Coree Tull(she/her) is a community organizer, advocate, and watershed strategist. As the Co-Chair of the BC Watershed Security Coalition, Director of Government Relations and Engagement for BC Water Legacy, and on the Steering Committee for the Working For Watersheds Initiative she is working to build a better, fairer, and more equitable future by securing the health and resiliency of our watersheds.

With over a decade of experience, Coree has been at the forefront of leading and specializing in issue-based and electoral campaigns that raise public awareness in British Columbia and across Canada. She is passionate about the importance of community engagement and collaboration in shaping decisions that impact social, economic, and environmental well-being.

Coree holds a B.Tech in Ecological Restoration from the British Columbia Institute of Technology, BA in Environmental Geography and International Relations from The University of British Columbia and a Certificate in Community Economic Development.

The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson was first elected as the Member of Parliament for North Vancouver in 2015. He has previously served as Minister of Natural Resources, as Minister of Environment and Climate Change, and as Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard.

Raised in Saskatchewan, Minister Wilkinson spent more than 20 years in the private sector, holding leadership positions with a number of companies dedicated to the development of green technologies.

Minister Wilkinson’s work as Chief Executive Officer of both QuestAir Technologies and the former BioteQ Environmental Technologies (now BQE Water), in addition to his role as Senior Vice-President of Business Development with Nexterra, provided him with extensive experience in the energy and environmental technology sectors. He also previously worked at Bain & Company, a leading global management consultancy.

A Rhodes scholar, Minister Wilkinson made use of his educational background in public policy when he worked as a constitutional negotiator and a federal-provincial relations specialist for former Saskatchewan Premier Roy Romanow. He has served on several industry and charitable boards, including United Way of the Lower Mainland and the BC Technology Industry Association. He also served as a board member and treasurer of the Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation.

Minister Wilkinson has deep roots in North Vancouver, where he is raising his family alongside his wife, Tara.

Randi Kruse is the Vice President of BMO Climate Smart, a program designed to advance BMO’s ambition to be our clients lead partner in the transition to a net zero world. Prior to joining BMO, Randi provided sustainability leadership to a wide range of public and private sector organizations including Metro Vancouver, TELUS, and numerous small-medium sized businesses. 

Randi’s training in change management and stakeholder engagement, combined with practical experience developing and executing business strategy, has helped organizations large and small to uncover and manage climate risk. Randi is skilled in establishing diverse, collaborative teams that integrate multiple areas of expertise including climate change science, behavioural economics, and finance. 

Garry Merkel was the co-chair (along with Al Gorley) of the cabinet-appointed Old Growth Review Panel. This panel conducted an extensive outreach process that received input from thousands of people across British Columbia and helped inform their final report, “A NEW FUTURE FOR OLD FORESTS, A Strategic Review of How British Columbia Manages its Old Forests Within its Ancient Ecosystems” (OGSR). This review made 14 recommendations and summarized a prerequisite paradigm shift required to change the stewardship direction in British Columbia from a managing for “timber subject to constraints” to “holistic ecosystem health/integrity” approach. Garry has been asked to return and is now acting as an independent mentor, coach, facilitator and advisor to support the government in its leadership role, the forest sector and ultimately the land sector of the province through this transition.

Kai is a Partner in Fasken’s Global Energy and Climate Group and is based in Vancouver. He provides strategic advice to industrial emitters and financial intermediaries on climate-related policy matters and decarbonization initiatives.  He assists clients to execute complex carbon market transactions and to finance innovative, high-quality carbon offset projects, both domestically and internationally.  Kai is also a key member of Fasken’s ESG and Sustainability Practice. He regularly advises clients on corporate disclosures and product-related green claims to help reduce “greenwashing” risks.

Erin Flanagan is a Director at Canada Growth Fund Investment Management Inc. (CGF Investment Management). In this capacity she supports the $15B Fund’s portfolio construction strategy and investment execution activities, in alignment with the Canada Growth Fund’s decarbonization and energy transition mandate. Erin leads CGF Investment Management’s impact measurement, stakeholder relations, and public affairs efforts.  

Erin was previously Director, Climate Advisory at PSP Investments, where she was responsible for advising on the design and implementation of PSP’s inaugural climate change strategy, launched in April 2022 to guide emissions reduction across its investment portfolio. Erin was also responsible for conducting private markets investment due diligence, asset management engagements, corporate disclosures related to climate change, and for coordinating multi-asset class efforts on energy transition opportunities.  

In past roles, Erin acted as Director of Policy to three federal Cabinet ministers (environment, natural resources and international trade), and led a national policy research programme at a prominent Canadian clean energy think tank. She is a chemical engineer by training. 

Celso is a Partner in the Business Law Group at Watson Goepel LLP. He advises foreign companies on investing and setting up businesses in Canada, business immigration issues, and commercial lending matters. A frequent speaker on Italian-Canadian business relations, and to foreign entrepreneurs and investors on doing business in Canada, Celso presents in both English and Italian.

He speaks regularly in both Canada and Europe on the Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement (CETA), including at the World Summit of Corporate Counsel in Montréal. Celso is President of the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Canada-West and the European Union Chamber of Commerce in Canada West.

Celso serves as Vice-Chair of Lawyers Associated Worldwide (LAW), a global association of over 100 independent law firms located in more than 180 major commercial centers throughout the world, allowing Watson Goepel LLP to service clients that are expanding their operations and relationships into new domestic and foreign markets.

Past President of the Liberal Party of Canada (B.C.), Celso was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2017. He is an avid golfer and skier and enjoys reading history.

Naina is Vice President of Programs and Partners for PacifiCan, the federal economic development agency contributing to enduring prosperity for all British Columbians.

As a public sector leader, Naina’s work is often focused on the nexus points between infrastructure, innovation, economic growth and Indigenous reconciliation. Naina has held senior leadership positions at Environment and Climate Change Canada, Natural Resources Canada, Western Economic Diversification Canada, and the Canada Line Rapid Transit Inc.

Dr. Chris Bataille has been involved in energy and climate policy analysis for 26 years as a researcher, energy systems and economic modeler, analyst, writer, project manager, managing consultant, and founding partner. His career has been focused on the transition to a globally sustainable energy system, more recently technology and policy pathways to net-zero GHG emissions by all sectors by 2050-‘70 to meet the Paris Agreement goals. He is an Associate Researcher at the Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations (IDDRI.org) in Paris working on the Deep Decarbonization Pathways project (DDPinitiative.org), and an Adjunct Professor at Simon Fraser University. Chris was a Lead Author for the Industry Chapter of the 6th cycle of the IPCC Assessment Report 2019-2022, as well as the Summary for Policy Makers and Technical Summary.  He manages an ongoing global project to review technology and policy options for net-zero decarbonization of heavy industrial sectors, including the global Net Zero Steel project (netzerosteel.org), which has produced facility level, geospatial net zero pathways for the global steel industry.  Chris is continuing his focus on industrial decarbonization at CGEP.

Gillian Orris, a dynamic consultant specializing in Environmental and Sustainability, brings an extensive background to the forefront of climate solutions. Having engaged in front-line environmental activism with Greenpeace and emergency response at the Canadian Red Cross, Gill demonstrates a profound commitment to sustainability. With an Advanced Diploma in Sustainable Business Leadership, she smoothly navigates between profit and non-profit sectors. In her current role as the Senior Advisor for Sustainability and Impact at the Canada Games Council, Gill spearheads initiatives, collaborates on impact measurements, and manages many partner relationships. As the founder of Gillian Orris Consulting, she shares her expertise with prominent clients such as Cirque du Soleil, Vancity, and the Vancouver Whitecaps.

Furthermore, Gill is the driving force behind the national Green Sports Day Canada movement, underscoring her dedication to sustainable practices through sport. Her passion for implementing tangible actions for climate solutions is evident in her collaborations with local businesses, government organizations, non-profits, and social enterprises.