About The Hub

Our Vision

Investment in nature grows and aligns with the value and benefits nature creates for communities, cultures and economies–today and for future generations.

Our Mission

The Hub is driving a fivefold increase in investments in nature with public, private, philanthropic, and Indigenous leaders. Together we will scale nature-positive activities across the country that support solutions for biodiversity and climate.

Role of the Nature Investment Hub

Fostering Awareness and Learning

The Hub’s main communication tool is an online platform. We will use it to share resources about conservation finance and information about the work of our partner organizations
Hub-initiated tools and guidance will promote a broad understanding of the conservation finance landscape, including how to apply different approaches across jurisdictions and ecosystems in Canada
Through the Hub’s coordinated efforts, our partners can inform policymakers on barriers to investing in nature, and the opportunities and policy solutions to stimulate more public and private investment in nature in Canada

Building the Will and Capacity to Act

By featuring case examples, clarifying credible project features, and articulating the current Canadian policy landscape, the Hub can help investors identify opportunities to invest in nature.
By sharing knowledge and providing thought leadership, the Hub can support its Partners and initiative leaders to determine when to apply conservation finance instruments and how to design initiatives to attract new types of investment
By providing a venue for dialogue and action through webinars, working groups, policy initiatives, and targeted projects, the Hub will promote new creative partnerships between investors, landowners, stewards, and other key stakeholders

Supporting Action and Investment

The Hub’s online platform and activities will share partner organization initiatives to raise their profiles and potentially attract investments to them
By understanding goals and the constraints of governments and the private sector, we can identify opportunities to use public funding to further leverage private investment
By providing space for collaboration and priority-setting among Partners, we will develop and drive forward a new conservation finance agenda in Canada

Our Values

We ask any participant of the Hub to uphold the values that underpin the initiative:

Recognition and Commitment to Indigenous Rights and Stewardship: Participants acknowledge the inherent rights of Indigenous Peoples to their ancestral lands and connections with nature, as well as their role in conservation; prioritizing and actively supporting Indigenous-led conservation and stewardship initiatives
Collaborative:Participants engage in respectful and collaborative dialogue with other participants; sharing information and knowledge and recognizing and valuing others’ diverse perspectives and expertise
Authentic: Participants’ actions align with the vision, mission, and values of the Hub; recognizing the importance of genuine and meaningful action to make progress in the issue space
Innovative: Participants embrace innovation and creativity, and seek to challenge the status quo and explore new solutions
Supportive: Participants desire to fill gaps and address unmet needs within the conservation finance landscape in Canada, as identified by the Hub and its Partners
Equitable and inclusive: Participants treat other participants equally and fairly (regardless of an organization’s capacity or influence) and work towards inclusive and equitable solutions that benefit all of society
Continuous learning and improvement: Participants are open to learning and continuously improving their own practices and contributing to the improvement of others’

Our People

Courtney Kehoe

Managing Director, Nature Investment Hub

Courtney Kehoe is an executive leader focussed on critical sustainability issues. She is the Managing Director of the Nature Investment Hub. Courtney honed her Environmental, Social, and Governance expertise in six years as a Consultant at Stratos Inc. As a fourth generation lobster fisher in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Courtney understands firsthand the complex interplay between environmental stewardship, economic sustainability, and cultural connections to nature. Courtney has a Masters of Science in Environmental Sustainability.

Paige Olmsted

Conservation Finance Specialist Nature Investment Hub

Paige Olmsted is an environmental scientist leading research on conservation finance in Canada. Paige is the Program Director of Nature-Based Solutions at the Smart Prosperity Institute and the Conservation Finance Specialist at the Nature Investment Hub. Paige’s research focuses on how we account for, make decisions about, and value nature. Paige has an MPA in Environmental Science and Policy from Columbia University, and a PhD in Environmental Science from the University of British Columbia.

Alice Irene Whittaker

Communications Lead, Nature Investment Hub

Alice Irene Whittaker is a communications leader with a focus on storytelling related to the environment and gender equity. She served as Executive Director of Ecology Ottawa from 2022-24. Prior to that, she dedicated 4 years as the Director of Public Relations & Communications at SPI. Previously, she was the Director of Public Relations at Plan International Canada, a Communications Consultant for CPWCH, and Associate Director of Communications at WE Charity. Alice Irene co-founded, and was Executive Director of, Mother Nature Partnership. Her debut book is coming Fall 2024.