The purpose for our organization is to provide stable and meaningful work for our members.
Yuill Herbert
Principal
MA
Bio
Yuill (he/him) is an internationally recognized expert in climate mitigation and adaptation with two decades of experience. He has worked on over 50 community plans across North America and served as project lead on almost 100 projects, including high-profile projects like the City of Toronto’s TransformTO climate action strategy. Yuill was instrumental in the development of CityInSight, SSG’s state-of-the-art energy, emissions, and finance model for cities. Yuill is an active participant in United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change processes, has led model development for the International Energy Agency, and was a fellow of Project Drawdown, an ambitious initiative to model 100 global solutions to climate change.
Jeremy Murphy
Principal
BSc | MPlan | MSc | NCI Certificate
Bio
Jeremy (he/him) has been a principal at SSG for 15 years. He is an urban planner and climate change planner focused on fostering community climate emergency solutions. Jeremy has led teams and engaged communities to develop dozens of climate action plans for local, state, and federal governments, as well as institutions. Jeremy is experienced with community energy and emissions modelling, climate change mitigation and adaptation planning, policy development, integrated design facilitation, and public engagement. A knowledgeable and personable speaker, Jeremy enjoys presenting and discussing climate challenges with all audiences.
Deryn Crockett
Principal & Senior Modeller
BSc Systems Eng | MSc Electrical Eng
Bio
Deryn Crockett (she/her) has a background in the systems engineering approach to problem solving with an emphasis on system design and analysis. She has designed and implemented several energy use and emissions models within different sectors. Early in her career, she applied mathematical models and discrete event simulation to assess the end-to-end viability and performance characteristics of satellite and terrestrial communications systems. More recently, Deryn has developed a climate adaptation model for the Town of Whitby and has led the modelling and analysis process for climate action planning in municipalities across North America, including the Cities of Tacoma, Moncton, Vancouver, Ottawa, and Toronto. Deryn has also designed and supported custom solutions for clients using energy management software product suites.
Marcus Williams
Principal & Senior Modeller
BASc Computer Eng | MASc Civil Eng (Transport Planning)
Bio
Marcus (he/him) is a Senior Model Analyst with over 16 years experience in integrated systems modelling and analysis encompassing energy, emissions, land use, transportation, buildings, and demographics. Marcus was instrumental in the development of CityInSight, SSG’s state-of-the-art energy, emissions, and finance model for cities. He led the development of a similar model for organizations planning low-carbon transitions for their building portfolios, thermal networks, vehicle fleets, employee commuting, and travel. Marcus applied this model to support development of low-carbon pathways for Canada’s federal government operations in the National Capital Region. Marcus has also developed and evaluated future scenarios for major Canadian and US cities and regions. He keenly follows the exploding open-source data ecosystem—for data processing and visualization—and its application to urban and regional low-carbon analysis.
Julia Meyer-MacLeod
Principal & Senior Consultant
BSc | BEnvD | MSc (2023)
Bio
Julia (she/her) brings a breadth of experience to sustainability initiatives, having worked with commercial consultancies, research firms, government, universities, and non-profit organizations. With degrees in environmental science and design, as well as expertise in technical modelling and GIS, she switches comfortably between methodological and creative problem solving approaches, offering insights that may not otherwise be considered. Grateful for an upbringing in Canada’s outdoors, Julia also has a professional background and personal interest in wilderness leadership and outdoor education, which gave her an aptitude for program management, public speaking, and communications, as well as enthusiasm for the work she does at SSG.
Bastiaan Straatman
Principal & Senior Modeller
BSc | MSc | PhD
Bio
Bastiaan (he/him) has over 20 years of experience in integrated systems modelling and analysis encompassing energy, emissions, economics, and land use. He leads energy and emissions modelling for the development of climate action plans in diverse municipalities, ranging from the town of Ladysmith, BC, to the City of Toronto, ON. Since 2012, Bas has developed and used the Canadian Energy Systems Simulation (CanESS) model to study the past, present, and possible future energy systems of Canada and its provinces. He is currently developing a similar model for Oregon. Previously, Bas led the development of a prototype Low Carbon City Development Index and a consumption-based GHG accounting tool, and was a lead researcher on the development of one of the first consumption-based inventories in the world.
Chris Strashok
Principal & Senior Modeller
BSc Eng | MA
Bio
Chris (he/him) has more than 18 years of experience modelling and working with complex, dynamic processes. He has evaluated sustainability initiatives in energy, water, infrastructure, transportation, and social capital. Chris has led the analysis and modelling of energy and emissions related to transportation, industry, and land use for clients across North America, including the Cities of Edmonton, Vancouver, Banff, Sudbury, Guelph, Hamilton, Caledon, Burlington, and Tacoma; Clackamas County; the States of Washington and Oregon; and others. Previously, Chris taught a graduate-level Systems Methods for Environmental Managers course in which he used a custom systems dynamics model to evaluate future scenarios against a range of social, environmental, and economic indicators.
Maurya Braun
Senior Consultant
BA
Bio
Maurya (she/her) is a municipal climate change specialist with expertise in GHG inventories, mitigation planning, and carbon budgeting. Maurya has played a leading role in climate action planning for diverse public organizations, including the City of North Vancouver, the City of Moncton, the Town of Whitby, and the University of Manitoba. Prior to joining SSG, Maurya was a Senior Environmental Project Manager at the City of Edmonton, where she led the update of Edmonton’s Energy Transition Strategy to align it with the Paris Agreement. She also managed the City’s environmental data and key performance indicators. Under her leadership, Edmonton became the 32nd city in the world to achieve full compliance with the Global Covenant of Mayors badges.
Andrés Pica Téllez
Senior Consultant & Latin America Business Development Lead
BSc Eng | MSc Eng
Bio
Andrés (he/him) leads SSG’s work in Latin America, providing support to develop emissions reduction and resilience increase strategies. Previously, Andrés was Executive Director of Centro de Cambio Global UC, leading and developing dozens of initiatives on climate change for academia, the public sector, NGOs, non-governmental institutions, development banks, and the private sector. He has been a consultant on climate change mitigation and adaptation in Chile, Canada, the US, Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua, República Dominicana, Perú, Argentina, Uruguay, Panamá, México, and Colombia. Andrés was also Head of the Air Quality Division at Chile’s Ministry of Environment and taught environmental economics, environmental risk analysis, and project evaluation at different universities. In 2017, the World Energy Council selected him as one of 100 young energy leaders worldwide.
Michael Hoffman
Managing Director
BMath ( (Joint Honors Applied Math and Computer Science)
Bio
Michael (he/him) has over 30 years of experience in designing and implementing simulation models and client relationship management. In 1987, Michael co-founded whatIf? Technologies, a leading Canadian modelling firm that merged with SSG in 2022. He led the firms’ technical innovation process for 20 years and is the principal software architect of the base modelling platform that is the foundation of energy and emissions models SSG uses today. Michael went on to design and implement simulation models specializing in the energy sector before moving onto managing project delivery and overseeing the overall business as Managing Director of whatIf? Technologies and, now, Co-Managing Director at SSG.
External Board Members and Advisors
Yuill Herbert, Principal
MA
Yuill (he/him) is an internationally recognized expert in climate mitigation and adaptation with two decades of experience. He has worked on over 50 community plans across North America and served as project lead on almost 100 projects, including high-profile projects like the City of Toronto’s TransformTO climate action strategy. Yuill was instrumental in the development of CityInSight, SSG’s state-of-the-art energy, emissions, and finance model for cities. Yuill is an active participant in United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change processes, has led model development for the International Energy Agency, and was a fellow of Project Drawdown, an ambitious initiative to model 100 global solutions to climate change.
Jeremy Murphy, Principal
BSc | MPlan | MSc | NCI Certificate
Jeremy (he/him) has been a principal at SSG for 15 years. He is an urban planner and climate change planner focused on fostering community climate emergency solutions. Jeremy has led teams and engaged communities to develop dozens of climate action plans for local, state, and federal governments, as well as institutions. Jeremy is experienced with community energy and emissions modelling, climate change mitigation and adaptation planning, policy development, integrated design facilitation, and public engagement. A knowledgeable and personable speaker, Jeremy enjoys presenting and discussing climate challenges with all audiences.
Deryn Crockett, Principal & Senior Modeller
BSc Systems Eng | MSc Electrical Eng
Deryn Crockett (she/her) has a background in the systems engineering approach to problem solving with an emphasis on system design and analysis. She has designed and implemented several energy use and emissions models within different sectors. Early in her career, she applied mathematical models and discrete event simulation to assess the end-to-end viability and performance characteristics of satellite and terrestrial communications systems. More recently, Deryn has developed a climate adaptation model for the Town of Whitby and has led the modelling and analysis process for climate action planning in municipalities across North America, including the Cities of Tacoma, Moncton, Vancouver, Ottawa, and Toronto. Deryn has also designed and supported custom solutions for clients using energy management software product suites.
Marcus Williams, Principal & Senior Model Analyst
BASc Computer Eng | MASc Civil Eng (Transport Planning)
Marcus (he/him) is a Senior Model Analyst with over 16 years experience in integrated systems modelling and analysis encompassing energy, emissions, land use, transportation, buildings, and demographics. Marcus was instrumental in the development of CityInSight, SSG’s state-of-the-art energy, emissions, and finance model for cities. He led the development of a similar model for organizations planning low-carbon transitions for their building portfolios, thermal networks, vehicle fleets, employee commuting, and travel. Marcus applied this model to support development of low-carbon pathways for Canada’s federal government operations in the National Capital Region. Marcus has also developed and evaluated future scenarios for major Canadian and US cities and regions. He keenly follows the exploding open-source data ecosystem—for data processing and visualization—and its application to urban and regional low-carbon analysis.
Julia Meyer-MacLeod, Principal
BSc | BEnvD | MSc
Julia (she/her) brings a breadth of experience to sustainability initiatives, having worked with commercial consultancies, research firms, government, universities, and non-profit organizations. With degrees in environmental science and design, as well as expertise in technical modelling and GIS, she switches comfortably between methodological and creative problem solving approaches, offering insights that may not otherwise be considered. Grateful for an upbringing in Canada’s outdoors, Julia also has a professional background and personal interest in wilderness leadership and outdoor education, which gave her an aptitude for program management, public speaking, and communications, as well as enthusiasm for the work she does at SSG.
Bastiaan Straatman, Principal & Senior Modeller
BSc | MSc | PhD
Bastiaan (he/him) has over 20 years of experience in integrated systems modelling and analysis encompassing energy, emissions, economics, and land use. He leads energy and emissions modelling for the development of climate action plans in diverse municipalities, ranging from the town of Ladysmith, BC, to the City of Toronto, ON. Since 2012, Bas has developed and used the Canadian Energy Systems Simulation (CanESS) model to study the past, present, and possible future energy systems of Canada and its provinces. He is currently developing a similar model for Oregon. Previously, Bas led the development of a prototype Low Carbon City Development Index and a consumption-based GHG accounting tool, and was a lead researcher on the development of one of the first consumption-based inventories in the world.
Chris Strashok, Principal & Senior Modeller
BSc Eng | MA
Chris (he/him) has more than 18 years of experience modelling and working with complex, dynamic processes. He has evaluated sustainability initiatives in energy, water, infrastructure, transportation, and social capital. Chris has led the analysis and modelling of energy and emissions related to transportation, industry, and land use for clients across North America, including the Cities of Edmonton, Vancouver, Banff, Sudbury, Guelph, Hamilton, Caledon, Burlington, and Tacoma; Clackamas County; the States of Washington and Oregon; and others. Previously, Chris taught a graduate-level Systems Methods for Environmental Managers course in which he used a custom systems dynamics model to evaluate future scenarios against a range of social, environmental, and economic indicators.
Maurya Braun, Senior Consultant
BA
Maurya (she/her) is a municipal climate change specialist with expertise in GHG inventories, mitigation planning, and carbon budgeting. Maurya has played a leading role in climate action planning for diverse public organizations, including the City of North Vancouver, the City of Moncton, the Town of Whitby, and the University of Manitoba. Prior to joining SSG, Maurya was a Senior Environmental Project Manager at the City of Edmonton, where she led the update of Edmonton’s Energy Transition Strategy to align it with the Paris Agreement. She also managed the City’s environmental data and key performance indicators. Under her leadership, Edmonton became the 32nd city in the world to achieve full compliance with the Global Covenant of Mayors badges.
Andrés Pica Téllez Senior Consultant & Latin America Business Development Lead
BSc Eng | MSc Eng
Andrés (he/him) leads SSG’s work in Latin America, providing support to develop emissions reduction and resilience increase strategies. Previously, Andrés was Executive Director of Centro de Cambio Global UC, leading and developing dozens of initiatives on climate change for academia, the public sector, NGOs, non-governmental institutions, development banks, and the private sector. He has been a consultant on climate change mitigation and adaptation in Chile, Canada, the US, Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua, República Dominicana, Perú, Argentina, Uruguay, Panamá, México, and Colombia. Andrés was also Head of the Air Quality Division at Chile’s Ministry of Environment and taught environmental economics, environmental risk analysis, and project evaluation at different universities. In 2017, the World Energy Council selected him as one of 100 young energy leaders worldwide.
Naomi Devine, Senior Consultant & Design and Engagement Lead
BA | Post-Grad Cert. Environmental Visual Communications | MA
Naomi (she/her) is a sustainability policy, communications, and engagement expert. She has built a career at the leading edge of sustainability and climate policy, advising and working with universities, local governments, and civil society organizations. Naomi created groundbreaking sustainability policy at the University of Victoria and served on BC’s pioneering Premier’s Climate Action Team. She stewarded Whistler 2020—an award-winning community sustainability plan—through the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. As a part of this process, she led the development of a change management plan and facilitated the action planning work of 17 task forces focused on creating the town’s sustainable future. Naomi has also led community engagement for climate action planning in municipalities, as well as higher levels of government, across North America.
Camilla Melrose, Senior Consultant
BSc (Combined Hons) | MSc
Camilla (she/her) is an environmental scientist with a background in conservation, habitat and landscape modelling, community climate planning, and collaborative problem-solving. Her environmental background and experience in adaptation and mitigation planning makes her a versatile thinker, able to make links between diverse fields. Camilla’s expertise lies in analyzing data and translating the technical details into programs and policies that address the needs of the community. Her work has frequently involved working with broad stakeholder groups, and navigating their competing needs to identify common ground and common solutions. With SSG, Camilla has most recently worked on climate plans in British Columbia, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Ohio, and Ontario.
Carlos Urriola Cuevas, Senior Consultant
BSc Eng | MSc Public Policy and Management
Carlos Urriola Cuevas (he/him) is an engineer with a deep understanding of public policy and management. He has over 15 years of experience in public management. During this time, his main areas of work have been in public investment systems, strategic management, public finance, public infrastructure, and urban mobility. Carlos has held public management positions as the National Director of Planning and Development at the Chilean Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications and as the Project Director of the Center for Public Systems (University of Chile). He has also worked on consulting or research projects for national and international agencies such as APEC, ECLAC, IDB and WHO.
Carol Fraser, Consultant & US Business Development Lead
BA (Hons) | MSCRP | MSc Sustainable Design
Carol Fraser (they/them) is an urban planner and sustainable design specialist with over a decade of experience in equitable community economic development, community organizing and stakeholder facilitation, the circular economy, and local food systems. At SSG, Carol leads US business development and works as an analyst on climate action planning projects for municipalities and regional governments, including the Washington State Utilities and Transportation Commission, the Oregon Global Warming Commission, the City of Tigard, OR, and the City of Bellingham, WA. Prior to joining SSG, Carol designed and implemented programs to support sustainable and equitable food systems at the City of Austin. Carol is passionate about cooperative development and is currently Board President of the Austin Cooperative Business Association.
Alia Dharssi, Consultant & Director, Marketing and Communications
BA | MPhil
Alia Dharssi (she/her) is a researcher and communications expert with 10 years of experience analyzing social, political, and environmental challenges worldwide as a journalist, researcher, and SSG consultant. She wears many hats at SSG, working on marketing and business development, as well as consulting on projects for different levels of government across North America. She has co-authored best practice guides for municipalities on greenhouse gas reduction and building a circular economy. Alia’s writing on sustainability, global development, human rights, and immigration has appeared in publications ranging from The New York Times to the National Post.
Vesta Sahatciu, Business Development & Project Coordinator
BA
Vesta (she/her) started her worker co-op journey by founding the Eyemole Arts and Technology Worker Co-operative, producing a show about co-ops at Co-op Radio, joining Co-ops and Mutuals Canada’s Emerging Co-operators, and embedding the co-operative spirit in her daily life. Her role at SSG encompasses the coordination of all stages of a project lifecycle. She believes that sustainability is intricately linked to all aspects of human life, and puts deliberate focus on social justice in her daily work.
Eleri Davies, Consultant
BA Geography | BSc Ecological Restoration | MSc Sustainable Development
Eleri (she/her) has nearly 10 years of experience in developing sustainability and climate policies and advising leadership teams on creating long-term sustainability policies and plans. Since joining SSG, Eleri has merged her technical and engagement expertise to implement comprehensive and meaningful engagement strategies for municipal climate action planning, in addition to developing reports and recommendations focused on climate mitigation, climate adaptation, and the circular economy. Eleri has also contributed to the development of several Green Development Standards projects for Ontario municipalities. She brings experience working with the International Association for Public Participation foundations, Liberating Structures Facilitation Techniques, and Human-Centered Design.
Rodrigo Dittborn, Consultant
BSc Eng | Prof. Title of Industrial Eng
Rodrigo (he/him) is a trained engineer and climate analyst with a decade of experience in climate planning, data analysis, and public policy design and evaluation. Rodrigo has applied his expertise in air pollution, heating, and district energy systems to many projects in Chile and Canada, working as an analyst for Chilean Air Decontamination Plans for the cities of Temuco and Huasco, as well as climate action plans for the City of Hamilton, University of Manitoba, Town of Whitby, and City of Markham. Rodrigo has also evaluated heating solutions including district energy for several cities in Chile and co-developed the report for ARClim, a national map for Chile describing climate change risks at the municipal level.
Kiana Bonnick, Consultant
BSc (Hons) | MES
Kiana Bonnick (she/her) is an environmental professional who specializes in climate change adaptation, resiliency, equity, and community development. Focused on bridging the physical and socioeconomic aspects of climate change to create solutions for equitable and sustainable communities, she has worked within Canada and internationally. Kiana has designed impactful programs to increase environmental awareness and facilitate intergenerational and intercultural knowledge sharing. At SSG, Kiana has worked as an analyst and engagement specialist for the development of several community climate action plans. She also contributed to the development of updated Sustainability Score Thresholds for the assessment of development proposals in the City of Brampton.
Francisca Cid Mora, Consultant
BSc | MSc
Francisca (she/her) is an environmental professional with a scientific background in chemistry and a master’s in climate change and development. She has provided support to different countries in Latin America regarding climate change mitigation and adaptation, such as Peru, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Chile, and Costa Rica. Previously, she was a leading consultant in circular economy projects and supported MRV tool creation for the waste and transport sectors. Currently, Francisca is an analyst in SSG assessing mitigation solutions and pathways in South America. Francisca strongly thinks that communicating environmental research to the public is essential to achieving a more sustainable future, which is why she spends part of her time volunteering with NGOs to promote a research dissemination culture.
Nadia Jethoo, Consultant
BSc. Hons.| Dip. Environmental Engineering | MSc
Nadia (she/her) is a versatile and analytical researcher, with expertise in environmental sustainability and advocacy. She is experienced working on data-heavy projects for various cities internationally, which has been valuable in informing program-level decisions around climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies. A passionate professional, Nadia’s drive to reduce carbon emissions globally have set her on a path to assist groups ready to adapt core activities for a more sustainable future.
Kayla Rakes, Consultant
BA | Cert. GIS | M.Sc.
Kayla (she/her) is an urban planner who has worked with communities throughout the Americas to deliver projects supporting resilience, sustainability, and equity. Prior to SSG, Kayla led project delivery and engagement for the World Resources Institute’s Zero Carbon Buildings Accelerator, a program developing national roadmaps for net zero buildings and aligned city action plans for implementation. She has also worked locally in Argentina, where she is currently based, as a project associate for a sustainable housing program promoting home energy efficiency, and as a consultant for the City of Buenos Aires and C40 Climate Group organizing the first Urban 20 Mayors Summit, a forum for mayors to add their voices into the G20 proceedings.
Carla Gallardo, Consultant
B.Sc | M.Sc
Carla (she/her) has more than 15 years of experience in the environmental field. She has worked in Chile, in the private sector and, over the past 9 years, in government at the Ministry of Environment. Carla has a degree in Industrial Engineering with a diploma in Bioprocesses and a Master’s degree in Industrial Ecology. She has a background as an analyst and project and team lead, where she has focused on providing technical and economic insight and feedback on public policies for local pollution problems. She has also assessed cost for environmental damage remediation and explored environmental justice issues. Carla is passionate about creating and implementing better policies for an environmentally just society.
Aishah Mohd Isa, Consultant
B.Sc | M.Sc | Ph.D
Aishah (she/her) is an energy professional with over a decade of experience coordinating energy and climate action projects at municipal, national, and international levels. Before joining SSG, Aishah taught, published, and provided research and consultancy services in Malaysia and the broader APEC region in her role as a Senior Lecturer at the Universiti Tenaga Nasional. Aishah has also led climate action planning and implementation at a rural municipality that achieved four out of the five PCP Milestones within three years.
Cong Gu, Consultant
BSc Eng.| MEng. | MPlan
Cong (she/her) has five years of expertise in the field of planning and transportation before joining SSG. She has experience as a freelance planning consultant in Canada and a sustainable transportation consultant in China. Cong is passionate about sustainable planning and design. Her professional experience involved a broad range of transportation and planning projects such as long-term transportation initiatives, sustainable transportation development guidelines, net-zero community plans, self-sufficient agricultural community conceptual design, etc. She is also interested in graphic design, data visualization, and data analysis.
Sebastian Bonelli, Consultant
B.Sc | M.Sc | Ph.D
Sebastián (he/him) has over 12 years of experience collaborating with multiple actors of the public, private, academic and civil society sectors for the design, development and implementation of projects related to climate change and planning. Among other projects, Sebastian has collaborated in the development of the MAPA project: Maipo Adaptation Plan, a plan to face the impacts of climate change on water resources in Central Chile, and has contributed to the design of the first National Adaptation Plan for Chile. As a Water Security Specialist at The Nature Conservancy, Sebastián led the development of management plans for different areas and ecosystems of Chile with high value in biodiversity, and the creation of the Santiago Maipo Water Fund (a multiple stakeholders initiative to address water security challenges in Chile). Before joining SSG, Sebastián served as Head of Climate Change at the British Embassy in Chile, contributing to the various objectives of the United Kingdom in the Presidency of COP26 in its 4 thematic areas (Adaptation, Mitigation, Financing and Collaboration). Sebastián has also contributed internationally with climate change projects in Uruguay, Colombia, México, USA, and UK.
Esteban Soto, Consultant
B.Sc | M.Sc | Ph.D
Esteban (he/him) comes to SSG with more than eight years of experience in the energy field. He has worked in the United States and Chile, in the private sector, in government, and as a researcher and professor in academia. Esteban holds a Bachelor degree in Industrial Engineering, a Master’s degree in Industrial Management, and a Ph.D. in Technology with a focus on energy systems. He has a background as a researcher and entrepreneur, where he has focused on providing innovative solutions for energy and environmental problems. Esteban is passionate about renewable energies. His research and work in recent years have focused on the massive integration of solar energy into the electrical grid and the analysis of P2P energy trading models.
Luna Menares, Consultant
BSc| MSc
Luna (she/her) works at the intersection of climate change, agriculture and forestry, and biology. She has experience with modeling and estimation of GHG emissions, working in particular in the Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) sector for a variety of projects with the Inter-American Development Bank, the Chile Ministry of Environment, and the UN Environment Programme. She co-authored a study on sustainable development gaps and low-emission development opportunities, which includes the estimation of capture and emissions associated with forest systems and land use changes. She is currently teaching climatology at the Catholic University of Chile and works as a research assistant in water and carbon footprint estimation projects at the farm level.
Colin MacDougall, Managing Director
BIB (Bachelor of International Business) | MBA
Colin (he/him) has spent most of his career in and dedicated most of his passion to the co-operative sector. He was one of the first members of La Siembra Co-operative, creators of Camino fair trade and organic products. From sales to logistics to board president, Colin played a number of roles at La Siembra; however, he ultimately found his calling in functions of finance, administration, governance, and organization strategy. From La Siembra, Colin moved to the Agency for Co-operative Housing to serve as Director, Corporate Services. After dividing his time between the Agency and SSG for several years, Colin began working full-time at SSG in 2021.
Michael Hoffman, Managing Director
BMath (Joint Honors Applied Math and Computer Science)
Michael (he/him) has over 30 years of experience in designing and implementing simulation models and client relationship management. In 1987, Michael co-founded whatIf? Technologies, a leading Canadian modelling firm that merged with SSG in 2022. He led the firms’ technical innovation process for 20 years and is the principal software architect of the base modelling platform that is the foundation of energy and emissions models SSG uses today. Michael went on to design and implement simulation models specializing in the energy sector before moving onto managing project delivery and overseeing the overall business as Managing Director of whatIf? Technologies and, now, Co-Managing Director at SSG.
Emily McQuarrie, Director, Finance & Administration
BA (Hons)
Emily McQuarrie (she/her) is an experienced administrator with a passion for democratic workplaces and worker-empowerment. Prior to her work with SSG, Emily supported artist-led and community-run nonprofits in establishing their organizational structures and financial management practices. Emily was an early leader of the Canada-wide grassroots artist platform, Weird Canada. She helped establish the Ottawa-based arts presentation collective Debaser and continues to serve the nonprofit as a board member.
Angela Walton, Administrative Coordinator
MSW
Born in Temple, raised in Dallas, working in Austin and living in San Marcos, Angel(a) (she/her) goes by Angela or Angel. Her work in Austin includes youth social justice art educator, grad student at Texas State, community organizer and lover. She has been a member of the Treasure City Collective since August 2015 where her education and practice of consensus work started. Her 10 plus years of anti-racist and social justice work has led to current projects including collective economics and community organizing at Treasure City, consensus training for small groups and start-up collectives, anti-racist consulting, birth justice work including full-spectrum Doula care, and trauma informed embodied yoga instructor. She enjoys learning (languages, random things, practical things, about UFOs) cooking, walking, dancing, singing loudly, practicing capoeira, and reading/watching sci-fi. She’s just out here reflecting love, cultivating joy, sharing knowledge, conjuring magic, and practicing peace – living her whole best beautiful life.
Emi Do, Marketing & Communications Specialist
HBSc | MAg | Ph.D
Emi Do (she/her) came to organize her first cooperative as a small-scale urban farmer trying to find a viable alternative to the dominant food distribution chain. This sparked an interest in the cooperative model as a means to democratize and transform relationships across workplaces and society as a whole. Emi spent close to a decade in Japan where for her PhD researched one the world’s largest agricultural cooperative federations and helped incubate several cooperatives under the newly passed Worker Cooperative Law.
Noah Purves-Smith, Modeller & Senior Application Developer
Noah (he/him) has worked extensively in modelling land-use cumulative effects, ecosystem goods and services, and integrated resource management in the capacity of manager and senior application developer on several spatial modelling tools that have been used in Australia, New Zealand, India and Canada. Upon joining SSG, Noah worked as the data API and front-end system architect and developer for the Municipal Energy and Emissions Database. His latest work has focussed on developing web-based tools to assist planners in calculating energy and emissions impacts of municipal projects and neighborhood developments. He is keenly interested in sustainability and lives in a passive house he built with his family on a sustainably managed woodlot and permaculture property.
Erik Frenette, Model Analyst
BComm | MSc Econ
Erik (he/him) utilizes his experience in energy modelling to quantify environmental projects and provide clear-cut insight to key decision makers. He has worked on energy models since 2011, when he was a research assistant at HEC Montreal. At SSG, Erik has worked on several high-profile projects, including the Government of Canada’s plan for Low-carbon Federal Operations in the National Capital Region. He has also led modelling for many community climate action plan projects and played a key role in the development of SSG’s climate adaptation model. Erik holds an MSc in Economics from HEC Montreal, where his research focused on the energy and environmental impacts of meat and dairy consumption in Canada.
Amber Nicol, Model Analyst
BSc Eng
As a specialist in energy and emissions modelling for municipal climate action plans, Amber (she/her) has worked on projects for several communities in Canada and the United States. She is also leading a technical review of how equity is integrated into the CityInSight model. Previously, Amber spent over eight years in the process design industry helping to create, develop, and support simulation software. She has also helped design and implement reactor models for a group of simulation products used in chemical, oil and gas, and polymer industries.
John Kong, Model Analyst
BSc (Hons) | MASc Chemical Eng
John (he/him) is a researcher and modeller specializing in energy and environmental systems and processes. He has developed and worked with models focused on informing decision-makers about the consequences of novel energy technologies and their role in a low-carbon energy future. At SSG, he focuses on climate action planning in municipalities. John also has experience working on energy and emission projects in provincial and corporate contexts across Canada. John holds an MASc in Chemical Engineering from the University of Waterloo, where his research explored the feasibility and practical implications of electric mobility transition at a community-scale and on the operational advantages of microgrid systems. Outside of work, John enjoys experimenting with full-stack technologies for product development, learning new languages, and creating art.
External Board Members and Advisors
Ann Dale, Senior Advisor
PhD | Canada Research Chair
Ann Dale is a professor with the School of Environment and Sustainability, Faculty of Social and Applied Sciences at Royal Roads University. She held her university’s first Canada Research Chair in Sustainable Community Development (2004-2014), is a Trudeau Fellow Alumna (2004) and a Fellow of the World Academy of Arts and Sciences. Her award-winning research focuses on sustainable community development, social capital and agency, climate change adaptation and mitigation, and governance. She is deeply committed to building novel research dissemination and on-line media tools, and leads one of the most current content research websites in the country. Professor Dale chairs the Canadian Consortium for Sustainable Development Research (CCSDR), a consortium of all the heads of research across the Canada. In collaboration with SSG, she has recently published Community Vitality: From Adaptation to Transformation.
Ralph Torrie, Senior Consultant
BSc.
Ralph is an internationally recognized expert in the field of sustainable energy and climate change response strategies, for governments and business. He pioneered many of the conventions now used throughout the world for local government GHG emissions planning, and he was the principal author of Canada’s first low carbon scenario analysis – the first such analysis done anywhere. He served as the Assistant Coordinator of the Energy Research Group of the United Nations University and the International Development Research Centre, Vice President of ICF International, Managing Director of Navigant Consulting and Managing Director of the Trottier Energy Futures Project.
He is a senior associate of the University of Calgary’s Canadian Energy Systems Analysis Research (CESAR) initiative. Ralph works with SSG on numerous projects related to energy and climate change response planning.
Peter Hough, Board Director
MBA
Peter is the principal of Affinity Consulting, a practice engaged in co-operative development, research, training, and management. Peter recently retired from his long-term position of Financial Officer of the Canadian Worker Co-op Federation. He is also the Fund Manager of “Tenacity Works”, the CWCF’s revolving loan fund. Peter has 25 years of experience as a member, manager and director of worker and consumer co-operatives. In addition, he has assisted with many co-operative start-ups, developing bylaws, conducting training programs, completing feasibility studies and business plans, and providing post start-up mentoring.
Rebecca Foon, Board Director
MUP | LEED AP
Rebecca is a versatile urban planner who is dedicated to integrating a holistic understanding of sustainability in growing healthy communities. She has worked closely with municipalities, higher education institutions and school boards across the country on leading sustainability plans and strategies including Western, McGill, Algonquin College, Vancouver School Board, Oxford County, Halton Hills and the City of Kingston. Working closely with our academic partners, she has organized numerous e-Dialogues with Dr. Ann Dale involving thinkers, mayors, planners, academics and activists. Foon is also an internationally acclaimed (and Juno award-winning) cellist and composer.
Our Associates
SSG collaborates with a pool of highly skilled Associates. These values-aligned experts help SSG take on any form of climate and sustainability work.
Brett Korterling
Resources Planner
Emilie Moorhouse
Communications Specialist
Gabor Sass
Ecosystem science; remote sensing
Kate Kennedy
Editor and copywriter
Katie Dyson
Green building & neighbourhood planning
Melanie Jellett
Climate change adaptation; risk assessment
Melissa Garcia Lamarca
Ecological economics; sustainability researcher
Penny Beames
GIS, Rivers and Dams
Richard Eberhardt
Raphael Shay
Energy Management Systems and Community Planning
Sara Justine Wilson
Climate Change Policy and Corporate Strategy Specialist, Writer, Natural Infrastructure Solutions
Sharaj Sundararaman
City Planning and Urban Development
Stefan Tylak
Energy & Renewables
Virgil Martin
Population, Employment and Land Needs Modelling, and Forecasting.
Will McDowall
Policy, Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation
Rodney North
Marketing, Communications, and Partnerships
Interested in becoming an Associate of SSG?
Associates and prospective Associates approach SSG from time to time with projects that require additional support or capacity.
Contact us for application instructions. Applying to be an Associate and applying for a job with SSG are very different things. Please bear this in mind when expressing your interest in working with us.
Yes, we’re a worker co-operative.
We fundamentally differ from other types of businesses in three key ways:
Advocacy and representation
We are actively engaged in Co-ops and Mutuals Canada, Canadian Worker Co-op Federation (CWCF), Co-operatives UK, and participate in UN negotiations and engagement.
Walking the Talk
We are dedicated to addressing social and environmental justice—through our work and in our own operations.
Internally, we do this in three ways.
