We want to help you drive positive community change, rather than wait around for it. That’s why we’re in business - to be a partner in community building. Our team combines expertise in GIS, community engagement, local planning, and sustainability transitions. We are a relentlessly collaborative and solutions-oriented team.

During his time at Ontario’s Ministry of Energy and Mines (MEM) from 2021-2026, Kirby led policy initiatives that supported the largest expansion of Ontario’s electricity transmission system in recent history, and advanced several of Ontario’s most significant regulatory modernization initiatives in electricity system planning and grid expansion, including:

1/ Policies to support new large load customers, including targeted regulatory exemptions and streamlining to customer grid connection projects, new regulatory pathways to modernize grid connection cost allocation rules, and early drafting of Ontario’s grid connection framework for Data Centers.

2/ Directives to the system planning agency (IESO) and regulator (OEB) to facilitate more anticipatory and inclusive electricity system planning processes.

3/ Launching Ontario’s first IESO-led competitive procurement of a major transmission project (the Toronto Third Line), a key precedent for the future of competitive procurement across Ontario’s transmission sector.

Prior to his time in the transmission sector at MEM, he enjoyed an accomplished academic career at The Pennsylvania State University (2013-2015) and the University of Guelph (2015-2021). Throughout this time, he led consulting engagements with Municipalities across Canada on the development of local energy plans, including how to integrate energy projects and planning considerations into established levers that guide community development such as official plans, by-laws, development charges, and stakeholder engagement processes.

He also co-founded, and served as the Academic Director of, the Community Energy Knowledge and Action Partnership (CEKAP); a national partnership of universities and non-academic partners that facilitated research and knowledge diffusion around best practices related to community energy planning and implementation. In recognition of the impact of his research, he received an Early Researcher Award from the Province of Ontario (2018) and a Research Excellence Award from the University of Guelph (2019).

Kirby currently splits his time between the greater Toronto area and the greater Boston area and has regrettably begun to open himself up to the idea of cheering for Boston-area sports teams.  

Rebecca received her master’s degree from the Department of Geography at the University of Guelph in 2019 where she developed novel methods for inclusive spatial planning, building core concepts and techniques in participatory mapping, which are integrated into Co-Mapping's processes today.

Before co-founding Co-Mapping, Rebecca served as a research associate at the University of Guelph, coordinating a large externally funded project that involved mapping and engagement in five municipalities across Canada. She received a Certificate in Public Participation from the International Association of Public Participation and is currently working toward becoming a fully Certified Public Participation Professional (CP3).

Phil received his master’s degree from the Department of Geography at the University of Guelph.

During his time as a graduate student he developed novel methods for renewable energy resource assessments. This work became the basis of an academic publication .

From 2019-2020, Phil served as a research assistant at the University of Guelph, providing technical support on large projects. Phil has experience developing cartographic models in ArcGIS and other open-source GIS, as well as experience developing interactive web maps.

In his role as Coordinator of Community Mapping and Spatial Analysis, Phil chooses technologies and designs workflows for data processing that fit the research and mapping needs of our clients.