President

rob@thisisfirstlake.ca
613-720-5726

Rob was born and raised in Nova Scotia where he began his career advocating for post-secondary students while serving on the Student Union at Dalhousie University. His post-secondary advocacy experience brought him to Ottawa where he successfully led government relations efforts for the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA). During that time he advanced human resources and skills development policy, led intellectual property and research policy reforms, and built a strong network in Ottawa’s political community. While working for CASA, Rob earned his Masters Degree from the Clayton H. Riddell Graduate Program in Political Management at Carleton University. Rob followed up that experience by working with some of Canada’s most effective advocates working at the Federation of Canadian Municipalities where he had the opportunity to work on housing policy development, infrastructure and public safety issues including policing and cannabis prior to recreational legalization. He went on to work at a leading national public affairs firm where he eventually became Vice President, having delivered billions of dollars in investments to client sectors, significant provincial and national legislative victories, and major regulatory reforms in sectors as diverse as health, construction, retail and supply chains, and skills development.

Rob takes pride in maintaining a strong political network across party lines and is committed to helping his clients align their objectives with the goals of government to achieve results. He is also a trailblazer in digital campaigns, having delivered social media campaigns as early as 2009 to leverage large networks of supporters. In 2017 he was an international finalist for PR News Magazine’s award for the year’s Best New Digital Tool for Push Politics, which he also co-founded.

Maia Lugar

Senior Manager, Advocacy

Maia Lugar is the Senior Manager, Advocacy on First Lake’s government relations team. Maia has developed engagement plans for our clients; secured MP, Senator and Ministerial participation in client events and meetings on Parliament Hill; organized multi-stakeholder events; and delivered a variety of written works, including pre-budget submissions, election engagement plans, and policy briefs.

Before joining First Lake, she worked on research in the field of Indigenous governance and federal-territorial-band council relations. She has been heavily involved in student politics at both Bishop’s University and Carleton University. Maia translated that passion for politics into multi-partisan campaign work on several provincial campaigns in Ontario and her home province of Nova Scotia. She has also served as a Communications Manager for an Electoral District Association in her community.

Maia has worked on a variety of files, with extensive experience in the areas of infrastructure, skilled trades, Indigenous-government relationships, healthcare, and skills development/training. She has experience developing advocacy and outreach strategies and is adept establishing ties between governments and stakeholder groups.

Maia holds a Masters degree from the Clayton H. Riddell Graduate Program in Political Management at Carleton University. Maia is fluently bilingual in English and French.

Kyle Power

Senior Manager, Regulatory Affairs and Legal Counsel

Kyle Power is a seasoned legal professional with extensive experience providing strategic counsel, managing complex regulatory and litigation files, and providing effective advocacy at all levels. He has held leadership roles in both the corporate and nonprofit sectors, giving him a broad understanding of the regulatory and political landscape in Canada and in jurisdictions throughout North America.

Kyle has spent the bulk of his career providing legal counsel in the transportation, logistics, and industrial sectors. Kyle understands the needs of private-sector clients, particularly in the industrial, petrochemical, and grocery sectors. His previous work was especially focused on the Transportation of Dangerous Goods (TDG), cross-border trade issues, as well as 24/7 emergency response and environmental remediation. His work in the private sector allowed him to develop a deep understanding of North American regulatory landscapes, which gives him the ability to distill complex legal and political information into actionable insights for clients.

Prior to his legal career, Kyle served as Executive Director and Chair of Students Nova Scotia, representing the membership to government, opposition, community stakeholders, and university administrators. Kyle holds a JD from the Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University and a BA (Honours) from Acadia University. At Acadia, Kyle served as Vice President Academic on the Acadia Students Union, and more recently served on the Board of the Acadia Alumni Association.

Kyle grew up in playing hockey and volunteering on campaigns in his native Pictou County Nova Scotia, and remains involved in his home community, serving as Secretary & Treasurer of Summer Street Industries which supports individuals with intellectual disabilities.

Zoie Sutherland

Senior Manager, Research and Policy

Born and raised in Calgary, Alberta, Zoie received her Bachelor of Global and International Studies, specializing in Global Politics from Carleton University, where she also obtained a Masters of Political Management. Her education led her to work in both the public sector and the non-profit sphere, focusing on internationally oriented work. Zoie’s experience in research for government departments and stakeholder groups prepared her for this role at First Lake.

Zoie specializes in reviewing legislation and regulations and monitoring news from departments, cabinet ministers, and parties. Zoie is a talented writer with a strong background in creating content on current policy matters.

At First Lake, Zoie leads a variety of files, which include health, professional services, and municipal and provincial infrastructure mandates. She drafts effective policy proposals and submissions to the federal government, including budget recommendations. As part of her work with stakeholders, she has helped create comprehensive policy books for advocacy and participated in successful public awareness campaigns for her clients. Zoie is also

Zoie is fluently bilingual in French and English and is an active member of the Ottawa Dance Collective.

Lydia Houck

Senior Advisor

Lydia is an experienced policy professional and advocate who has held leadership roles across the public and non-profit sectors.  

Lydia recently returned to First Lake after serving as Policy Advisor to Canada’s Minister of Housing, Infrastructure, and Communities. In this role, she contributed to the development and implementation of supply-focused measures within Canada’s Housing Plan. She also built and maintained relationships with other levels of government and key stakeholders across the housing and infrastructure sectors, driving consensus on program design and supporting the negotiation of bilateral funding agreements. 

As Executive Director of Students Nova Scotia, Lydia built strong relationships with senior decision-makers across party lines, successfully advocating for a $15,000 increase to Repayment Assistance Program thresholds, expanded health insurance eligibility for international students, and an additional $15 million in non-repayable student grants. Under her leadership, organizational membership grew by 25%. 

While pursuing a Master’s of Political Management at Carleton University, Lydia worked as an Associate at First Lake Solutions, where she supported clients in federal, provincial, and municipal advocacy efforts across sectors including housing, education, and training. Prior to her time at Carleton she studied at Acadia University in her home province of Nova Scotia. While there, she served as Vice President Academic & External for the Acadia Students’ Union where she played a key role in advocating for over $9 billion in federal and provincial investments for students during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Kolbi Morley

Senior Digital Marketing Consultant

Kolbi Morley is a brand marketing and content expert who takes a results-driven approach to growing client audiences and building communities that transfer from online to the real world.

She began her career in digital marketing on a high note as the Gold Medal recipient of the Post-Graduate Digital Marketing Diploma program at NSCC. She is an expert in digital brand growth, specializing in YouTube, short-form video, and social media strategy to drive audience engagement and business success. She has a proven track record of success, including growing YouTube channels from 0 to 50,000+ subscribers in under 6 months, with 20 million+ views. She has scaled Instagram accounts five-fold from 50,000 to 250,000+ followers through strategic content and audience engagement. She has built a brand’s digital presence from 0 to 48,000 YouTube subscribers and 0 to 50,000 Instagram followers in 6 months, and in just two months she helped a client increase their channel views by over 100%.

Kolbi does important work to analyze how strategies and content plans can be more responsive. She regularly adjusts content strategies to increase channel engagement rates and increase revenues for organizations using YouTube as a sales platform. She has successfully scaled small businesses through strategic Google Ads and Meta Ads campaigns, driving increased conversions and revenue growth. Her work consistently outperforms industry benchmarks while helping organizations reach targeted audiences efficiently.

Her focus is on developing cost-effective ad strategies that maximize return on investment and lower customer and supporter acquisition costs in campaigns. She sees through the data to understand audience preferences and constantly calibrates client posts and advertisements to generate engagement.

Kolbi is well-traveled, having visited over 30 countries. Early in her career she worked as a manager in the hospitality industry. She led a team honoured with the distinction of being named number 9 on Canada’s Best 100 Restaurants list in a challenging, competitive culinary landscape.

Sophia Stacey

Manager, Public Affairs

Sophia is from Medicine Hat, Alberta, Treaty 7 territory, and she speaks French as a second language. She holds a Bachelor's degree with a double major in Clinical Psychology and Political Studies from Bishop’s University, and a Master's degree from the Clayton H. Riddell Graduate Program in Political Management at Carleton University.

Sophia’s passion for advocacy comes from her background in gender equity work and sexual and gender-based violence prevention. She has facilitated peer support groups, interned at a sexual violence centre, advised on mental health and harassment policy, and led the creation of on-campus violence prevention measures.    

Sophia served as President of Bishop’s student union, where she sat on the University’s Board of Governors, and the Quebec Student Union’s Board of Directors. She led the advocacy to reverse the Quebec government’s proposal to double tuition for out-of-province students, securing an exemption for Bishop’s University. She has been a media spokesperson, led press conferences in both official languages, and co-authored the most widely signed petition in Quebec in 2023. Sophia’s writing has been published in the Montreal Gazette, La Presse and the Globe and Mail.

Since joining First Lake, Sophia has worked on a variety of files in infrastructure, cross-border trade, healthcare and Indigenous-government relations. Sophia is a leading advocate for the steel sector in its efforts to respond to ongoing tariff pressure from the United States. She excels at event planning, with experience coordinating 500-person events featuring political speakers, and has a knack for establishing meaningful relationships.

When Sophia is not engaged in advocacy, you’re likely to find her in the kitchen, reading with her cat, or adventuring with her puppy in the trails and on the water.

Rose Grant

Advocacy and Research Analyst

Rose Grant is originally from Fredericton, New Brunswick. She holds a Joint Honours in Political Science and History from the University of New Brunswick (UNB). At UNB, she served two terms as Vice President of Research and Policy for the UNB Student Union (UNBSU). Within this role, she organized UNBSU's first independent advocacy week and created opportunities for students to engage directly with elected officials across all three levels of government. 

Rose was elected Director of Policy for the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA). In this role, she chaired CASA's federal policy committee, developed CASA's policy positions, and co-authored policy papers on topics ranging from housing affordability to post-secondary education copyright policy. Prior to becoming Director of Policy, she won the ‘Most Valuable Player’ award, which was voted on by the CASA membership. 

Rose is a master’s candidate in Political Science in the Development Studies Option at McGill University. At McGill, she is a teaching assistant for upper-level international development courses and is a fellow with the Groupe de Recherche sur les Conditions Modernes des Réfugiés (GRCMR). 

In her free time, she enjoys travelling, reading and listening to audiobooks, experimenting with new recipes, and exploring Montreal’s vibrant food scene. 

Miya Taylor

Executive Assistant

Miya serves as the executive assistant to the First Lake Solutions team, where she combines her love of organization, people, and problem-solving to assist with the day-to-day operations of the firm. Miya brings a background in political work on Parliament Hill and community-focused leadership to this role with the team.  

Miya holds a Bachelor of Arts from King’s University College at the University of Western Ontario, where her studies focused on political science and social justice and peace studies. She also holds a Masters degree from the Clayton H. Riddell Graduate Program in Political Management at Carleton University.  

Originally from Amherstburg, Ontario, she carries her Windsor-Essex roots proudly into her work. Her professional and volunteer work reflect her commitment to advocacy and civic engagement. She has contributed to municipal, provincial, and federal political campaigns in both her home province of Ontario and British Columbia, specializing in voter outreach and volunteer organizing, political communications, and media relations. 

Before joining First Lake Solutions, Miya served as a political staffer to a Member of Parliament, where she supported the member’s committee work, communications, and constituent engagement. In her volunteer work, she has spent a decade working with the Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership (HOBY) Western Ontario, planning and executing leadership seminars for youth across the region.  

In her free time, Miya enjoys travelling, reading, thrifting, and spending time with her loved ones. 

Luke Norrad

Graphic Design Lead

Luke is a graphic designer from Halifax, Nova Scotia with a unique focus on custom lettering and typography. He is a graduate of the fine arts program at NSCAD University.

In 2013 he opened an independent design studio to provide graphic design, custom lettering and illustration for a wide range of Canadian and international clients including restaurants, clothing brands, skateboard companies, museums and government agencies.

He has established himself as a branding specialist able to produce vintage-inspired solutions from scratch and has been sought after for his unique style and attention to detail in each project.

His consumer-facing branding work has led to numerous opportunities with public sector organizations looking to break the mould in their communications to appeal to younger audiences. That work has helped him build a portfolio that unlocked the vibrant identities of municipalities in the City of Toronto and brought new and engaged visitors to the National Capital Region in Ottawa/Gatineau.