Wes Regan is Vancouver Coastal Health's Team Lead for Population Health Policy and Projects. Since 2009 his work has spanned social policy, urban sustainability and community economic development in both government and the non-profit sector. Wes' career path began with an SFU Co-op placement in the Downtown Eastside at the multi-governmental agency Building Opportunities With Business. It was there that he worked with the team implementing the Vancouver Agreement DTES Economic Revitalization Strategy. This led to him becoming the incorporating Executive Director of Canada's first Social Innovation focused Business Improvement Association (Hastings Crossing BIA). From 2016 to 2019 he led the City of Vancouver's Community Economic Development (CED) work as the lead planner on the Downtown Eastside CED Strategy, the City of Vancouver's Community Benefits Agreement Policy, and the creation of the City's first Poverty Reduction Plan. At VCH Wes' focus is on knowledge translation and mobilization between academia, communities, industry and local government, in order to create high impact public policy addressing a range of challenges and opportunities in BC communities.  

Wes Regan graduated (With Distinction) from SFU with a BA in Geography and Certificate in Urban Studies, and continued on to complete his Certificate for CED Professionals and a Master of Urban Studies here. His graduate thesis examined the relationship between new mixed-use development along Vancouver's Main Street and retail diversity.

An instructor in SFU’s Community Economic Development Program and Faculty Member at Langara College in its Department of Geography and Geology, Wes' main geographical interests include Political and Urban Geography, Imagined Geographies/Geographical Imagination, bioregionalism, urban mega-regions, gentrification, territorialization and economic and public health geography.  His thoughts on urban affairs, economic development and local and national politics have appeared in the National Observer, Georgia Straight and the Vancouver Sun.

Wes lives in South Burnaby and enjoys cycling, hiking, trail running and is an ardent Seattle Seahawks and Vancouver Whitecaps fan.