November 2022 Session - BC Flood Recovery, Part 2

One year ago our region faced an extreme and unprecedented weather and flooding event that dramatically impacted lives, communities, and property.  One year later, the resiliency of our people remains strong and the rebuilding efforts are well underway.  Climate change is real, infrastructure resiliency is critical, and our industry plays a significant role in the conversation.  On Wednesday November 30th, the BC Construction Roundtable will host a thought provoking panel discussion around learnings from recent extreme weather events, thoughts about climate adaption in our industry, and the future needs for infrastructure hardening and resiliency.  Please join us!

Panelists

Rod Allen, Director Environmental Emergency Program, BC Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy. Rod is responsible for leadership and management of preparedness, response and recovery to environmental emergencies that includes hazardous materials spills, flooding, and landslides. He has 30 years of emergency management experience at the BC Government. Other positions include Director of Planning and Business Continuity and Provincial Duty Manager at Emergency Management BC; Incident Commander, Fire Behaviour Specialist and Forest Protection Officer at BC Wildfire Service focusing on emergency planning, prevention/mitigation, response, and recovery.

Ian Pilkington, Chief Engineer, Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure. Ian Pilkington is the Chief Engineer for the BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure. Ian started his career with the Ministry in 1991 as a Geotechnical Engineer. Over his 31 year career with the Ministry, Ian has held several positions, including Project Manager, Director of Climate Action Project Delivery, Director Geotechnical Engineering, Director of Rehabilitation and Maintenance and led the renewal of 27 Highway Maintenance Contracts before taking over the position of Chief Engineer from the retiring Dirk Nyland in 2019. Ian is responsible for setting the engineering standards that the Ministry and consultant designers use on public highway infrastructure, which includes climate adaptation standards.

Edwin Edou (Moderator), Climate Change Analyst, Hatch Ltd. Edwin Edou is a Climate Change Analyst engaging in low-carbon development and energy policy in service of a 1.5°C compatible future. A graduate of UBC’s Master of Public Policy and Global Affairs, Edwin also serves on the United Nations Development Program supporting Vietnam's energy transition. With Hatch, he supports energy, mining, and infrastructure sectors through the provision of policy recommendations, risk identification, resilience strategies, and climate scenario analysis, supporting major transportation projects in BC.

Jenny Koss, Assistant Program Manager of Flood Management, Fraser Basin Council. Jenny is an Assistant Program Manager of Flood Management at the Fraser Basin Council where she works on regional projects to reduce flood risk. She firmly believes that good policy practices, holistic planning, and public education before a disaster occurs are the best tools for reducing risk in our communities. In her presentation she will cover anticipated impacts of climate change on flood in the Lower Mainland.

Thank you to our sponsors!