Addressing Inequities

Equity, affordability and the just transition are all important considerations in the transition to a low carbon economy. The question is: How do we do this well? This interactive dialogue will explore existing building challenges and opportunities, workforce readiness, supportive policies and examples of putting this into practice.

The event will feature speakers from Ecotrust Canada, the Vancouver Economic Commission and NYC’s BlocPower - a company getting a lot of media attention for their innovative approaches to upgrading buildings to be smarter, greener and healthier for all.

The Mar 2022 Deep Emissions Retrofit Dialogue is a collaboration with B2E featuring the BC Non-Profit Housing Association.

Dialogues

• Energy Poverty in BC: Drivers and Solutions
• Workforce Development and the Just Transition
• Fighting the climate crisis and creating good green jobs

Speakers

Dylan Heerema, Senior Policy Advisor, Ecotrust Canada

Dylan is a policy and technical expert with a passion for energy justice and community resilience. Originally from Treaty 7 Territory in the Alberta foothills, a strong connection to the coast brought Dylan to BC and Tla’amin Nation Territory, where he works on energy efficiency, diesel reduction, and renewable energy initiatives for rural, remote, and Indigenous communities across Canada.

Dylan is a Professional Engineer and Energy Advisor, with a M.Eng. in Clean Energy Engineering from the University of British Columbia. Over the past decade, he has worked extensively with governments, communities, industry and NGOs on climate and energy policy. Dylan also brings experience in the utility planning and regulatory process to the Community Energy team, which he joined in 2019. Outside of work you can find Dylan skiing, climbing, paddling, and enjoying the beautiful Sunshine Coast.

Vanessa Sun, Coordinator, Economic Transformation, Vancouver Economic Commission

Vanessa Sun is a political science and history enthusiast with a passion for community planning, environment, and social entrepreneurship. This past summer, she conducted a best practices research on what a just transition can look like for the City of Vancouver. She believes that an equitable and just transition to climate change is achievable as long as proper engagement, a co-creation mindset, and actionable steps are planned.

George Benson, Manager, Economic Transformation, Vancouver Economic Commission

An urban planner by training, and an economic developer by trade, George Benson is working to decarbonize, build resilience, and increase social equity in Vancouver’s massive architecture, engineering, and construction sectors. More broadly, George also supports much of VEC’s green economy and social impact work in different ways. George brings unique experience from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, together with deep content knowledge in resilience, urban sustainability, global governance, and new economic systems. He works with individual businesses, industry associations, building code developers, global businesses and networks, and researchers on numerous capacity building, coordination, and market transformation initiatives.

Outside of VEC, George is the Global Climate Lead for North America in the World Economic Forum’s young leaders network, the Global Shapers Community, and has been involved in the leadership of the US and Canadian urban planning associations. In 2017, he was recognised by the City of Vancouver with its Award of Excellence for his work on building sustainability and resilience in the community.

Glenn Schatz, Chief Revenue Officer, BlocPower

Glenn Schatz is the Chief Revenue Officer at BlocPower, a smart buildings platform that markets, engineers, and finances energy efficiency, renewable energy, IoT, and other technologies to buildings and communities in underserved market segments. BlocPower partners with governments, utilities, building owners, philanthropies, and community members to generate energy bill savings and reduced carbon emissions, and generates financial returns and improved public health.

Prior to joining BlocPower, Glenn was Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at Link Labs, a leading provider of an end-to-end IoT platform for locating and monitoring equipment, supplies and assets anywhere at any time. In his tenure at Link Labs, he was responsible for building the company’s initial go-to-market plan and sales strategy, building up key channel and distributor relationships, and forging lasting relationships with mobile network operators around the globe. Glenn was previously employed by the U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Conversion Research (ECoRE) Ventures, and the U.S. Naval Academy. In his free time, he works with a veterans’ nonprofit organization that advocates for civic engagement and speaks out against veteran extremism. Glenn resides in Baltimore with his spouse and two young children.

Hosts

Mariko Michasiw, B2E Program Manager, ZEBx

Ian Cullis, Director, Asset Management, BC Non-Profit Housing Association

Professional Development

After the event, attendees will receive a follow-up email with details of how to request credit confirmations:

AIBC - 2 LU (confirmed)

There will be no BC Housing credits awarded for this event

Other associations, universities, colleges etc: a Certificate of Attendance is available