2026 OALA Awards

Peter Fletcher Smith’s career spans more than five decades, during which his work has helped shape many of Canada’s most significant cultural, civic, and public landscapes. He earned his MLA from the University of Manitoba in 1980 and became a member of the OALA in 1982. He joined DTAH in 1985 and served as a Partner from 2000-2020.

His practice has consistently bridged landscape architecture, urban design, heritage conservation, planning, and implementation, contributing to landmark projects across the country.

His work in the National Capital includes the Parliamentary Precinct Long Range Plan, the Parliament Hill Landscape Rehabilitation Study, the Judicial Precinct Landscape Plan, Capital Commemorations, and four implementation phases of Confederation Boulevard. He has also contributed to design guidelines for major national monuments and commemorative landscapes, helping shape the public realm around Canada’s most important political and cultural institutions.

In Toronto, Peter has led transformative work at Fort York and Garrison Common, Market Street, the First Parliament Heritage Interpretation Strategy and Master Plan, Coronation Park, and Cloud Gardens. His portfolio also includes work at Queen’s University and Regina’s Wascana Centre, award-winning bridge and streetscape projects, and major transit initiatives such as the Finch West LRT and Eglinton Crosstown West Extension.

He has contributed to numerous nationally and internationally recognized projects honoured by the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects, Canadian Institute of Planners, Ontario Professional Planners Institute and the American Society of Landscape Architects. The list also includes municipal urban design awards in Toronto and the National Capital. His collaborative and thoughtful approach has left a lasting imprint on communities across Canada and the country’s public realm.

Richard (Rick) Bogaert is a respected retired landscape architect whose career spans more than 40 years of professional practice across Canada and the United States. An OALA member since 1990, he retired in 2024 following a distinguished career marked by leadership on some of the country’s most significant transportation, infrastructure, park, and institutional projects. His portfolio includes the Waterloo and Hamilton Light Rail Transit systems, the London Bus Rapid Transit, the Gordie Howe International Bridge, the Herb Gray Parkway, Bruce Peninsula National Park, and Rouge National Urban Park. His work is recognized for integrating environmental stewardship, sustainable design, ecological restoration, and context-sensitive planning.

Beyond his project accomplishments, Rick has made enduring contributions to the profession through mentorship, interdisciplinary collaboration, and education, including serving as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Guelph from 2016 to 2019 and guest lecturing in Professional Practice from 1996 to 2016 at the University of Guelph. For many years, Rick has served as an OALA Advisor and Reviewer, continuing these volunteer roles even as a retired member. Widely respected for his technical expertise, leadership, and generosity, Rick has helped shape communities, protect natural landscapes, and inspire the next generation of landscape architects.

For more than four decades, Linda Irvine has been a respected public-sector leader, educator, and volunteer whose career has advanced the landscape architecture profession in Ontario and across Canada. A retired member of the OALA, Linda joined the Association in 1985 and was inducted as a Fellow of the CSLA in 2011.

As Manager of Parks and Open Space Development for the City of Markham, she led the planning and delivery of innovative and inclusive public spaces that became recognized models for municipal park design. Linda has also taught at the University of Toronto, the University of Guelph, and the University of Illinois, helping to inspire future generations of landscape architects.

Her influence extends well beyond professional practice. Linda has served as President of both the OALA and the CSLA, contributed articles to Landscape/Paysages and Ground magazine, and most recently served on the OALA By-law Review Task Force, helping modernize the Association's by-law.

Her many contributions have been recognized through honours including the OALA Public Practice Award, the CSLA President's Award for Excellence, and several Markham Design Excellence Awards. Through her leadership and service, Linda has made a lasting impact on the profession and the communities it serves.

David Antolin is a graduate of the University of Toronto’s landscape architecture program who began his career at the Royal Botanical Gardens before discovering his passion for education. For the past 28 years, he has taught horticulture, technology, and design at Blessed Trinity Catholic Secondary School in Grimsby, Ontario, where he has become an unsung hero and a dedicated advocate for the landscape architecture profession.

Through his teaching, David reflects a deep understanding of the interconnectedness between people, place, and ecology. He has introduced generations of students to the profession, inspiring them to explore the field through post-secondary studies. Over the past decade alone, David has personally supported over 40 students in applying to the University of Guelph’s Bachelor of Landscape Architecture program, with more than 20 receiving offers of admission and at least 12 advancing into successful careers as OALA members. This type of influence is essential to advancing the profession and ensuring its continued relevance.

Beyond the classroom, David is an active collaborator with Landscape Ontario and has supported events and organizations such as Home and Garden Television, S.H.S.M., HOSTA, Skills Ontario, and the Horticulture Educators Association, while mentoring current and former students. He remains a mentor to many and is the true definition of excellence through leadership and education.

Christopher Glaisek is a leader whose rare combination of visionary leadership, design advocacy, and an unwavering belief that “Leading with Landscape” is the foundation of great city building has helped transform Toronto’s waterfront and elevate the profession across Canada. As Chief Planning and Design Officer at Waterfront Toronto, he has embedded landscape architecture at the core of precinct planning, public realm design, and community development. Under his leadership, hundreds of hectares of former industrial lands have been reimagined as vibrant, resilient, and people-focused communities and public spaces.

Chris has played a key role in delivering landmark projects including Queens Quay Boulevard, Corktown Common, Love Park, Sugar Beach, Sherbourne Common, and Biidaasige Park as part of the Port Lands Flood Protection project. He established the Waterfront Toronto Design Review Panel and has consistently advanced design excellence, mentorship, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Through his long-standing commitment to landscape-led city-building, Chris has helped shape Toronto’s global reputation for innovative, sustainable urban development while strengthening the visibility and impact of landscape architecture.

As MPP for Beaches–East York and Critic for the Environment, Climate Action, and Emergency Management for the Ontario Liberal Party and a lifelong environmentalist, Mary-Margaret McMahon has been a steadfast champion of landscape architecture, sustainability, and climate action. She has actively engaged with the OALA, seeking input through presentations and roundtables and providing strategic advice in support of a Practice Act.

Previously, as a Toronto City Councillor, she led TransformTO, the City’s first climate action plan, supported the Biodiversity Strategy, and advanced innovative housing initiatives such as laneway suites through the Expanding Housing Options in Neighbourhoods program. She also helped launch Winter Stations, an internationally recognized design competition.

Most notably, she played a key role in defending Toronto’s green roof bylaw, mobilizing government and industry to address its repeal and resulting job impacts. A long-time supporter of the profession, she remains a valued and influential ally to landscape architects.

Jyoti Pathak is an accomplished landscape architect, planner, and public sector leader with more than two decades of experience shaping parks, open spaces, and complete communities across Ontario. Through progressively more senior roles with the Town of Richmond Hill, City of Guelph, Town of Caledon and City of Markham, she has led multidisciplinary teams, managed complex capital programs, and advanced municipal policies, strategies, and parkland planning frameworks.

Recognized for bridging policy, planning, community engagement, and project delivery to achieve effective outcomes, Jyoti has overseen the delivery of many major parks, civic spaces, trails, and recreation projects, including Eastview Community Park, Jubilee Community Park, Market Square, several trail networks in Guelph as well as numerous other recreational assets. She led parkland dedication by-law reviews across three distinct municipal contexts and evolving legislative frameworks, successfully navigated many complex development reviews, spearheaded innovative parkland acquisitions and climate action initiatives, developed comprehensive capital and operating budgets, and provided expert witness testimony before the Ontario Land Tribunal.

A collaborative leader and mentor, Jyoti is known for fostering strong interdisciplinary and community partnerships and guiding staff and consultants. Her technical expertise and commitment to public service have helped advance more sustainable, accessible, and high-quality public spaces across Ontario.

For more than 25 years, Reep Green Solutions has been serving communities across Waterloo Region and beyond, delivering practical, community-centered solutions that help people live sustainably.

Reep operates with a multidisciplinary team of environmental professionals, program staff, and community educators who work closely with municipal partners, residents, and local organizations. Its Healthy Yards and Neighbourhoods programs are a cornerstone of Reep’s work, reflecting the organization’s commitment to place-based, equity-informed environmental action.

These on-the-ground initiatives deliver direct environmental benefits while empowering residents and property owners to be stewards of their local ecosystems. By transforming private and shared outdoor spaces into assets for environmental protection, climate resilience, and community well-being, the programs help address challenges such as stormwater management, urban heat, biodiversity loss, and declining urban tree canopy.

Community engagement is central to Reep’s approach, ensuring solutions are locally relevant, widely accessible, and capable of creating lasting environmental change.

Zara Brown is a landscape architect and dedicated OALA volunteer whose leadership has had a lasting impact on the Association and profession. With more than 17 years of experience in municipal and private practice, she has consistently championed equity, inclusion, and mentorship within the design community.

As Co-Chair of the OALA Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (J.E.D.I.) Committee since its inception in 2020, Zara has played a pivotal role in advancing meaningful action to address systemic inequities. Under her leadership, the committee has established key priorities, delivered impactful programming, and fostered important dialogue across the profession.

Beyond OALA, she mentors emerging professionals and youth through initiatives such as the University of Toronto’s Building Black Student Success Through Design program and contributes her expertise through the Black Architects and Interior Designers Association (BAIDA) and the Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Boards (CLARB). Through her involvement with CLARB, Zara served as Chair of the Exam Writing Committee and is now the first OALA member to serve on the CLARB Board of Directors.

Zara exemplifies volunteer leadership, advancing both the profession and the communities it serves.

Matt Perotto exemplifies the spirit of volunteerism through his sustained and wide-ranging involvement in the OALA community. As a Council member, committee member, advisor, and committee chair, he contributes meaningfully to advancing the Association’s work.

As Chair of the Social Committee, Matt has helped revitalize member engagement by increasing participation and introducing initiatives such as the Project Tours Program, which provides members with opportunities to visit built work and learn from one another.

He is equally committed to supporting the next generation of landscape architects, regularly mentoring students and emerging professionals and engaging with University of Toronto MLA students on career development and the transition to professional practice.

Matt brings energy and fresh ideas to every role he takes on. Through his leadership, mentorship, and consistently thoughtful service, he has made a meaningful and lasting contribution to the OALA and the broader profession.

Virginia Burt has made significant contributions to research-informed practice and knowledge sharing in landscape architecture. Her work is known for combining interdisciplinary research, particularly on the relationship between the environment and human behavioural health.

Through projects such as Morgan’s Garden, the first therapeutic urban garden in North America designed for adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder, she developed evidence-based design guidelines based on literature review, stakeholder engagement, and interdisciplinary collaboration. These guidelines have advanced inclusive, neurodiversity-informed design and influenced both research and practice.

An internationally recognized practitioner, Virginia has received many awards, including multiple CSLA National Awards of Excellence and ASLA honours, which reflect the impact of her built work and research. Her work is widely shared through publications such as Landscapes | Paysages, as well as lectures and conference presentations.

Her 2025 book, A Story of Stone, extends these ideas to both professional and public audiences. Overall, her work provides meaningful public benefit while advancing the intellectual, ethical, and therapeutic foundations of the profession.

Nina-Marie Lister, Professor at Toronto Metropolitan University and an Honourary Member of the OALA, CSLA and ASLA, is recognized for her leadership of the Bylaws for Biodiversity (B4BD) research program. Through policy development, public education, partnerships, and advocacy, the program bridges top-down governance and grassroots community action.

By advancing applied research and practice in the design and management of naturalized landscapes, the program expands the role of landscape architecture in guiding complex, adaptive ecosystems that support climate resilience. It also challenges outdated, colonially rooted property standards and bylaws, creating opportunities to better protect and enhance biodiversity across public and private lands.

Through the translation of research into practical policy frameworks, tools, and resources, the program has strengthened the capacity of practitioners, municipalities, and educators to advance biodiversity objectives. Nina-Marie’s leadership has helped position landscape architecture at the forefront of biodiversity recovery, ecological stewardship, and long-term climate resilience.

Mark Schollen is a leading landscape architect, researcher, and innovator whose career has advanced stormwater management, Low Impact Development (LID), green infrastructure, and ecological planning in Ontario. For more than 35 years, he has bridged research, policy, and practice, transforming sustainability into widely adopted standards, tools, and built solutions.

As Founder and Principal of Schollen & Company Inc., Mark has established a practice that integrates landscape architecture, ecosystem restoration, and landscape planning to deliver innovative, evidence-based design solutions. The firm’s excellence is reflected in more than 30 Canadian Society of Landscape Architects Awards of Excellence.

Mark has authored and co-authored key guidance documents, including the Credit Valley/TRCA Low Impact Development Planning and Design Guide, Ontario’s Stormwater Management Planning and Design Manual, and the City of Toronto Green Streets Technical Guidelines, shaping policy across Ontario and beyond.

His work spans landmark projects such as the Honda Canada Campus, the Edmonton Energy and Technology Park development master plan, the Ma Moosh Ka Win Valley Trail at the University of Toronto Scarborough Campus and TRCA Sustainable Neighbourhood Action Plans across the GTA, as well as international projects in China and South Africa. As a lecturer at the University of Toronto and an expert witness, he advances knowledge sharing, mentorship, and public-interest decision-making.

Through his many contributions, Mark has elevated the scope and range of professional practice, strengthened sustainable design standards, and left a lasting legacy of more resilient and sustainable landscapes, and livable communities.