Joining us as a consultant Natalya Garrod is a Registered Professional Planner with a specialization in Indigenous relations and environmental governance. Natalya received her Bachelors of Arts in Environmental Governance and her Master of Science in Planning and Development from the University of Guelph. Her master’s thesis focuses on understanding collaborative relationships between First Nations, Conservation Authorities and local Municipalities to address on-reserve drinking water challenges. She has obtained an Advanced Planning Certificate in Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas from Vancouver Island University.
Natalya has a wealth of experience in planning. Natalya has worked for several First Nations in Southwestern Ontario as a Technical Advisor to Chief and Council of Caldwell First Nation, as a Planning and Ecology Manager for a First Nation-owned Economic Development Corporation and within First Nation Consultation and Environment Departments. Natalya has also worked as a professional planner for the Town of Blue Mountains and a provincial planner for the Niagara Escarpment Commission. Natalya is passionate about advancing reconciliation through conservation. Natalya is planning and negotiating Indigenous co-governance in a National Urban Park in Ontario and is working on helping to establish an ecological corridor in Windsor Essex and South Georgian Bay.