Working with a range of public sector research and education assets, including school boards, libraries, post-secondary institutions, hospitals and local business incubators, Chris project managed the exploration of developing a York Region Research and Education Network. The purpose the initiative was to provide dedicated high-speed connectivity between York Region's education and research assets in order to foster research, collaboration and innovations in service delivery.

The project envisioned connecting all of the participating organizations via the Ontario Research and Innovation Optical Network so that they could take advantage of not only high-speed connectivity, but also a range of cloud-based services, internet peering and reduced costs for internet connectivity.

Chris initiated and project managed the development of the York Region Post-Secondary Investment Attraction Strategy. The Strategy aims to increase the presence of post-secondary institutions within York Region in order to meet the needs of the Region's diverse economy and growing population.

The Strategy was developed in collaboration with York Region's nine local municipal partners (Markham, Richmond Hill, Vaughan, Aurora, King, Whitchurch-Stouffville, Newmarket, East Gwillimbury and Georgina) and included input from a range of stakeholders, including major employers in the Region, a number of post-secondary institutions, and thought leaders in the field of education and research.

The Strategy identifies a range of post-secondary opportunities, including everything from learning centres to meet local specific skill gaps, to establishing a comprehensive research campus. The Strategy also includes a policy framework for the Region's involvement in post-secondary investments to ensure they align with Regional planning goals and infrastructure investments.