Advisory Council
Aidan joined the Centre for Civic Governance in 2019 and has remained continuously involved in varying capacities, including as a housing panelist at High Ground. He is the CAO of CityState Consulting Group, a boutique Planning and Design consultancy whose mission is Building Better Communities. He also leads the firm’s Sunshine Coast projects and select Metro Vancouver projects, working closely with local electeds and municipal staff to address the housing crisis.
He holds a BA in Applied Geography and serves on the Vancouver City Planning Commission. He previously served on the Renters Advisory Committee during the final drafting stages of the Vancouver Plan and Broadway Plan, advocating for stronger tenant protections City-wide.
Advisory Council
Tariq Tyab is a renowned non-profit leader and philanthropist with 25 years’ experience championing interfaith collaboration and empowering IBPOC communities. Co-founder of British Columbia’s Foundation for a Path Forward, Tariq focuses on breaking down barriers and promoting equality. His accomplishments include co-founding the Muslim Food Bank, Muslim Care Centre, and Islam Unravelled.
A former BC Muslim Association executive, Tariq’s expertise and passion have left a lasting impact in the non-profit sector.
Advisory Council
Susan Kim grew up on the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples prior to moving to Lekwungen Traditional Territory in 2013.
She currently serves as City Councillor for the City of Victoria after having had opportunities to foster her leadership skills in government, healthcare, and non-profit settings. She is a proponent of equity-based decision making and grounds her work in supporting her communities. In her free time, she enjoys long distance running, kickboxing, playing the viola and spending time with her family and friends – especially her rescue dog Vafa!
Her academic background is in both biology and political science, and she brings experience in governance from her time serving on the Board of the Sierra Club of BC, Greater Victoria Harbour Authority, Greater Victoria Coalition to End Homelessness, and Greater Victoria Public Library.
Advisory Council
Ela Esra Gunad is a long-time advocate for social justice and human rights. She created award-winning education programs and has run advocacy campaigns that transformed government policies and practices and informed institutional changes on issues relating to human rights, women’s empowerment, minorities, migrant justice, and democratic governance. Recently, Ela started the #LostVotes Campaign with young leaders advocating for permanent residents to vote in municipal elections in BC. She is the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion Officer at Hospital Employees’ Union. Ela studied international relations, global advocacy, public relations and holds a Master’s degree in Human Rights Law.
Advisory Council
Dave (he/him) is grateful to live, work, play and raise his family in Lekwungen Territory – home of the Songhees and Esquimalt First Nations.
He serves as a Councillor with the City of Victoria, and a Director on the Boards of the Capital Regional District and the Capital Regional Housing Corporation.
He has worked in the public, non-profit, and for-profit sectors. He practiced law in Ontario and BC, and co-founded a firm that works for and with Indigenous Communities facing industrial development on their territories. He and his partner are co-owners of Policylink Research and Consulting.
Advisory Council
Ken Melamed is a former mayor of Whistler in BC. He is a businessman, conservationist and former Green Party of Canada candidate in West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country. Ken Melamed was first elected to the Whistler council in 1996, serving as a councillor until 2005. He was elected as mayor in 2005 and served in that position until 2011.
Advisory Council
Seth is the BC Director of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, a public policy research institute committed to social and economic justice. Seth holds a BA in international relations and a B.Ed from the University of Toronto, and an MA in political science from Simon Fraser University. He has been a social activist for over twenty-five years.
A former teacher, Seth is co-chair of the BC Poverty Reduction Coalition, a board member of the Canada Without Poverty Advocacy Network, and an advisor and instructor for Next Up, a leadership program for young people committed to social and environmental justice. He is a frequent media commentator and public speaker on public policy issues. He lives with his wife and daughter in East Vancouver.
Advisory Council
Cheeying is the Executive Director of the Whistler Centre for Sustainability. She has worked in the non-profit sector in policy, planning and education on transportation, land use and smart growth for over 10 years. Cheeying was the Executive Director of Smart Growth B.C. – a province-wide non-governmental organization promoting sustainable land use and development and Executive Director of BEST (Better Environmentally Sound Transportation).
Cheeying is a former high school and college teacher of science and mathematics. She served as a member of the Prime Minister’s External Advisory Committee on Cities and Communities, as well as a term on the Board of Vancity Credit Union and currently sits on a number of other advisory boards and committees including the Mayor of Vancouver’s Greenest City Action Team.
Advisory Council
Michael writes, teaches, and works in the fields of adult education, community development, and social planning. He currently works as a private consultant and as a community volunteer. In the past, he has served as Director of the Carnegie Community Centre, Director of Programs for SPARC BC, Executive Director of SPARC BC, and as Executive Director of the Community Council of Greater Victoria.
Michael is the recipient of several notable awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Canadian Council on Social Development and the Thakore Foundation Award for Service to the Carnegie Community Centre and Vancouver Eastside presented by SFU. He has taught courses and workshops at UBC, SFU, Langara, and through SPARC’s Community Development Institute.
Michael is an active community member, having founded the Downtown Eastside Community Arts Network, and is currently the President of the Carold Institute for the Study of Citizenship in Social Change.