With over 18 years of experience in climate change, environment and sustainable development, Vincent Moreau is recognised by his peers as a skilled manager, strategic developer and a change catalyzer.

For nearly ten years, Vincent worked within the network of Québec’s Regional Environmental Councils (Conseils régionaux de l’environnement) where he served as Executive Director of the Regional Environmental Councils of Quebec (RNCREQ, Réseau national des Conseils régionaux de l’environnement), while managing the Conseil régional de l’environnement de la Montérégie. Just before joining FCGM’s team, Vincent served for three years as Executive Vice-President at Ecotech Quebec, the province’s cleantech industrial cluster.

In these functions, Vincent Moreau called upon as a strategic advisor to governments, municipalities and institutions for policy development, for action plans and consultations in the fields of climate change, environment and sustainable development. Of note, he co-hosted the provincial consultation tour by Quebec government ministers to develop Québec’s electrification policy framework vis à vis climate change.

He has also served on several ministerial committees and boards of directors. He is currently Vice Chair for the Quebec Fund for Sustainable Development (Fonds d’action québécois en développement durable), a member of the board of the Center for Interdisciplinary Research in the Operationalization of Sustainable Development (Centre interdisciplinaire de recherche en opérationnalisation du développement durable), and a member of the Joint steering committee of the Circular Economy Consultation Center (Centre d’études et de recherches intersectorielles en économie circulaire CERIEC). In the past Vincent has served on the Quebec’s Environment Minister’s Advisory Committee on Climate Change, the Advisory Committee on the Development of the Sustainable Mobility Policy and the Advisory Committee on the Strategy for the Valorization of Organic Matter.

Finally, he has been involved on the boards of directors of SWITCH (the Alliance for a green economy), the Hydro-Québec Institute in environment, development and society (now called the EDS Institute), the Quebec Center for environmental law (Centre québécois du droit de l’environnement or CQDE) and the group Territoires innovants en économie sociale et solidaire (TIESS).

Vancouver has always been at the fore in protecting and preserving the environment. In early 2022, it embarked on a new chapter with the official launch of the Metro Vancouver Zero Emissions Innovation Centre. More commonly known as the ZEIC, seeded by a $21.7 million endowment from the federal government, the Centre is an independent, not-for-profit organization that will accelerate and scale climate action innovation across the Metro Vancouver region.

The Centre’s mission is purpose-built: “to advance policy innovation, facilitate capacity building and collaboration, and catalyse market investments to accelerate zero emissions innovation in collaboration with local governments.”

Leading the ZEIC is Melina Scholefield. No stranger to advancing green initiatives, Melina joined the Centre as its first executive director after working in municipal government with the City of Vancouver for more than a decade. As Manager, Green Infrastructure Implementation, Melina and her team spearheaded an ambitious, cross-departmental green rainwater infrastructure and urban rainwater management initiative known as the Rain City Strategy. She also advanced key City sustainability goals under its bold Greenest City 2020 initiative, including championing urban climate protection, renewable energy, climate change adaptation and green-building programs. Beyond city government, Melina worked in the private sector as a green infrastructure instructor, a green building project consultant and a Built Green-certified residential builder focused on passive house design and construction methods. In 2020, she was named Water Steward of the Year by the Canadian Water and Wastewater Association for her leadership and impact in the Canadian Water industry. In 2021, she received the YWCA Women of Distinction Award in Environmental Sustainability.

As a champion of green initiatives and sustainability, Melina is excited to be leading the ZEIC — an organization she views as vital to Vancouver and the region’s future.

“Going forward, in the years and decades ahead, the ZEIC will play a vital role in shaping how the city and the region mitigate the impact of climate change. This role is clearly set out in the Centre’s vision, ‘of achieving zero emissions by 2050 through mass, transformation innovations in buildings, transportation, energy supply and other GHG-intensive sectors.’”

On a personal note, Melina is thrilled to be working directly with the ZEIC’s founding supporters in British Columbia — the Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue and Simon Fraser University (SFU), the City of Vancouver, Metro Vancouver, and the Province of British Columbia. Beyond BC, that support network extends to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) and the six existing members of the greater LC3 Network in Calgary, Edmonton, the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, the Halifax Region, the Montreal Metropolitan Community and Ottawa.

“Meaningful change only happens when there is true collaboration,” says Melina. “As we ramp up our activities, we have trusted partners in British Columbia and across the country that will be partners in our journey to create renewable cities in the Metro Vancouver region.

Julia brings a diverse array of experience in non-profit management, sustainability, communications and community engagement to HCi3. Julia worked for the Province of Nova Scotia designing and managing sustainable transportation programs, where she prioritized building networks within and between communities across the province. She previously worked for several sustainability non-profits, including most recently Ceres, where she managed and developed programs to build environmental, social and governance (ESG) competence for corporate board directors. Julia has extensive experience in multi-stakeholder management and coalition building in diverse cultural contexts in both the private and non-profit sectors. She holds a Master’s Degree in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School (Tufts University) and a Graduate Diploma in Social Innovation from the University of Waterloo.

Julia Langer’s passion for the environment spans more than three decades, from the time she wanted to become a marine biologist, to when she was inspired by her parents during the Don River clean ups in Toronto.

Since then, she has held senior leadership positions in the environmental sector, managing campaigns and organizations, defining strategy and policy, and inspiring public and private action to address air pollution and climate change in her community.

Her most recent role is CEO of The Atmospheric Fund (TAF), a position she has held since 2009.

“TAF’s mandate is to advance locally relevant solutions to climate change in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area,” she says. “There’s no one way to achieve that objective – you often need a combination tools. So, we are a grant maker, an investor, an advocate, and a convener.”

Langer’s creative thinking and big ambitions on climate change and TAF’s successes, led to the inception of the Low Carbon Cities Canada (LC3) network, modelled on TAF’s trajectory. “TAF was established by the City of Toronto in 1991 before climate change was headline news,” says Langer. “It was about local action, which is what we need in urban areas across the country. We incubated the idea to co-develop the model and what emerged was a proposal for what would later become the LC3 network.”

Since these initial conversations in 2017, the LC3 network has become a partnership between TAF, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), and five other organizations (including seven cities) in major urban areas across Canada. Each organization, as of January 2021, has received or is in the process of receiving an endowment from the Government of Canada to establish their own, local LC3 Centre. Each Centre will invest in and fund grant programs to address their respective city’s climate change goals and create benefits for members in their communities.

Langer says she is really looking forward to the LC3 idea exchange. “The exciting piece is to be able to share knowledge and make our capacity go further,” she says. “We are looking forward to collaboration opportunities on impact investing and co-granting. One perfect example would be working toward a federal zero emissions vehicle mandate: when you see what that mandate would do in terms of urban carbon emission reduction, it’s huge. But it is going to take a fair amount of effort to move that forward and get to implementation. And so, working together might be the best way to move the dial. In fact, I think one of the reasons the LC3 concept will work very well is that all stakeholders have a solid experience of working in networks and in a collaborative environment. There is a commitment to using those skills and that approach to further our work.”

Photo courtesy of WWF Canada and Bill Ivy.

As the Program Director for the Climate Innovation Fund (CIF), Mike Mellross recognizes that Alberta’s Low Carbon Cities Canada (LC3) Centres will have interesting challenges to overcome and opportunities to nurture.

“We are grateful for the hard work of the people in the oil and gas industry who have provided many benefits for Alberta and Canada,” he says. “We know we are builders and have so many capacities for innovation. So, we need to support our economy’s transformation and help achieve the deep emissions targets that will lead us to a low carbon future. Leaders in all sectors are very willing to look at new business models and new energy systems, and work towards carbon neutrality as a goal. It’s all about how we get there together!”

Hosted by the Alberta Ecotrust Foundation (AEF), CIF’s endowments from the federal government support two Centres: one in Calgary and one in Edmonton. Though working under one banner, each Centre will focus on the unique challenges and opportunities of their respective city, and will have their own distinct funds, grant program, projects, initiatives, and more. They join the other LC3 Centres in the network, led by five other organizations in cities across the country and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.

“CIF is ambitious!” says Mellross. “I think it will be critical to take our lead from the cities themselves. They have developed robust local climate plans with frameworks and pathways for success. The LC3 network is a great platform for sharing best practices and ideas – we are all very supportive [and excited about] doing that.”

Mellross is excited to continue to build on the operational strengths of AEF, and of an already active climate action ecosystem in Alberta. “We must be very catalytic in our actions,” he says about his future plans to foster innovative climate action in both cities. “We need to look for opportunities that are going to leapfrog rather than base our solutions on incremental [progress]. Solutions that are equally beneficial to the environment, the economy, and the people in our communities.”

Over his 30-year career, Mellross has worked for various private enterprises, with a focus on consulting, engineering, and wildlife management.

He has also worked for the City of Edmonton where he initiated the procurement plan to purchase 100% green electricity for all city operations, managed the City’s climate change office, as well as developed the energy transition strategy and renewable energy programs.

Photo courtesy of Alberta Ecotrust Foundation.

Steve Winkelman has 30 years of experience in climate change, sustainable transportation, urban planning, clean energy, clean air, infrastructure resilience and climate finance. He has supported government officials, researchers, development banks, private companies and NGOs in more than 25 countries with policy and project development, finance, implementation, evaluation and capacity building. He thrives in bridging silos and building partnerships across sectors, agencies and organizations to unlock economic, environmental and community benefits and advance holistic, lasting solutions.

Steve founded Green Resilience Strategies in 2017. From 1998-2016 he served as a Director at the Center for Clean Air Policy where he developed and led influential programs on Transportation and Urban Climate Adaptation raising $20 million for their implementation.

Steve has provided expert testimony to four U.S. Congressional committees and has authored numerous publications. His work has been covered by media outlets such as: the Atlantic, ClimateWire, CNN, E&E TV, Grist, Huffington Post, Montreal Gazette, National Geographic, National Journal, New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. Steve was a founding member of the US National Academy of Sciences’ Transportation Research Board Special Task Force on Climate Change.

Image courtesy of Tim Chin.

Oscar has supported organizations and government agencies in Canada and the UK with key programmatic and project areas including continuous improvement initiatives, strategic operations, program development and delivery, and performance monitoring and evaluation. With a background in International Business and a MSc in Sustainable Urban Planning, he is passionate about collaborating with and bridging different sectors, cultures and approaches to enable the changes that are needed for a more sustainable, low-carbon future. He is currently serving as Project Director for the LC3 National Office, hosted by the Green Municipal Fund.

Mary has 30 years experience working with climate-focused ENGOs specializing in communications and partnership development, organizational development, fundraising, grant-making, and program design, management and evaluation. She is also an Accredited Broker, and Trainer-Practitioner with the international Partnership Brokers Association. A long-time leader at The Atmospheric Fund, Mary is one of the founding members of the Low Carbon Cities Canada Network, and passionate about the power and potential of building just, prosperous low-carbon cities and communities. Mary is currently serving as senior advisor to the LC3 Network.