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Water Sustainability Project Team
 Oliver
M Brandes, BA(Hon), MEcon, LLB
Water Project Leader and Associate Director at the POLIS Project
o.brandes@polisproject.org
Oliver M Brandes is a political ecologist and joined The POLIS Project
in 2003 to lead the Water Sustainability Project. He holds a Master’s
in Economics from Queens University and a Law Degree from the University
of Victoria, and studied ecological restoration through the Restoration
of Natural Systems program at UVic. Oliver studied international
relations in Europe and was involved in various environmental and
development projects in Costa Rica and Ecuador, including a tropical
reforestation initiative, water treatment facility construction
and a sea-turtle restoration project. Oliver has also worked in
Canada’s North for the territorial judges at the Nunavut Court
of Justice. His work at POLIS focuses on sound resource management
and ecological based legal and institutional reform. As WSP project
leader, Oliver provides strategic water policy advice to NGOs and
all levels of government and has authored several major reports.
Sarah Jackson, BSc., Global Resource Systems
Governance Research Assistant
slj@uvic.ca
Sarah Jackson joined POLIS in May 2008 as a research assistant focussed on water governance and legislation. Sarah is currently studying law at UVic, with interests in environmental justice, sustainable development, dispute resolution and immigration law. She has an interdisciplinary background, with a Bachelor of Science in Global Resource Systems from UBC. She participated in an exchange and field studies in Australia, and worked as a researcher in Uruguay on a pilot project to evaluate water rights and distribution. She has work and volunteer experience in environmental education, and volunteers with the Victoria Intercultural Association. She is also a research collaborator with the law faculty as part of the ArcticNet project on climate change. Her other joys include composting, her bike, and fresh air.
 Carol
Maas, BEng Soc, MASc., PEng
Innovation & Technology Director
c.maas@polisproject.org
Carol Maas joined the POLIS Water Sustainability
Project in late 2006, bringing her technical expertise in water
and wastewater to the team. Carol completed her undergraduate degree
at McMaster University in Chemical Engineering and Society specializing
in water treatment modeling and the societal implications of engineering.
She has since worked in the water and wastewater field for seven
years in various capacities including consulting, research and development
and process engineering. Prior to initiating graduate studies in
Ontario, she worked as an Applications Engineer for Hydroxyl Systems
in British Columbia Canada, specializing in biological wastewater
treatment systems. In 2006, Carol completed her Masters of Applied
Science in Chemical Engineering at the University of Waterloo and
now splits her time between directing the research and development
program at Hydroxyl Systems and researching appropriate technologies
for water treatment and conservation at the POLIS Project.
Michael M'Gonigle, MSc (Econ), LLM, JSD
Eco-Research Professor of Environmental Law and Policy and Director
of the POLIS Project on Ecological Governance
Dr Michael M’Gonigle is the founder of POLIS. At the University
of Victoria, he holds the Eco-Research Chair in Environmental Law
and Policy and is cross-appointed between the School of Environmental
Studies and the Faculty of Law. A lawyer and political ecologist,
his work with Greenpeace in the 1970s led to the international moratorium
on commercial whaling, during which time he also co-founded Greenpeace
International. In the 1980s, he was a leader in wilderness conservation
and forestry reform in British Columbia. As Chair of the Board of
Greenpeace Canada, he initiated its forests campaign in 1990. A
co-founder of SmartGrowth BC, Forest Futures (Dogwood Initiative),
and the Sierra Legal Defence Fund. His work on campus sustainability
reflects his search for new strategies for policy change, in this
case by creating a micro-level, place-based example of “comprehensive
local innovation” that has broader ripple effects. Michael
has written widely on environmental and resource management issues
(particularly in forest policy), international and environmental
law, and theories of ecological political economy (political ecology).
He is author, most recently, of Planet U: Sustaining
the World, Reinventing the University (with Justine Starke)
(New Society Publishers) (2006).
 Jon O'Riordan, PhD
Strategic Water Policy Advisor
joriorda@shaw.ca
Dr. Jon O'Riordan is a former Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Sustainable
Resource Management in the British Columbia Provincial Government. He has
completed 35 years in the public service, mostly with the Provincial
Government in environmental management and land and resource planning. In
his most recent position in Sustainable Resource Management he was
responsible for completing six regional land and resource management plans. Dr. O'Riordan joined the water team as a strategic water policy
advisor in 2007 and will be focusing on provincial water policy reform and
the ecological governance of water management.
Susanne Porter-Bopp, BA, MES
Community Water Coordinator
water@polisproject.org
Susanne Porter-Bopp joined POLIS in August 2006 after completing a Master of Environmental Studies degree at York University, where her reseach focused on national parks policy. Susanne has co-ordinated several community food security projects, and is actively involved in community radio and other local media. She likes to ride her bicycle everywhere. Her research with the Water Sustainability Project focuses on best practices of watershed governance and on how to foster water sustainability at the community level. She is also working with Michael M'Gonigle on green legal theory, a framework that critiques and seeks to transform overarching economic and political structures and processes.
 Jennifer Wong, BA
Research Assistant
hydropolitics@gmail. com
Jennifer Wong joined the POLIS project in May 2008 after completing an undergraduate in Political Science that focused on the politics of freshwater at the University of Victoria. Jennifer has worked as the WaterSmart coordinator at the Regional District of Nanaimo and assisted as a summer student on the Capital Regional District's Waterwise program. She has a passion for putting theory to work on the ground and researching innovative strategies for water sustainability.
 Ann
Zurbrigg, BA, MA
POLIS Administrator/Office manager
polis@polisproject.org
Ann Zurbrigg joined the POLIS Project in March 2006
and provides the general administrative and bookkeeping support
on a part time basis. She works with the research associates and
staff to ensure the efficient financial operation of the office.
Before joining POLIS, Ann held administrative positions at the University
of Victoria with the Aboriginal Liaison Office and the regional
office of the International Development Research Centre. From 1999
to 2002 Ann was the project manager at the International Project
Office of the Global Environmental Change and Human Security Project,
an interdisciplinary research program based at UVic. She has been
Board Treasurer since 1990 for a community NGO concerned with providing
affordable housing and support for women and children who have experienced
family violence. Ann received her MA in Sociology in 1988 from Carleton
University. Her research focused on gender and equity issues in
the workplace. After the completion of her Masters, she lived in
Peru from 1988 to 1990.
Former WSP team members:
 Sarah Dickie
Former Research Assistant
Sarah Dickie joined the POLIS Project on Ecological Governance for a term position from June to September 2007, working on the Water Sustainability Project and POLIS. She comes from a History and Linguistics background, and had just completed a Bachelor of Arts at UVic. She has worked with the Le,nonet Project at UVic as a student mentor and community internship student and also worked as a volunteer with the Native Student's Union at UVic.
Keith Ferguson, PhD
Former Research Associate
Dr. Keith Ferguson recently graduated with a Law Degree from UVic.
His focus is on environmental law, and has worked in this field
with the Government of the NWT in Yellowknife, and with the Sierra
Legal Defence Fund in Vancouver. While at UVic, Keith was a member
of the WSP Team and co-author of The Future in Every Drop
and At a Watershed.
 Heather
Johnstone
Former Research/Administrative Assistant
Heather Johnstone was part of the POLIS project from October 2002
to September 2003 in the capacity of research and administrative
assistant. Her work at POLIS involved a wide range of activities
from researching and producing written material for the UVic Sustainable
Campus Initiative, to assisting in organizational development activities,
as well as assisting with various publications of the Urban Water
Demand Management project. Heather received her BA in Anthropology
with a minor in Environmental Studies from the UVic in April 2001.
Natasha Kisilevsky
Former Research Assistant
Natasha Kisilevsky came on board with POLIS as a
first-year law student at UVic from May to August 2004 to assist
with the Water Sustainability Project. With two years of undergraduate
science and math, a BA (McGill), MA (Toronto) and PhD work (UBC)
in ancient natural philosophy and philosophy of science, and professional
experience in publishing, she has been gathering research skills
while making her way west across Canada. Fascinated by the intersection
of science and social policy from an environmentalist perspective,
she was ecstatic to be part of the POLIS team. Natasha is a commuter
cyclist and avid mountain biker.
 Tony
Maas
Former Research Associate
Tony Maas joined the POLIS Water Sustainability Project in March
2003. He contributed to many of the WSP publications—as a
researcher, editor and author. As author of What
the Experts Think: Understanding Urban Water Demand Management in
Canada, he surveyed over 20 water experts with the goal of
developing a deep understanding of the major barriers to demand
management in Canada. Tony holds a diploma in Environmental Technology
from Fanshawe College in London, Ontario and a Bachelor of Environmental
Science from Royal Roads University in Victoria, BC. Currently,
Tony is completing a Masters in Planning at in the School of Planning
at the University of Waterloo where his research focuses on water
governance. In 2007, Tony accepted a position as a Senior Water
Policy Advisor with the World Wildlife Fund in Ontario.
 Adam
Mjolsness
Research Assistant
Adam Mjolsness joined POLIS Water Sustainability Project as a research
assistant in 2003. During the 2003/4 academic year, while completing
his final undergraduate year in Biology and Environmental Studies
at UVic, he assisted with the research and production of What
the Experts Think. Most recently Adam
researched water sustainability issues in the Okanagan region of
BC and is co-author on A New Path to
Water Sustainability for the Town of Oliver, BC - Soft Path Case
Study (February 2007).
When he's not moonlighting as a professional treeplanter, Adam's
hobbies include improving his off-the-grid home in the Kootenays,
exploring the Purcell mountains, and seeing new places on his touring
bicycle.
 Ellen Reynolds
Former Communications Director
Ellen Reynolds joined the Water Sustainability Project at POLIS as communications director in April 2004 after completing the Harvey Southam Graduate Diploma in Professional Writing and Editing at UVic. She has a BA from Dalhousie University in Halifax, NS and, prior to returning to university in 2002, she worked for over 10 years in the non-profit sector as a project coordinator, researcher and writer for organizations working on health, social justice and environmental issues. Ellen also has work experience as a journalist. She accepted a position as Communications Director at the Canadian Women's Health Network in the fall of 2007.
Elizabeth Wheaton
Former Secretary and Administrator
Elizabeth (Liz) Wheaton provided secretarial and administrative
support for all POLIS (and its predecessor, the Eco-Research Chair
of Environmental Law & Policy) activities from October 1996
to February 2004, at which time she moved to UVic's Law School.
Liz can now be found "administering" the Law Graduate
Program and, if not there, tending her cottage garden.
 Kathy
Zaletnik
Former Research Assistant
Kathy Zaletnik joined the POLIS Water Sustainability team in 2005
after having completed a Master of Science degree in Water and Environmental
Planning at the University of Toronto. Her research focused on water
reuse within the framework of water soft paths. Kathy has worked
in Toronto’s municipal water department as well as at an international
organization called ICLEI, which works with local authorities on
various environmental issues including water. While at ICLEI, she
participated in the World Summit on Sustainable Development in South
Africa. Her undergraduate degree is in international development
with a focus on the environment and she worked at the United Nations
Environment Program in Mexico City. She speaks 4 languages.
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