Thoren Hudyma

Print This Page

Meet Thoren Hudyma, BC Hydro's new director of Public Consultation & Stakeholder Engagement

Thoren Hudyma joins BC Hydro as the director of the newly expanded Public Consultation and Stakeholder Engagement group. For the past three years Thoren led the Public Affairs team at the BC Transmission Corporation (BCTC) where she was responsible for building the public consultation program on not only transmission capital projects, but on initiatives related to long-term transmission planning. Thoren's team at BCTC was also involved in a range of stakeholder outreach activities, municipal relations, and public communications.

Before joining BCTC, Thoren has held positions throughout government, private sector, and not-for-profit. She has worked both in-house and as a consultant in a number of sectors including energy and resources, health care, education, Aboriginal relations, and advocacy.

Tell me about your new role at BC Hydro.
First, I would like to say how much I am looking forward to working with the BC Hydro Stakeholder Relations team at this very exciting time. The recent Clean Energy Act presents a wide range of new opportunities for us to work together in a number of public consultation activities and discussions. I would also like to thank Nicole Young and her team for the excellent work they have undertaken and will continue to do, with a particular focus on their engagement with the Energy Conservation and Efficiency Advisory Committee (EC&E) Committee. I know that I can speak for the whole team coming over from BCTC that we look forward to working closely with Nicole and her team.

In my new role, I will work with the team to implement a range of public consultation activities on not only our major capital projects, but on a range of initiatives that will help us to provide the clean energy required to meet our growing demands in British Columbia. While we will continue to conserve and look for ways to increase our electricity efficiency, the system is aging and will require some new builds in order to ensure the reliable delivery we all expect. It is critical that as B.C.'s electrical utility, we understand that while new infrastructure is necessary, it is critical that we work with communities in order to find the most effective solutions.

I will also be looking for new opportunities to build upon and expand the well-established public consultation function at BC Hydro. I know already that there are dedicated professionals here throughout the company that are committed to engaging with B.C. communities, our stakeholders, and First Nations as we move forward in implementing B.C.'s Clean Energy Act. I look forward to these opportunities to work closely with my peers at BC Hydro and also in meeting those of you that have been involved or wish to be involved in our consultation and engagement activities.

What are you most looking forward to in this new role?
Simply put, I believe that public consultation and engagement is one of the most valuable activities that any organization with a public interface should undertake. Only by listening to a broad range of ideas, concerns and solutions can we come to workable, effective, and lasting policies and programs. BC Hydro has a long history of engaging its stakeholders and I'm pleased to join that tradition. There are a number of ways we can engage and work together and I look forward to our team expanding the public engagement function.

Who else from BCTC will be joining the BC Hydro Public Consultation and Stakeholder Engagement team?
The team that comes with me from BCTC will likely not be strangers to a number of you as they have worked in consultation, stakeholder outreach and municipal relations not just at BCTC, but in previous roles. My colleagues Donna McGeachie, Lesley Wood, Judy Dobrowolski and Sharon Wasylik are bringing their expertise on project consultation and long-term planning and they are looking forward to the new challenges the integration will bring. They join existing team members Nicole Young, Mary Anne Coules, Angie Natingor who have done great work over the past several years. In addition, we welcome another veteran, Rochelle van Halm who joins us from BC Hydro's Community Relations team. Combined, I assure you that this team has a wealth of professional experience and dedication.

What kind of changes can our stakeholders expect over the coming months?
We're going to see an even greater scope of projects and issues that our group will be managing. As I mentioned, we will be working on initiatives with our colleagues throughout BC Hydro on consultation to support the Clean Energy Act and we will also be undertaking consultation on a wider range of capital projects – both generation and transmission projects already underway.

A major benefit is that we have a bigger, stronger team to work with you as well as a new focus on finding new opportunities to engage with our large number of stakeholders on consultation. The upcoming Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), outlined in the Clean Energy Act, is a great example of this and already through working with my colleague Kenna Hoskins, who will be leading the consultation on this initiative, I can see the many opportunities here for input. This process will be the key to developing a long-term energy resource plan for the future that meets the needs of British Columbians. This is just one initiative that we will be talking with you more about in the following months and we look forward to every opportunity we have to connect.