Overview
Dates: February 2021
Location: Hosted Online
The Steering Committee welcomes 48 select Ontario municipal and private practice planners and lawyers, as well as a few architects and others in the industry, to meet and share challenges and exchange ideas. This 3rd Generation Forum is part of the Cambridge Forums ‘Land Use Planning’ series. It is geared towards practitioners who are emerging leaders in this field and have between 5-12 years of experience.
Using candid, seminar-style discussion at this annual meeting, the group shares experiences from every perspective. Participants are able to engage in meaningful dialogue about the most pressing issues facing their clients and build valuable networks of like-minded peers.
2021 Steering Committee
This elite group, comprised of experts in the field, personally nominates all invitees and develops the Agenda, which forms the basis of our discussions.
Committee Co-Chairs
Committee Members
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Michelle Charkow Planner Goldberg Group Toronto, ON
Michelle Charkow is a Planner with Goldberg Group, a planning consulting firm based in the City of Toronto. She draws on almost a decade of experience as a planner having worked on behalf of both public and private sector clients and predominantly specializes in intensification and infill projects in and around the City of Toronto. She has maintained an active role in a wide variety of projects, including residential infill, low-rise townhouse developments, high-rise developments, and mixed-use developments in various built forms. Michelle has participated in numerous Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) hearings(now LPAT), provided expert testimony before the Toronto Local Appeal Tribunal (TLAB), and presented before various committees in support of planning applications.
Michelle has a Master of Environmental Studies (MES) from York University with a concentration in planning. Michelle has been a full member of the Canadian Institute of Planners and the Ontario Professional Planners Institute since 2013.
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T.J. Cieciura President Design Plan Services Inc. Etobicoke, ON
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Christie E. Gibson Associate Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP Toronto, ON
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Kristie M. Jennings Associate Kagan Shastri LLP Toronto, ON
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Andy Margaritis Associate Davies Howe LLP Toronto, ON
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Martin Quarcoopome Associate Weston Consulting Planning + Urban Design Vaughan, ON
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Geoff Romanowski Director, Planning & Development Town of Ajax Ajax, ON
Geoff is the Director of the Planning and Development Services Department. He provides overall leadership and innovative strategies to ensure that the management and delivery of services are aligned with the Town of Ajax strategic priorities in the areas of: planning policy development, development application evaluation and processing, transportation planning, economic development and tourism, engineering approval and building permit issuance and building inspection. Prior to his current position, he was the Manager of Planning and was the primary planning project coordinator for the Town of Ajax. In this capacity, he provided leadership and project direction on development review, policy planning, and heritage planning projects. With almost 20 years in planning, Geoff has also been a planner with the City of Pickering and Municipality of Clarington.
Geoff has a Joint-Honours Degree in Geography and History from Trent University and an Honours Diploma (Municipal Planning & Development Technician) from Mohawk College.
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Anita Yu Associate Turner Fleischer Architects Toronto, ON
Forum Directors
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Kate Ross Forum Director Cambridge Forums Toronto, ON kross@cambridgeforums.com M: +1 437 971 6813
Kate has a background in social services where she treated youth with complex mental health and addictions issues. Her role involved developing detailed, treatment-focused program plans and seeing them through to completion. Kate brings many years of experience in the service industry to her role at Cambridge Forums. In her spare time, Kate enjoys good food and wine, all things true-crime related, and dance parties with her kids.
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Mandy Howarth Associate Forum Director Cambridge Forums Toronto, ON mhowarth@cambridgeforums.com M: +1 437 216 3124
Mandy is a graduated law clerk and has experience working within both the legal and oil & gas industry. She was an exchange student in 2006, through Rotary International, to Brazil and is fluent in Brazilian Portuguese. Mandy has returned to Brazil on many occasions to assist in the opening of a private English school and had the privilege to volunteer as a teacher within the school for six months. In her spare time, she enjoys learning other languages and spending time with her dog, Gus.
Built on genuine interactions and spontaneous connections, the Forum is a unique opportunity for practical discussions among emerging leaders in the land use planning field.
"The Forum is a gathering of like-minded professionals discussing and brainstorming solutions to the pressing issues of our industry. It is an invaluable opportunity to have frank talk with your peers to exchange ideas, experiences and knowledge."
Lincoln Lo Principal Malone Given Parsons Ltd."The Forum is incredibly unique, its focus on discussion provides for an unparalled opportunity to tap into the wealth of experience and knowledge held by our learned peers. The inclusion of various professional disciplines in the forum brings different perspectives to complex issues, which you may not typically consider in your daily practice. I am honoured to have been given the opportunity to participate."
Kristie M. Jennings Associate Kagan Shastri LLP"The Forum format allows for more candid and open debate/discussion. It allows the conversation to go in directions not typically allowed for in other conferences or professional development courses."
Bolajoko Ogunmefun Senior Associate Counsel York Region
STILL UNSURE?
Learn why people return year after yearHear how our participants describe the practical benefits of our forums.
Associate Forum Director