Aaron Williams A member of the Squamish First Nation and linguist for the Squamish Language Project, Aaron is a graduate of Simon Fraser University’s program in Indigenous Languages and an instructor in his Indigenous language. He was taught the Squamish language by his grandmother in 1984. “Since then I have grown into a place in my life, where I am gifted with that same ability and knowledge of sḵwx̱wú7mesh Sníchim. I am thankful for her love and tutelage at her home, where I still reside today.” Aaron is featured in the False Creek film, “Waterbodies“.
Angela Danyluk (she/her) grew up boating and tide pooling with her family in the Salish Sea. Angela lives on the unceded traditional homelands of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations where she enjoys arts and culture, hiking and taking photographs of wildflowers. She is a Registered Professional Biologist with the BC College of Applied Biology. Angela works at the City of Vancouver where she leads a team to deliver climate adaptation & equity projects and programs for the community and city’s assets. She still likes to tide pool in her spare time.
Bob Peart was a founding director False Creek Friends and rejoins us as an esteemed advisor. A biologist, educator and environmental activist specializing in conservation and parks management at the international, national and provincial level, Bob is mostly retired and enjoys volunteering for a variety of community groups on the Saanich Peninsula and throughout Greater Victoria. Bob has been recognized for his life-long commitment to parks, nature conservation and environmental education with a number of Awards.
Dr. Chris Harley is a professor in the Zoology Department and in the Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, and studies the impact of climate change on rocky coasts. His Harley lab at UBC is interested in how climatic factors, such as temperature, CO2, pH, and biological relationships such as predation and facilitation, interact to create ecological patterns in time and space. In his research, he blends experiments and observations in the lab and field to test novel hypotheses.
Fin Donnelly has been a Member of Parliament, a BC MLA, and Coquitlam City Councillor. From 1990-2000, Fin made 14 environmental marathon swims, covering more than 3,200 km in BC’s rivers, lakes and ocean, to draw attention to the declining health of these water bodies and to encourage us to engage in environmental advocacy. In 1997, Fin was honoured by the Squamish Nation for his stewardship work and given the name Iyim Yewyews (“Strong Swimmer” in the animal world, or Orca). He grew up in Port Moody and lives in Coquitlam with his wife Lynda.
Dr. Kai Chan is a professor at the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability at the University of British Columbia, and Canada Research Chair Tier 1 in Re-Wilding and Social-Ecological Transformation. Kai is an interdisciplinary, problem-oriented sustainability scientist, trained in ecology, policy, and ethics from Princeton and Stanford Universities. He strives to understand how social-ecological systems can be transformed to be both better and wilder. Kai leads CHANS lab (Connecting Human and Natural Systems).
Dr. Kevin Rey is an instructor at Langara College where he equips students with a fundamental understanding of the scientific process and the ability to communicate and critique science in writing. He also holds and Applied Research grant from Langara to begin community-based ecology surveys of False Creek, working closely with False Creek Friends as a partner organization. He is leading a research initiative to profile aquatic life through an extensive eDNA project. Kevin is also an avid cyclist and is constantly looking for ways where he can put his energy into helping his community be its best informed and most vibrant version of itself.
I am Leona Brown, a Gitxsan and Nisga’a mother of 3 children, of the Fireweed House and the Killer Whale Clan. I am an Indigenous Independent Cultural Facilitator. As a Gitxsan Refugee in the unceded territories of Musquem, Squamish, and Tsleil-waututh, I have been taking on land based work here in the city and thrive as a great ambassador to the work Resurfacing History has taught me around Indigenous food and resources that we harvest in the city.
Dr. Melissa Lem is a Vancouver family physician, President of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment and Director of PaRx, Canada’s national nature prescription program powered by the BC Parks Foundation. An internationally recognized leader in the field of nature and health, she has also engaged in advocacy and policy work on a broad range of other issues, from climate change and hydraulic fracturing to sustainable health care and low-carbon transportation. Her expertise has led to frequent media appearances, and is currently CBC Vancouver News at 6’s in-house medical columnist, and a biweekly climate change panellist on CBC Radio’s Early Edition.
Panos Grames is a senior public engagement specialist at the David Suzuki Foundation, where he works on marine conservation issues. He has taken a leading role in initiatives that bridge the protection of the environment and human rights, including the impact of climate change on children’s rights, and contextualizing marine conservation within the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. He has lived on the shores of False Creek for more than 20 years and enjoys its daily tides and seasonal changes.
Dr. Peter S. Ross is an internationally recognized ocean pollution expert. As Senior Scientist at Raincoast Conservation Foundation, he has developied a new community-oriented Healthy Waters Program. He recently served as the Vice-President of Research at Ocean Wise, where he founded the Ocean Pollution Research Program, launched PollutionTracker and the Plastics Lab. Prior to that, he served for 16 years as a federal Research Scientist with Fisheries and Oceans Canada. His work has been featured prominently in national and international media.
Dr. Shelley Luce is Director of Campaigns for the Sierra Club of BC. An experienced and purpose-driven leader in evironmental issues, Shelley was CEO of Heal the Bay, a marine conservation NGO in Southern California. Her campaign focus with Sierra Club BC so far has been on water and forest protection, with an emphasis on community resilience and environmental justice, sharpening her work as a visionary, creative and collaborative leader with extensive experience in initiating and growing programs and partnerships.
Dr. Soudeh Jamshidian is the director of education and international relations at IISAAK OLAM Foundation, and a strong collaborator at the Conservation through Reconciliation Partnership. Soudeh has been a director at False Creek Friends with a responsibility for developing strategies to collaborate with Indigenous communities and possibly establishing a co-managed IPCA in False Creek.
Dr. Kyra Janot grew up on the unceded territory of the Squamish Nation in what is now known as Gibsons; spending her childhood surrounded by the beauty of coastal BC fostered a deep appreciation for the marine environment and all its inhabitants, leading her to complete a BSc in Marine Biology and a PhD in Botany studying seaweeds at the University of British Columbia. Kyra now lives and works on the unceded lands of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tseil-Waututh Nations, educating first and second-year students on a range of biology topics as an instructor at Langara College.