2018/2019 Council

President

Erin O'Neill, RPP

[email protected]
@emk_oneill

Erin O’Neill is the Director of Provincial Recovery Coordination within the Alberta Emergency Management Agency at the Province of Alberta.  Erin was heavily involved in the recovery of Fort McMurray following the 2016 wildfire and is proud to be able to support recovery efforts across the Province.  Erin worked in Fort McMurray for 9 years holding positions within the Recovery Task Force, Lane Administration, Long Range Planning and Current Planning.  For 2 years, Erin was the Manger of Planning & Development with the Town of Sundre and held various planning positions at the City of Ottawa.  Erin graduated from the University of Guelph – Master of Science, Rural Planning & Development in 2007 and became a full member of APPI in 2009. 

Mac Hickley, RPP
[email protected]

Mac Hickley works as a Strategic Initiatives Advisor with Alberta Indigenous Relations. Prior to that he coordinated the development of regional plans for the Government of Alberta’s Land Use Secretariat. For ten years previously, he led an independent, volunteer-based non-profit organization delivering urban environmental planning advice to the city and citizens of Calgary. In all of his work, Mac facilitates and integrates local expertise into planning processes, from provincial policies to individual developments. He has coordinated multi-year ecological research and outreach programs, public forums on urban environmental issues and stakeholder engagement processes for multi-million dollar infrastructure projects. Mac also lived in Bangkok for three years, where he worked on sustainable tourism development, heritage preservation, cumulative impacts assessment and interdisciplinary capacity-building. He has degrees in philosophy and planning and he brings his passions for knowledge and working with people with him wherever he goes.

Aaron Aubin, RPP
[email protected]

@aaron_aubin  

Aaron Aubin is the Principal and Founder of Aaron Aubin Consulting Inc. working with Indigenous and non-Indigenous clients across Canada. As a member of the Da’naxda’xw / Awaetlala First Nation, Aaron participates in cultural activities and supports the broader Indigenous community through a variety of engagements to raise awareness of Indigenous peoples. Aaron is a registered professional planner and member of the Canadian Institute of Planners with over 20 years of consulting experience across a broad array of disciplines including architecture, land use planning, land development, master planning, environmental assessments, infrastructure, and Indigenous governance, community engagement and planning. Throughout his career, Aaron has collaborated with numerous Indigenous communities, land developers and municipalities to lead, participate, and contribute to regional land use plans, resort master plans, campus master plans, land reviews, land use concepts, outline plans and land use rezoning, area structure plans, area redevelopment plans, and comprehensive community plans. Former Chair of the Canadian Institute of Planners (CIP) Indigenous Peoples Planning Committee (IPPC), he served on the committee for 8 years raising awareness of Indigenous planning and engagement across Canada and internationally.  Aaron has also participated in other committees including CIP's National Affairs Committee (2009-2011) and City of Calgary Aboriginal Urban Affairs Committee (2005-2007).

Councillor

Glinis Buffalo, RPP
[email protected]

@glinisbuffalo  

Glinis Buffalo is a proud member of Samson Cree Nation and grew up in Maskwacis, AB, and is a proud mommy to her 2 children Kennedi and Pierce. Glinis works an Engagement and Relationships Advisor for the Alberta Indigenous Relations Ministry and her role is to ensure the inclusion of Indigenous perspectives in land and natural resource management, create and enhance relationships between Indigenous communities and government ministries and to ensure the true spirit and intent of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and ensure Treaty rights and traditional land uses are protected for our future generations.
Glinis is a registered professional planner and member of the Canadian Institute of Planners and has been practicing planner for over 10 years and brings experience in conservation planning, environmental assessments and Indigenous planning. Glinis is a huge supporter or women in leadership. Lastly, Glinis has a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science from the University of Lethbridge.

Treasurer

Martin Frigo, RPP
[email protected]

@MartinFrigo 

Martin holds a Bachelors of Environmental Design and a Masters of City Planning from the University of Manitoba (2000, 2005). He began his Alberta planning career in the summer of 2005 with the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo where he worked his way up to Planner III in Long Range Planning.  Martin then was the Senior Long Range Planner with the City of St. Albert in 2010, and then assumed the position of Senior Long Range Planner with Parkland County in 2011 where he is currently the Manager, Long Range Policy Planning. In his position, he is responsible for all long-range planning functions for the County including the completion of major planning studies, reports and non statutory and statutory plans including area structure plans and the Municipal Development Plan.Martin is proud of his “prairie journey” and continues to feel blessed by how Alberta has been good to his young family. 

Councillor

Bernice Gonzalez, RPP

[email protected]

Bernice has been the Regional Planner & Development Officer for the County of Vermilion River for the past 3 years. During the course of her professional career, which has taken her across borders and countries, Bernice have had the opportunity to participate in a variety of projects within different contexts, from compact urban centres to rural communities and regions. Bernice is an APPI registered professional planner and AICP certified planner as well as an active advocate for the planning profession. 
Bernice holds a Master Degree in Urban Design from the Universitat de Barcelona (Spain) and a Bachelor Degree in Environmental Design from the School of Architecture at the University of Puerto Rico (USA).  Coupled with experience in the public health and finance sectors on executive management and funds utilization, which have proven valuable in her approach to planning practice. 
Bernice has also co-authored publications on group engagement and process and delivered presentations to architecture schools and faculty and elected bodies on transdisciplinary practice. 
Additionally, Bernice has also had the opportunity to participate in competitions, where she addressed the public, construction industry professionals as well as the press and television on environmental friendly and sustainable cost effective options for new and existing dwellings. During her free time she enjoys of road trips and photography having taken part in collective expositions. 

Secretary

Kate van Fraassen, RPP
[email protected]

@kate_vF  

Kate van Fraassen is a planner in Community Planning at the City of Calgary. Previously, Kate worked as a Development Planner for the Town of Canmore, and gained experience working for MakeCalgary and Sustainable Calgary while she was a student at the Faculty of Environmental Design. Through her work Kate aims to enable communities to achieve their aspirations while effectively responding to the challenges that come with change. Known as an eternal optimist and an all-round lover of adventure, Kate gets outside as much as she can in between working as a planner and co-hosting Charmer’s Almanac on CJSW. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Victoria, and a Masters of Environmental Design from the University of Calgary and is a member of the Faculty of Environmental Design’s Alumni Advisory Council.

Chelsea Whitty, RPP

[email protected]

Chelsea holds a Master of Planning degree in Urban Design from the University of Calgary and a Bachelor of Education with a major in Biological Sciences from the University of Alberta. She has lived abroad, studying at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology and working as cultural program coordinator in Japan. In the field of planning, she has worked in Calgary and Edmonton, holding positions in both the public and private sectors. Currently, Chelsea is an Associate at DIALOG, on the Urban Design and Planning team. Her portfolio of work spans across traditional policy development, broad scale master planning, urban design, and public engagement.

Councillor

Gary Willson, RPP

[email protected]

Gary Willson is Principal GW Associates Planning Consultants. A community based environmental planner he works with communities, private sector entities and government representatives (all levels political and administrative) in identifying and assessing the effects of policy decisions, land use design guidelines, and physical projects upon the communities in which these initiatives are proposed to occur. His 40 plus years experience with Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities, various municipal, provincial and federal government departments and industrial and not for profit organizations regarding a variety of land use and environmental topics throughout Canada has helped him develop a keen interest in the attributes people value in their environments. This interest continues to be sharpened given the increasing need to address the implications of climate change.
Gary is co-chair of the Canadian Institute of Planners (CIP) Climate Change Committee and is leading a members’ group for the Alberta Professional Planners Institute to increase its profile relative to Planning for Sustainability in Alberta. Gary a former Certified Trainer with the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) has served on IAP2’s International Board as a member and Chair. A recent board member and Past Chair of the Alberta Real Estate Foundation, he is currently a Board member of Bridges Social Development which works directly with Treaty 7 communities engaging with youth towards practices of change leadership and social entrepreneurship. 

Public Member

Marilyn Hooper

Marilyn Hooper was most recently Executive Assistant and Outreach Co-ordinator to Mayor Don Iveson.  She retired June 2016 after 10 years with the City of Edmonton.  She has had a long history working in the public sector and feels she still has some public service left in her.   She served as Outreach Coordinator for the NDP Opposition from 1998-2004 and Constituency Assistant for 2 years before that.  She spent two years as Instructional Assistant with the American Sign Language Training Program at Grant MacEwan College and one year as a freelance sign language interpreter.   Marilyn holds a diploma in Counselling Women from the U of A Women’s Studies Program.  As a passionate music lover, she is an active volunteer for CKUA Radio Station.