Be Climate Ready Conference: Building Resiliency and Reducing Risks

Managing Director, Climate Finance and Resilience, Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation, University of Waterloo

Kathryn Bakos is a leading voice on climate change, finance and resilience. Her work explores the financial and social consequences of climate risk, including flooding impacts on Canada’s residential real estate and mortgage markets.

Kathryn will discuss how increasingly frequent and severe extreme-weather events are affecting communities and households. She will highlight practical resources and approaches that can help reduce risk and strengthen resilience.

Owner, Preparedness Labs; Professor, Royal Roads University

Jeff Donaldson spent 28 years as a Canadian Army officer and holds a PhD in Public Policy focused on risk, resilience and emergency management.

Jeff will explore how municipalities and local businesses can work together to strengthen preparedness, response and recovery. His session will look at business continuity, trusted local partnerships and the role technology can play in supporting emergency management.

Education Officer, FireSmart BC

Lucy Grainger brings more than 10 years of experience with the BC Wildfire Service to her work with FireSmart BC.

Lucy will introduce FireSmart as a practical example of how residents, businesses and communities can reduce wildfire risk. Her session will be co-presented with Emily Kozlik, the City of Maple Ridge’s FireSmart Coordinator.

Executive, Client Relations, Strategy and Growth, Onside Restoration

Ian Newman will moderate the closing panel discussion with featured speakers. The discussion will connect the day’s themes and explore practical next steps for Maple Ridge and the broader region.

Climate Program Manager, Vancity

Emily Pearson supports Vancity's ambitious climate goal of becoming Net Zero across its loans and mortgages by 2040. She leads the development of financing programs, perks, and partnerships that make climate action for individuals and businesses more accessible.

In her presentation Emily will be discussing the role financial institutions can play in supporting climate action and why it's important from a risk management, economic, and equity perspective. She'll also share the ways in which Vancity is progressing on its Net Zero goal through financial tools and support programs for their members. 

Practice Director, Climate Readiness and Community Recovery, Colliers Project Leaders 

Michael is a seasoned leader and operational response planner with more than 35 years of experience in community, public safety and emergency management. He has worked with diverse organizations, from small communities to federal governments, demonstrating strong attention to detail, solid leadership, and crisis communication skills. His expertise extends to various domains, including public safety volunteer, search and rescue, wildland fire responses, and strategic leadership in emergency management and 9-1-1 public safety projects. 

Michael is known for his big-picture thinking, challenging the status quo, and fostering sustainability and resilience in a changing climate. His ability to integrate complex technologies and provide sound decision-support assessments makes him a valuable asset during emergencies. Michael currently works with Colliers Project Leaders as Director, Climate Readiness and Community Recovery.

Associate Director, Climate Readiness and Community Recovery, Colliers Project Leaders 

Jacob Tilson has nearly a decade of experience as an emergency management professional. He has worked at both the community level, managing a local emergency program, and at the provincial level, contributing to large-scale planning and response initiatives. He has taken a lead role in the planning, response, and recovery phases for some of Western Canada’s most critical hazard events, supporting communities and agencies across the region. This experience has given him a comprehensive understanding of the human dimension of disaster response and resilience, as well as the systems and processes essential across all phases of emergency management. 

In Jacob's current role, he focuses on climate readiness and community recovery initiatives, using his expertise to support local, provincial, and territorial governments in their long-term preparedness and recovery efforts.