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OWEN WILSON

Hometown /

Waterdown, ON

Based In / 

Burnaby, BC

Areas of Expertise /

● Environmental Planning

● Policy Research

● Constituent Engagement

WHAT ARE YOU UP TO NOW?

I am working on the Xwe’etay/Lasqueti Archaeology Project with Sean Markey (PhD, RPP) and Dana Lepofsky (PhD), seeking to honour, respect, and protect Indigenous heritage, using Xwe’etay/Lasqueti Island as a microcosm for larger issues in BC and beyond. By participating in workshops, informal discussion, and “doing archaeology,” we seek to co-create a model for community-based archaeology that can be used on Lasqueti and in other rural communities (Website: lasquetiarc.ca)

POST-INTERNSHIP HIGHLIGHTS

Started Master’s in Resource Management (Planning) at Simon Fraser University, a two-year interdisciplinary degree unique among planning programs for its core focus on natural resource and environmental planning.

HIGHLIGHT FROM THE INTERNSHIP

The biggest highlight for me was being able to work with my MP on drafting amendments to laws, and in one particular case, actually seeing some parts of an amendment be written into the law at committee. Knowing that I helped contribute to a law that will actually help Canadians is still mind-blowing to me.

HOW DID THE INTERNSHIP HELP YOU GET WHERE YOU ARE TODAY?

The greatest takeaway from the internship is the knowledge of how parliamentarians are influenced by organized campaigns and lobbying efforts by a wide range of groups, and by working on the inside, you naturally have the research, writing, and communication skills to effectively talk to politicians and governments in the future from the outside.

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