TheSmartCity.Blog Podcast’s Next Guest is Chris Rickett of MPAC

We are pleased to announce that Chris Rickett, Director of Municipal & Stakeholder Relations for MPAC, will be the next guest speaker on TheSmartCity.Blog podcast on March 3, 2021, and will discuss how Covid-19 has impacted urban living and how smart city innovations can drive a path forwards.

Chris is a proud public servant and civic innovator interested in urban planning, economic development, technology, municipal infrastructure, and political economy.

His past vocations include municipal councillor, economic development professional, environmental planner, eco-business zone creator, publisher, magician, punk rock concert promoter, taxi driver, and community rabble-rouser.

Having worked in several economic development roles, including for the City of Toronto, York Region and the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, Chris has launched and implemented many regional economic development initiatives, including Digital Main Street, Partners in Project Green, and StartUp HERE Toronto, as well as attracted North America’s fastest-growing technology festival, Collision, to Toronto.

At the start of the pandemic, Chris seconded from the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) to the City of Toronto, where he led the City’s economic response to COVID-19. As the City’s Director of COVID-19 Business Mitigation and Recovery, he rapidly developed and launched support programs for businesses in Toronto and across Ontario and Canada.

Chris recently returned to his role as the Director of Municipal and Stakeholder Relations at MPAC, where he leads a dedicated team of public servants focused on helping Ontario municipalities manage their property tax assessment base to fund the critical services residents and businesses rely upon.

Chris holds a Bachelor of Environmental Studies with Honours in Planning from the University of Waterloo and a Masters in Public Administration from the University of Western Ontario, both of which he completed while serving as a municipal councillor in the City of Stratford, Ontario.