ABOUT

  • Full-time Project Manager and Volunteer Co-ordinator at the Friends of Allan Gardens.

  • Part-time designer and constructor of small, ecologically rich urban gardens.

  • Master of Landscape Architecture 2022 Graduate, University of Guelph.

  • Professional and research intentions: Living with, not against the Earth’s natural rhythms, and taking the time to observe and understand a place before intervening.

RESUME

Contact

Phone: +1 (647) 332 1331

Email: mattcanaran@gmail.com

Education

University of Guelph, Master of Landscape Architecture. Class of 2022.

University of Waterloo, Bachelor of Environmental Studies. Class of 2014.

McGill University, Visiting Student, Department of Geography, 2011.

George Brown College, working towards the Garden Design Certificate in conjunction with Toronto Botanical Gardens.

Skills & Tools

Graphics & Infographics (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign)

Drafting & 3D Rendering (Rhino, AutoCAD, SketchUp)

Cartography (GIS)

Landscape Construction & Project Management

Communication & Stakeholder Engagement

Billing & Invoicing (Quickbooks)

Professional Experience

2022-Present

Project Manager and Volunteer Co-ordinator at The Friends of Allan Gardens, Toronto

  • Organize programming opportunities animate Allan Gardens through public events such as tree tours, plant sales, gardening, and horticulture-based workshops.

  • Plan and facilitate community engagement sessions to ensure park programming resonates with the local community, and reflects the wider diversity of the city.

  • Co-ordinate a team of over 300 volunteers to participate in community events.

  • Document and share the board’s strategic vision for the Friends group with senior stakeholders including the City of Toronto, and fundraisers.

2019-Present

Founder & Lead Designer at Can Bros, Toronto

My brother, Sean and I run a garden design and construction business. Our ethos includes designing for biodiversity, encouraging the reuse of materials, and support local producers and suppliers whenever possible. We have residential, commercial, and institutional clients in Toronto and surrounding areas. Please find photographs of our garden design and construction work here.

  • Collaborate with property owners and stakeholders to design gardens to meet their functional and aesthetic requirements.

  • Create plan, perspective, and section diagrams both by hand, and digitally to illustrate designs.

  • Install and maintain gardens to ensure their long-term integrity.

2016-2019

User Experience Manager at Liquid Analytics, Toronto -

  • Designed context-aware mobile apps that helped travelling sales people with route optimization and order placement.

  • Oversaw the development, deployment, and adoption of mobile applications and AI solutions. 

  • Set customer expectations during the lifecycle of a project, including keeping senior stakeholders involved for their continued support of deliverables. 

  • Managed developers and testers to ensure our solutions are built to specifications, are responsive, and easy to use. 

  • Participated in business planning and strategy sessions with CEO.

2014-2016

Research Analyst at Metrolinx, Toronto

  • Designed and implemented a demand-responsive shuttle pilot project to connect people between their homes and GO Transit stations. The project assessed the extent to which a demand-responsive shuttle could reduce the need to expand the parking supply at stations.

  • Evaluated the performance of different transit interventions including new stations and a bike-share expansion, and recommended the options that had the highest return on investment and economic benefit.

  • Worked collaboratively with different departments such as rail operations to determine the feasibility and potential costs for transit proposals.

Achievements

  • Awarded the Landscape Architecture Canada Foundation (LACF) Regional Scholarship in 2022

  • Awarded the Ontario Graduate Scholarship for 2019-2022

  • Guided the implementation of my undergrad thesis as a demand-responsive transit pilot project in Milton, ON

  • Published op-ed in the Toronto Star, maps on BlogTO

  • PADI-certified scuba diver

  • Blackbelt in karate