Nathan Hellinga

Background

About Nathan Hellinga

I am an environmental scientist with over 15 years of work experience in a variety of sectors. I currently lead a team of specialists including construction Environmental Managers for large transit projects and Permitting, Licenses Approvals and Agreements (PLAA) specialists working on transit, energy and mining projects. I have a B.Sc. in Physics which I mainly use to prove I have problem solving skills, and as an example of how to pivot career paths since it was during electives taken in my undergraduate degree that I found my passion for the environment, and specifically ecological restoration. To realize my goal of getting a job working in the environmental field, I took a postgraduate degree in Ecosystem Restoration from Niagara College. Upon graduation I took a job with Greene County Soil and Water Conservation District in New York state where I worked for nearly four years as a member of their stream restoration team. I left New York to take a job in Environmental Consulting and return to my native province of Ontario. I've been with Amec, Amec Foster Wheeler, Wood, and now WSP since that time. Throughout my 12+ year consulting career I have supported large, interdisciplinary projects during design and construction phases. I have managed projects at a variety of scales and budgets and provided technical expertise on habitat restoration focusing on the design of fisheries compensation. I have experience working in the oil and gas, infrastructure, mining, and government sectors. I love solving problems, hearing about ecological restoration projects (personal or business-related) and working to responsibly implement development activities.