John Purkis

John Purkis is a sustainability expert, facilitator and systems change specialist. He works with municipal governments and other organizations to generate and implement bold visions for a sustainable future. He has delivered numerous presentations and workshops, and he facilitates the transformational change process with organizations both in Canada and around the world. John has worked with clients such as the Ramsay Community Association, the British Virgin Islands, Ste Anne de Bellevue, the Town of Whitby, the Region of Peel, the City of Edmonton, the City of Ottawa, the City of Saskatoon, the City of Halifax, the City of Airdrie, the Town of Lacombe, the Town of Markham, the Abu Dhabi Department of Municipal Affairs, the Halifax Shambhala Centre, and many more. John collaborates with others to develop beneficial tools, resources and reports. Most recently he was the lead author of Bridging the Gap in Community Sustainability Planning and Implementation, and he co-authored Embedding Sustainability into the Culture of Municipal Government, Re-Imagining Our Neighbourhoods. He is currently working on a new resource entitled Amazing Neighbourhoods: Engagement and Sustainability Planning Guide.

Prior to joining The Natural Step Canada (TNS), John worked with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), where he helped lay the foundation for the Green Municipal Fund and the Capacity Building Program. He also worked as the Development Manager, overseeing a portfolio of innovative municipal infrastructure projects. During his time with FCM, John co-developed the Municipal Building Retrofit Guide and helped finance hundreds of plans, feasibility studies and infrastructure projects.