Brian Jackson, MCIP, joined the City of Vancouver in 2012 as the General Manager of Planning and Development Services and retired in 2015.  In Brian’s tenure, City Council approved the Marpole Area Plan, the Downtown Eastside area Plan, the West End Community Plan. In addition, City Council approved thousands of units of rental and affordable housing. Brian has been a practicing urban planner for 35 years, working in both the public and private sectors, in policy and current planning, in three jurisdictions across North America:  British Columbia, Ontario and California. Brian’s career highlights include: Manager of Toronto’s Waterfront in the Planning & Development Department for 7 years, Brian oversaw the high density, mixed use redevelopment of Toronto’s waterfront. Senior Associate with IBI Group for 10 years in Ontario, Southern California, Vancouver and Nevada.  Brian led a variety of transit-oriented development studies related to new rapid bus and LRT transit initiatives, working with communities to create a vision for sustainable development around proposed transit stations. Before joining Vancouver in 2012, as Director of Development for the City of Richmond for 4 ½ years, Brian managed over $4 billion in development applications as well as a number of complex planning policy issues. Currently, in retirement, Brian continues to provide planning advice to both municipalities and developers, promoting liveability, good planning and vibrant cities.

Born in Nova Scotia, Stewart moved to Vancouver in 1989 with only $100 in his pocket and worked odd jobs like delivering beer, running a printing press, and playing in rock bands before joining the City of Vancouver’s planning department where he fell in love with how cities worked. This newfound passion led Stewart to study urban politics and policy as part of his Masters degree at Simon Fraser University before moving on to complete a Ph.D. on world cities at the London School of Economics in the UK. Stewart moved back to Vancouver in 2002 to take a position at SFU’s School of Public Policy where, as a tenured professor, he wrote, taught, and provided advice to governments and the United Nations about cities and housing. During this time he also met, fell in love, and married his wife Dr. Jeanette Ashe, Chair of the Douglas College Department of Political Science. After seeing the crisis of affordable housing and homelessness build, Stewart decided to take a break from his work at SFU and run for office under the leadership of Jack Layton. Elected as a Member of Parliament in 2011, he served in Ottawa for seven years working to fight climate change and increase federal investment in affordable housing. Today, as Mayor, Stewart remains committed to building a sustainable, carbon-free economy while making sure we keep housing costs low and the quality of public services high. As a long-time renter in downtown Vancouver, where he lives with his wife Jeanette, Kennedy is focused on delivering affordable rental housing and first-time home-buying opportunities that keep our city welcoming and vibrant – a Vancouver that works for everyone.