Magic Moment: A magic moment for me was when I shifted careers from consulting to working in real estate. It was in my first week that I realized — you really can do anything, even things far out of your comfort zone — with hard work we all have the ability to shift and change within our careers and learn new tricks. This opened up my eyes to the endless opportunities of career options and inspired me to always push myself to learn and grow.
Key Influence:
Derek Goring: Be strategic, thoughtful and respectful of all opinions; seeing all sides of the coin is necessary to make good decisions.
Mark Hales: The best leaders give others freedom to grow and try new things. In order to learn, we need to make mistakes and look at failure in a positive way.
Next Big Challenge As An Industry:
– Create more mobility options (more effective and affordable transit)
– Climate change (how do we protect ourselves from inclement weather patterns)
– Aging infrastructure (how are we going to maintain existing infrastructure)
– Affordable housing (must acknowledge the current state and create a plan)
– Streamlining regulatory review roadblocks for developments, innovation and technology
On Championing Others… My words of wisdom: Be yourself. Find passion and enjoyment in your work. Respect others, always, no matter the circumstance. Remember to recalibrate your thoughts often and ensure you are always acting with good intent.
One word that captures you: Optimistic
erin July 11th, 2018
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Magic Moment: I’ve had several “magic moments” in my career which are a source of inspiration and the reason why I continue to enjoy working in our industry. Thinking back, it’s not about a particular project or an event, the “magic moments” are about the people, the teams, and the experiences. I’m fortunate to associate with so many intelligent and creative people in our industry and fortunate to work on interesting and challenging projects which have shaped my journey and my career. I have no doubt that our emerging young leaders will also be inspired by the interesting people and meaningful projects provided by our industry.
Key Influence: I’ve had several mentors over the years. The three key lessons demonstrated by my mentors are: know your work, provide a balanced approach, and enjoy what you do.
Next Big Challenge As An Industry:Over the past 30 years, I have seen a lot of change and evolution in the retail industry which continues to shape our communities. It is interesting to see how our shopping areas, mixed use areas, and community structures are evolving. The challenge is to forecast and plan for change, and to balance land supply and demand in order to provide a successful and vibrant city-region.
On Championing Others… I’ve had the great pleasure of mentoring young professionals and providing them with opportunities to achieve their career goals. I’ve mentored and sponsored dozens of candidates for membership into our industry associations and have hired and guided over 50 urban planning students. I love to see their accomplishments.
Secret Talent: I’m a Royal Conservatory of Music pianist.
One word that captures you: Diligent
erin July 11th, 2018
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Magic Moment: I consider my career to have been a magical journey. There have been so many special moments that have helped shape the path. To me, when I attend a new hospital opening, I really feel the fruits of all our labour come together, and appreciate the social impact of the important work we do in infrastructure.
Key Influence: My major influences have always been my parents. They taught me from a young age that I could do anything I turned my mind to, and then they continued to support my journey throughout the years. There is still no important personal decision that I make today, that I don’t still seek their advice and mentorship. The key lesson I learned is that I must always be true to myself, and if I believe in myself, the good will follow. And it has !!!
Next Big Challenge As An Industry: Housing and transit continue to be the biggest challenges. Our growing community needs affordable housing and easier mobility. We have just begun making inroads into this domain, and we must pick up traction with all levels of Government.
On Championing Others… Giving back is my number one priority. I mentor young men and women in both the real estate and legal communities, and help guide them through their careers in a holistic way. I do this in a fun and non-judgmental way. I try to promote strengths and pave the way for the next generation of talent.
Secret Talent: Football Team Manager
One word that captures you: Energetic
erin July 11th, 2018
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Magic Moment: A “magic moment” was in 2012 when a good friend and colleague Joe Guzzi sent me a professional/academic article that discussed creative cities and how the most successful world cities operate with a quadruple bottom line (i.e. cultural, economic, environmental and social). That little epiphany has profoundly affected how I approach work in all city building projects.
Key Influence:
Paula Dill, former Chief Planner: Paula’s three questions: “What does the Official Plan say? Who is the City Councillor? And what are the ski conditions (in Collingwood) this weekend?” (live-work balance)
Sue Corke, former Deputy City Manager: Sue with her lovely Brit. accent would say “Shall we put on our big-girl-pants; get down there (Council Chambers) and get this thing done.” (don’t take yourself too seriously)
Next Big Challenge As An Industry: If the industry were to tether the creative cities agenda with the environmental movement it would benefit the city-region. A bold demonstration project, such as replicating the successful New York City program Materials for the Arts, would be a specific example which could be implemented given Toronto City Council’s authorization in 2002 for the initiative. https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/2002/agendas/council/cc02
On Championing Others… I have never been too busy to talk to or meet with students who reach out to me about their university course work or their interest in exploring different career choices such as municipal cultural planning.
Secret Talent: During a ski season years ago I was a pastry chef in Banff, AB; there were no recipes, no measuring tools and due to the altitude/weather, it was so unpredictable, desserts would rise like crazy or sink like a stone when in the oven. I learned how to roll with it.
One word that captures you: Dedicated.
erin July 11th, 2018
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Magic Moment: The first time I had to show my boss that he was mistaken. As a young analyst, you can imagine this was nerve wracking. I did the analysis his way, then afterwards completed it my way and met with him to review the two approaches. He saw that I was correct in my approach and brought it to the team’s attention.
Key Influence: One of the people over the years who has taught me about being a great leader is Jonathan Button, a really smart and unassuming guy who is also very caring and patient. I try to follow the example he sets. The movie Pretty Woman was a major influencer for me. It taught me which fork to use.
Next Big Challenge As An Industry: We need to address the housing affordability issue. This affects all people – young, old, new to Canada or always been in Canada. It touches on many aspects – economic, resilience, equity (not equality). Rent controls are not the answer; we need to create more supply. The question is how.
On Championing Others… I try to ‘pay it forward’ for all those people who have helped me along my path by spending time to really listen to what others are looking to achieve. I then try to connect them to opportunities or encourage them to have discussions with people to get them to where they want to go.
Secret Talent: If I’ve been somewhere, even once, I can remember how to get back there.
One word that captures you: Intense
erin July 11th, 2018
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Magic Moment: I have worked in politics, public affairs and communications for 25 years, tackling a lot of big, complex stakeholder issues over that period. In 2013, I was offered the opportunity to work with Waterfront Toronto and it was there that I came to understand how important land use planning and effective public consultation are to city building. Understanding how to engage with stakeholders in supporting a strategic plan, but also how to manage the politics is something I really enjoy.
Next Big Challenge As An Industry: The big challenge for any city, including ours, is how to harness and manage the growth within the urban context. As more than half of the world’s population comes to live in urban areas, how do we not only adapt and plan our infrastructure to meet their needs, but also engage them in a dialogue on how to support the growth.
On Championing Others… Two things: always ask yourself if you’ve brought other ideas and views to the table in developing and plan. For me, that means getting people at all ages and stages, and walks
Secret Talent: I don’t think it’s a secret to those who know me, but I am an extremely positive person. I believe there’s a solution to every situation: I believe that we’re all equal when it comes to ideas and passion to create shared benefits; and I believe that there’s strength in that.
One word that captures you: Approachable
erin July 11th, 2018
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Magic Moment: When John Bentley Mays wrote an article about my project at 355 Church Street, he described me as “a member of the tiny international sorority of women who design tall buildings”. I remember thinking to myself “oh, is that something rare?” I had never really looked at my role as an architect in that way until that moment. Family members called to congratulate me and my children were excited to see my picture in the newspaper.
Key Influence: I met Cynthia McDougall and Pat Hanson professionally but now I consider them friends. Both have overcome challenges in their lives and I admire their ability to handle obstacles with grace and professionalism. I value their continued mentorship.
Next Big Challenge As An Industry: We have to carefully craft and encourage transit-based development, intensifying those nodes of housing near transit. This is a theme that comes up a lot at the Design Review Panel. As a city, we’ve acknowledged that the Concord Adex lands by the Rogers Centre and CN Tower are not necessarily the models we should follow going forward, instead, we want to learn from our mistakes and take a fresh look at places like Scarborough City Centre and Vaughan Metropolitan Centre as opportunities for pioneering new communities.
Secret Talent: My PokémonGO! pokédex is full
On Championing Others… Leading by example is most important. The value of humour also should not be underestimated. Giving back to the community is something that I’m challenging myself to do more of, even when the daycare board asks me to chair for the 6th year running – I have to say yes.
One word that captures you: Game.
erin July 11th, 2018
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Magic Moment: Twenty years ago, I was given the opportunity to work on a large scale city centre masterplan and precinct plan. We worked on it for seven years with multiple public meetings, council meetings and challenging technical review meetings with City staff. It was a proud moment for our team when it was finally approved and now the first phases are built. It really shaped my career as an urban designer.
Key Influence: My Mother: She raised four independent women and taught us confidence, integrity and perseverance – anything is possible and obstacles are just part of the journey.
Next Big Challenge As An Industry: Implementation of high order transit is a crucial ingredient to city building. Transit is a catalyst for urban intensification, it promotes economic viability, and improves the quality of neighbourhoods. The challenge in some communities is convincing the public and politicians to “get out of their cars” and use transit, jump on a bike or walk.
On Championing Others… Often I am asked to mentor younger professionals in the industry through OALA, OPPI and the Global Women’s Network at our firm. I make an effort to take the time to listen and learn about their career goals and aspirations to help them to maximize their potential growth, build their confidence as future leaders.
One word that captures you: Determined
erin July 11th, 2018
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