Jean-François Robert is a Director General within Public Services and Procurement Canada’s (PSPC) Science and Parliamentary Infrastructure Branch. He currently leads multi-skilled teams in the management and delivery of real property and accommodation projects on and around Parliament Hill. He also oversees the delivery of projects in support of the Laboratories Canada Initiative by advancing the first phase of delivery of the 25-year Long Term Vision and Plan. Jean-François holds both a bachelor’s and Master’s degree in civil engineering. He has more than 20 years of project management experience, beginning his career as a professional engineer in the private sector, and later with the City of Gatineau. In 2009, Jean-François joined the Federal Public Service in PSPC’s Real Property Branch, moving to the Parliamentary Precinct Branch in 2013. He has a proven track record of providing sound strategic advice based on his strong project management principles, practices and techniques, as well as his in-depth knowledge and experience.

Sonia Powell is the Director General for Public Services and Procurement Canada’s Real Property Services Branch Workplace Solutions service line. Sonia is accountable for delivery of the $185M annual fit-up program and for modernizing the Government of Canada workplace under the WP2.0 GCWorkplace fit-up standards.

Sonia started her career in the Acquisitions Branch in 1993 as a procurement officer in marine procurement. She subsequently joined Real Property Branch as a project manager. She held project management positions in Transport Canada and National Defence, managing infrastructure and environmental projects before returning to PSPC in 2011.

Sonia held various positions in RPB NCA Operations from 2011 to 2016 including leadership positions as the Regional Manager, NCA Geomatics; Project Director, AFD Real Property Team; Senior Director NCA Professional and Technical Services; and, Acting Director General NCA Operations. She has been a champion of several change initiatives and has led a number of successful organizational realignments.

Sonia has received a number of awards recognizing her work in the real property community. She holds the President position on the Real Property Institute of Canada (RPIC) Board of Directors.

Sonia is an engineer with a degree from Memorial University of Newfoundland, with a specialization in Naval Architecture. She also holds a certificate as a functional specialist in real property.

Liz Tough is the Director of Real Property Strategic Policy and Planning for Global Affairs Canada. In this role, she leads global strategy, policy and investment governance for the stewardship of the Government of Canada real property platform around the world.

Liz started her federal real property career in 2000 with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Pacific Region, returning home to Ottawa as the RCMP Director of Governance before moving to Public Services and Procurement Canada Real Property Branch.  Over the course of her career, she has worked in multiple real property areas from sustainable development to capital accounting and investment management to operational delivery.

She has a Masters of Environmental Design in Environmental Science from the University of Calgary and spent many years trekking the mountains to get it.

Mr. Clayton Truax is currently the Senior Director, Environment, Health and Safety within PSPC. In this role, he is responsible for national functional direction as well as operational support within the National Capital Area related to environmental compliance and custodial health and safety.

Clayton joined the department in October 2001 and has subsequently occupied a number of progressive positions related to expanding the Department’s leadership role in contaminated sites within the federal government including Manager, National Centre of Expertise for Contaminated Sites until assuming his current role in December 2019. He has been a long-time contributor to the organization of the RPIC Federal Contaminated Sites Workshops including acting as the Chair. Prior to joining PSPC, he spent 14 years in the private sector as an environmental consultant managing contaminated sites and other environmentally related projects in Canada and the United States.

He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Toronto and a Master’s Degree from the University of Waterloo in Civil Engineering and is a licenced Professional Engineer in Ontario.

Working out of the Acquired Services and Assets Sector at Treasury Board of Canada’s Secretariat (TBS), Ashley Maloney is responsible for the long-term vision and management of TBS’s Real Property Information System which includes the Directory of Federal Real Property (DFRP) and the Federal Contaminated Sites Inventory (FCSI). There, he works with the federal real property community to ensure that the Government of Canada is informed about the scale of the major components of its real property inventory. Prior to joining TBS, he held several real property positions within Correctional Service Canada (CSC) where he worked on large-scale projects such as the National C-25 (Truth in Sentencing Act) Construction Program and the Strategic Disposal of Kingston Penitentiary.

Catherine Dallaire is an asset management specialist with over 13 years of public and private sector experience. She has advised clients and senior management on a variety of complex asset management initiatives helping them improve the defensibility of infrastructure plans and management strategies. These initiatives include comprehensive service reviews, policy and strategy development, lifecycle assessments, internal audits, investment optimization, and program evaluation. Catherine has also implemented real property management capacity development initiatives for provincial and national associations. She currently applies her real property management experience at Public Services and Procurement Canada in advising federal government project teams in the evaluation of alternative procurement models, such as public private partnerships, and in teaching infrastructure management within the Infrastructure Protection and International Security Masters program at Carleton University.

Jérémie Emond is the Director General, Real Property and Workplace Services at Natural Resources Canada (NRCan). NRCan develops policies and programs that enhance the contribution of the natural resources sector to the economy, improve the quality of life for all Canadians and conduct innovative science in facilities across Canada to generate ideas and transfer technologies.

After 23 years in the Canadian Armed Forces as a military engineer, Jérémie joined the Public Service in 2016 with National Defence as the Director of portfolio planning. In 2019, he moved to the Correctional Service of Canada as the Senior Director, Facilities. In 2021, he joined NRCan in his current position.

Jérémie is a graduate from Laval University with a Bachelor in Civil Engineering. He holds a Masters in Defence studies from the Royal Military College of Canada and a Masters of Public Administration from École Nationale d’Administration Publique.

Earl Hoeg is the Executive Director of National Real Property Management (NRPM) with Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) (or as Earl prefers to be called, ESDC’s Chief Real Property Evangelist). Earl is responsible for all aspects of the management and delivery of the National Real Property Portfolio for all Service Canada Centres, Passport Offices and ESDC’s office space across Canada. In this position, Earl is responsible for leading ESDC’s workplace modernization efforts for ESDC’s 37,000 employees spread across more than 425 sites and 600,000 m2 of space across Canada. ESDC is working aggressively to implement Activity Based Working and the Government of Canada’s GCWorkplace vision to provide the best space possible to respond to the future of work and support for a hybrid workplace to help ESDC attract and retain the talent they need to better serve Canadians.

Prior to this role, Earl held various positions in real property with ESDC and Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). Earl has been a public servant for 32 years and held other leadership positions with the Canada School of Public Service and Industry Canada.

Earl has a Master of Business Administration (MBA), from Queen’s University, a Certificate in Business Administration from the University of Ottawa, and an Electronic Engineering Technology Diploma, from the Nova Scotia Institute of Technology. Earl is a trained media spokesperson and has been a speaker at international wireless conferences, leadership events and real property forums.

As part of the RCMP’s Real Property Management Branch, Lezlie Locke is responsible for the provision of real property policy advice, and for maintaining and updating the Property Management Manual (PMM), which is the RCMP’s substantive repository of policies, guidelines and technical bulletins that govern how the RCMP manages its real property assets and projects. Lezlie has 25 years of experience within the federal real property domain working with the RCMP and the Department of National Defence. She holds a Bachelor of Science (Biology) from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Greg MacMillan is the Director General, Enterprise Planning and Operations in PSPC’s Science and Parliamentary Infrastructure Branch. In his current role, he leads strategy and plan development and management of real property, IMIT, scientific equipment and security programs in support of the Laboratories Canada strategy and federal science community.
Greg’s career began in the public sector as a junior economist, investment analyst and real property officer. He then spent more than a decade in various business development and executive positions in the financial and technology sectors in Canada, the U.S. and Australia, served as a Director of a publicly traded company, and worked as a management consultant. In 2010, Greg re-joined the federal public service and has since assumed various leadership roles in real property, security and IMIT management at Natural Resources Canada, Health Canada and PSPC.

Greg holds a Master of Arts degree in Public Administration, Project Management Professional (PMP) certification and is a former Certified Financial Planner.

Sandra Rezansoff has over 25 years of experience in managing all aspects of real property within the Government of Canada, in both national and international settings. Over the course of her career, she has worked with numerous departments and agencies including Public Services and Procurement Canada, Natural Resources Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, the Department of National Defence and Global Affairs Canada. In her nine years with Global Affairs Canada, Sandra served as a Management and Consular Affairs officer in Canada’s Missions in Chandigarh, India and Rome, Italy.

In her present role, as the Acting Director General of Strategic Portfolio Initiatives in the Infrastructure and Environment Branch with National Defence, Sandra is responsible for leading the Implementation of the Defence Real Property Portfolio Strategy to ensure an affordable and sustainable portfolio in support of the Defence Team.

Prior to joining the federal government Sandra received a Master of Public Administration degree from Queen’s University and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Studies and Economics from the University of Saskatchewan.

Liz Tough is the Director of Real Property Strategic Policy and Planning for Global Affairs Canada. In this role, she leads global strategy, policy and investment governance for the stewardship of the Government of Canada real property platform around the world.

Liz started her federal real property career in 2000 with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in the Pacific Region, returning home to Ottawa as the RCMP Director of Governance before moving to Public Services and Procurement Canada Real Property Branch. Over the course of her career, she has worked in multiple real property areas from sustainable development to capital accounting and investment management to operational delivery.

She has a Masters of Environmental Design in Environmental Science from the University of Calgary and spent many years trekking the mountains to get it.

Chris Vandyk is the Director, Real Estate – Acquisitions for Canada Lands Company (CLC), and has been with CLC since June 2018. Prior to joining CLC, he worked in the Real Property Policy Division of the Treasury Board of Canada’s Secretariat (TBS), and has also held several real property positions within the Correctional Service Canada (CSC).

Within Canada Lands Company, Chris, working closely with the CLC’s regional offices, is responsible for the organization’s acquisition of surplus strategic properties from the federal government with the objective of optimizing the financial and community value of these surplus assets. With over 10 years experience in the federal real property field, he has worked on a number of major federal realty projects focusing mainly on the disposal of strategic properties.

He has a Master’s degree in Urban & Regional Planning from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario.

Bill Varvaris is the Director General for Real Property and Environmental Management at the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. Bill is accountable for overseeing the management of a diverse and complex real property portfolio valued at over $5.7B, and accountable for the delivery of an annual budget of over $200M. Bill started his professional employment as a policy advisor to the Minister of Natural Resources Canada and reached the post of Chief of Staff to the Minister of Industry. In 2006, Bill commenced his career in the federal civil service at Public Works and Government Services Canada in the Real Property Branch (RPB) where he held several positions in both the Strategic Planning, Administration and Renewal (SPAR), and Portfolio Management sectors. Bill’s experience extends to the international forum where he held the position of Executive Director at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Japan prior to joining the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development as a real property project director while posted in New Delhi, India. Bill has been a Member of the Board for the National Executive Forum for Public Property since 2017.

Heather Tesselaar is the National Director of Real Property Management Services at Defence Construction Canada (DCC).  DCC is a Crown corporation that provides infrastructure and environmental services and full lifecycle support for Canada’s defence requirements. In her current role, Heather is accountable for the development of national strategy and providing direction for business development related to real property management. This consists of services associated with portfolio management, development planning, energy management and facility maintenance as well as technical services including GIS, computer-assisted design (CAD) and building information modeling (BIM).

After 11 years as an engineering officer in the Canadian Armed Forces, Heather joined DCC in 2009. Prior to being appointed to the National Director role she has worked across the country—from Gagetown, New Brunswick, to Wainwright, Alberta, in a variety of roles. Heather holds a Bachelor of Science (Chemical and Materials Engineering) degree from the Royal Military College, a Master of Business Administration (with Distinction) from Heriot-Watt University, as well as the Professional Engineer and Project Management Professional designations.

Alastair Lawrie is the Executive Director of the Centre of Expertise for Real Property (RP-COE) at Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat. The RP-COE is working with federal departments and agencies to implement the recommendations of the Horizontal Fixed Asset Review and help departments respond to real property use changes resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prior to this position, Alastair served as the Senior Director of National Portfolio Strategy (2017-2021) and Director of Long-Term Capital Management (2015-2017) at Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Previously, Alastair held diverse real property positions supporting real property transformation, portfolio management and investment management at Fisheries and oceans Canada and Public Services and Procurement Canada. He began his career in municipal government as an Urban Infrastructure Planner at the Tampa Bay Metropolitan Planning Organization in Tampa, Florida.

Alastair has a Master’s degree in Urban and Rural Planning from Dalhousie University and a Bachelor’s degree in Urban Studies from McGill University.

Debbie Baxter, CMC, FCPA, ICD.D, has more than 25 years of experience working with businesses to implement change – from changes in real estate utilization, to changes in culture or technology. She is a client advocate who can uniquely combine the ability to recommend the strategies that drive the desired business outcome as well as have the leadership insight to oversee adoption of the change.

Debbie is a Partner in Real Estate Advisory for Deloitte Canada, responsible for working with clients to ideate, design and implement their Real Estate strategies and projects.

She is most passionate about the “Future of Work” – working with clients to adapt their business to the trends evident in our economy and society that will challenge our existing infrastructure and drive the need for a new way of thinking about work environments.

Debbie’s efforts have been recognized on a national level. In 2013, Debbie was named to the Top 100 WXN list of the Most Powerful Women in Canada in the Trailblazer Category.

With a background in operations and technology, Debbie is a Certified Management Consultant, Certified Public Accountant and holds a Corporate Directors ICD.D designation.

As the Vice President, Federal Government Business Unit, Mike Ketcheson is an expert in providing strategic advice to Federal Government department clients for projects and programs of work involving real property infrastructure. This includes advice on governance, project delivery, indigenous engagement/participation and procurement methodologies.

Throughout the course of his career, Mike has led large teams supporting Federal clients with project management support services on iconic projects, such as the redevelopment of the parliamentary precinct, the restoration of heritage assets, large accommodation programs and key Federal real property initiatives. Mike currently serves as a board member with the Real Property Institute of Canada and manages the joint venture relationship with Tiree Facility Solutions.

Responsible for leading Regional’s new Asset Management, Investor & Government Relations division, Tal oversees growth of value, serves as liaison and relationship manager with investors and creates strategic partnerships with all levels of Government and Crown Corporations. Additionally, Tal oversees Regional’s Tax and Valuation department that provides services across Canada.

Having joined Regional Group in 2015, Tal championed the full restructure of the Property Management division — new process development and implementation, adopting technological initiatives all while providing consistent and outstanding levels of customer service, ensuring the maximum return on investment for clients. Under Tal’s leadership as Vice President, Asset and Property Management, Regional’s client base and number of assets under management grew exponentially. Tal oversaw significant staffing growth and was monumental in supporting the development of the firm’s portfolio and revenue goals.

As a member of the Company’s Executive Committee, Tal is instrumental in providing strategic and organizational direction for both Regional and eQ Homes. Tal is involved in several organizations including being the Founder of BOMA Ottawa’s Emerging Leader Network, serving on the Board of Directors of BOMA Ottawa, being Chairman of the Board at the Torah Day School of Ottawa and continues to regularly support many more community initiatives and efforts.

Born in Montreal, Québec, Dan joined the Canadian Forces in 1998, attending the Royal Military College of Canada. He graduated in 2002 with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering. Over the next eight years, Dan deployed to Afghanistan and Sudan in addition to completing his master’s degree in Human Security and Peacebuilding (Royal Roads).

In 2010, Dan transferred to the Army Reserve and returned to Montreal. He spent the next years as the Associate Director of Project Management at McGill University. During this time, he also completed his MBA (Concordia), PMP, CRHA and as a Reservist deployed with the UN to the DR Congo as well as on several domestic operations.

In 2019, Dan was recruited as a Project Director by WSP Canada, a global engineering consulting firm. In 2022 he was appointed as the Senior Director, Strategic Advisory for the company. In 2023 Dan began his current role as Director, Public Sector Solutions and Client Lead for Defense & Security with KPMG.

In his Army Reserve role, Dan recently completed his appointment as Commanding Officer of 34 Combat Engineer Regiment. He is currently the Secretariate of the External Advisory Committee with the office of the Chief Professional Conduct and Change (CPCC).

Dan is a member of the Saint John Ambulance Brigade (Québec) Board of Directors as well as a Director on the Board of the Vimy Foundation. When not working, Dan spends the majority of his time shuttling his two children to hockey arenas throughout the Ottawa area for their practices and games.

Mathieu Primeau is Senior Success Manager – Federal Government for Esri Canada. He is also guild member of the non-profit Archipelago of Design. He previously served for 25 years in the Canadian Armed Forces, to include the role of Commanding Officer of the Mapping and Charting Establishment and Military Advisor to the Deputy Minister of National Defense. He is three times Master’s Graduate and a Civil Engineer. Mathieu is on a mission to empower all leaders to use design thinking and help the Federal Government succeed with Geospatial Information.