Noel Keough

Gets Things Done

Co-founder of two not-for-profits: Sustainable Calgary Society and Civic Camp Calgary. Since 1996 Noel has worked as lead researcher or consultant on five ‘State of Our City’ community sustainability indicator reports for Sustainable Calgary Society and the 2005 Citizens Policy Agenda for Calgary as well as indicator projects for Banff, Alberta.

Local Policy Experience

Noel served on the environmental working group of the imagineCalgary 100 year vision exercise and was a citizen-representative to the Municipal Development Plan and Calgary Transportation Plan processes. More recently Noel has consulted with City of Calgary Office of Sustainability on the design of a tool for improving the effectiveness of indicator reporting for municipal policy-makers.

In 2013-14 Noel served on the Mayor’s Advisory Panel for the Calgary Economic Development Strategic Plan. For the past 12 years he has served in various capacities on volunteer committees of the United Way of Calgary and Area. (read Noel’s views on Economic Development)

National Policy Experience

Noel worked with Statistics Canada, Health Canada, and academics and Not-for-Profits across the country as a member of the Canadian Index of Well-being National Advisory Group. Noel also represented Calgary on the national working group of the Canadian Council for International Cooperation in preparation for the 1992 Rio Earth Summit – working closely with Environment Canada and CIDA. Noel was a consultant to the Canadian International Development Agency program evaluation for its Global Climate Change Development Program, visiting Canadian funded projects throughout Latin America as part of that process.

20 Years Small Business Experience

Noel is Board Chairperson for Plan Net Ltd., a small Calgary-based international development planning consultancy located in Kensington. He has worked on development projects, international collaborations and development project evaluations in Central and South America, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Thailand, Nepal and The Philippines.

Researcher on Issues Critical to our National Debate

Noel’s research interests include community sustainability indicators; affordable living; sustainable and low carbon cities and the social economy. His most recent projects focus on the transition of inner city industrial lands, the role of cooperatives and social enterprise in building a sustainable economy; Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation funded research on Affordable Living in Calgary and Active Neighbourhoods Canada – a collaboration with Montreal and Toronto working with neighbourhoods to improve active transportation and safety.

Recognition

In 2005 was honoured with an Alberta Centennial Medal in recognition of outstanding service to the people and province of Alberta and in 2009 received the Jim Gray Safer Calgary award for contributions to making Calgary a Safer City.