Brownie Awards 2024: Judy Lam is Brownfielder of the Year

On November 18th, industry and government leaders involved in the redevelopment and revitalization of brownfield properties will be celebrated at the 25th Annual Brownie Awards, presented by Actual Media Inc. in collaboration with the Canadian Brownfields Network (CBN). The awards gala will be held at the Delta Hotel by Marriott in downtown Toronto.

The Brownie Awards provide annual recognition of brownfield projects, policies, and innovators across the country that are dedicated to the rehabilitation of sites that were once contaminated or underutilized. These properties contribute to the resilient growth of healthy cities and vibrant communities.

This year, the Brownie Awards boasted a remarkable diversity of nominations for the various award categories headed into the silver anniversary celebration.

The prestigious Brownfielder of the Year Award (BOTY) honours an outstanding individual in the industry who has made a mark. In this case, the BOTY has dug in her heels and overcome roadblocks to environmental remediation and urban revitalization.

Currently serving as manager of Commercial Districts and Small Business in the City of Hamilton, Judy Lam has almost 35 years of experience working in economic development, infrastructure lending, business loans and leasing, and government administration industry. Her combination of public and private sector experience in lending, interwound with her economic development knowledge, uniquely qualifies her to undertake and drive development projects. For over a decade, she has focused her efforts on the revitalization of brownfield sites, specifically in the City of Hamilton.

Lam is a long-standing champion of economic development through community revitalization, and has advocated for and prioritized the remediation and redevelopment of brownfields as a key pillar of supporting Hamilton’s economic growth for over a decade.

In her time at the City of Hamilton, she has been an administrator of the city’s Environmental Remediation and Site Enhancement (ERASE) financial incentive programs. Through this work, she has directly helped property owners and developers navigate the financial and municipal hurdles to development, and successfully supported the remediation and redevelopment of brownfield sites. Her contributions have thus facilitated unlocking the redevelopment potential of numerous brownfield sites in Hamilton, resulting in long-dormant brownfields becoming home to new residents and businesses. These revitalized sites have also generated new assessment and property tax uplifts for the city.

For over a decade, Judy Lam has focused her efforts on the revitalization of brownfield sites, specifically in the City of Hamilton.

In 2018, Lam played an integral role in overseeing the city’s comprehensive review of the ERASE programs. This effort ultimately led to the expansion of the availability and scope of assistance under the ERASE programs, enabling the revitalization of even more brownfield sites.

In her current role as manager of Commercial Districts and Small Business, Lam has continued to show her commitment and passion for brownfield redevelopment by advocating for city efforts to support environmental remediation and redevelopment of properties in key commercial districts — and by providing the resources and supports needed to her staff to ensure the ERASE programs continue to be one of the most successful and results driven municipal programs in the country.

Beyond Lam’s direct engagement in the advancement of brownfields programs and redevelopment with the city, she serves as a mentor and role-model to other professionals in the brownfields arena, transferring her knowledge and sharing lessons learned through speaking engagements at various conferences, and helping to ensure brownfields have the best chance of becoming sources of pride and accomplishment in other cities.

She has also been a long-time supporter of the CBN and its work in bringing the importance of brownfield redevelopment to the attention of the public and decisions makers in the urban planning and development space. She co-chairs the CBN Government Relations Committee, serves as a member of the CBN Development Committee and, most recently, became a CBN board member.

Lam — who holds a Masters of Business Administration and Bachelor of Commerce Honours degree from Dalhousie University and is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) — has consistently demonstrated her support and dedication to both brownfield redevelopment and the people associated with it, and is greatly respected by her peers and many other brownfield redevelopment stakeholders.

For further information on Judy Lam, click here.