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Pratus Group is Quasar Consulting Group’s specialized brand dedicated to sustainability, building performance, and commissioning services.  Quasar’s consulting engineering expertise is closely coupled and complementary to Pratus’ focus on sustainability, energy management, and commissioning, with the shared objective of creating high-performance building designs that not only meet clients’ needs but also significantly mitigate the impacts of climate change.

In August 2021, Quasar Consulting Group and Pratus Group announced a partnership combining Quasar’s consulting with Pratus’ sustainability and energy management consulting.

The goal remains the same; to drive high-performance building design that meets the needs of clients while simultaneously reducing the impacts of climate change.

The logo features a stylized, blue, sketch-like bird with a simple line drawing and the word 'Pratus' in gray text.
Quasar logo featuring a stylized hexagonal shape with shades of gray and blue, and the word 'QUASAR' in blue capital letters.

Leadership

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Sustainability

Mercedes Byers, B.Sc., LEED AP BD+C, LEED AP ID+C, Fitwel Ambassador, RHFAC Professional

Mercedes is a founding principal of Pratus Group with over 15 years of experience in green building design and construction. She leads the coordination of high-performance building projects, offering design consulting focused on energy efficiency and sustainable best practices.

Mercedes supports clients pursuing certifications such as LEED, Fitwel, Net Zero, Net Positive Energy, and Net Zero Carbon. She is known for her ability to guide multi-disciplinary teams through effective discussion and consensus building.

As a Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification (RHFAC) Professional, Mercedes is qualified to conduct RHFAC ratings in the built environment. She also brings extensive knowledge of Universal Design principles and standards.

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Building Performance

Oleksandra is a founding principal of Pratus Group with over 15 years of industry experience. She brings together deep engineering expertise and a strong commitment to sustainability. Oleksandra specializes in helping teams meet energy efficiency and low-carbon goals for both new and existing buildings, while integrating sustainable building best practices.

She supports clients in optimizing designs and achieving Zero Carbon, Net Zero, Net Positive Energy, and Net Zero Carbon objectives. With a strong understanding of building systems and their interactions, Oleksandra takes a holistic approach to identifying practical, effective carbon reduction strategies.

Oleksandra Onisko, P.Eng., LEED AP BD+C, BEMP, CMVP

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ESG

Eric has dedicated his professional career to climate-conscious design and strategy development. His experience in both the public and private sectors ranges from new building design and construction to the clean technology sector, his passion lying in leveraging new tools and innovative strategies to decarbonize the built environment. His work has ranged from the greening of real estate portfolios to the design and development of the first infrastructure projects in Canada to obtain third-party sustainability certification.

Eric Dunford, M.Sc., MBA, ENV SP

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Building Performance

Jay is a Professional Engineer with 8 years of experience in consulting and building engineering, specializing in energy analysis, sustainability, and renewable power. His work spans energy modelling for residential, commercial, municipal, industrial, and refrigerated warehouse projects. Jay supports both new construction and retrofit projects in meeting compliance and incentive goals through programs such as CMHC MLI Select, the Toronto Green Standard, Zero Carbon Building, and LEED certification.

Jay Doshi, P.Eng., M.Sc., C.E.M

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Commissioning

Brian is a licensed professional engineer in British Columbia and Ontario with extensive experience in Building Systems Commissioning, energy modelling and HVAC design. He has broad international experience spanning many building types and market sectors over the past 17 years. His specific strengths included commissioning project management and client relationship management. Brian has worked on over 50 projects in Canada within a variety of sectors including commercial, residential, institutional, healthcare, and industrial. He is passionate about delivering healthy, energy efficient and functional buildings that meet client expectations.

Brian Smith, P.Eng., BCxP, LEED AP

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Commissioning

Chris is a commissioning and building performance professional with over 12 years of experience across North America and EMEA. He leads with a focus on quality, integrity, and supporting teams through complex project delivery. His background spans large-scale core & shell, tenant improvements, healthcare, and data centers, highlighted by his leadership of a global commissioning and operations program for a major hyperscale developer. Chris also brings deep expertise in energy audits, capital planning, and facility assessments.

Chris McGrath, BME, LEED GA, EIT