2023 Council Nominees

Stefan Fediuk

Stefan has been involved in landscape architecture and urban design since 1985 in variety of professional positions in both the private and municipal public sectors in Winnipeg, Manitoba and Windsor, Ontario. A graduate for the Masters of Landscape Architecture Program at the University of Manitoba, he has been in actively involved with the CSLA as Chair of the Awards of Excellence program from 1999 to 2001. He is currently employed with the City of Windsor as a Landscape Architect in the Planning Department, as well as an Acting positions at the Parks Department where he prepared the Parks Master Plan, which proposed the Ojibway National Urban Park and paving the way for UNESCO Heritage designation of the Detroit River both culturally and environmentally. In addition, Stefan is well published in the horticultural industry and is an active member of several OALA Committees. As a member of the Board of Directors of Northscaping Inc., you can often find him with a camera locked to his eye taking landscape and architectural photography in botanic gardens and urban spaces around the world.

Justin Whalen

Justin is a Landscape Architect and Project Manager at GSP Group, in Kitchener. He is involved in a wide range of projects from streetscape, park and trail master plans to residential developments, institutional and cemetery designs. Justin has a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from the University of Guelph and upon graduating in 2014, entered straight into the profession. Since then, he has gained a deeper understanding of the positive impacts that the landscape architectural profession can have on communities, both large and small. Justin has a strong interest in the design of trails and public spaces, with the intent of creating meaningful spaces to connect people to the places where they live, work and play. Justin has been serving on the OALA Council since 2016, when he was first elected as an Associate Representative, and then to a Councillor position in 2018. In addition, Justin also sits as the Chair of the OALA Social Committee and is a member of the OALA Municipal Outreach Committee.

Matthew Perotto

Matt Perotto is a Senior Associate with Hargreaves Jones Landscape Architecture. In this role, Matt manages projects in the United States, Europe, and Asia, leading teams in the production of design studies, text narratives, presentation graphics, construction documents, construction observation processes and leads multi-disciplinary consultant teams through coordination with clients and public engagement workshops. Matt is spearheading Hargreaves Jones’ transition into the world of BIM technologies using Revit, and the integration of parametric computational tools directly within the studio’s design process.

Matt has been a full member of the OALA and the ASLA since 2022. He is a Sessional Instructor at the University of Toronto’s Masters in Landscape Architecture program where he teaches second and third year Visual Communication courses and is a Thesis Advisor for graduating students, and is a Sessional Instructor at the Academy of Art University, School of Landscape Architecture in the Graduate and Undergraduate Landscape Architecture Program online streams.

Shawn Watters

Shawn Watters is the Design Lead and Senior Landscape Architect at R.J. Burnside & Associates Limited’s land development and landscape architecture business. He has a multi-faceted role focusing on growing and building in multiple municipalities in Southern Ontario while supporting other broad initiatives of the firm. For 25 years, Shawn has worked on numerous private and public sector projects, which have included golf, resort, park, and trail development. He has a strong foundation and understanding of landscape design and construction practices, which have included work on commercial buildings, high rises, public spaces, streetscape, parks, parking lots and residential development projects. Shawn has also served on numerous boards and was an elected official on various Councils including the Village of Elora, Centre Wellington and the County of Wellington over a 20-year period.

Aaron Hirota

Aaron is a Senior Landscape Architect for Architecture49 as well as for CENTRUS, the Centre Block Rehabilitation Project in Ottawa. He enjoys working on all facets of the profession especially project management, urban design, parks and open space development. His current interests include heritage and cultural landscapes, accessible and equitable design, and sustainability. Aaron is working on projects in Ottawa and across Eastern Ontario. He is a full member of the OALA as well as an out of province member of the MALA and SALA. He graduated from the University of Manitoba with a Bachelor of Environmental Design degree in 1998 and a Masters degree in Landscape Architecture in 2005.