We are excited to present the First Nations and Small Communities ERT Webinar “Building and Sustaining Asset Management Communities: Small Municipalities and First Nations” running on Wednesday, June 22nd from 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm  (ET)

This unique webinar will be structured as 3 presentations (15-20 minutes each), followed by a Q&A Panel for approximately 30 minutes each. The moderator for this session will be Shekar Sharma from our ERT team. 

 Moderator: Shekar Sharma, City of Vancouver 

Shekar Sharma currently supports asset management initiatives at City of Vancouver’s Green Infrastructure Implementation Branch as their Asset Management Engineer. Prior to that, as a consultant, he supported the development of asset management plans and strategies for municipal clients in Ontario on a wide range of assets such as water and wastewater treatment plants, storm water control measures, bridges and roads. He is a certified asset management consultant from the Institute of Asset Management (IAM). 

 Presentation 1: Thomas Bucher, Confederacy of the Mainland Mi’kmaq 

Presentation: Asset and Service Management Capacity Building 

Thomas, EIT, joined the Confederacy of the Mainland Mi’kmaq in 2019 as the Asset Management Coordinator. Thomas is an Engineer in Training, graduating from Dalhousie University in 2019 with a focus on Civil Infrastructure. With CMM, Thomas assists eight First Nations communities with technical infrastructure projects including the development of an Asset Management planning materials, condition assessment programs, and preventative maintenance programing.  

Presentation 2: Eric Nyce, Nisga’a Lisims Government and Dallas Kuzek, Stantec 

Presentation: Asset and Service Management in a Self-Governing First Nation: The Nisga’a Experience with a Service Delivery Gap Analysis 

Eric Nyce is the Director of Capital Housing and Facilities Operations / Finance for the Nisga’a Lisims Government. Eric is leading the Nisga’a Nations’ growth in Asset Management and has worked to bring Asset Management principles to the different governments within the Nation. A strong proponent for the value of Asset Management for First Nations, Eric continues to work to grow Nisga’a Nation into a leader in Asset Management in the region. 

As an Asset Management Specialist, Professional Engineer and Alberta Land Surveyor, Dallas is the Red Deer Geospatial Services Lead for Stantec Consulting. He has worked in the Asset Management field for various clients in the municipal and Indigenous sectors helping clients grow their asset management programs.  Dallas has also been a part of training programs for Municipalities to start their Asset Management Programs and has worked with a wide range of clients that are either just starting the journey or at a more mature state in their asset management program. 

 Presentation 3: Megan Jakilazek, City of Winnipeg (formerly City of Selkirk) 

Presentation: Creating an AM Community by training Council, Staff & Citizens 

Megan Jakilazek is currently the Corporate Asset Management Specialist for the City of Winnipeg, but has spent the last 5 years working at the City of Selkirk to develop their Capital Asset Management Program; playing a pivotal role in the development of all policies and procedures that make up the programs governance framework.  Megan is nearing the completion of her Masters in Infrastructure  Management & Planning at the University of Washington and is looking forward to applying these skills to ensure sustainable infrastructure and service delivery decisions are being made for current and future generations. 

This event will run on Wednesday, June 22nd from 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm (ET) and you will need to register ahead for attendance. Information on how to join will be sent the day prior.

CNAM Members: Free

Non-Members: $50.00