Canada's Greenest Employers (2025) - Flipbook - Page 30
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CANADA'S GREENEST EMPLOYERS (2025)
Community sustainability has deep roots in Coquitlam
W
hen he received
his master’s
degree in clean
energy
engineering
from the University of British
Columbia in 2017, Ryan Voon
knew he wanted to take all that
technical knowledge and make a
hands-on difference. From his first
day taking the SkyTrain to work at
the City of Coquitlam, he knew
he’d made the right choice.
“Rolling into Coquitlam Central
station, I could see the mountains
out there and there were eagles
flying above City Hall — it was
really spectacular,” says Voon.
As climate and energy manager,
Voon works with departments
across the City to find ways to be
conscious of its energy use and
emissions, including making
Coquitlam’s civic buildings and
facilities more energy efficient and
reducing greenhouse gas
emissions through initiatives like
its green fleet of vehicles and
equipment.
Voon says employee buy-in is
critical to the success of
Coquitlam’s Environment
Sustainability Plan, a guiding
document on how the City will
achieve its goals. It was developed
in consultation with council, the
public, employees and civic
leadership.
“The City is really supportive
and the staff is really amazing to
work with,” he says.
“They have so many unique
perspectives and there’s a shared
willingness to facilitate the work
that needs to get done to move the
needle towards our goals. They’re
all respectful, kind and willing to
collaborate and work together.”
Jaime Boan, general manager of
engineering and public works,
says Coquitlam is constantly
looking for ways to support its
employees in not only keeping the
Environment Sustainability Plan
top of mind, but expanding the
City’s culture to encourage
sustainable behaviours.
“Employees need to feel
engaged and that they’re
individually and collectively
making a positive impact on their
community,” says Boan.
“Environmental sustainability
isn’t just a catch phrase for the city
and its employees — it’s integrated
across strategic and operational
planning.”
For example, the Staff Volunteer
Committee staged more than 30
different types of behaviour
change campaigns to encourage
employees to turn off lights, turn
Employees need to feel
engaged and that they’re
individually and collectively
making a positive impact on
their community.
— Jaime Boan
General Manager, Engineering and
Public Works
“I had this incredible feeling,
and the vibe was so special that I
knew the City was going to
provide me with the opportunity
to use my skillset to work with
other people towards the things
that are important to me.”
The City of Coquitlam is the
sixth-largest municipality in
British Columbia, with a
culturally diverse population of
175,000. As an organization, it has
environmental sustainability as a
strategic goal and supports its
2,000-plus employees to deliver a
comprehensive green strategy.
The City of Coquitlam celebrates environmental volunteers on staff and in the community.
