Like the waters of the mighty Columbia River, Heather is a driving force in the world of freshwater protection and stewardship in Canada. Having co-founded Living Lakes Canada alongside Kat Hartwig, Heather now continues her impactful work as Water Policy Advisor with the Water Stewardship and Security Branch of the Ministry of Land, Water and Resource Stewardship in British Columbia. 

Over Heather’s 10 years as Living Lakes Canada’s Operations Director, she was instrumental in developing and delivering several programs, including the Foreshore Integrated Management Planning program alongside former Living Lakes Advisor Bruce MacDonald. She delivered CABIN training workshops to hundreds of individuals including government, industry, Indigenous and community groups, and built community-based monitoring case studies to support the creation of grassroots stewardship initiatives elsewhere in Canada.

Heather now works with the B.C. provincial government to support the development and implementation of policies associated with the Water Sustainability Act, governance models for water, and legislation and planning frameworks that deliver on government priorities. “I get to work on similar concepts, just from a different lens,” says Heather. She credits her work with Living Lakes for providing the opportunity to develop “a foundational understanding of water stewardship and policy in B.C.” that has supported her current work.

We are fortunate to have had such an incredibly passionate person help lay the foundation of our work today and we look forward to seeing what inspiring projects Heather pursues in the future.