Northern Futures Planning Team

Michelle Armstrong, M.Plan., MCIP RPP - Partner & Community Planner

Michelle has over 20 years of professional experience in 5 provinces and 2 territories across Canada, including over 13 years professional planning experience in a more northern context.  Michelle strives to achieve excellence in all the community and regional planning processes in which she is involved.  She understands the importance of hearing local values, needs, aspirations and concerns and contextualizing these with local conditions related to governance structures, natural environment, social and family wellbeing, economic development and cultural heritage.

She has delivered projects to diverse public and private sector clients with varying needs and aspirations, effectively communicating available policy approaches to achieving desired futures.  In all her projects, she embraces a strong ethic of client collaboration, team empowerment and community involvement.

Jesse Ajayi, M.Sc., MCIP RPP - Partner & Community Planner

Jesse has 11 years of professional planning experience in Northern Canada, including 4 years spent living and working as a Manager of Community Planning in Nunavut. He focuses on policy clarity and believes that all members of a community need to be equipped to play a role in planning for growth and change. He uses plain language and clean visual designs to consult with the public and assist councils and stakeholders in decision making.
 
Having managed planning departments in Nunavut and Alberta, Jesse understands the municipal approvals process from the inside out. He has provided professional advice to councils on numerous development and subdivision applications for both large and small projects. Jesse has also directly managed long range planning projects including Community Plan Updates and Zoning Bylaw Reviews for communities throughout northern Canada. 

Jesse has served as a member of OPPI’s Indigenous Planning Perspectives Task Force. He contributed to to the Task Force’s report on including indigenous perspectives in the planning profession and responding to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action.

Samantha Toffolo, BURPl, MCIP RPP Candidate - Community Planner

Sam leads the land use planning advisory services team to municipalities and developers across Nunavut. Sam has worked with public and private sector clients in studio and field research projects. Her work has addressed diverse planning concerns, including affordable housing, economic development, creative placemaking, community hubs, and food systems. Samantha is passionate about creating equitable, accessible, and sustainable communities through evidence-based policy and community consultation. Samantha graduated from Ryerson University’s School of Urban and Regional Planning.

Meg Herod, MAP, MCIP RPP Candidate

Meg supports regional planning projects in Nunavut and provides ongoing community land use planning services to local municipalities. Meg has five years of municipal planning experience combined with additional experience in a university setting and working with non- profit and community organizations. Having worked as a municipal planner at the City of Vancouver, Meg has experience in strategic, long-range and current planning and has worked on projects ranging from large-site master plans to innovative policy plans.

Meg takes a strong social lens to planning and believes planning must be done with empathy. She has particular expertise in creative community engagement methods and facilitation. Meg graduated from her master’s in planning in 2015 from the School of Community and Regional Planning at the University of British Columbia.

Safia Khan, MA - Community Planner

Safia has worked in municipal government, as well as in academic, non-profit, and community-based settings. Throughout her educational and professional journey, she has contributed to a variety of projects, driven by a strong passion for equity and empathy. This includes supporting strategic project coordination, research, community engagement, master plans, and development approvals. Safia's diverse background and dedication guide her impactful approach to inclusive community and regional planning. She holds a Bachelor's in Environmental Governance from the University of Guelph and a Master's in Urban and Regional Planning from Queen’s University.

MacKenzie Schmidt, MA - Community Planner

MacKenzie has worked in provincial government, not-for-profit, and private industry settings, working with First Nation communities across Ontario, British Columbia, and Yukon. MacKenzie is passionate about working as a community-led planning practitioner. She utilizes her communication, facilitation, and engagement skills to effectively support a diverse range of people and community groups for their short- and long-range planning aspirations.

MacKenzie graduated with her Master’s in Community and Regional Planning in 2023 from the School of Community and Regional Planning, at the University of British Columbia. During her Master’s degree she specialized in Indigenous Community Planning, working with the Squamish Nation’s planning team to support the formation of their comprehensive community plan.

Who We Partner With

Northern Futures collaborates with an extended network of firms specializing in northern community development. We build custom teams to take on complex project using the best available resources. More information about our partners can be found below.

NORDEC Consulting & Design -- Northern Architecture & Building Science -- Culturally appropriate housing & building design | Energy efficient building design | Building performance testing & evaluation | Housing & community design workshops