Jennifer Vandermeer, P.Eng.

My Role and Responsibilities

My name is Jennifer, and I am a Senior Environmental Coordinator at Burnside, specializing in Environmental Assessments (EAs) for 17 years, following four years working as a Project Engineer with Burnside’s Solid Waste Management group.

My primary responsibilities as an EA practitioner include the coordination of multi-disciplinary teams, including ecology, archaeology, cultural heritage, air quality, noise and vibration, stormwater management, hydrogeology, infrastructure engineering, solid waste management, and transportation planning.

I am well versed with the Municipal Class EA Process, Transit Project Assessment Process (TPAP) and the Individual EA Process in Ontario. Through the completion of over 30 EA studies for transportation, transit, bridge, water, wastewater, and solid waste projects, I have gained a depth of experience and exposure to many of the engineering disciplines that Burnside offers. Internationally, I am fortunate to have been a key member of a multi-national team that delivered a comprehensive Social and Environmental Impact Assessment for a hydropower and transmission project in Uganda.

During my years of experience with coordinating and facilitating EAs, I have been responsible for managing effective written and verbal communications with members of the public, review agencies, and Indigenous communities, and have facilitated numerous public open houses. I have also been responsible for coordinating meetings with public liaison committees, technical advisory committees, and community working groups. Over the past five years, I have played an active role at facilitating and participating in meetings between Municipal governments and interested Indigenous communities to foster meaningful and respectful dialogue between parties and enhance project outcomes. This is a role that I take very seriously and for which I continue to advocate.

My Interests and Hobbies

I am an associate member of the Shared Path Consultation Initiative, a charitable organization devoted to addressing the challenges and opportunities that emerge where land use change and Aboriginal and Treaty Rights intersect. I live and work in Treaty Lands and Territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation as well as the traditional territory of the Anishinabe, Attawandaron, Haudenosaunee, and Huron-Wendat peoples. Understanding Indigenous views and values with respect to the land on which I work is a very important part of my EA practice.

I am the coordinator for the St. George’s Park Community Garden, a thriving vegetable and flower garden on the east side of downtown Guelph. In my spare time, you will likely find me tending to my perennial and vegetable gardens at home, or hiking, camping, or cycling with my family. I also have a passion for fine art and photography, and I have spent most of my creative time working with semi-precious stones and wire to create artisan jewelry.