Wendy Simon, MSW, RSW

Wendy Simon (she/her) is closely connected to her ancestral territories in Haida Gwaii and Six Nations. She currently lives and learns on the traditional and unceded territories of the Coast Salish as a facilitator, social worker and educator. She has extensive training in counselling practice (Aboriginal Focusing-Oriented Therapy and Complex Trauma Certification) and social work (MSW). In 2021, Wendy completed further certification in end-of-life care in recognition of the impacts and prevalence of grief in the communities she serves. Wendy is a skilled facilitator having taught over forty courses and twenty cohorts of Indigenous students in areas such as: mental health, trauma, and cultural health practices. She is registered with the BC College of Social Workers and member of the college’s Indigenous Committee since 2017.

Wendy’s work is community-informed and consistently begins with seeking permissions and developing relationships. This ensures there is respect and prioritization for the traditional/spiritual laws of the lands and people that she works with. Her practice is also trauma-informed with respectful engagement that honours the resiliencies and realities of Indigenous Peoples. Understanding triggers and the importance of relationships, Wendy brings the strength of her lived experience, light heartedness, and helpful humor to the work.

Jessica Hum, RPP, MCIP, MREM, BURPL

Jessica (she/her) is from a diverse family that identifies as Chinese/settler and Indigenous ancestry and is now living on the unceded and ancestral territories of the W̱SÁNEĆ, Esquimalt, Songhees Nations and Lək̓ʷəŋən-speaking Peoples (Victoria, BC). 

Jessica brings a decade of professional planning experience and collaborations with Indigenous communities and Traditional Knowledge holders from the Northwest Territories, Pacific and Atlantic coasts. She has worked with the Tłı̨chǫ Government initiating land use planning and participating in legislative processes for Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas. In previous non-profit and consultant roles, she has designed community engagement strategies and led project teams in the completion of comprehensive community plans, land use plans, organizational strategic planning, cultural heritage policies and strengthening ancestral governance. 

Jessica is a Registered Professional Planner and member of the Canadian Institute of Planners. Jessica completed a Master's of Resource and Environmental Management from Dalhousie University, and her graduate research explored  adapting to climate change through a practice of recording oral stories/teachings and podcast as Story-telling / Story-listening. Jessica is passionate about deepening our relationships through the exchange of stories, exploring the old and new ways to connect with one another and re-connecting planning to place. 

Athulya Pulimood, BSc, MA

Athulya (she/her) is a cis-gendered, brown, able-bodied woman. She is a recent first-generation

immigrant to Canada. She lives on the unceded traditional territories of the Katzie, Kwantlen, Semiahmoo and Matsqui First Nations. 

Coming from a previously colonized country herself, she recognizes the importance of acknowledgement, the need to include and integrate the knowledge and experience of Indigenous Peoples. She is passionate about being a positive role model and a voice for youth and children, about inclusion and acceptance especially against the misconceptions portrayed by the media and popular culture.

With a Bachelor’s degree in Visual Communication (Chennai,India) and a Masters degree in Communication (Chennai,India), Athulya has 10 years of experience in marketing, communication, training leadership, instructional and graphic design. She recently completed the Digital Graphic Recording Intensive from The Grove to further develop her skills in Graphic Recording and Facilitation.

She has over 10 years of experience working as a visual designer and illustrator. Her graphic design projects include work for HRx Technologies (Ledcor, Government of Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Interior health, BC Housing, College of Dieticians of BC, to name a few), Northern Energy Capital (Coral Harbour, Nunavut, Selkirk First Nations) She has co created logos and branding for various OCP projects like the Town of Sidney, North and Central Saanich, North Cowichan and University Endowment Lands in Vancouver.

In her free time she also volunteers for Urbanarium as a graphic illustrator. Apart from English, Athulya is fluent in Malayalam, Tamil and has working knowledge of Hindi.

Adina Israel, Pr. Pln (SA), MPh Env Mngt, BURPL

Adina Israel (she/her) comes from a multicultural background: Romanian-born, raised in Israel, grew up in Canada and set some roots in South Africa. She has a true appreciation and curiosity for all cultures and landscapes. 

Adina is an environmental and urban planner focused on working with communities and organizations to balance multiple land uses while supporting community and indigenous-led conservation. Adina has worked across Canada and abroad, across the public, private and NGO sectors, applying an environmental sustainability and equity lens to a variety of local and regional projects. These include open space network planning, public investment frameworks, land use strategies, municipal and provincial policy development, qualitative and quantitative analysis, natural resource planning, participatory mapping and cartographic design. 

Adina led the mapping and spatial analysis on two separate Extreme Heat Risk Mapping and Assessment projects for the City of Nanaimo and the District of Metchosin. Adina is passionate about analyzing and understanding the complexity of urban and rural systems and looks for opportunities to use integrative techniques such as participatory mapping, the integration of traditional and indigenous knowledge and science, and multifunctional landscapes. Adina aspires to use mapping and co-design to weave as many voices into a practical and actionable strategy.

Adina holds a Bachelor of Urban and Regional Planning from Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University) and a Master of Philosophy in Environmental Management from the University of Cape Town.

Marie-Gabrielle Béchard, MCRP

Marie-Gabrielle Béchard (she/her) is a white settler of French and German ancestry. Marie grew up in Mohawk, Algonquin, and Anishinabewaki territory (St-Jérome, QC) and moved to beautiful Kʼómoks territory (Comox, BC) in 2012. Marie-Gabrielle currently has the privilege of living and working on the territory of the ɬəʔamɛn Nation.

Over the past six years, Marie has worked with non-profits, governments, and consultants, focusing on community planning, youth leadership, environmental resource management, social justice advocacy, and sustainable food systems. As a non-Indigenous planner, Marie seeks to be an accomplice in supporting the dismantling of systems of oppression, the rematriation of land, and the decolonization of settler spaces. Marie-Gabrielle is interested in supporting community-led processes to build equitable, inclusive, and climate-resilient communities. 

Marie-Gabrielle holds a Master's in Community and Regional Planning from the University of British Columbia, specializing in Indigenous Community Planning (ICP). She also has a Bachelor's in Resource and Environmental Management from Simon Fraser University. She has supported research and engagement on various projects with over fifteen First Nations, thirty local governments, senior levels of government, and international clients. She has experience with community engagement, data analysis, social and environmental planning, and supporting Indigenous communities with their planning needs.

Emilia Ościłowicz, MCRP, BA

Emilia (she/her) is of Polish ancestry and grew up a settler on the unceded Coast Salish territory, particularly of the səlil'wətaʔɬ, Skwxwú7mesh First Nations, and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm Nation. She now calls Barcelona, Catalunya her home.

Emilia focuses on bringing grassroots activism to the forefront of participatory research related to urban greening interventions in marginalized communities. Emilia has conducted community-based research with a variety of organizations and municipalities, such as the Fraser Basin Council of the Lower Mainland, the Mystic River Watershed Association in the Boston Metropolitan Region, and the Ajuntament of Barcelona. Currently, Emilia works for the Barcelona Lab for Urban Environmental Justice and Sustainability conducting research and developing EU-based policy recommendations for just, green futures at the intersection of housing affordability and green amenity equity. In her individual practice, she supports social equity and justice community planning efforts amongst her Canadian and American networks.

Emilia holds a Masters in Community and Regional Planning from the University of British Columbia (SCARP) as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental and Sustainable Geography and Spanish language from the University of British Columbia.