As communities across British Columbia confront the growing impacts of wildfire, building resilience requires knowledge and collaboration across disciplines, professions and lived experiences.
The Green Construction Research & Training Centre (GCRTC) at UBC Okanagan invites the campus and broader community to an upcoming panel discussion:
Indigenous Knowledge, Land-Use, Planning, and Engineering Perspectives on Wildfire Resilience: Building Resilient Communities in a Changing Climate
The session will examine past and recent wildfire experiences in British Columbia, with particular relevance to wildfire-prone communities and the wildland-urban interface.
Five panelists will explore wildfire resilience through distinct but interconnected perspectives, including Indigenous knowledge, land-use planning, emergency response, risk management and engineering. The presentations will be followed by an interactive question-and-answer session.
Panelists
- Dr. Jeannette Armstrong, Professor, UBC Okanagan — Living with fire
- Adam Cseke, City Planner, City of Kelowna — Planning with fire
- Dennis Craig, Assistant Fire Chief, City of Kelowna — Fire response
- Shelley Kayfish, Director, Campus Operations and Risk Management, UBC Okanagan — Risk management
- Dr. Kh Md Nahiduzzaman, Associate Professor, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, Morocco — Land use
The discussion will be moderated by Dr. Shahria Alam, Director of the Green Construction Research & Training Centre at UBC Okanagan.
Event details
Date: Monday, September 14, 2026
Time: 3–4:30 p.m.
Location: UNC Ballroom, UBC Okanagan
Cost: Free; registration is required
Register for the panel discussion
Students, faculty, staff, professionals and community members are welcome to attend and take part in this timely conversation about strengthening wildfire resilience in a changing climate.