The New Development Equation: Climate, Cost, and Certainty
1:15pm - 2:15pm
Panel Discussion
Canada is investing heavily in new housing, infrastructure, and building renewal—but delivering successful projects has never been more challenging. Rising costs, changing regulations, supply chain disruptions, and growing expectations for sustainability are forcing project teams to make smarter, more connected decisions.
Join industry leaders as they share practical strategies and real-world lessons on balancing affordability, sustainability, and project certainty. Learn how organizations are reducing carbon emissions, improving climate resilience, managing risk, and delivering better outcomes through smarter choices in materials, energy performance, procurement, and construction.
Whether you're involved in new construction, retrofits, or infrastructure projects, you'll leave with ideas and insights you can put to work right away.
Michelle Ouellette
Associate Principal, Studio Manager Placemaking – Arcadis
With over 20 years of experience as a professional planner, Michelle Ouellette brings deep expertise in municipal policy development, community planning, and land development. Her work spans the full community development lifecycle—from strategic planning through to site-specific design—enabling her to translate vision into practical, phased implementation strategies.
Michelle has direct experience supporting projects to achieve energy performance and reduced carbon emission targets through navigating available funding and financing programs for affordable and sustainable housing. This work informs her approach to aligning policy objectives with practical, building-level outcomes.
Her experience across major urban centres and mountain and tourism-based communities in Alberta and British Columbia provides a broad and balanced perspective. As a Bow Valley resident, she brings an intimate understanding of the local context and community priorities.
Michelle is known for her ability to bridge diverse perspectives, aligning policy, planning, and delivery considerations to achieve shared priorities and implementable outcomes. Her approach ensures that strategies are not only visionary, but also achievable, scalable, and supported by the communities they are intended to serve.
Stephanie Fargas
Associate Principal – Arcadis
Stephanie, an Associate Principal, has emerged as a leader in material transparency, bringing extensive experience in material product research and preparation of specifications for projects across North America. In addition to being a Registered Specification Writer, she provides expertise in embodied carbon, circularity, material health, and social equity throughout the supply chain. She provides project teams guidance in material transparency for projects seeking LEED®, WELL®, and Envision™ certifications, and notably led the specifications development for Canada’s first Living Building Challenge project.
With a creative approach, Stephanie excels at translating design intent into clear, precise specifications while mentoring staff and facilitating communication among project participants.
Will Buchkowsky
Project Director – Chandos Construction
Will Buchkowsky is a Project Director with over 16 years of experience at Chandos, where he has built a reputation for delivering complex, sustainability-driven construction projects with precision and purpose. With a professional foundation in corporate finance at a Big Four firm, Will brings a unique blend of financial acumen and project leadership to every initiative he undertakes.
Throughout his career at Chandos, Will has led and contributed to a diverse portfolio of projects aligned with some of the industry’s most ambitious sustainability frameworks, including LEED, Net Zero, and the Living Building Challenge. His work reflects a deep commitment to advancing environmentally responsible construction practices while balancing performance, cost, and long-term value.
Will has also successfully delivered projects involving international supply chains and global trade partners, including signature builds such as the Canadian Wilds Exhibit at the Calgary Zoo. These experiences have strengthened his ability to coordinate across borders and disciplines to achieve shared sustainability goals.
In his current role, Will is driven by a passion for exceeding client expectations through thoughtful pre-construction planning, including detailed budgeting, strategic product selection, advanced energy modeling, and intelligent construction execution. He is particularly motivated by opportunities to innovate and collaborate in ways that push the boundaries of sustainable building. Known for his approachable style and solutions-focused mindset, Will is committed to helping shape a more sustainable future for the built environment.
Regan Moffatt
Principal – Smith + Andersen
Regan has dedicated his career to developing low-energy solutions for complex building typologies. His pragmatic and practical approach to engineering building systems prioritizes the integration of passive, common-sense strategies within the architectural design. This reduces dependence on mechanical and electrical systems while optimizing building performance through low-energy technologies. Regan specializes in complex institutional projects, with experience spanning post-secondary institutions, laboratories, government facilities, multi-use public buildings, and the performing arts and cultural sectors. His mechanical engineering designs have received international recognition for their innovation, energy efficiency and NET ZERO design principles.