelor of Arts from Saint Thomas University.

Cameron Owen

Senior Urban Designer + Landscape Architect | Urban Watersheds

City of Vancouver

Cameron is an urban planner and a landscape architect, with over 20 years of experience. He brings a range of international experience from master planning urban developments to habitat restoration. Cameron has worked extensively as the designer and project manager on these assignments, with expertise in following projects through from concept to completion. He has worked both in private practice and as a municipal green infrastructure and park planner, leading comprehensive greenway planning projects, and large diverse project teams. Cameron is notably a key architect of the City of Vancouver’s award-winning Rain City Strategy.

Jane Welsh

Project Manager, Environmental Planning Unit

Toronto City Planning

Jane leads the team responsible for creating new innovative solutions to address climate adaptation and mitigation, natural heritage protection and biodiversity loss and changing the way Canada’s largest city is built. Her work includes development and on-going implementation of many ‘firsts’ including the Toronto Green Standard, Green Roof Bylaw, Bird Friendly Guidelines, Ravine Protection Bylaw and Toronto’s Ravine and Biodiversity Strategies. Jane holds a degree in landscape architecture from the University of Guelph and a master’s degree in planning from the University of Toronto.

Amy Syverson-Shaffer, ASLA, RLA, SITES AP (Moderator)

Sustainability Leader

Landscape Forms

Amy Syverson-Shaffer is passionate about connecting people to nature and to each other. Her past work as a landscape architect and in business development frames her collaborative approach to taking on big challenges. Today, she is lending her design acumen and contextual understanding to leading sustainability for the modern craft manufacturer, Landscape Forms. Since 2023, she’s served on the ASLA Biodiversity and Climate Action Committee, working to bridge between key efforts by Landscape Architects and their industry partner community. On any given day, you'll most likely find her working in the garden.