Archived events
Infrastructure deficit
January 23, 2024 @ Vancouver, BC
This month’s event was presented by
Meet the panelists
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Tamara Vrooman is a transformational leader with a strong financial background who understands the intrinsic link between a strong and sustainable economy and a healthy community.
Tamara is currently President & CEO of Vancouver Airport Authority (YVR), Canada’s second busiest airport. Prior to this, Tamara was President & CEO of Vancity, Canada’s largest community credit union with $28 billion in assets, and prior to that: the Deputy Minister of Finance for the Province of British Columbia; the Secretary to the Treasury Board; and CEO of the Public Sector Employers' Council.
Her expertise has been sought by organizations, leaders and governments at all levels—including national and international—whether on the economy, social change, or environmental sustainability, and often at the intersection of all three. Tamara serves as a Board Director of the Airports Council International (North America) where she is appointed as Vice-Chair of the Canadian Airports Council. She is also Director of the Board for DRI Healthcare Trust; and is a member of Canada’s Disability Inclusion Business Council.
Tamara chairs the board of the Canada Infrastructure Bank and the Rick Hansen Foundation, in addition to other board roles. She currently serves as Simon Fraser University’s 12th Chancellor. She is the recipient of the Order of British Columbia (2019), the Peter Lougheed Award for Leadership in Public Policy (2016) and the BC CEO of the Year Award (Major Private Company) from Business in Vancouver (2015) among many other citations.
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Chris Gardner has led the Independent Contractors and Businesses Association (“ICBA”) as President since 2017. Under his leadership ICBA has grown to become the largest construction association in Canada and one of the largest business organizations in the country. ICBA has more than 4,500 members and clients, administers group health benefits for 175,000 people and last year, expanded outside of BC through the establishment of ICBA Alberta. Before joining ICBA, he was a senior executive at two of the largest modular construction and workforce accommodation companies in North America; he served as principal secretary to the 35th Premier of British Columbia, the Hon. Christy Clark; and he lived in Asia for 11 years working for one of South Korea’s largest law firms and for Samsung Electronics. Chris has a Juris Doctor in law from the Peter A. Allard School of Law at UBC and a Bachelor of Arts from SFU.
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Dallas has roots from all four corners of the Kwak̓wala speaking peoples with his mother coming from Haxwa’mis (Wakeman Sound) and Tsakis (Fort Rupert) and his father coming from G̱wayasdums (Gilford Island) and Qalagwees (Tourner Island). He’s spent the majority of his career working to bring greater human well-being and capacity to the Nations of the Great Bear Rainforest (GBR). As one of the architects of the GBR agreements and as the Founder and President of Na̲nwak̲olas Council he has built positive working relationships with all levels of government, industry, and the philanthropic community to find balance between conservation and sustainable economic development. His pragmatic and straight forward style has made him a welcome addition to many boards and committees and even led to him running as a candidate in the 2017 provincial election in the North Island riding. He lives in Duncan with his wife Toni and three beautiful daughters.
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Ken is Chief Economist and Senior Vice President at the Business Council of British Columbia, a business advocacy association representing B.C.’s 220 largest companies that together, account for over one-quarter of all jobs in the province. In this capacity, Ken contributes to the Council’s work on economic and policy issues of interest to the business community. Ken was born and raised in B.C. and has attained his master’s degree in economics from Simon Fraser University. He is a past president of the Association of Professional Economists of B.C. and a member of the B.C. Economic Forecast Council.
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Mayor Mike Hurley is in his 6th year as Mayor of Burnaby, re-elected to second term in 2022. Before serving as mayor he was a Burnaby firefighter. He served as President of the Burnaby Fire Fighters Association, and also as president of the BC Provincial Fire Fighters Association. In 2002, he received the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal, the Diamond in 2012, and the Platinum Jubilee in 2022, for his service to the community.
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Vivian is a Partner with the Global Infrastructure Advisory Group and brings over 10 years of experience. Vivian specializes in strategic planning and investment rationalization for public and private sector organizations responsible for major infrastructure and physical asset portfolios. She is an experienced strategic advisor and works with clients to define and navigate disruptive, complex, and multi-disciplinary challenges. Vivian has worked with all levels of governments in Canada, including the Provinces of BC And Alberta, Government of Canada, and various local governments on long-term portfolio decisions, partnership delivery models, and policy development.