Our presenters

Hugh’s career in the construction industry spans over 40 years. Hugh has held senior management positions related to contracts and risk management. Hugh earned a B.A.Sc (Civil) in 1980 and a M.A.Sc (Construction Management) in 1986 from the University of Waterloo, is a retired Professional Engineer registered in the Province of Ontario, and is a Gold Seal Project Manager.

Hugh has been actively involved in industry associations over the years, having served as an Executive Member of the Canadian Construction Association, Chairman of CCA’s Standard Practices Committee, CCA’s Trade Contractor Representative to the Canadian Construction Documents Committee and Chair of CCDC’s Insurance and Surety Sub-Committees.

He was also President of the Mechanical Contractors Association of Kitchener - Waterloo, a Board Member of the Mechanical Contractors Association of Ontario, and as a National Director of the Mechanical Contractors Association of Canada. "

Hugh is an accomplished Labour Relations Professional with over 30 years of experience. He has been the Chief Negotiator in over 130 rounds of bargaining in all ten provinces. Hugh has helped numerous organizations develop labour relations strategies that have lead to the creation of competitive advantage and shared value. Hugh has worked in the manufacturing, mining, pulp and paper, logistics, power and services industries.

Hugh received his Honours B.A. (Sociology and Economics) from U of T and his MBA from York University. He also holds the CHRP and Senior Human Resources Professional (SHRP) designations.

Hugh has also written extensively on Labour Relations and Human Resource Management topics.  Some of his publications and articles are featured on our website including Out of the Mist: Understanding Canadian Labour Relations Strategy (2012), coauthored with Sue Mackintosh.

Izzy is an administrative professional with 20+ years of experience working with Microsoft Office. Her experience in various paralegal, corporate, and government office gives her differing perspectives to engage and develop both her knowledge and her students' knowledge. Izzy is a Microsoft Certified Trainer and a Learning Facilitator and Coach Evaluator with the Coaching Association of Canada.

James Johnston, P. Eng., CM-Lean is an Industrial Engineer, Lean Construction coach, an Approved Trainer with the Associated General Contractors of America, and one of the authors of the newest version of the Lean Construction Education Program. He is a construction, operations, and quality specialist with over 30 years of experience focusing on business process analysis & improvement, Lean implementation, strategic planning, and business development. He has worked extensively as a Management Consultant and educator, leading organizations through lean transformations, quality system implementation, and process optimization projects. He has coached & facilitated the implementation of Lean Construction tools and methodologies on projects of all sizes, has trained thousands of construction professionals internationally, and continues to develop programs that improve project outcomes industry-wide.

Jaysen Palangio has 35 years of knowledge and experience in the construction industry. He began his career as a young scaffold apprentice and eventually became a certified Journeyman scaffolder.

While working at Canada Scaffold Supply Co. Ltd for the last 25 years, Jaysen has acquired a strong background in Health and Safety and has a passion for sharing his knowledge and experience within a classroom environment.

His goal is to provide every student with a better understanding of how to recognize, build and dismantle a safer scaffolding.

Expert Witness, Claims, ADR and Commercial Contracts specialist with over 30 years career in construction in a broad field of infrastructure industries including oil & gas, process plants, airports, rail, civil engineering and nuclear. Represented a variety of Owners and Contractors and assisted legal counsel in contract negotiations and a variety of ADR forums worldwide. Successfully worked on a variety of projects and files with responsibility for the commercial management of major infrastructure projects with a value of in excess of $1BN. Operating and managing at the executive level of a project structure in a PPP/PFI environment, representing companies in preliminary and delivery of live projects. Extensive experience on a variety of bespoke and standard form contracts including CCDC, FIDIC, New Engineering Contract (NEC), ICE and JCT Contracts. Managed both contentious and non-contentious contractual matters and key concerns within organisations by providing legal and contractual insight and representation in contract negotiations in Europe, South America, Australia, the Middle East and the Far East; with major owners and contracting companies. Advised on contractual obligations in order to ensure legal compliance and to manage contractual risk. Responsibility for both the production and review of project claims, the development and implementation of strategies for risk and opportunity management, together with the evaluation and determination of contractor submitted claims to project and business management and counsel. Personally, responsible for contract drafting and administration, claims identification, evaluation, preparation and management, dispute resolution and litigation support. Barrister at Law, Call July 2010. Certified ODACC Adjudicator, Member of The Honorable Society of the Inner Temple, The Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and Canadian Institute of Quantity Surveyors. Published written work, with contributions to 'Introduction to Construction Contract Management' Routledge. Training as a Mediator and Arbitrator and committed to personal and professional development.

Jessica is chair of Clark Wilson LLP’s Forestry Law practice group and a member of the firm’s Business Law, Indigenous Law, and Energy & Natural Resources groups. Before joining Clark Wilson, Jessica worked as in-house counsel for two of North America’s largest forest products companies and now gives business-focused, practical advice to a wide range of clients. She regularly works across the table from and with First Nations on various matters related to forestry and natural resources and provides external general counsel services to business clients. Jessica’s recent work has involved the purchase and sale of forest tenure and the negotiation of long-term agreements between Indigenous and non-Indigenous businesses for the management of forest tenure.