Kristen Harder

Experience

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  City of Lacombe

  May 2011 - Aug 2011

  Summer Student Planner

  - Performed regular site inspections to assist the Development Officer close outstanding files- Managed returns of development deposits for completed compliant files - Wrote letters of enforcement and corresponding with the response of the letters from property owners - Became an informal and temporary member of the Heritage Committee. In this role I communicated information to public inquiries about municipal and provincial historical designation and arranged meetings between heritage consultants and the landowners of historical properties Show less

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  City of Lacombe

  Jun 2013 - Aug 2015

  Development Officer

  Developed a strong understanding of local land use planning practices, as well as site planning and municipal government planning and development processes - Created a positive reputation for the department by providing excellent customer service and efficient permit turnaround- Received, processed and issued development, building, electrical, plumbing and gas permits- Ensured compliance of new applications with site plan control, the Land Use By-law and verify applications aligned with the intentions of the Municipal Development Plan- Direct correspondence with the City Planner, Bylaw Officer and Safety Codes Officers, developers, builders and the general public during permit application review and writing Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment letters- Participated in engagement sessions regarding municipal plans and policies- Wrote and presented the first Civic Addressing Policy after receiving complaints from emergency and city services of civic addressing inconsistencies. The policy was passed by council in Spring 2015 - Assisted the City of Lacombe during the Municipal Development Plan Update and Land Use Bylaw Update by researching and compiling relevant information to facilitate the updates- Helped facilitate of public engagement sessions held for the Municipal Development Plan discussing key city issues with City councilors and the public - Provided support to the Development Officer 2 with duties related to the Municipal Planning Commission meetings and Council meetings by preparing presentations, creating adjacent landowners notices, advertising permit applications, and preparing meeting minutes. Other tasks included:Civic addressingWriting Confirmations of Zoning Writing Certificates of Compliance and Encroachment AgreementsMeeting deadlines for permit advertisements Preparing minor FOIP requestsAcquiring a basic knowledge of GIS Mapping software Show less

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  Ryerson University

  Sept 2015 - Jun 2017

  Graduate Student

  Master of Planning Degree - Urban Development:- Developed a thorough understanding of urban design and planning theory, mapping, presentation and document design. - Review and analysis of planning legislation and planning law - Advanced development of leadership skills - Project management experience Studio objective fall 2016: Develop a site-selection criteria model and partnership model for the independent school, Dragon Academy. My role primary role was to assist in the development of the site-selection criteria model. I held full responsibility for the design and presentation of the interim and final reportsStudio objective winter 2017: Develop a visioning strategy and set of visioning activities to create a discussion around housing and community design in Nibinamik First Nation. I took on a project management role and was actively engaged in the development of activities, research, presentation creation, and completion of an academic paper outlining our innovative methodologyMajor Research Paper Topic: Exploration of the relationship between the ability of First Nations to develop and implement a Community Housing Plan (CHP) and capacity development on-reserve. My research questions whether on-reserve housing policy has created the appropriate administrative, financial and governance capacity to support the successful implementation of Community Housing Plans on-reserve. The findings contemplate the wider implications of On-Reserve Housing Policy when Indigenous capacity is not supported by the Federal Government, and the role of planning in the decolonization of Indigenous housing and policy. Show less

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  DIALOG

  May 2016 - Jun 2016

  Summer Student Planner

  - Assisted in the preliminary design of draft plans and consultation materials for the Public Realm and Streetscape Improvement Plan for Woodbridge, in Vaughan, Ont. - Research of relevant plans (Official Plan, Zoning Bylaw and Secondary Plans) to inform the policy review section of plan content for the North King's Town Secondary Plan Visioning- Performed research for the Canadian Urbanism Advocacy Committee Advocacy Topic: Urban Design and Climate Change, a topic which should have an important focus in all design and planning initiatives- Performed supportive administrative tasks for the planning team - coordination of meetings, document binding, IT Requests, and the preparation of consultation materials for travel- Furthered my abilities with design programs and software, and received mentoring by DIALOG staff (InDesign, Illustrator) Show less

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  Dillon Consulting Limited

  Nov 2018 - Jul 2024

  Urban and Regional Planner

  - Research and policy development for a wide variety of statutory and non-statutory plans including Municipal Development Plans, Area Structure Plans, Intermunicipal Development Plans and Land Use Bylaws.- Project Management- Development Approval Process Reviews- Preparation and execution of Engagement Plans and Strategies. - Preparing for and presenting to Council and Municipal Planning Commission.- Experience working for clients across Canada including British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario and the Northwest Territories.- International work including the development of a Coastal Master Plan for the Commonwealth of Dominica, Caribbean.- Complete due diligence and feasibility studies for development site analysis.- Document and graphic design (Proficiency in Indesign, Illustrator) Show less

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  V3 Companies

  Jul 2024 - now

  Senior Planner / Project Manager