Top 10 After 10: Erin O’Neill

Erin graduated from Bishop’s with a B.A. Honours Geography, Major in History, and Minor in Education in 2005. She also holds a Master in Rural Planning and         Development from the University of Guelph.

Upon completion of her master’s degree, she made the move from Ontario to Fort McMurray, Alberta, where she was given the opportunity to help build and shape that  community.

In her roles as Chief of Planning and then Operations Manager, she led the Recovery Task Force for Fort McMurray during the wildfire of 2016. She was responsible for the  re-entry of 90,000 people to their homes, helping the community rebuild and recover. Her contributions to this enormous undertaking led to her role with the Government of Alberta, doing natural disaster recovery on a provincial scale. In 2020, when the pandemic struck, her focus shifted to the COVID Emergency Operations Centre.

Erin believes in investing in her community and dedicating her time and abilities to the public she serves. She became President of the Alberta Professional Planners Institute, the face of the planning profession within Alberta, Northwest Territories and Nunavut to serve the public’s interest by providing regulation, advocacy, promotion, and services for its members.

She credits her success to her time at Bishop’s University. “It sometimes feels surreal that I have been given the opportunities that I have. I am truly honoured to be able to help build communities and help them recover following disasters.”