Our Senior Staff

Living in Nanaimo since 1991 Doug has focused his professional career on the development of healthy communities in rural BC and on central Vancouver Island in particular. Through a variety of project and professional experience Doug had led Lanarc Consultants, and more recently HB Lanarc to become one of the pre-eminent landscape architectural practices in British Columbia.

Doug’s approach of providing thoughtful and practical advice for clients on a wide range of community planning and environmental issues has allowed him to become a respected voice in landscape architecture and community planning through the province.

In addition to current and recently completed projects such as the Vancouver Island Conference Centre and Ladysmith Spirit Square, Doug has provided considerable energy in support of broader planning issues that can positively affect the future of all Vancouver Islanders. Doug’s involvement with the Island Corridor Foundation—an innovative collaboration between local governments and First Nations communities—is one example, his leadership in the development of decision support tools for rainwater management and water conservation are another. Over the years, Doug’s enthusiasm for quality design solutions is undiminished and his experience and curiosity provide a solid foundation in working with clients.

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Robert Barrs is a co-founder of HB Lanarc Consultants and a professional planner with 15 years experience in land use planning, sustainability strategy, policy development and research. Rob’s planning passion is to identify practical solutions to the challenges of creating sustainable communities. This passion drove him to study for a Masters in Community & Regional Planning and to becoming one of the first planners in Canada to gain LEED® accreditation.

Rob has worked on some of the most innovative projects in Canada including the National Capital Region’s long term sustainability plan (Choosing our Future), Markham’s Integrated Community Sustainability Plan, the Southeast False Creek Athlete’s Village in Vancouver and Port Coquitlam’s Environmental Strategic Plan.

Rob has led emissions and energy scenario modeling projects for communities in British Columbia and Ontario. Rob served on the board of directors of Smart Growth BC from 2002 to 2008 and was chair of the board from 2007 to 2008.

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Don is a registered landscape architect with over 20 years experience in private consulting and municipal settings, with an emphasis on community and urban and design, landscape architecture, and parks and open space systems. Don’s education in landscape architecture and architecture gives him a strong foundation for the integration of building design and landscape, of environment and social forces.

Don takes an ecological approach to landscape design, integrating natural processes into the built environment to produce beautiful, healthy places through elegant design solutions that respond to complex social demands. He works closely with clients, stakeholder groups, and the public, often in a multi-disciplinary environment, to arrive at creative solutions that satisfy comprehensive design criteria.

Don has developed exceptional computer and graphic skills to provide visualizations of planning and design scenarios, either in computer generated photo-realism, or more traditional hand drawn renderings to creatively convey design and planning scenarios. More than a communications tool, computer modeling and visualizations have become a tool for design exploration in every day practice. Don routinely uses digital terrain models to explore site design options, view impacts, slope analysis, road layouts, hydrological patterns, solar access and shadow analysis, and to test urban and landscape character. Don’s experience in soil conservation, preparation of construction drawings, cost analysis,  construction documentation and contract administration brings practical, implementable solutions to the table, whether informing the broader planning process or guiding the implementation plan.

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David has been pioneering new areas of practice for more than 35 years. David practices as both a land use planner and a landscape architect, and is also heavily involved in green infrastructure planning and design. Many projects have focused on water – ranging from watershed planning to water conservation strategies, and waterfront improvements to watercourse restoration. David has been instrumental as a bridge among levels of government, local government departments, and the development community. His many contributions to innovation include key titles in the Stewardship Series, Metro Vancouver’s Stormwater Source Control Design Guidelines, RDN’s Action for Water program, and Kelowna’s Outdoor Water Conservation initiative. David has applied policy and design guidelines into local government OCPs, Development Permits, Zoning and Subdivision Bylaws, and Water Regulations. He also has been project director and designer on many constructed projects that incorporate these innovations. Most recently David has been active in planning for adaptation to climate change, including Sea Level Rise and related coastal planning and shoreline design strategies.

David’s passion is to ‘make sustainable development standard practice’. His clients are proceeding rapidly towards that goal.

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Vince Verlaan is responsible for ensuring excellence and innovation in HB Lanarc - Golder’s public process, community engagement, and stakeholder consultation work. He is a Provisional Member of the Canadian Institute of Planners.

Vince excels in developing and applying participatory tools and processes that greatly improve plans, projects, policies, and organizations. Building community capacity is a central goal.

With 20 years experience in diverse Canadian and international settings, he develops “strong engagement” initiatives linking different groups for their mutual benefit. Supporting effective collaboration, citizen involvement in governance, consensus-based decision making, action-learning, and positive change are his passions. Healthy communities, participatory governance, social inclusion, social capital, smart growth, and “genuine sustainability” are focus areas.

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Alex has helped numerous communities develop and implement energy and emission management plans, supported the BC Government’s 16 ministries establish their carbon neutral action plans, provided vulnerability analysis and adaptation guidance for developers and local governments, led research for the Prime Minister’s Task Force on Cities and Communities, designed educational tools for local government associations and utilities, and led change management training programs for public sector organizations. He works with an interdisciplinary team pioneering high impact energy and emission modelling and mapping for communities. Prior to joining HB Lanarc, Alex led climate policy at the David Suzuki Foundation. He earned his MSc at Oxford’s Environmental Change Institute where he was a British Council Scholar.

Alex works from the premise “our greatest challenges are institutional not technological.” He is dedicated to helping clients build the capacity to turn innovative plans into practical realities. Strategic planning, rich engagement, capacity building and governance know-how underpin his work.

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Michele Cloghesy consults to the public and private sectors in the realm of sustainable land use planning and design. She is a registered landscape architect, urban planner and LEED approved professional. Michele is highly skilled at planning livable communities that enhance a unique sense of place. Over her 24+ year career, she has participated in numerous significant planning and design initiatives with positive results including Bear Mountain in Greater Victoria and Royal Bay in Colwood. Michele produces highly effective communications materials suitable for the public planning process and is renowned for her professional facilitation of complex and challenging assignments. Michele also provides a high level of skill and creativity in the arena of graphic facilitation.

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Bud Fraser has over twenty years of combined engineering, project management and planning experience. Bud uses his multi-disciplinary background to help clients create buildings and infrastructure that meet sustainability and economic objectives, are better integrated, and that more efficiently manage energy, water and waste resources. His services include analysis of sustainability and resource performance, policy and strategy development, and design advising. As part of HB Lanarc-Golder’s Infrastructure, Climate and Energy Team, Bud is leading the development of the CEEMAP energy and emissions model. His clients include a range of property developers, institutions, provincial government, and diverse local governments such as North Vancouver, Prince George, Harrison Hot Springs and Edmonton.

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A returning BC native, James joined the firm on Vancouver Island in 2011.
He has a passion for empowering communities to create sustainable and resilient futures. He directed the prestigious Rocky Mountain Land Use Institute in Denver where he convened conferences on critical planning themes and developed innovative tools to help local governments and developers implement plans for healthy and sustainable futures. He has worked directly with citizens in developing community and neighborhood plans in Ontario, Mississippi, Colorado and British Columbia. His planning efforts in Colorado earned the Town of Fowler a governor’s award for sustainability. His experience and insights for planning in a Western context have been expressed in True West: Authentic Development Patterns for Small Towns and Rural Areas, a publication of the American Planning Association. He earned his Master’s degree in Regional Planning and Resource Development from the University of Waterloo.

With a personable style he offers clients a flexible and practical approach to developing plans and implementation tools for their communities.

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Cynthia’s career has spanned the nation from Newfoundland to Victoria – with a wide variety of projects ranging from: land use planning and re-zoning master plans; open space development plans; design of park, playground and urban space settings; trail and signage design; and commercial, institutional and residential landscape designs. She is committed to sustainable design and is a LEED Accredited Professional. Cynthia is also a provisional Member of the Planning Institute of British Columbia, and an Intern member of the British Columbia Society of Landscape Architects.

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Joaquin is an experienced urban design planner whose professional practice is rooted in community dialogue and engagement and focused on the planning and design of highly walkable, liveable and sustainable communities. Joaquin’s practice includes community sustainability planning, integrated land use and transportation planning, downtown revitalization/intensification, housing policy and conceptual design, master planning and site design and preparation of urban design guidelines.

Joaquin is an experienced project manager and has led numerous urban design and planning processes including the Coquitlam City Centre Area Plan, the Chilliwack Downtown Land Use and Development Plan, Austin Heights Neighbourhood Urban Design Plan, the Aldergrove Core Area Plan, and the Carvolth TOD Plan, to name a few. 

Joaquin is an experienced facilitator and public speaker and has presents regularly on urban design issues. Joaquin is a Full Member of the Canadian Institute of Planners, a co-founder of the Healing Cities Working Group, and a past member of the Vancouver City Planning Commission.

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Peter is a community planner with a focus in sustainable urban development.  His academic background is Chemistry and Environmental Science, before a Master’s degree in Planning at UBC. Peter’s strengths lie in his analytical skills and strategic approach to implementation, as well as strong project management. He has managed a number of large, high-profile projects while at HB Lanarc-Golder, including Arbutus Lands Visioning, the Green Playbook (www.greenplaybook.org), Squamish’s Oceanfront Neighbourhood Plan, and Prince George’s ICSP/OCP. His professional work has ranged widely, including: urban sustainability, land-use regulation, public participation, environmental management, and community design.

Peter is a member of the Board of the Dynamic Cities Project, and was Chair of the Board of the False Creek Watershed Society from 2004-2010.

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Jana brings to the HB Lanarc-Golder Associates team a strong background in landscape architecture and open space planning and a belief that the best solutions are reached through comprehensive planning and process. Jana is responsible for planning and design development, communications, community process and implementation. She has collaborated with clients on a wide range of projects across the public and private sectors. Jana’s recent work has included planning and design at both the community and site scales, allowing her to work with clients, community members and contractors to plan and design solutions that have lasting effects. Jana’s LEED Accreditation allows her to approach design problems with a sustainable vision from the beginning to end. With degrees from the University of Guelph and Penn State and overseas exchanges, Jana’s education in landscape architecture has allowed her to develop a broad range of skills including technical, graphic and research abilities that she combines to produce effective solutions to complex problems.

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