Our Team

Bruce has over thirty-five years of industry-related experience in the horticulture, agriculture, education, and environmental sectors of British Columbia. This includes soil and land capability assessments, environmental assessments on agricultural land, project management, strategic planning, business planning, market assessment, and facilitation of industry meetings.

Bruce is involved in the assessment of agricultural and financial damage caused by linear developments such as pipelines and highways. He carries out technical work on a wide range of agricultural commodities from greenhouses to poultry farms.

He is involved in soil and land capability assessments, land reclamation and rehabilitation for mines and linear developments, and environmental impact studies.

Bruce is a retired instructor of the Faculty of Science and Horticulture and the School of Business at Kwantlen Polytechnic University.

Justin McTavish is a Company partner and is the manager/technical lead for all projects with agricultural and soils components. Justin holds a BSc in Applied Biology with a focus on soils and environmental studies and is a Registered Environmental Farm Planner in British Columbia. 

In his role at McTavish, Justin manages various small- and large-scale projects involving soil management/assessment, environmental risk mitigation, and agricultural land capability for private clients, municipal governments, and linear projects. Justin is able to draw on his educational background and over ten years of consulting experience to solve complex projects and provide solutions-based results.

Matthew McTavish offers a unique multidisciplinary approach to the projects he is involved in. He has extensive experience working on varied projects associated with linear, industrial, and urban development and their effects on natural areas and urban interface environments. Matt has the knowledge and experience to implement a broad range of innovative solutions to the management of projects in the forestry and environmental fields.

Taisha holds a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Applied Biology with a specialization in Plant and Soil Science from the University of British Columbia (UBC). She is a Professional Agrologist with the BC Institute of Agrologists, a Professional Biologist (AB) as well as an ISA Certified Arborist.

Taisha has four years of environmental consulting experience and works across terrestrial and aquatic assessments. She prepares environmental impact assessments and mitigation plans for construction and for submission to municipal planners and regulatory agencies. She carries out environmental monitoring for construction projects including water quality management and erosion and sediment control. Taisha carries out invasive species assessments to develop small- and large-scale management plans. Taisha conducts wildlife surveys and salvages, migratory bird surveys, raptor surveys, fish inventories and salvages.

Taisha also carries out agricultural assessments including agricultural capability assessments, and soil assessments to prepare soil handling plans. She completes arborist assessments and tree management plans.

Cassidy is a Registered Professional Biologist specializing in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, with a focus on freshwater aquatics in BC and Alberta.

Cassidy has experience providing environmental consulting services in both public and private sectors, including urban and industrial development, utility, infrastructure, forestry and oil and gas.

Cassidy consistently delivers solutions-based support, resource planning, and management to a wide range of clients. In her role at McTavish, she provides technical leadership on numerous small and large-scale projects.

Claudio has over 27 years’ experience in the areas of environmental biology and wildlife management, as both a biologist and research technician. Claudio has provided environmental consulting services pertaining to wildlife, vegetation, and species at risk for both the private and public sectors. He has extensive experience in working in remote locations as well as in urban settings. Many of these projects included both fieldwork and report writing involving multidisciplinary teams and First Nations.

As a wildlife biologist, he has a broad background in terrestrial and marine environments. Claudio’s project experience includes British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Alaska, and the Canadian Arctic.

Geoff Hughes-Games is Professional Agrologist with over 35 years’ experience in agricultural soil management including soil classification and land use. Geoff’s training and education focused on irrigation, soils, agri-environmental risk assessment and adult education. Geoff began his agriculture career in Alberta with work on soil reclamation. Prior to beginning his 29 year career with the BC Government, he worked in the public and private sectors on activities ranging from nutrient research in tree fruits to marketing of crop protection products.

Geoff began work with the BC Ministry of Agriculture as a technician in the area of soil management and drainage projects. As Provincial Soil Specialist he assisted with the development of legislation and policy for organic residuals management from agricultural and non-agricultural sources. He was instrumental in the development and management of environmental programs, including the BC Environmental Farm Plan and Beneficial Management Practices Programs.

Geoff has training and experience in emergency response and recovery efforts, particularly in relation to flooding, animal disease, spill and debris flow events.

Geoff co-authored several publications including Soil Management Handbooks for both the Fraser Valley and the Okanagan and Similkameen Valleys, the BC Agricultural Drainage Manual, and the Reference Guide and Planning Workbook for the BC Environmental Farm Plan Program.

Giles’ background and education are in the restoration of natural systems and in landscape design. He has extensive practical experience in administering Environmental Protection Plans (EPPs) for pipeline construction and reclamation.

Since 1988 Giles has provided services to linear development projects throughout Western Canada in environmental planning, field coordination, environmental inspection during construction, and implementation of reclamation plans.

Giles works to ensure that environmental concerns are identified, assessed, and communicated to clients and stakeholders. He assists in developing practical mitigation measures to meet environmental objectives.

During construction Giles’ roles have included Field Environmental Coordinator and Senior or Lead Environmental Inspector.

Jace holds a BSF in forest management and a MS (Soil Science) from the University of British Columbia.

Between 1991 and 2020, Jace taught courses in plant identification, soils, terrestrial ecosystem classification, aerial remote sensing, and environmental assessment at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT). He also served as Program Head for Forestry and for the Ecological Restoration degree program. 

Jace has worked in natural resource and environmental consulting for over 40 years. Before joining McTavish, he worked with Talisman Land Resource Consultants, Norecol Environmental Consultants, Westland Resource Group, Stewart & Ewing Associates (SEAFOR), Rescan Environmental Consultants and as an independent consultant for various public and private sector clients. He has worked in all regions of British Columbia, as well as Alberta, Yukon Territory, Northwest Territory, Nunavut, Ontario, New Hampshire, California, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Guyana and the Dominican Republic.

Jace has worked in the fields of soil survey, ecosystem classification, land capability and suitability mapping, environmental assessment and permitting.  He has authored technical papers on mining reclamation, forest biomass, deforestation, soil development, soil degradation and ecological classification.

Jace has also carried out biogeoclimatic ecosystem mapping of Tree Farm Licenses 1 and 41, as well as the BC Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations to help implement the biogeoclimatic ecosystem classification.  He was Education Coordinator for the Canada-Guyana Interim Forestry Project, Project Leader for BCIT’s Yew Tree Project, and Project Manager for a 3-year study to develop a forest biomass prediction system in British Columbia for the Canadian Forest Service.

Raymond Wladichuk is a Professional Geologist and practicing member in good standing with Engineers and Geoscientists BC under the discipline of Environmental Geoscience.  He holds a Bachelor of Science in Earth Sciences and a Graduate Diploma in Business Administration from Simon Fraser University.  He resides on a farm in the Okanagan where he both practices and experiments with agricultural sciences.

Raymond provides geoscience, construction, and management consulting services to the natural resource and construction industries.  He has held geoscientist and engineering geologist roles for very large geotechnical engineering and construction projects, and geologist roles in mining and mineral exploration.  He holds executive level management roles in the natural resource industry for public and private companies.

Jeff Hicks has 30 years of industry-related experience in the Canadian horticulture industry. Jeff has held management positions in a number of larger nursery operations including Pickett’s Nursery, Edgewater Plants and Specimen Trees. From 2014 to 2020 he was commercial sales manager for Edgewater Plants. Jeff has close alliances with landscapers, landscape architects and nurseries in British Columbia.

Jeff is responsible for the landscape assessments, reclamation planning, budgeting and implementation for a variety of McTavish projects including linear developments, municipal and private developments.

Scott holds Masters degrees in both landscape architecture and environmental forestry, having studied at Bangor University and the Manchester School of Architecture, both in the UK. He has over 25 years’ experience in the fields of urban forestry, forest management, landscape management, landscape design and land restoration. He regularly undertakes arboricultural impact assessments, tree risk assessments, produces detailed sets of hard and soft landscape proposals, and produces management plans. In addition, he provides expert, on-site support on live construction sites; monitoring, managing, and mitigating the potential impacts of such activities.

Scott has worked on infrastructure, planning and development projects at all scales, for a range of public and private stakeholders in six countries, to date.

Amy Whitear holds a Bachelor of Science in Zoology, and a Master of Science in Zoo Conservation Biology. She is a biologist with 10 years of professional experience monitoring at risk populations of birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians across Canada and the United States.

Amy is responsible for site supervision and environmental monitoring on oil and gas projects, including performance of site assessments, wildlife sweeps and salvages. She installs mitigation measures to protect critical habitat for at risk species. She has held leadership roles in species at risk research for the academic and non-profit sectors and has coordinated projects to meet the deliverables of provincial and federal government grants.

Alex has over three years of experience providing consulting services for a variety of clients as it relates to the field management of terrestrial resources in BC, specifically forestry, vegetation, and soils. Alex has a broad depth of knowledge that encompasses forest engineering and harvesting, GIS, ecological restoration, arboriculture, and agrology. Alex also has extensive experience providing supervision for crews on numerous field programs in park and natural settings throughout BC.

Darrell Zbeetnoff holds a MSc in agricultural economics and farm management, a MNRM in land/water use management, and a MA in anthropology. Darrell is a Professional Agrologist and certified agricultural consultant with over 30 years’ experience in agricultural business planning and strategic analysis, feasibility assessments, agro-environmental impact assessments, and project analysis and evaluation. As a Registered Environmental Farm Plan planning advisor, he has completed over 100 environmental farm plans and over 20 associated riparian assessments and management plans for BC farmers.

Mr. Zbeetnoff has provided services to agricultural sectors ranging from greenhouses, nursery and berries to livestock, poultry, mushrooms and functional foods. He has undertaken agricultural area planning and strategies for the province, Regional Districts and municipalities in BC and assisted local governments in incorporating agriculture into their industrial plans, in which challenges and opportunities facing agricultural sector are regularly articulated.

He has been involved in the assessment and evaluation of issues affecting the BC agricultural industry and is intimately familiar with the economic environment and decision processes associated with agricultural business planning.

Dr. Hubert Timmenga is a soil scientist, environmental practitioner and inventor. He specializes in sustainable agriculture and beneficial use of organic waste and composting, and product and process development.

Hubert specializes in creating solutions based on the convergence of planning, regulations, systems and technologies. His project and research experience includes; agricultural planning, research strategy, environmental assessments, and waste management feasibility studies. Hubert’s professional expertise includes design, permitting and monitoring of composting facilities, technology reviews, beneficial reuse of organic and inorganic waste materials in agricultural production, preparation and review of agricultural guidelines and regulations in BC, and studies involving forestry and other land uses, including greenhouse gas and carbon credits.

Amy Sigsworth holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Land and Water Systems (UBC 2020) where she specialized in soils and agriculture. Her masters research evaluated the use of ground-penetrating radar as a method for assessing soil compaction in agri-food systems. Amy is an Articling Agrologist and is an Environmental Professional in training.

Amy has considerable farm experience. She was a long time 4H member and worked as a farmhand at a dairy and beef farm throughout high school. More recently she completed the UBC Farm Practicum in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems. Amy is a member of the Pacific Regional Society of Soil Science (PRSSS) and has completed the Soils ID Course.

Amy conducts soil surveys, agricultural land capability assessments, and assists in writing agrologist reports for McTavish Resource and Management Consultants Ltd.

Devin holds a Bachelor of Natural Resource Science and is an environmental technician with McTavish Resource and Management Consultants Ltd.

Devin has consulting experience in a variety of environmental fields such as vegetation assessments, bird nest surveys, small mammal trapping and environmental monitoring. Devin has conducted soil sampling, fishery stock assessments and riparian habitat assessments.

Devin has experience creating environmental protection plans (EPPs) and environmental management plans (EMPs) for various projects, including vegetation management, pipeline integrity digs, geotechnical drilling, and general pipeline operations projects.

Acacia holds a Bachelors of Arts in Geography and Environmental Studies and a Diploma of Technology in Fish, Wildlife, and Recreation.

 Acacia has experience in a variety of environmental fields such as vegetation management, fish and wildlife surveys, and fisheries stock assessment. She has worked in both the public and private natural resource sectors.

 In her role at McTavish, Acacia conducts wildlife and bird surveys, wildlife sweeps and salvages, and riparian assessments. She also has experience working with provincially and federally listed species at risk, such as Red-legged Frog and Oregon Forest Snail.

Paul Gibbs holds a BSc in Kinesiology. He worked for 30 years at Simon Fraser University, serving in a variety of roles.

His athletic background and additional experience in construction make him an asset to support field logistics and manage material assets for McTavish projects.

Paul provides on-site communication and inspections to ensure the company’s safety compliance in the field.

Daniel is a graduate of BCIT and holds an Environmental Technician Certificate from Vancouver Island University. Daniel has worked in the environmental industry since 1999, and has accumulated experience in soil and water sampling, fish isolation, water quality sampling, environmental monitoring, wildlife and bird surveys, vegetation assessments, soils and stream assessments.  He has supervised fish salvage crews and coordinated site restoration and environmental monitoring on a large transmission line project.

Daniel has carried out biophysical assessments on watercourses and supervised large trail construction projects in various cities in BC.  Using a Trimble GPS Daniel and the crew he supervised mapped the Nicomen Watershed. Daniel maintains excellent working relationships with many different professionals in the environmental industry.

In March 2013 Daniel was elected to Leq’á:mel First Nation Band Council and he has been re-elected twice to continue this mandate. He holds the Public Works and Infrastructure Portfolio. He is honored to have this opportunity to serve his community by bringing Members’ concerns, ideas and issues to the table. He supports the Housing Portfolio by creating necessary policies and assisting with continuing development of infrastructure for the community.

Daniel has lived for many years in the on-reserve setting and understands the challenges Aboriginal people face by being located outside of urban centres.  This isolation can make it difficult to access services such as banking, grocery shopping, paying bills and attending medical and other appointments. Daniel is committed to continue working with fellow Council members to improve infrastructure and promote employment opportunities for Leq’á:mel First Nation Members.

Bob Cooper has over 20 years’ experience managing projects for a broad spectrum of businesses and organizations in BC and northern Alberta.  

A member of the senior management team, Bob brings extensive experience in financial management, staff management, organizational planning and leadership development to McTavish Resource and Management Consultants Ltd.

Mike Hills holds an MSc in management from Imperial College in London, England.

He has a keen understanding of management structure for both large and small companies. Mike’s experience in finance and administration give him unique perspectives on corporate communication and development.

Serving on the senior management team, Mike brings his skills to the development and implementation of systems that improve all aspects of the business, from managing contracts and client relationships to financial stewardship and corporate sustainability.

Lynn Chisholm is a Registered Nurse and holds a BSc (Nursing) and a Master of Public Health (MPH) from the University of Liverpool, England School of Medicine.

Lynn manages ISNetworld and eRailSafe training for Company employees.  She is the Company contact person for HSE policy matters.  Lynn is the senior editor of McTavish professional reports.

Lynn has been a Registered Nurse in various line and supervisory roles in the fields of primary care, occupational health and public health for almost 40 years.  In her role as a Federal civil servant Lynn provided hands-on nursing duties, staff supervision and management for First Nations communities in the geographic northeast of BC. Lynn retired from the Federal Government in 2014, but returned to active duty in 2016 to provide hands-on home and community care services and community health services to a small local First Nation.

Rebecca is the newest member of the McTavish team. She brings 15 years of administrative experience in human resources, recruitment, bookkeeping and corporate relations.

Rebecca is positive, professional, and detail oriented in her approach to work. She assists the senior management team.  

Rebecca is studying human resources at BCIT.