Candace Vanin, P.Ag, Regional Land Use Analyst Land Use Decision Support Unit Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Candace is a Regional Land Use Analyst with the Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration (P.F.R.A.), of Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada.  Candace works with the Land Use Decision Support Unit, of the Ag-Information Directorate of PFRA at Edmonton .  Her work involves provision of technical expertise on land use issues impacting agricultural landscapes across Canada .

Candace was raised on a mixed farm near Indus , Alberta (southeast of Calgary ). She completed her Bachelor of Science in Agriculture degree from the University of Saskatchewan in 1983.

Candace has worked with the P.F.R.A. since 1995, in various capacities ranging from technical specialist, to management, to policy and program development; and has contributed to numerous prairie-based and national agri-environmental programs and initiatives.  Prior to coming to PFRA, she worked with the provincial government of Saskatchewan in agricultural extension, and co-managed a family farming operation involving over 4500 acres of crops, grazing lands and a 120 head cow-calf operation in the headwaters of the Assiniboine River .  She possesses 20 years of professional experience in integrated land use planning, land and water resource conservation, GIS analysis, community-based watershed planning, and multi-sector, multi-disciplinary initiatives.

Candace’s involvement from 2000-03 as Co-chair of the Land Use Core Action Team (LUCAT), an Alberta-wide, multi-sector stakeholder group tasked with developing a “Provincial Land Use Strategy Framework for Alberta”, subsequently formed much of the groundwork for the current Land Use Framework initiative in Alberta.  Past and current projects include: Upper Assiniboine River Basin Study, Beaver Hills Initiative, North Saskatchewan Watershed Alliance, Cold-Lake Beaver River Basin Advisory Council, Lakeland County/Lac la Biche Watershed projects.

Candace has a son & a daughter, ages 17 & 19, and together they enjoy sports and travel.

Download Jim Hiley and Candace Vanin's presentation, "A Primer on Food System Planning in Canada" by clicking here.