Speaker Bios

Christopher De Sousa, Professor, School of Urban and Regional Planning, Faculty of Community Services, Toronto Metropolitan University

Christopher De Sousa, Ph.D., MCIP, RPP, is a Professor in the School of Urban and Regional Planning at Toronto Metropolitan University and previously taught at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He earned his BA, M. Sc. Pl., and Ph.D. from the University of Toronto. He is a Registered Professional Planner and a member of the Ontario Professional Planners Institute and the Canadian Institute of Planners.

Professor De Sousa’s research focuses on brownfield redevelopment, urban environmental management, and sustainability in Canada and the United States. His work has received funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, MITACS, US EPA, USDA Forest Service, National Academies (HUD Urban Scholars Postdoctoral Fellowship), US Trade and Development Agency, Consul General of Canada, UW-Milwaukee, TMU, and private foundations. He has authored numerous journal articles, technical publications, and two books, including Sustainable Brownfields Development: Building a Sustainable Future on Sites of our Polluting Past, published in 2021 by Routledge.

Professor De Sousa has been actively involved with government agencies and nonprofits. He is the past President of the Canadian Brownfields Network, jury chair and member for the Canadian Brownie (Brownfield) Awards, and Interim Director of TMU’s Center for Urban Research and Land Development. He was the proud recipient of Canada’s Brownfielder of the Year award in 2018.

David Welwood, Senior Planner, J.L. Richards – Engineers, Architects, Planners

David Welwood, is a Senior Planner and Practice Lead at J.L. Richards & Associates, based in Sudbury, Ontario. With over 15 years of experience in municipal planning and consulting working for the provincial government, municipal governments and the private sector.  David takes a practical and strategic lens to community development across Ontario. David provides day to day planning services for a number of municipalities across Ontario, and has undertaken numerous complex planning policy projects including official plans, zoning by-laws and community improvement plans. David is known for his collaborative approach and ability to tailor planning solutions to diverse community needs. Outside of work, he enjoys hiking, canoeing, and exploring Ontario with his two teenage sons.

Franz Lopez, Environmental Lawyer, Borden Ladner Gervais (BLG) LLP

Franz Lopez is an environmental lawyer based in Toronto. Franz’ practice is focused on representing individuals and corporations involved in various disputes including contractual, regulatory compliance, environmental prosecutions, and tort claims. He also acts in an advisory capacity with mandatory and voluntary regulatory filings and environmental due diligence in support of BLG’s transactional related work. Franz’ combination of academic and professional experiences in environmental science provides him with unique technical insights into environmental law. Franz offers practical solutions to complex litigation, regulatory and transactional challenges that are always informed by both the science and law

Freesia Waxman, Senior Environmental Engineer, Grounded Engineering

Freesia Waxman is an Associate and Senior Engineer with Grounded Engineering with over 15 years of experience in environmental and hydrogeological engineering. She is an industry expert on Excess Soil and has extensive experience in a variety of environmental services including Phase One and Two Environmental Site Assessments, Risk Assessments, remediation programs, underground storage tank removals, baseline environmental studies, soil and fill management plans, hydrogeological investigations, and environmental compliance approvals process. She is responsible for external peer review and guidance on environmental, remediation, and brownfield development projects. Freesia holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in Civil Engineering from McMaster University and is a licensed Professional Engineer in the Province of Ontario and is a Qualified Person (QPESA) with the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks under Ontario Regulation 153/04 and O.Reg. 406/19.

Judy Lam, formerly of City of Hamilton
Judy Lam has recently retired after 13 years as the Manager of Commercial Districts and Small Business within Economic Development at the City of Hamilton. While retired, she remains committed to helping with important causes including sitting on the Board of Goodwill Industries which changes lives through the Power of Work as well as continued participation in the Brownfield sector, and consulting in her spare time. She believes that brownfield redevelopment offers significant benefits for the environment providing economic and social benefits. She is a Board member at the Canadian Brownfields Network (CBN), Co-chair of CBN’s Government Relations Committee, member of CBN’s Development Committee, and participates on the new cross-country municipal committee on brownfield education and sharing best practices. 

Judy joined the City in 2012 where she led her team focussed on the revitalization and development of properties within Hamilton’s six downtowns, commercial corridors, and 12 Business Improvement Areas throughout the whole city.  Judy has delivered transformational work at City of Hamilton's Economic Development Division. This includes the development of 5 Community Improvement Plans (CIPs); the remediation of over 206 acres of contaminated land through the City's ERASE program and the oversight and administration of almost 1,800 grants to support small businesses. The CIPs have created innovative programs that included financial incentives including the award-winning ERASE brownfields programs, 
Judy has over 35 years of diverse experience that span both the public (provincial and municipal) and private sectors that includes small and medium-sized business lending, leasing, commercial banking and infrastructure financing. Prior to joining the City, Judy came from Infrastructure Ontario where she funded numerous infrastructure and affordable housing projects across Ontario by providing billions of dollars. 

Judy holds a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) and Bachelor of Commerce Honours Degrees from Dalhousie University in Halifax, N.S. and is also a Certified Public Accountant of Ontario (CPA).

Noah Simms, EIT, Savron

Noah Simms, B.ASc., is a Senior Staff Professional at Savron, a division of Geosyntec Consultants International, Inc., based in the firm’s Toronto office. Mr. Simms has been with Geosyntec for five years, beginning as an Intern, primarily in an on-site operations role. He now leverages this on-site experience alongside his technical expertise in mechanical and software engineering to support the design of remediation plants. Mr. Simms has been involved in the entire lifecycle of remediation plant design, for systems of all sizes. This includes design, construction oversight, commissioning, and operational management. His work frequently integrates custom software tools and data-driven solutions to support design, operations, and decision-making.

During engineering efforts, Mr. Simms also regularly integrates Artificial Intelligence (AI) into his workflows. He applies AI to accelerate equipment selection, and support decision-making in remediation system design. Leveraging his background in programming, Mr. Simms also develops custom tools, including data management applications, AI-powered chatbots for operational support, and other AI-enabled applications.

Prasoon Adhikari, Manager, Environmental Compliance and Utility Performance, City of Kitchener

Prasoon Adhikari is a professional engineer with over 21 years of experience in civil and environmental engineering in both municipal and private sectors. His expertise includes environmental compliance and utility performance for sanitary and stormwater systems, city-wide stormwater monitoring, excess soil and sediment reuse, low-impact development/green infrastructure, and the management of contaminated landfill sites. He has extensive experience in remediation, risk assessment, and brownfield redevelopment, and has led programs involving stormwater management pond operations, maintenance, and LID credit and rebate initiatives. Prasoon has authored several key policies and technical guidance documents, including those related to contaminated site development, excess soil management, and PSAB/PS 3260 liability reporting. He was honoured with the 2021 HUB Award in the Pillar category for his leadership in environmental engineering.

Richard Steer, Senior Scientist, Geosyntec International Consultants Inc.

Richard Steer, BSc, is a Project Scientist with over a decade of environmental consulting experience, recognized for his expertise in advanced field methods and innovative approaches to site assessment and remediation. Richard has led complex, field-intensive investigations across Canada and the United States, integrating high-resolution data collection with the design, implementation, and performance evaluation of remedial solutions, including vapour mitigation systems and in-situ remediation programs. He is known for his hands-on approach and his ability to translate complex subsurface conditions into actionable risk management and remediation strategies.