About MODUSMODUS works with local and regional governments, provincial agencies, crown corporations, non-profits, universities, community groups, school boards, libraries and progressive developers to address critical issues and make a difference.MODUS OPERANDI -- How we collaborate with you is what sets us apart. Our “modus operandi” is to consciously weave together our expertise with ideas from diverse stakeholders, the public and our clients. Tapping into a range of perspectives on complex issues makes us all wiser, aligns our thinking and action and creates new solutions.This proven "way of doing things together" leads to fresh thinking, new insight, and inspiration which enables shared perspectives to build, and a clear direction to emerge. The result? Creative, well-supported and implementable solutions that truly make a difference. That's MODUS. From Insight to Impact.MODUSMDS_eb8bd98c-8015-11ea-bf89-afc8f482ea00MODUS PRINCIPALSOur principals bring exceptional skills honed in long, successful careers encompassing hundreds of innovative projects.Robert BarrsRobert Barrs is a registered professional planner with 20 years of experience in land use planning, sustainability strategy, policy development and housing research. Rob’s planning passion is to identify practical solutions to the challenges of creating sustainable communities. His experience includes extensive work leading multidisciplinary teams through many complex, challenging projects including community plans, neighbourhood plans, sustainability strategies, housing projects and sustainable development projects in Western Canada and Ontario. Rob is past president of Smart Growth BC, a co-founder of Wayblaze Community Crowdfunding and speaks often on best practices in planning, sustainability and community development.Edward PorterEdward Porter is a senior urban designer and registered professional planner with a background in urban design, landscape architecture, policy planning and design-led engagement. A native Tennessean, Edward’s passion for urban design stems from a culture of storytelling: he sees design as a means to frame, facilitate and implement change. He is committed to pragmatic, collaborative and contextual solutions that acknowledge the physical, socio-political and economic constraints of local community investment and phased development. Edward's master planning experience includes a diverse portfolio of public- and private-sector projects, ranging from architectural site planning, rezoning and public/private realm design guidelines to landscape-scale conservation plans and green infrastructure (riparian and urban forest) strategies.Vince VerlaanVince Verlaan is an engagement specialist who skillfully weaves robust engagement and communication activities into cutting-edge initiatives in various sectors. With 25 years’ experience in multi-stakeholder policy creation, program development, project implementation, and education initiatives in BC, Canada and internationally, he blends participatory planning theory and practice with hands-on facilitation skills. Increasingly called on for training and public speaking, Vince uses dialogue techniques to reduce community conflict, accelerate learning, build trust, and support joint action.MODUS STAFFIgnatius ButIgnatius But is an engagement coordinator at MODUS. Through his prior work in community development and health programming, Ignatius brings experience in facilitation, community-based research and data analysis. Ignatius incorporates a holistic health lens to his work as a graduate of UBC's School of Community and Regional Planning and School of Kinesiology, and is particularly interested in integrating culturally-diverse perspectives into planning processes.Mackenzie FlemingMackenzie Fleming is an engagement specialist who is dedicated to supporting communities as sustainability champions through the integration of people, place, and planet. Drawing on her experience in marine biology and experiential education, she incorporates a holistic, multidisciplinary approach to projects, combining systematic process design with creative ideation. Her biology background grants her the ability to translate technical jargon, accelerating meaningful participation and fostering inclusivity. Mackenzie creates environments where people are energized, comfortable and connected, to create deeper, more meaningful engagement.Sarah GillettSarah Gillett is an engagement specialist and community planner with 12 years of engagement experience in diverse contexts, with extensive skills in Indigenous community planning and youth engagement. She's a skilled project manager, with a passion for facilitating innovative and impactful community engagement and supporting processes that build stronger organizations and communities, backed by a strong academic background in community planning, conflict resolution and community economic development.Alix KrahnAlix Krahn is a planner who is passionate about inclusive community planning and engagement-led urban design, working with communities to create designs and plans that celebrate and honour the places they live. She integrates a background in engineering with recent work in engagement and planning and excels at translating technical jargon for broader audiences and collaborating across disciplines.Suzy LunnSuzy Lunn joined Modus after 14 years working in local government at the District of North Vancouver and City of Vancouver. She is a registered, professional planner with a Master's degree in Community and Regional Planning from UBC. She is a skilled facilitator and relationship builder, partnering with SFU Centre for Dialogue to lead the innovative Delbrook Lands Community Dialogue process in North Vancouver to determine future uses for the district-owned site. She is committed to creating inclusive communities through her practice. She has broad planning experience in community, social and land use planning. Suzy is also an instructor in the Sustainable Development program at Simon Fraser University and brings an educational perspective to her planning practice.Jess MacindoeJess Macindoe is an Office Administrator with a background in Human Resources, Office Support and Research. She assists the MODUS team with tasks related to administration, marketing, bookkeeping and project support, and helps to coordinate meetings and functions for the team and their clients. Jess is originally from New Zealand, and is enjoying working for an organization like MODUS because of the opportunities it gives her to learn about the local communities and projects being undertaken in Canada.Deb McIntyreDeb McIntyre is an office manager with over 30 years of experience in diverse organizations ranging from federal government administration, scientific research and development, software development, advertising and consumer product distribution. She brings administrative management experience, skills and abilities in the areas of business planning, finance, human resources, and office and facilities management. Deb loves an efficiently run office. Jessica MannJessica Mann strongly believes in a contextual and integrated approach to planning and design. Neighbourhood and site planning projects are founded on their social, cultural, environmental and physical (landform) analyses. Her strong technical and graphic skillsets allow her to communicate sensitive design solutions. Her experience covers a breadth of public and private sector work, including neighbourhood planning and design guidelines. Jessica attributes her understanding of the nuance of place to her experience of growing up in the distinct cultural and historical contexts of France, Canada and the United States.Michael MeyerMichael Meyer is a planner and engagement specialist passionate about the vibrancy and livability of Canadian communities. Michael is a skilled facilitator bringing a fresh, innovative approach to engagement processes. His particular interests are in the evolving world of digital engagement, and how digital tools can be used - along with robust in-person techniques - to enhance participation in engagement processes.Michael specializes in cultural planning and the cultural economy, with a particular interest in the inclusivity of third places and public space. He incorporates research, design, and enthusiasm in his work to be an effective communicator pursuing social, cultural, and environmental sustainability goals. He also brings municipal experience and a focus on construction projects, lifecycle analysis, and spatial analysis.Patrick OystrykPatrick Oystryk is a planner interested in creating delightful urban environments that are carefully connected, beautifully designed, full of life, and reflective of the people and stories found there. As a Franco-Manitoban, hailing from the community of Saint-Boniface, he understands the powerful link between culture and geography, and aspires to strengthen and reveal those links in all his planning projects. Patrick recognizes the powerful role land use plays in local government and he believes the solutions to our generation's biggest challenges can be found in responsible and sustainable land use planning.Aby RefaeiAby Refaei is an Urban Designer with a passion for creating livable and sustainable places. Native to Egypt and an avid traveller since an early age, Aby has experienced a variety of urban environments and public spaces – from diverse and contrasting cultures through out the world – and translates this diverse lived experience into thoughtful design. Formally trained as an urban planner & designer, his professional experience has involved all phases of the urban design process, including: facilitating charrettes, engaging stakeholders, designing concept plans, and delivering policy recommendations. Aby believes in the power of good place-making and the role of urban design in making world-class built environments that benefit both developers and the future users of the space.Athulya PulimoodAthulya Pulimood is a Marketing & Learning Specialist at MODUS. With her Masters in Communication and over 7 years of experience in Learning & Development, her passions include, innovative marketing and inculcating a culture of curiosity using gamification & design thinking principles. Creating structure and organization amidst the chaos of the mundane also excites her. She brings to the team skills in training, design, content writing, branding & communication, project planning and process audits. Originally from South India, working at MODUS gives her a glimpse into the rich and varied heritage of Canada and its communities.Tru TaylorTru Taylor is an engagement specialist who is driven by a strong desire to support and build the capacity of communities through effective and creative public involvement in decision-making processes. Tru brings experience from a variety of international not-for-profit organizations and skills in research, data analysis, spatial analysis and event planning. With a background in Environmental Studies and in Global Studies, she incorporates a sustainability and systems-thinking approach to projects and strives to create a collaborative and enthusiastic working environment.MODUS ASSOCIATESMODUS has attracted skilled, independent professionals to enhance our services and add to our sectoral reach. Learn more about these trusted colleagues, who work on some of our most exciting projects.Krystie BabalosKrystie Babalos is an experienced sustainability planner and project manager with a background in sustainability strategy, policy development and public and stakeholder engagement. Krystie has facilitated many diverse groups in complex and multi-jurisdictional planning and engagement projects. Krystie applies participatory planning to solve complex problems, and supports projects with clear visioning and strategy, process integrity and implementation support in order to develop community-based plans, policies and actions. She is certified with the International Association of Public Participation BC (IAP2). Krystie also has a passion for high quality urban design and architecture and is the Vice President of Babco Equities, a social purpose real estate group, now specializing in Passive House commercial development.Katie HamiltonKatie Hamilton is a recognized organizational leader and strategic communicator. Her core professional interest is helping public-serving organizations change how they do business, how they involve their communities, and how they engage their staff. As Director of Strategic Planning and Citizen Engagement for the City of Victoria, Katie led broad service areas including strategic and operational planning, communications and citizen engagement, including open government initiatives and media relations. Working as a consultant, she can help build and lead project teams, review and develop transformative organizational systems, and establish new standards for reporting, customer service, communications, and public engagement. Katie also has a strong strategic communications, issues management and media background, having been the City’s media contact and spokesperson, and Public Information Officer for the Victoria Emergency Management Agency, for over 10 years.Christina RayChristina Ray designs planning processes, facilitates community dialogue, and helps organizations foster innovation and collaboration. A seasoned facilitator, teacher, and community-builder, she helps cultivate the qualities that enable organizations to flourish in a complex and rapidly-changing environment. Christina has more than 20 years of experience with capacity-building processes, including community engagement, strategic planning, facilitation, monitoring and evaluation, program and grant development, adult education, and volunteer engagement. With an M.A. in Leadership and a position as adjunct faculty and project coach in the Leadership stream at the Vancouver School of Theology, Christina follows the participatory leadership approach embodied in the Art of Hosting.Ian ScottIan Scott is an urban planner and project manager with 15 years of experience in sustainable community planning and design, downtown and community planning, and urban and affordable housing development. A LEED-ND accredited professional, Ian worked extensively on the Dockside Green project in Victoria, has supported multiple Passive House projects, and co-authored a report on the Business Case for Passive House. He brings broad knowledge and expertise in project visioning, project strategy, site analysis and design, development pro-formas and financial analysis, neighbourhood planning, policy development and mapping.Sarah WilmotSarah Wilmot is an environmental planner with fourteen years of experience. She has worked on a variety of sustainable community planning, community engagement, and strategic planning projects. She has evaluated and developed financial plans, conducted detailed triple bottom line analyses, and has a demonstrated ability to work successfully with municipal decision making processes. Sarah takes great satisfaction in helping clients work through complex information and arrive at sound conclusions. In addition to her technical abilities, She is skilled in project management, group facilitation, and conflict management. MODUS ClientsLocal GovernmentsRegional GovernmentsProvincial AgenciesCrown CorporationsNon-ProfitsUniversitiesCommunity GroupsSchool BoardsLibrariesProgressive DevelopersLasting solutions for a better world._eb8bdc70-8015-11ea-bf89-afc8f482ea00To weave together diverse people, skills and ideas to drive bold action._eb8bddc4-8015-11ea-bf89-afc8f482ea00IMPACT Making real progress on critical issuesCOLLABORATIONFiguring things out togetherCAPACITYEmpowering clients, communities & ourselvesINCLUSIONShaping processes and places with and for everyoneINNOVATIONExploring and inspiring new approachesLEARNINGEmbracing Growth and improvementPLANNINGImagine the future you want and show you how to get there._eb8bdf72-8015-11ea-bf89-afc8f482ea001We help you imagine the future you want and show you how to get there. Our work ranges from regional, community, neighbourhood and downtown land use plans to project and site-specific guidance._eb8be260-8015-11ea-bf89-afc8f482ea00URBAN DESIGNCreate beautiful, distinct and inclusive communities._eb8be3a0-8015-11ea-bf89-afc8f482ea002CommunitiesWe weave together the many strands of placemaking to create beautiful, distinct and inclusive communities. Our work includes leading integrated teams in master planning and design processes._eb8be4ea-8015-11ea-bf89-afc8f482ea00ENGAGEMENTEnsure broad, meaningful and timely input._eb8be620-8015-11ea-bf89-afc8f482ea003We ensure broad, meaningful and timely input. Our work blends in-person and digital formats to engage all your key stakeholders and audiences. Communications and facilitation excellence ensure success._eb8be756-8015-11ea-bf89-afc8f482ea00ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENTHelp public-serving organizations take a highly participatory and appreciative approach to all forms of organizational development._eb8be8aa-8015-11ea-bf89-afc8f482ea004Public-Serving OrganizationsWe help public-serving organizations of many sizes and types take a highly participatory and appreciative approach to all forms of organizational development. Our work focuses on engaged strategic planning, support for implementation, leadership models and practices, internal capacity-building, and team-building._eb8be9ea-8015-11ea-bf89-afc8f482ea00SOCIAL PLANNINGHelp make communities more sustainable, more welcoming, and more equitable._eb8beb20-8015-11ea-bf89-afc8f482ea005CommunitiesOur social planning practice helps make communities more sustainable, more welcoming, and more equitable for all. We do this by diving deep on social issues and opportunities with diverse community members, and with the decision-makers serving those people. We are passionate about inclusion because we know that involving more involving more (and more diverse) perspectives always leads to better decisions and outcomes._eb8bec7e-8015-11ea-bf89-afc8f482ea002020-04-16https://thinkmodus.ca/mission/OwenAmburOwen.Ambur@verizon.net