Keynote Speakers
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Wayne Hubbard
Wayne Hubbard, Chief Executive Officer of ReLondon (UK)
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Sergeant Katherine Strong
Katherine is a Search and Rescue Technician with the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). Since joining the CAF in 2008, she has supported high-risk search and rescue operations across Canada, providing medical care and extraction in remote and austere environments. Her training includes parachuting, hoisting, mountain rescue, diving, paramedicine, avalanche safety, and survival operations.
She crewed Canada’s first all-female search and rescue operation and continues to work in small, highly skilled teams where decisions matter and conditions can change quickly.
With this year’s conference beginning on Earth Day, the theme Waste in a World of Change reflects a sector navigating rapid and overlapping shifts. Climate impacts, more frequent disasters, supply chain disruptions, emerging technologies, and population growth are reshaping how systems are planned and operated. Katherine’s experience offers a grounded perspective on resilience, preparedness, and teamwork on the front lines, and what it really takes to respond when conditions are uncertain.
Speakers
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James Nicholls
James Nicholls has been the Collections Manager with the City of Lethbridge’s Waste and Environment team for the past four years. He is responsible for the collection of waste for Lethbridge’s 106,000 residents and has recently completed the implementation of the City’s curbside organics program. He has also been busy working through the rollout of EPR programs for Lethbridge.
Prior to his time in the waste industry, he previously worked with the City’s asset management team and other operations groups for over a decade. Throughout this time James has been focused on incorporating technology into operational processes to optimize existing systems.
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Jeff Gunderson
Jeff Gunderson is a Process Analyst with the City of Lethbridge, where he has worked for the past 12 years after graduating from the University of Lethbridge. He has moved into his current role from a systems technician position, bringing experience in finding practical ways to incorporate technology into municipal waste collection services.
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Kelvin Tsun Wai Ng
Prof. Kelvin Tsun Wai Ng is the Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Environmental Sustainability and Professor of Environmental Systems Engineering at University of Regina, Canada. Prof. Ng is interested in sustainable waste management system design. He has authored/coauthored over 200 publications, and he has received both research and teaching awards. Prof. Ng is also a prolific reviewer. Many of the world’s prestigious journals are relying on his expertise for editorial decisions. Prof. Ng reviewed over 575 journal manuscripts for various publishers, including leading journals such as Nature Sustainability (2024 JIF=27.1) and Nature Communications (2024 JIF=15.7). In addition, he reviewed hundreds of conference papers, journal special issues, and book proposals for Elsevier, Springer, and Cambridge University Press. He is currently serving as an Associate Editor and Guest Editor for Waste Management (Elsevier), an Editor for Environmental Science and Pollution Research (Springer), and an Editorial Board Member for Ecological Informatics (Elsevier). Prof. Ng is the former chair of the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering (CSCE) Environmental Division (2018-2024) and the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Saskatchewan Awards Committee (2022-2024). Prof. Ng organized and chaired/co-chaired eight international CSCE conferences. He has been appointed to the Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment’s Solid Waste Management Advisory Committee since 2021. He is an elected Fellow of the CSCE.
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Pulkit Gupta
Pulkit Gupta is a Waste Management Engineer with The City of Calgary, where he supports the contract management of the Calgary Composting Facility. He previously worked at the Edmonton Waste Management Centre, contributing to the commissioning, operation, and maintenance of composting and anaerobic digestion facilities. Pulkit collaborates closely with multidisciplinary internal and external teams to analyze operational data, enhance process efficiency, mitigate environmental risks, and advance sustainable waste management solutions through continuous improvement and technical rigor.
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Julie Flynn
Originally from Québec City, Julie studied chemical engineering at Université Laval and earned a master’s degree from McGill University. She spent more than 12 years in France and one year in Guadalajara, Mexico. From 2006 to 2021, she developed leading expertise in biogas and hydrogen engineering at Air Liquide, working on projects in Europe, North America, and Asia. She has long been convinced of the importance of renewable gases in the energy transition.
Actively promoting the role of women in engineering, Julie Flynn joined Waga Energy in 2021 as CEO of the Canadian subsidiary. When she arrived, the subsidiary had 3 employees; it now has more than 30. In 2023 and 2024, Julie played a key role in the launch of three renewable natural gas production units in Québec. The first and largest site, located in Saint-Étienne-des-Grès, helped create an ecosystem in the Mauricie region in partnership with several local stakeholders, thereby supporting the company’s growth.
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Tom Jacklin
Tom is a Principal Engineer with Worley Canada’s Environment and Liability team. Tom’s role as a subject matter expert in solid and industrial waste management, regulatory and sustainable remediation, allows him to bring his technical knowledge to a wide array of industrial programs both domestically and internationally. He has participated and led waste projects in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, Nigeria, New Zealand, Philippines, United States and Brazil). His extensive background for example includes renewable natural gas, waste circularity, and sustainable remediation. His project portfolio has incorporated experience with decarbonization, energy security, biodiversity protection, water security and climate change mitigation. He has developed a technical reputation for delivering integrated technical solutions covering the complete project life cycle and addressing coordination of multi-discipline international teams, negotiation with stakeholders and regulators, and interfaces through to successful handover to Clients.
By leveraging his skills during design, construction and operations, he ensures environmentally sound and regulatory-compliant solutions. His commitment to excellence in safety, engineering design, construction management, and waste facility permitting add significant value, ensuring the client’s success and sustainability.
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Martin Ortiz
Martin Ortiz is a municipal leader with more than 24 years of experience leading complex environmental, operational, and capital‑intensive portfolios for The City of Calgary’s Waste & Recycling Services. With a foundation in hydrogeology and a proven track record managing multimillion‑dollar operating and capital programs, he brings deep expertise in risk management, regulatory compliance, asset stewardship, and long‑range financial planning. Known for building strong teams and delivering results through clear structure, collaboration, and technical expertise, Martin has guided diverse groups through complex operational, regulatory, and financial challenges. He is a Professional Geologist (P.Geo.) and active member of APEGA and SWANA.
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Liane Little
Liane Little serves as the Waste Reduction Specialist at the City of Edmonton Reuse Centre, a facility that supports waste reduction and the circular economy. She builds community engagement through facilitating practical sustainability initiatives including DIY Thursdays workshops, community swap events and markets. Liane also works to reduce waste and strengthen the circular economy by creating educational partnerships with like-minded organizations and supporting a Waste Reduction and Reuse Grant.
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Rocky Strong
Rocky holds a Mechanical Engineering degree from Memorial University. As the leader of Strong Data, he focuses on driving waste industry growth across North America. A dedicated leader, Rocky served as a director for the Gander and Area Chamber of Commerce and the SWANA Atlantic Canada Chapter before relocating to British Columbia in January 2026.
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Tim Abbott
Tim Abbott is an Environmental and Wastewater Engineering specialist at AECOM Canada and is currently based out of Winnipeg, MB. He received his PhD from the University of British Columbia where he was focused on biological and thermochemical treatments to better treat contaminants and to recover resources from waste materials. Since joining industry, he as worked on several trace contaminant and PFAS projects, facility upgrades and masterplans, and other studies for municipalities and government agencies across North America.
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Erica Peris
Erica Peris is a Project Engineer at Rochem Americas. She has published research on sterile filtration technologies and developed product purification methods for biotech applications prior to her role at Rochem. Erica has a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Penn State University.
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Michelle Tomasiewicz
Michelle is a Professional Environmental Engineer based in AECOM’s Saskatoon office. She has 5 years of experience working on a variety of environmental and regulatory projects including environmental monitoring, hydrological studies, detailed design, construction administration and regulatory reporting. Michelle has collaborated with teams in both the public and private sectors working with multi-disciplinary teams.