People of PacifiCan: Michelle Radley
Meet Michelle.
Born in New Westminster and raised in Surrey, right near PacifiCan’s new HQ, Michelle brings a strong background in sustainable agriculture and climate change adaptation. As a Policy Analyst at PacifiCan, she turns complex ideas into strategies that support British Columbians, with a recent focus on advancing Indigenous economic inclusion.
One of her proudest accomplishments is helping develop PacifiCan’s guide for acknowledging Indigenous traditional and treaty territories, an invaluable resource that is already making a significant impact within our agency.
Outside of work, you can find Michelle exploring the art of fermentation, crafting creations like sauerkraut and kimchi, and finding small ways to bring creativity into her daily routine. You may even see her taking a sketching class on perspectives this summer!
Learn more about this brilliant and thoughtful mind we’re so lucky to have on our team.
How did you arrive at PacifiCan?
Before PacifiCan, I worked at Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) on climate change adaptation and developing Canada’s first National Adaptation Strategy. When I heard that PacifiCan was creating programs to help Lytton, B.C. to rebuild more resilient after wildfire – I jumped on the opportunity to get involved! It sounded like such an important opportunity to work on a real-life, on the ground adaptation project. I wasn’t wrong - it was one of the most rewarding and challenging policy experiences of my career. And now I work on the Advocacy Team, which equally stretches and rewards me every day!
What interested you about PacifiCan?
I was really intrigued by the opportunity to focus in on a single region of the country, and my home province, no less. Now that I live in Ottawa, so much of the policy work I had done with the federal government has focused on a broad national scale, and sometimes you can lose the connection with what your work means on the ground. At PacifiCan, I am much more closely connected to why my work matters, because I’ve actually met the people impacted by it! That’s something special, and it keeps me grounded and inspired to do all that I can every day.
What do you do in a typical day?
As a policy analyst, I spend most of my days reading, writing, synthesizing, and interpreting information on things that matter to British Columbians, and then translating that into advice and recommendations that can help guide the agency in how it does its work. This can cover topics anywhere from tourism to transporting ammonia by rail, and everything in between! These days I am channeling a lot of my energy towards Indigenous economic inclusion, creating an advocacy strategy for the agency, and volunteering on the IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility) working group.
What do you find most rewarding about your work?
Working on PacifiCan’s Indigenous economic inclusion file has been deeply meaningful for me. It’s such important and impactful work, and I’m hopeful that I can contribute to creating new and better ways of moving the needle on this critical issue. I also feel really rewarded by getting to work with such incredible colleagues – each one of them inspires me everyday.
What city are you originally from?
I was born in New Westminster B.C. but grew up in Surrey, somewhere between the Newton Wave Pool and Bear Creek Park, and just down the road from PacifiCan’s new headquarters!
What is your educational background?
I have a Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Agriculture and a Master’s in Land and Water Systems from UBC.
What have you enjoyed about your role at PacifiCan thus far?
Every day I am challenged and get to learn something new. I am constantly getting to dive into completely new and sometimes unexpected topics, to do some deep research, and then quickly identify why it matters for PacifiCan and B.C. I also get lots of opportunity to use my creative side to come up with new and innovative approaches to address tricky issues – it’s so rewarding when you finally solve a problem!
Can you share one of your greatest accomplishments?
One of my proudest accomplishments from my work at PacifiCan is helping to develop a guide for the agency on how to meaningfully acknowledge Indigenous traditional and treaty territory. Since rolling it out, we have really seen a change in our culture here at PacifiCan – with territorial acknowledgements becoming more and more common and thoughtful. I have also learned so much from my colleagues who have taken it to heart and shared their personal reflections, experiences, and research. My biggest piece of advice when crafting a territorial acknowledgement is to look at it as a learning and teaching opportunity – challenge yourself to learn one new thing about the territory and its original stewards and then help spread the knowledge to your audience. That expansive effect is what makes acknowledgements so valuable.
Can you give us one or two things that you enjoy outside of work?
One of my favorite hobbies is fermenting! I have dabbled with sauerkraut, kimchi, water kefir, and hot sauce – not without a few kitchen messes and explosions. I also love anything art or writing-related and challenge myself to integrate little creative moments throughout my day. I’m excited to be taking a sketching class on perspectives this summer.
Name 3 songs that are on your Spotify Playlist?
- Cowboy Bossa feat. Yanez, by Mo’ Horizons (I first heard this while traveling in Portugal this spring!)
- In Your Heart, by Franklin Electric (a newly discovered Canadian band)
- Burnout Fugue, by Alexandra Stréliski (this song gives me an almost physical experience – try it out and see what you feel!)