CANMORE – Canmore Community Housing (CCH) will have a familiar face for an executive director.
Michelle Ouellette was hired by CCH’s board of directors after receiving more than 100 applications for the housing organization’s top spot.
Ouellette, who previously was the regional division manager for planning with McElhanney Ltd. since 2021, assumed one of the key leadership roles in the municipality on July 6.
“It’s an arena I’m comfortable in and I felt I have the tools and connections in town and knowledge that I could bring to the table and advance the portfolio,” she said. “I’m very passionate about housing and development, so through that, I felt it was a good fit.”
Ouellette has frequently presented to Canmore council for development-related applications in her previous role with McElhanney since 2021.
She was also a regular presenter at Canmore Planning Commission and Subdivision and Development Appeal Board hearings, with McElhanney being the main development-related company of choice for developers in Canmore.
She previously worked as a senior planner with the City of Edmonton and as a consultant. She is also a board director with Bow Valley Builders and Developers Association (BOWDA) and received her master of business administration in 2020. She’ll remain on BOWDA’s board of directors with CCH’s board of directors seeing it as a positive for the organization at their July 6 board meeting.
In Edmonton, she worked on land use plans, development applications, financial modelling and special initiatives such as the exhibition lands infill project.
The mixture of past experiences in both the public and private sectors as well as deep connections in the Bow Valley stood out in the hiring process.
“We’re really thrilled Michelle is on board as our executive director. In the interview process, she really brought real depth of experience but also an innovative way of thinking and approaching our greatest challenge in the community which is affordability in housing,” said CCH board chair Rob Murray.
“The fact she is in Canmore, well-connected and integrated with a variety of stakeholders she’ll be working with in this role is an added benefit. We really think she’ll hit the ground running and tackle these challenges.”
The lead position for CCH became vacant when former managing director Dougal Forteath was fired without cause Feb. 21.
Lisa de Soto, the Town of Canmore’s former longtime CAO and a CCH board member, assumed the role of strategic leadership advisor while a sub-committee was formed to search for a new executive director.
With Ouellette officially coming fully on board Monday (July 10), de Soto will return to her role as a board member.
Ouellette moved to Canmore during the COVID-19 pandemic when remote work became a possibility. She said always wanted to live in the mountains, where it suited her lifestyle.
It also aided in her becoming familiar with Town of Canmore guiding policy documents such as the land use bylaw, Municipal Development Plan and area redevelopment and structure plans.
“Having that experience locally has been excellent. I’ve worked with municipalities across the Bow Valley and private land development companies across the Bow Valley. … Certainly, that’s been an excellent education as well as my relationship with the board members and participation with BOWDA has been excellent. I want to carry that forward and leverage that.”
Canmore council, which has four members on the nine-person CCH board, made housing its top priority when it completed its strategic plan in 2022.
The long-awaited Palliser area structure plan is expected to come to council for first reading in either August or September, with ownership of the lands largely being held by CCH and the Town.
The plan is expected to have a diversity of attainable and affordable housing as well as mixed-use and walkable neighbourhoods with greater density.
CCH also has a land use bylaw amendment application for 205 Stewart Creek Rise that is expected to return for first reading in August.
CCH is a non-profit organization that is owned by the Town of Canmore, but run as a independent organization. It was created in 2000 to support a range of sustainable housing for the community.
Ouellete said she's excited to help bring forward housing initiatives and increase housing supply in Canmore.
“As the executive director, my role is to lead those initiatives, partner with the right partners, to activate those lands and create projects as a developer-owner for CCH, getting funding, working with private sector partners,” Ouellette said. “I’ve already got people asking to meet, that there are projects they want to talk about, I think there’s a lot of energy in the private sector in the town about this issue and people are ready to get involved and work with us to advance much needed development.
“As public servants, the task of those roles is to provide brave advice and loyal execution as I like to say, so I’ll provide my bravest advice to this board and execute what needs to be done to advance the portfolio.”
