Mr. Bill Holden graduated from the University of Saskatchewan with Honours in the Regional and Urban Development Program in 1983. After time in the Uof S graduate studies program and starting a market research company, Mr. Holden started working for the City of Saskatoon as Planner in 1987.

As a Planner, Mr. Holden has been involved in policy development through the City of Saskatoon’s Development Plan. This included being an integral part of Plan Saskatoon, a public process leading to the renewal of the City Development Plan and Zoning Bylaw, leading policy development for the Environmental Industrial Park classification and leading the Local Area Plan Process.

Mr. Holden is currently a Senior Planner with the City of Saskatoon Community Services Department, Planning and Development Branch where he manages the Mapping and Research Group. This unit is responsible for developing and reporting information relevant to land use and community development. This entails publishing the Neighbourhood Profiles, GIS, mapping, statistical analysis and monitoring programs for community quality of life and strategic planning. He sits as a member of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities Quality of Life Reporting System technical team which has developed a quality of life indicator and reporting system for 22 major Canadian municipalities and encompasses about 80% of the Canadian population.

As a founding member of the intersectoral group that established CUISR, Mr. Holden is committed to the collaboration of university knowledge, community experience and energy, and the decision-making and investment power of local government agencies. This commitment has been expressed first as the Co-Director of CUISR’s Quality of Life Module and now as the Community Co-Director of CUISR. In this role Mr. Holden has focused on developing and managing community partnerships, developing original research, and supporting local decision-makers and organizations with the goal of better public policy and community outcomes.