WSP Team Members
Oliver M Brandes is a political ecologist and joined The POLIS Project in 2003 to lead the Water Sustainability Project. He holds a Master’s in Economics from Queens University and a Law Degree from the University of Victoria, and studied ecological restoration through the Restoration of Natural Systems program at UVic. Oliver studied international relations in Europe and was involved in various environmental and development projects in Costa Rica and Ecuador, including a tropical reforestation initiative, water treatment facility construction and a sea-turtle restoration project. Oliver has also worked in Canada’s North for the territorial judges at the Nunavut Court of Justice. His work at POLIS focuses on sound resource management and ecological based legal and institutional reform. As WSP project leader, Oliver provides strategic water policy advice to NGOs and all levels of government and has authored several major reports.
Elizabeth Hendriks joined the Water Sustainability Project in the Spring of 2009 to help engage local governments in comprehensive water conservation planning. She will be working with the Community Water Coordinator to facilitate the WSP Water Conservation Workshop Roadshow. Prior to working on the WSP Elizabeth was the Research Associate with the University of Waterloo managing “Building toward Water Efficiency” a two year project examining the role of the building industry in implementing water efficiency. She is also actively involved in the Canadian Water Resource Association and Waterlution – A Water Learning Experience.
Carol Maas joined the POLIS Water Sustainability Project in late 2006, bringing her technical expertise in water and wastewater to the team. Carol completed her undergraduate degree at McMaster University in Chemical Engineering and Society specializing in water and wastewater engineering and the societal implications of technology. She has worked in the water and wastewater field for ten years in various capacities including consulting, research and development and process engineering. In 2006, Carol completed her Masters of Applied Science in Chemical Engineering at the University of Waterloo and has since been investigating appropriate technologies for water treatment and conservation at the POLIS Project. Her current focus is on the energy and carbon footprint of water use, and alternative water sources, along with the development of interactive tools for scenario-based water conservation planning.
Dr Michael M’Gonigle is the founder of POLIS. At the University of Victoria, he holds the Eco-Research Chair in Environmental Law and Policy and is cross-appointed between the School of Environmental Studies and the Faculty of Law. A lawyer and political ecologist, his work with Greenpeace in the 1970s led to the international moratorium on commercial whaling, during which time he also co-founded Greenpeace International. In the 1980s, he was a leader in wilderness conservation and forestry reform in British Columbia. As Chair of the Board of Greenpeace Canada, he initiated its forests campaign in 1990. A co-founder of SmartGrowth BC, Forest Futures (Dogwood Initiative), and the Sierra Legal Defence Fund. His work on campus sustainability reflects his search for new strategies for policy change, in this case by creating a micro-level, place-based example of “comprehensive local innovation” that has broader ripple effects. Michael has written widely on environmental and resource management issues (particularly in forest policy), international and environmental law, and theories of ecological political economy (political ecology). He is author, most recently, of Planet U: Sustaining the World, Reinventing the University (with Justine Starke) (New Society Publishers) (2006).
Dr. Jon O'Riordan is a former Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Sustainable Resource Management in the British Columbia Provincial Government. He has completed 35 years in the public service, mostly with the Provincial Government in environmental management and land and resource planning. In his most recent position in Sustainable Resource Management he was responsible for completing six regional land and resource management plans. Dr. O'Riordan joined the water team as a strategic water policy advisor in 2007 and will be focusing on provincial water policy reform and the ecological governance of water management.
Susanne Porter-Bopp joined POLIS in August 2006 after completing a Master of Environmental Studies degree at York University. Her work with the Water Sustainability Project at POLIS focuses on enhancing water conservation capacity in various communities across Canada through water soft path planning pilot projects and the development of practical tools for local governments, including Water Conservation Planning Guide for British Columbia's Communities. She is also leading Action H20, a multiple-year national project that seeks to develop leadership for water conservation in grassroots communities and local governments across Canada (in partnership with Sierra Club Canada and Sierra Club BC). As a current associate with Waterlution: A Water Learning Experience, Susanne coordinates and facilitates workshops on local water issues for youth and young professionals across British Columbia. Susanne is actively involved in community radio and other local media and likes to ride her bicycle everywhere.
Kirk Stinchcombe is the founding director of “econnics – eco-efficiency specialists”, a company that provides cutting-edge demand management, social marketing, drought planning and project management services to water utilities, government and the private sector. Kirk has held various public sector management positions in the water and natural resource industries. Before founding econnics, he was Manager of Policy and Planning with the British Columbia Ministry of Environment’s Water Stewardship Division. A joint Canadian-Australian citizen, he spent much of the last decade in South East Queensland. There, he successfully developed and delivered critical large-scale demand management projects as part of the response to the Millennium Drought. He advises the team on topics including water conservation, social marketing, water reuse and water use accounting.
Ann Zurbrigg joined the POLIS Project in March 2006 and provides the general administrative and bookkeeping support on a part time basis. She works with the research associates and staff to ensure the efficient financial operation of the office. Before joining POLIS, Ann held administrative positions at the University of Victoria with the Aboriginal Liaison Office and the regional office of the International Development Research Centre. From 1999 to 2002 Ann was the project manager at the International Project Office of the Global Environmental Change and Human Security Project, an interdisciplinary research program based at UVic. She has been Board Treasurer since 1990 for a community NGO concerned with providing affordable housing and support for women and children who have experienced family violence. Ann received her MA in Sociology in 1988 from Carleton University. Her research focused on gender and equity issues in the workplace. After the completion of her Masters, she lived in Peru from 1988 to 1990.
