Andrew McGregor

Senior Planner
“The environments around us shape the way we live our lives. Great planning has the ability to bring people together, elevate the human experience, and ensure the sustainability of our shared cultural heritage.”
Andrew McGregor

Bio

A Newfoundland native, Andrew has long loved the overflowing wilderness and natural beauty of the Atlantic Northeast, and spent a great deal of his childhood exploring its dense forests on camping trips with his dad. In the early 90s, Andrew watched the province’s dramatic transformation as northern cod fish stocks collapsed. The resulting impact on communities and economies instilled an early appreciation for the importance of historic preservation, and at a young age, Andrew knew his career would be in the realm of sustainability.

Andrew graduated from Memorial University of Newfoundland with a Bachelor Arts in physical anthropology and archaeology. There, he expanded his interest beyond the physical environment into the study of cultural heritage and its influence on how people inhabit their surroundings. After graduation, he had a brief stint in the hospitality industry before he decided to apply his skills to a whole new world, and eventually landed in Ontario, where he completed a post-graduate program in Environmental Assessment at Niagara College.

Andrew joined RVA as a senior planner and project manager in 2018. With over 22 years of experience in environmental assessments and approvals, he strives to bring the human element in the development of practical engineering solutions, with particular expertise in transportation and linear infrastructure projects. His background in archaeology and anthropology has been especially useful in his career, particularly when it comes to understanding how people interact and engage with their environments. For Andrew, time spent mediating and tailoring the public consultation process is invaluable, requiring a holistic mindset to maintain a balance between practicality and the human experience, and to ultimately make every place a unique expression of a community’s identity and values.

As a project manager, Andrew fosters lasting client relationships by listening closely to their needs and building strong cases for technically sound, yet context specific solutions and strategies. But most of all, he enjoys working closely with people to discover the little things that make their environment so special. Whether it’s the design of a complete street or the extension of a local road, Andrew immerses himself in the culture of the surrounding community to understand how they live, move, and work – and most importantly, what they need to thrive.

When he steps away from the office, you’ll find Andrew enjoying a good cup of coffee in the morning, experimenting with new recipes in the kitchen, and embarking on new adventures with his family – hoping to make each day a bit better than the last. His favourite holiday is Christmas, and he is a self-professed traditionalist when it comes to festivities. Bring on the twinkle lights, gingerbread houses, advent calendars, holiday mugs, gift-wrapping, and Christmas playlists!