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2016 OALA Awards

OALA Pinnacle Award for Landscape Architectural Excellence

This award recognizes an OALA member and his or her professional work. It singles out specific projects to draw attention to a body of work which demonstrates outstanding professional accomplishment.

Cecelia Paine

Cecelia Paine has been an active member of the OALA thirty-five years and during that period has made a substantive and remarkable contribution to the profession of landscape architecture and to the related landscape architectural associations, namely the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects (CSLA) and the Landscape Architecture Canada Foundation (LACF). Cecelia is clearly a passionate landscape architect who has been committed to the profession over her long career, serving as President of the OALA, CSLA and LACF. Her significant service to the profession was acknowledged with special recognitions including the prestigious national Schwabenbauer Award in 2009. Also, in evidence of her recognized commitment and contributions, Cecelia has been made a Fellow of both the CSLA and the ASLA.

Prof. Paine has served as on the Landscape Architecture in the School of Environmental Design and Rural Development at the University of Guelph since 1990. She has been engaged in the education of countless students, often acting as a mentor to aspiring professionals. Her contributions as a distinguished academic to professional education in landscape architecture have been recognized by the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture, the University of Guelph Faculty Association and the CSLA.

A summary of Prof. Paine’s significant body of work includes:

  • Design: Cecelia served as principal of Cecelia Paine and Associates from 1982-1990. Most notable among the projects she led were the master plan for heritage restoration and development of Mackenzie King Estate in Gatineau Park and the design for redevelopment of Sparks Street Mall in Ottawa. Other projects included the Billings Estate in Ottawa, the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village in Alberta, the Queen’s Park Legislative Assembly grounds, the Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital, Stony Creek Battlefield Park as well as heritage district plans for Ottawa neighbourhoods.
  • Communication: Cecelia led a task force to investigate the resurrection of what is now Landscapes/Paysages and served as the founding editor from 1999 to 2004. Other contributions include serving as editor of the proceedings of the 50th Annual Congress of the CSLA in 1984 and the 25th Annual Meeting of the OALA in 1993 and producing the CD-ROM, Canadian Impressions/Impressions canadiennes profiling Canadian landscape architecture for the 2011 ASLA/CSLA Annual Meeting.
  • Research: Cecelia has been a strong supporter of research during her tenure on the Landscape Architecture Canada Foundation Board, a role that has extended from 1987 to the present. She established the basis for the very successful granting program and provided for its promotion throughout Canada. To date, LACF has funded 119 research grants, while providing support to students, academics and practitioners on a wide diversity of topics.

Cecelia’s record speaks for itself. Her lifelong passion for the profession of landscape architecture, her relentless commitment to its advancement and growth and her significant contributions throughout her successful career spanning 43 years quickly brings one to surmise that Cecelia Paine, educator, mentor, administrator, editor, writer and accomplished landscape architect is well deserving of the OALA Pinnacle Award.

Congratulations to Cecelia for her hard work on behalf of the profession and the school.


OALA Emeritus Member

Emeritus members are full members of OALA who have ceased full time practice and who are nominated by another full member in recognition of their years of service to the profession.

Owen Scott

Owen Scott has been an OALA Member since 1968 and a CSLA Member since 1966, being elected to Fellowship in the CSLA in 1977. He has served as President of both the OALA (1973-1975) and the CSLA (1976-1978) and the Ontario Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects (1984). He and his wife Barbara edited and published the country’s official landscape architectural magazine and journal, Landscape Architecture Canada from 1975 to 1981, for which he was honoured with a CSLA Communications Award in 1980. He also served as chair of the memorable CSLA Congress in Kitchener in 1973, Secretary­ Treasurer of the CSLA College of Fellows from 1979 to 1989, member of the CSLA Accreditation Council, and numerous other committees. His contributions to the community include chairing the City of Guelph’s LACAC (now Heritage Guelph), director of the Canadian Association of Heritage Professionals, member of both the Advisory Board of the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario and the Advisory Council for the Centre for Canadian Historical Horticultural Studies.

With his late father, he established the first horticultural consulting practice in Canada in 1965, specializing in plant material evaluations. Prior to moving to Guelph in 1969 he was engaged by Project Planning Associates Limited where he contributed to plans for Expo ’67, the University of Guelph Master Plan and site and landscape plans, a master plan for Wasaga Beach Provincial Park, and numerous others. In 1969 he took a position as Assistant Professor at Guelph. He founded an interdisciplinary corporation, Ecological Services for Planning (now part of Stantec) in 1975 and became a director of The Landplan Collaborative Ltd. (Guelph and Sakatoon) and The Pacific Landplan Collaborative Ltd. (Vancouver and Nanaimo) in 1977. He has been president of Landplan from 1985. His project experience at Landplan includes hundreds of master plans, landscape plans, park plans, urban designs and heritage landscape projects for which he began developing a specialty in 1969. Projects to which he has contributed his expertise have received awards from professional societies, government ministries, professional journals and municipalities.


OALA Honorary Member Award

The Honorary category of membership is for non-landscape architects for whom Council wishes to recognize for outstanding contributions in their own fields to improving the quality of natural and human environments.

Robert Gordon

Robert Gordon is the recent past Dean of the Ontario Agricultural College and also a professor in the School of Environmental Sciences. He was appointed on August 1, 2008 and was serving his second five-year term until October 2015 when he took a position at Wilfred Laurier University in Waterloo. As a researcher, Dean Gordon focused on environmental resource management at the farm level. He has dedicated the latter part of his career to the advancement of OAC, its departments, campuses and research stations as well as supporting Ontario’s agriculture and food industries our environment and rural communities.

Returning to the University of Guelph as the 14th Dean of OAC, Gordon took leadership just as large financial cuts were imposed on the college.

Dean Gordon proved to be a champion for the continued viability of School of Environmental Design and Rural Development (SEDRD) which is home of Guelph’s landscape architecture, planning and capacity development and extension programs.

The Dean went on to facilitate the Landscape Architecture undergrad program at Guelph as the only accredited BLA program of its kind in Canada and one of the best of over 70 programs in North America.

In August 2011 he appointed Professor Wayne Caldwell to a 5-year term as Director of SED RD. Through Professor Caldwell, Dean Gordon worked tirelessly with both the BLA and MLA Program Coordinators developing mechanisms for improved engagement, establishing a structure for management and oversight of the Landscape Architecture Programs, then further assisted in the development of strategic goals.

One of the most significant advocacy measures undertaken by Dean Gordon was protecting and preserving the Landscape Architecture Building as SEDRD’s home and especially the design studios. This resource rich environment was maintained to complement the practical hands-on aspect of the two LA programs with seminars, field trips, individual and group studio projects, input and critiques from faculty members and practicing professionals, international exchange opportunities, professional office internships, annual conferences, community outreach, and design competitions.

Dean Gordon managed to preserve the unique model of instruction offered SEDRD’s Landscape Architecture at a University that appears to be trending to large lecture halls and generic undergrad programing.

This contribution at the genesis of our future practioners presents a vital infusion to the profession.


OALA Jack Copeland Award for Associate Leadership And Contribution

This award recognizes the outstanding leadership, and contribution of an associate for going above and beyond to assist fellow associates. Activities include, but are not limited to, tutorials, LARE exam help, special tasks, OALA Library, Special Events, meeting associates and others, including being an associate representative on OALA Council.

This award is named after Jack Copeland. Jack was an active Ottawa area member, who passed away in 2013. Jack was enthusiastic advocate for Associate members.

Maren Walker

Since joining the OALA as an Associate Member Maren has been involved in association activities. She joined the OALA council in the spring of 2015 and has worked to ensure that associates have the resources they need to become full members of the OALA.

She has organized and facilitated LARE Workshops and has improved upon the workshop coordination to ensure they are both effective and productive. Maren has located the most current online and downloadable resources to assist associates in preparing for the LAREs while aiding in the operation of the newly founded online support forums for members who are studying.

Maren is always working on new ideas to connect associate members and create connections and networking opportunities. She is planning a post-LARE social as a way to celebrate the end of another exam period and to help associates broaden their OALA connections. She is also planning future Associate driven social events and networking activities in an effort to help our newest members grow their professional contact network.

Aside from her role as the associate representative Maren is also an active member of the Social Committee working to organize events for OALA members throughout the year and encouraging Associate participation. She is also working to promote the OALA online and through social media.

Maren has been a fantastic addition to the OALA and will continue to be a valuable member for years to come.

We are pleased to note that a cheque for $500 also accompanies this award to help offset the cost of a LARE exam.


OALA Carl Borgstrom Award for Service to the Environment

This award is given to individual landscape architects or a landscape architectural group to recognize and encourage special or unusual contribution to the sensitive, sustainable design for human use of the environment. This award is named in honour of Carl Borgstrom who of all OALA’s founders, was the most actively in tune with the natural landscape.

Dougan and Associates Ecological Consulting and Design

Dougan & Associates – Ecological Consulting & Design (D&A) was founded by James Dougan in 1981. As an ecologist and Honourary member of the OALA, Jim’s deep understanding of ecology and his vision for what a healthy landscape could be led him to hire a Landscape Architect as his first employee. Since that time, the firm has grown from a sole proprietorship to 16 employees with expertise in Landscape Architecture, Terrestrial Ecology, and GIS. Based in Guelph, Ontario, Dougan & Associates provides a wide range of services to the public and private sectors.

D&A’s Landscape Architects, all of whom have an education in both the fields of Landscape Architecture and the environmental sciences, are experts in ecologically-focused design. Their multi-disciplinary office supports Landscape Architects working side-by-side with Plant Ecologists, Wildlife Ecologists, and GIS Analysts. The Landscape Architects use this knowledge along with the theoretical foundations of ecological restoration in order to design effective and appropriate landscapes.

Jim Dougan was awarded Honorary Membership in the OALA in 2011 in recognition of his teaching work in LA Programs. The firm currently has three Landscape Architects with full membership in good standing in the OALA (Todd Fell, Kristina Shaw­ Lukavsky and Mary Anne Young), two Landscape Architectural Interns, five Consulting Arborists certified by the International Society of Arboriculture, ecologists, and technical staff.

The Town of Milton retained Dougan and Associates to assist in developing a third party environmental” Restoration Framework”. The Restoration Framework document is a comprehensive environmental restoration plan that is to be implemented through the development of two key secondary plan areas within the Town of Milton. The Restoration Framework is a prime example of Dougan & Associates’ commitment to upholding the highest standards in landscape architecture to ultimately create and sustain viable, self-sustaining natural systems within the built environment In fact, this project is the proverbial ‘tip of the iceberg’ representing a body of work that encompasses landscape architecture, contract administration, and monitoring of projects that achieve restoration and/or ecological enhancement of numerous wetlands, woodland edges, prairies, and stream corridors.

Accepting the award is Jim Dougan and Kristina Shaw-Lukavsky.


OALA Certificate Of Merit For Service To The Environment

This certificate is given to a non-landscape architectural individual, group, organization, or agency In Ontario to recognize and encourage a special or unusual contribution to the sensitive, sustainable design for human use of the environment. Contributions may have had a local, regional, or provincial impact through policy, planning or design, or as an implemented project.

Town of Milton

The Restoration Framework is the culmination of Sixteen Mile Creek and associated Sub-watershed studies conducted by the Town of Milton in support of new Secondary Plans since 1998. The recent Boyne Survey and Derry Green Business Park Secondary Plans, which will ultimately support 50,000 new residents and add 470 ha to Milton’s employment lands, were developed under a concurrent Sub-watershed Update Study.

In 2011 the Town took the lead to provide guidance for detailed site-specific Landscape Plans for these restoration works. It was imperative that this guidance would bring together the interests of the Town, Conservation Halton, Halton Region and the development community to ensure that development in Milton occurs in a transparent and ecological way. The Restoration Framework was ultimately developed to guide the design of the new riparian corridors and buffers, in an adaptive, cost effective manner, to create a system of connected ecological features and wildlife functions.

The Restoration Framework represents a successful collaboration among public and private stakeholders, laying the groundwork for an outstanding level of environmental enhancement for major future development. It will guide the evolution of a new landscape that will benefit the municipality, the local watershed and future generations of residents.

Accepting the award is Jon Meyer (Town of Milton) and Kim Barrett (Conservation Halton).


OALA Award for Service to the Environment

This award is given to a non-landscape architectural individual, group, organization, or agency in the Province of Ontario to recognize and encourage a special or unusual contribution to the sensitive, sustainable design for human use of the environment. The contribution must emulate the fundamental principles of OALA and the OALA Mission Statement and go beyond the normal levels of community action in preserving, protecting or improving the environment.

Waterfront Regeneration Trust (WRT)

Founded by the Honourable David Crombie, an honorary member of the OALA, and established in 1988 the Waterfront Regeneration Trust (WRT) is the non-profit organization leading the movement to build a province-wide Waterfront Trail along the shoreline of the St. Lawrence River and the Great Lakes. D. Keith Laushway serves on the Board as the Chair, and Marlaine Koehler as the Executive Director.

The Great Lakes are the largest group of freshwater lakes on earth, containing 21% of the world’s surface freshwater. In Canada, they are unique to Ontario and one of our most precious resources. The WRT is committed to connecting people to their Great Lakes waterfront and in doing so, engaging them in the work of making our Great Lakes waterfront a healthy and vibrant place to live, work and visit.

Today the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail is more than 1,600 kilometers long, connecting more than 84 communities from the eastern border of Ontario to Lake Huron. The fully signed Trail is a combination of pathways, neighbourhood streets, and rural roads and celebration of nature and culture. It is largely paved and welcomes all types of non-motorized recreational use. It connects some of Ontario’s finest natural features – 3 UNESCO Biospheres, 3 National Parks and 19 Provincial Parks and over 500 parks and natural spaces – and it links key cultural attractions including 15 National Historic Sites and 25 historical village main streets, and dozens of annual community events.

The WRT hosts an annual cycle holiday to showcase the communities along the Trail, promote active living and build the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail’s reputation as an iconic tourism attraction.

The Great Lakes Waterfront Trail has become a treasured and well-used resource for hundreds of thousands of Ontarians, anchoring community development and boosting regional tourism. As the Trail becomes more widely known for world-class walking, cycling and related tourism opportunities, it is emerging as a major attraction to visitors from other provinces and countries.

It has redefined our connectedness and sense of place.

It is wildly successful as a Trail and as a catalyst for regeneration.

Accepting this award is Marlaine Koehler, Executive Director of Waterfront Regeneration Trust.


David Erb Memorial Award

The award is named after David Erb who was an outstanding volunteer in furthering the goals of OALA and his example set a truly high standard. The award is the best way to acknowledge the one outstanding OALA member each year whose volunteer contributions over a number of years have made a real difference.

Tim McCormick

Tim is a passionate advocate for our profession. He is committed to outreach initiatives that serve to strengthen the OALA’s partnership with the accredited programs of landscape architecture in Ontario and is encouraging of the future generation of emerging professionals. His volunteerism reflects a strong commitment to the future of our Association and it exemplifies the OALA’s David Erb Memorial Award that recognizes an OALA member who has made an exemplary voluntary contribution to the works of the Association.

  • Tim became a Full Member of the OALA in 2005.
  • Tim has acted as a Professional Development Program Reviewer for many Associates.
  • He joined the Examining Board in 2008, where he still volunteers today.
  • Tim has also been an Advisor for Associates.
  • From 2013 to present he has attended, as part of the OALA visiting team, several University of Toronto and University of Guelph student to provide outreach and education about the OALA, Landscape Architect Registration Exams (L.A.R.E.), and to share in his own path to becoming a landscape architect.
  • Aside from his OALA service, Tim has also made himself available ‘on call’ to attend landscape architecture course class sessions, as needed. He is appreciated by university faculty as well as several generations of students.
  • Tim advocates for the mixing of professional practice and student opportunity actively hiring interning students; mentoring and training them to become wholesome practitioners. Obviously, a positive experience, as many have returned to his firm’s employment upon graduation.

In Tim’s decade-long involvement with the OALA, his positive contributions have primarily benefitted Students, Associates and LARE candidates – the future of our Association.


OALA Public Practice Award

This award recognizes the outstanding leadership of a member of the profession in public practice who promotes and enhances landscape architecture by working for improved understanding and appreciation of the work of landscape architects in both public and private practice.

Steve Barnhart, City of Hamilton

Steve takes pride in serving the public as a Landscape Architect and has always done so through his various roles. Steve has worked for the City of Hamilton for 12 years. 10 of those years were spent as part of Landscape Architectural Services in Public Works where his quiet and reserved manner subtly inspired the people around him. A mentor to many, Steve was promoted to Manager of the section in 2010 due to his ability to make change through others by empowering them to have the courage to be imaginative and innovative, regardless of seemingly insurmountable obstacles. He is knowledgeable in the fields of planning and landscape architecture and is able to balance the small details with big picture ideas. He is keen on learning about and implementing new design practices and technologies. Steve has played a key role in the construction of numerous unique storm water management techniques, many of which were reviewed and followed by other municipalities and Conservation Authorities alike.

Steve’s excellence in public service extends beyond the City of Hamilton. For several years he was a volunteer member and then the Chair of the Environmental Advisory Committee at City of Guelph. Within his capacity as a Landscape Architect he made recommendations on development applications for preservation of natural resources and reducing environmental impact.

An Adjunct Professor of the University of Guelph’s School of Environmental Design and Rural Development, he contributes to the education of Landscape Architects in Ontario.

Steve expanded his horizons in 2014 to become the Manager of Forestry and Horticulture addressing strategic priorities including management of the Emerald Ash Borer, Woodland Protection Strategies and increasing the urban canopy.

Steve’s intelligence and competency backed by his integrity and fair-mindedness makes him an invaluable asset not only in the field of Public Practice but Landscape Architecture at large.

Marion Rabeau, City of Burlington

OALA member, Marion Rabeau has successfully brought the discussion of the need for asset management specific to park infrastructure to the forefront at the City of Burlington. With her knowledge of park planning, design and construction, she has taken the lead for the Parks and Open Space section, Capital Works Department to develop and implement an asset management system for park infrastructure. This innovative work provides the ability to estimate funding requirements into the future to maintain park infrastructure at the required level of service. This valuable information will be used to determine service needs and strategic rehabilitation treatments ensuring that funding for park infrastructure is considered along with other funding requirements for competing assets categories in the City.

Marion recently spoke at an URISA (Urban and Regional Information Systems Association) Conference in an effort to reach out to other municipalities and share her extensive knowledge and experience in this emerging field. She was also part of the Corporate Asset Management Team that received the 2015 CNAM Tereo Award for Asset Management Project of the Year.

Marion has played a lead role at the City of Burlington to successfully build the asset management system that incorporates park assets which will be an essential tool for all future park planning. With the basic framework in place, she continues to grow and improve the Department’s parks asset management service through staff training, mobile technologies, file management, resource management and consultation with internal and external stakeholders. Marion has become an industry leader in the field of Park Infrastructure Asset Management.