Erik is a Fellow of the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects and a Registered Professional Planner. He has served on design panels, community associations and numerous advisory committees associated with parks, urban design, health and the built environment. Over the last 35 years his passion for meaningful, sustainable landscapes has underpinned his work.
He has been at the helm of LEES+Associates since 1998.

Heidi is a Landscape Architect and Principal with a Masters of Landscape Architecture from UBC and a Bachelor of Arts from Wellesley College. She brings strong project management skills to the team and a commitment to improving community health and livability through design. Based in Whitehorse, she leads our firm’s northern landscape practice, focusing on design and planning for parks and open spaces, civic and cultural landscapes.  Heidi works closely with clients and community stakeholders to identify a project vision and develop plans that are responsive to community needs. Heidi has been with LEES+Associates since 2007.

Richard brings 14 years of experience in local government and private consultancy. As a rigorous and sensitive designer Richard has led or been a critical part of design teams on major projects in the UK and internationally. He has worked on a wide variety of projects including historic landscape restoration, master planning, detailed design and construction drawings, and GIS mapping.

Megan Turnock has a multidisciplinary background in conservation biology and landscape architecture, with 15 years of diverse experience including municipal park and recreation master planning, environmental and watershed planning, habitat restoration design, environmental impact assessments, and trail planning and design. Her science background makes her a keen researcher committed to finding the best evidence-based solutions, while her landscape architecture training helps her creatively synthesize multiple factors in the urban and natural environment. Megan is committed to improving sustainability, fostering community, protecting ecosystems, and finding creative solutions.

Megan has led many projects at LEES+Associates including: Town of Banff Trails Master Plan, District of Squamish Parks and Recreation Master Plan, and the City of Salmon Arm Parks and Recreation Master Plan. She has also been involved in sustainability initiatives including the Sustainable Sites Initiative and the Green Shores Coastal Development Rating System.

Rebecca brings to the team a background in sustainability, planning and landscape architecture. Rebecca was awarded the Durante Kreuk Award in Landscape Architecture (2019) for design excellence in her thesis project, and was also a recipient of a Landscape Architecture Canada Award (LACF) academic award in 2018. As a designer, Rebecca works to produce ecologically and socially positive spaces that are responsive to both community and context. Rebecca has experience in both master planning and community engagement, with projects ranging from municipal environmental action plans to urban forest strategies.

Lacee brings to the team a background in tourism, parks administration and landscape. Lacee is passionate about landscape design and has a particular interest and knowledge in cemetery design. Her graduate studies thesis project explored the history and environmental impacts of cemeteries, as well as the social attitudes towards interment spaces and death.architecture. Her research guided the conceptual design of an urban cemetery that is both ecologically sensitive and serves as a public park. Lacee’s skills in 3D modelling, CAD, and graphics combined with her knowledge and passion for memorial landscapes gives her an innovative and creative approach to landscape design.
She holds a Master of Landscape Architecture from the University of British Columbia and Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Lethbridge

Patrick is an Olmsted Scholar and second-generation landscape designer from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Having lived, worked, and studied across the North, including Nunavut, northern Manitoba, and Yukon, he has an interest and admiration for communities with deep connections to the land. Patrick holds a Bachelor of Arts in Geography from the University of Winnipeg and a Master of Landscape Architecture from the University of British Columbia. As a student, he was employed on research projects ranging from sense of place to sea level rise planning.

Josh is a registered landscape architect with over 10 years of experience in landscape design and construction on projects throughout Canada and the US. Josh is a graduate of Washington State University, having received a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture; he has worked in various design and project management roles.

Josh brings a diverse range of experience in the design of public and private parks, open space, mixed-use developments, commercial projects, residential projects and construction project management. He has expertise in public process, construction administration, project management and detailed design.

Josh has a passion for detailed design, human health in the built environment and culturally sensitive landscapes.

Elsa comes with a broad background in administrative support and customer service. With a vast experience having worked with Fortune 500 companies in the US and Canada, she is responsible for managing the office and the general administrative functions of the company.

Tim is a landscape designer passionate about transforming underutilized or damaged landscapes to benefit both the environment and the community. Based in Yellowknife, NWT, he focuses on LEES + Associates’ northern projects, in addition to supporting the rest of its national and international work.

Tim has experience in landscape restoration, culturally sensitive space-making, site planning, and research-based design. His academic work, backed by the LACF’s Northern Research Bursary, examined the value of landscape architecture in mine closure and brownfield restoration projects. He also earned the Garden Club of Toronto Scholarship for his interest in garden history and passion for design.

Prior to obtaining his Bachelor of Landscape Architecture with Distinction at the University of Guelph, Tim spent close to a decade as a journalist working at newspapers and magazines across Canada’s three northern territories. This career path has provided a unique understanding of Northern governance systems, Indigenous cultural revitalization, public consultation, and the biophysical changes across subarctic and arctic landscapes.

Amanda Gebhardt Senior Landscape Architect with 16 years of experience designing parks spaces, cemeteries, commemorative/memorial features, trails, and environmentally sensitive landscapes. Her skills are rooted in detail design developments, leading multidisciplinary teams from concept through construction; and leveraging that experience through her master planning projects to deliver effective tools for her clients. Amanda’s approach focuses on equity, diversity, and inclusion; striving to provide a voice to equity-deserving members of the communities she works in, while pressing for the inclusion of habitat and food production within community landscapes. Amanda’s design experience is complimented by a strong background in agency approvals, implementation, contract administration, site inspection, and environmental monitoring.
Prior to joining LEES+Associates in 2023, Amanda’s design practice focused largely on off-road trail networks, the pedestrian realm, and complete streets. Over her career, Amanda has worked on several cemetery expansion projects in Ontario, as well as commemorative spaces, urban park projects, pedestrian bridges, and habitat restoration.

Dave has been intensely committed to park planning and public recreation for more than 30 years. His background in landscape architecture and parks management, combined with a thorough understanding of local government systems, provides an excellent mix of planning and park design skills. In the early 1970s he worked in the private sector, both as a partner in a multi-disciplinary design office, and later in his own company. In 1978, Dave joined Delta Leisure Services Department as parks manager where he was responsible for planning and capital development.  In 2001, Dave returned to private practice and his company took on a six year contract with the Capital Regional District to provide parks and recreation management services on Salt Spring Island. Dave currently works with LEES + Associates on projects requiring his specialized background in public recreation and athletic field design.

Noora is a Landscape Designer whose practice ranges from large-scale municipal planning to human-scale site design. Regardless of the scale of project, Noora looks to balance the many pragmatic and poetic considerations which underpin culturally meaningful spaces. With a background in Urban Forestry, they bring a specialized knowledge of ecology, governance, and geospatial analysis which is integral to the design of sustainable landscapes. As a committed member of the design community, Noora supplements their work at LEES + Associates with positions in teaching, research, and academic service.

As a passionate landscape designer, Tess brings together her expertise in Masters of Engineering Geology and Masters of Landscape Architecture to positively influence how people engage with the environment. Her technical skills are further reinforced by a Bachelor of Environmental Design, enabling her to foster both professional growth and artistic expression in the projects she undertakes.

Elizabeth is an experienced designer who is passionate about building ecologically sound landscapes, mitigating the effects of the climate crisis, and rethinking how design can foster inclusion and accessibility in our shared public spaces.

Working in leadership, coordination, and design for almost 20 years, Elizabeth has acquired an extensive skillset in facilitating stakeholder collaboration, researching and development, and bringing landscape design projects from the conceptual phase through to construction. She also applies her experience directly in the community by advocating for stormwater management and increased greenspace through the Squamish Advisory Design Panel and by developing guidelines for the Squamish Valley Agricultural Steering Committee.

Pairing her enthusiasm for ecology and restoration with a passion for community-building, Elizabeth’s approach to design blends sustainability with innovative design.

Stewart is a senior landscape architect with over two decades of service in the public sector.  His background spans work in national and municipal parks, development planning, open space system design, and cemetery operations.

Experienced in coordinating the planning, design, and development of outdoor public spaces and park systems, Stewart brings his diverse skills and a client-centred lens to the delivery of landscape architectural projects of all scales.

Christen is a Landscape Designer who brings innovative perspectives to recreational landscapes through her background in industrial design and an ongoing interest in material qualities and landscape construction methods. Incorporating design, art, and theory as methods for her work, Christen is driven to explore how landscapes access and alter the emotional realms of their inhabitants.

With experience in graphic communication visual communication design, urban design, and intermedia art, Christen uses her technical and creative skills to explore opportunities in the landscape and design spaces imbued with meaning.

Ivy has a multidisciplinary background in ecological restoration and landscape architecture. She holds a Masters of Landscape Architecture and a Bachelor of Science in Natural Resource Management from the University of British Columbia. She brings to the team experience in forest restoration, invasive species management, landscape maintenance, environmental education and environmental planning. Her background in hands-on environmental work allows her to understand more deeply the innate connection between humans and nature which informs her approach to landscape design. As an avid hiker, cyclist and adventure seeker, she understands the outdoor environment well and is passionate about making the world a better place, one landscape at a time.

Ivy is a RHFAC (Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification™) Professional with a focus on the outdoor built environment, she has completed accessibility audits for front country parks and trails. She is one of the first people in Canada to achieve this certification and is passionate about incorporating the knowledge and experience gained from this training into every project.

Jennifer is an award-winning Chartered Professional Accountant and Business Manager with expertise in strategic management, market research, financial and business planning. She manages our proprietary Cemetery Business Case Analysis Tool CBCAT © and leads our firm’s business case analyses, cemetery operations evaluations, land need assessments and financial forecasting.

Jennifer’s experience at LEES+Associates includes cemeteries and crematoria feasibility studies, analyses and business plans for the City of Hamilton, City of Welland, York Region, City of Kelowna, City of Penticton, City of Surrey, Town of Creston, Town of Cumberland, City of Campbell River, Town of Olds, Town of Drayton Valley, Rockyview County, City of Brandon and Province of Saskatchewan amongst many others.

Kelsey Walker holds a Bachelor’s degree in Environment and Resource Studies from the University of Waterloo, a Masters in Landscape Architecture from the University of Guelph, and has over a decade of landscape design consulting experience in Ontario, British Columbia, and Alberta.

Kelsey brings to the team experience in planning and design assignments for parks, trails, open space, streetscapes, industrial and recreation projects in a variety of contexts, and arboriculture consulting. She also has over a decade of experience in outdoor event and festival design and execution.

Based in Guelph, Kelsey is keen to explore the world of cemetery and memorial design and looks forward to assisting in growing LEES+Associates’ presence in Ontario. 

Peggy holds a Bachelor’s degree in Human Geography from the University of British Columbia and a Masters in Landscape Architecture from the University of Toronto, where she received the ASLA Certificate of Merit (2019) upon graduation and was the recipient of the Landscape Architecture Endowment Award (2018) during her studies.

Peggy’s interest in landscape architecture lies in the intersection of art, ecology and urban infrastructure. Before joining the team, she worked on a range of small-scale urban projects from a neighborhood park, community garden, and social housing projects in the Lower Mainland. She has experience working in the beginning stages of conceptual design to construction drawings to the final phase of construction administration.

Leila has over a decade of experience in landscape architecture, and has been with LEES+Assocates since 2005. Leila has a unique understanding of sacred spaces, informed by her research, her master’s thesis at the University of British Columbia, and her work abroad. She brings a keen eye and creative focus to her design approach. Leila is committed to the creation of unique, innovative and meaningful public spaces.
Leila has led many award winning projects at LEES+Associates including: Air India Memorial, Mountain View Cemetery Redevelopment and the Komagata Maru Memorial.