Speaker

Ryan Dunbar

President & Ceo, SOAR Professional Services

Ryan is President and CEO of SOAR Professional Services (SOAR). SOAR is an Indigenous owned and employed professional services delivery firm (with offices in B.C. and N.B.) that brings both industry experience and a unique Indigenous focused perspective to planning, engineering, environmental science and management consulting. Ryan has over 20 years’ experience as a risk assessor, hydrogeologist and project manager across Canada.

Ryan previously held national roles within Dillon Consulting (a national multidisciplinary professional services company), resulting in a broad knowledge of working in both federal and provincial regulatory environments of most regions in Canada, including North of 60.

Ryan is a member of Bilijk Wolastoqiyik (Kingsclear First Nation), NB, and saw an opportunity to help pursue his interests in improvement of Indigenous infrastructure. Since that time, with the support of various technical teams he has helped support many Indigenous communities across Canada complete major infrastructure and community development projects (valued at over $500 million dollars). His understanding of community services operation has been critical in development of many innovative approaches to managing First Nation infrastructure including the development of novel technology. He leads his projects with a focus on braiding of Indigenous Knowledge with dominant science and employs all efforts to capture community perspective in the work he supports. With this principle in mind, he has sought out opportunities to incorporate resilient design strategies into modern project problems exasperated by the effects of climate change.

These experiences have also provided him a unique perspective in supporting proponents with progressive views on Indigenous consultation towards more effective engagement and inclusion in projects. As a technical advisor providing guidance and support for the leadership of a number of Indigenous communities in NB, Ryan has had the opportunity to support a number of energy-related files ranging from hydroelectric facilities, solar and wind energy, as well as the nuclear industry.