About the Mowat Centre

Advisory Board

George R.M. Anderson

George R.M. Anderson was President and CEO of the Forum of Federations from 2005 to 2011.

George served for over thirty years in Canada's federal public service, where his positions included Deputy Minister of Natural Resources (2002-2005) and Deputy Minister for Intergovernmental Affairs in the Privy Council Office (1996-2002). He has held assistant deputy minister level positions in the Energy, Finance and Foreign ministries.

George has degrees in political science from Queen’s University and Oxford University, and a diploma from the École Nationale D'administration in Paris.  He was a fellow at Harvard University's Center for International Affairs in 1992-93 and the author of Federalism: An Introduction (2008) and Fiscal Federalism: An Introduction (2009), and the editor of Oil and Gas in Federal Systems (2012) and Internal Markets and Multi-level Governance (2012), all published by Oxford University Press. 

George is also a member of the 2012 standby team of experts with the United Nations' Mediation Support Unit, and vice-chair of the board of trustees of Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario.


Navdeep Bains served as a Member of Parliament for Mississauga Brampton South from 2004 to 2011 and has extensive parliamentary committee experience and in-depth knowledge of public policy. Navdeep completed his Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Windsor and has also obtained the Certified Management Accountant (CMA) designation. Prior to being elected as a Member of Parliament, Navdeep worked in Accounting and Financial Analysis at Ford Motor Company of Canada. Presently, he is an adjunct lecturer at the Master of Public Service program at University of Waterloo.

 

 


Elizabeth Beale

Ms. Beale is President and CEO of the Atlantic Provinces Economic Council (APEC), a position she has held since 1996. Her policy and research interests cover a wide range of topics related to the economy of Atlantic Canada including energy, labour market and innovation strategies. Ms Beale has authored numerous studies on public policy topics and is a frequent media commentator. Under her direction, APEC has grown to become an influential voice furthering the economic development of Atlantic Canada.

Ms. Beale has also participated on a number of external advisory panels including the Labour Market Information Advisory Panel (Forum of Labour Market Ministers, 2009), the Nova Scotia Economic Advisory Panel (2009) and the Expert Panel on a Yarmouth-US Ferry (2012).

Ms. Beale resides in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She holds a B.A. from the University of Toronto and an M.A. in Economics from Dalhousie University. Ms. Beale has taken an active role in a number of professional and community organizations. She is a past Governor of Dalhousie University and is currently a member of the National Statistics Council, Director of the Leslie Harris Centre of Regional Policy and Development at Memorial University and Mentor for the Trudeau Foundation.


Lindsay Boyd

Lindsay Boyd is the District Manager of Operations, Windsor/Chatham for Union Gas Limited. Union Gas Is a major Canadian natural gas utility which provides energy delivery and related services to over 1.3 million residential, commercial and industrial customers in over 400 communities in northern, southwestern and eastern Ontario.

Union Gas is a Spectra Energy Company (formerly Duke Energy). Mr. Boyd has held a number of management positions at Union Gas in the areas of Sales and Distribution Operations. He has worked with numerous community groups in Windsor, Essex County, and Kent County, and is a past campaign chair of the Chatham-Kent United Way.

He has served on the board of the Community Care Access Centre, The Chatham-Kent Community Foundation and the Industry Attraction Committee. He was also the 2003 winner of a prestigious award - the Robinson Citizenship Award - from Duke Energy acknowledging his role in the community. Mr. Boyd was the first Canadian to ever receive this award.

Lindsay has been an avid volunteer at the Windsor-Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce since 2002 when he joined the Business Excellence Award Committee. As Chair he represented that Committee on the Chamber’s Board of Directors from September 2002, joining the Board as Directors in June 2003. In 2005, Mr. Boyd filled the position as Treasurer of the Board on its Executive Committee for the two year term 2005-2007, accepting Chair-Elect for 2007-2008. His term as Chair ran from June 2008 to June 2009.

He is a founding member of the Windsor Essex Active Retirement Community Initiative. He is currently the Chair of the Windsor-Essex Development commission and a graduate of the University of Windsor Business School, Class of 1983.


Alan Broadbent, C.M.

Alan Broadbent is Chairman and CEO of the Avana Capital Corporation, and founder and Chairman of the Maytree foundation. Maytree focuses on poverty issues in Canada, with a special interest in refugees and immigrants. Maytree is the initiator of the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council (TRIEC) and ALLIES (Assisting Local Leaders with Immigrant Employment Strategies), which facilitate immigrant success in the labour market; and DiverseCity, which is reshaping leadership in society to better reflect the diverse citizens of Canada.

Alan also co-founded and chairs the Caledon Institute of Social Policy (1992); Tamarack – An Institute for Community Engagement (2001); and Diaspora Dialogues (2005), which supports the creation and presentation of new writing that reflects the diversity of Canada. These and other related organizations create and support civic engagement projects to strengthen the public discourse on civil society, including:  the Jane Jacobs Prize, which celebrates “unsung heroes” in the Toronto Region; the Institute for Municipal Finance and Governance at the Munk Centre, University of Toronto, and Ideas That Matter, a public discourse initiative.

Alan is Co-Chair of Happy Planet Foods; Director of Sustainalytics Holdings B.V.; a Director of Invest Toronto; past-Chair of the Tides Canada Foundation; advisor to the Literary Review of Canada; Member of the Governors’ Council of the Toronto Public Library Foundation; Senior Fellow of Massey College and Member of the Governing Board, and Member of the Order of Canada and recipient of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal.  He is the author of the book Urban Nation, and co-editor of Five Good Ideas: Practical Strategies for Non-Profit Success.  Alan was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Ryerson University in 2009.


Sean Conway

Sean Conway is a public policy adviser in the Toronto office of Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP, working with clients in the energy and natural resources sector. With his extensive experience in the public sector, Sean is available to advise Gowlings’ clients on a broad range of business and public policy issues.

Before joining Gowlings, Sean served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario for 28 years, from 1975 to 2003. He served in the cabinet of Premier David Peterson (1985-90), holding the positions of Minister of Education, Minister of Colleges and Universities, Minister of Mines and Government House Leader. He is a former energy critic for the Official Opposition and served on two Ontario Select Committees on Nuclear Affairs as well as serving on several legislative committees examining health care and constitutional reform.

Sean acted as vice-principal (advancement) of Queen’s University from January 1 to December 31, 2009. He was also the special adviser for external relations to the Principal of Queen’s University from August 2006 until October 2010. Prior to becoming special adviser, he was the director of Queen’s Institute of Intergovernmental Relations.

In addition to his work at Gowlings, Sean is a Visiting Fellow at the Ryerson University Center for Urban Energy and a regular panellist on radio and television. He also served as the chair of the board of directors of the Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE).


Dianne Cunningham

Dianne Cunningham has over 30 years of experience in education and government affairs. She is the former Ontario Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, and Minister with Responsibility for Women’s Issues. She chaired the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada, and was the Member of Provincial Parliament for the riding of London North Centre (1988-2003).

As Director of the Lawrence National Centre, Dianne’s extensive knowledge of both government and education strengthened Ivey’s continuing efforts to further public policy research. Business, government, academia and students collaborate to produce timely and relevant reports including recommendations to government. Areas of recent focus include Water Innovation, Climate Change as a Security Issue, Canada-US Regulatory Cooperation (transportation and agri-food), Engaging China, the G20- Global Politics and Economics, Sustainable Energy and Transportation, specifically the Ontario-Quebec Continental Gateway and Trade Corridor.

Dianne is a former board member for the National Roundtable on the Environment and the Economy, the Southwest Ontario Economic Alliance, and the Canada School of Public Service, among others. She is former Chair of the Ontario Neuro-Trauma Foundation, and Tri-Chair of the 2010 Special Olympics Canada, National Summer Games, London.

She currently advises and consults on public policy issues with business and governments. Dianne continues her involvement in the London community and serves on the London Grand Theatre Foundation, and the Junior Achievement Advisory Council of Trustees. Dianne is the recipient of the YWCA Women of Distinction Award, and holds Honourary Degrees and many other tributes, locally and nationally.


Lisa de Wilde

Lisa de Wilde believes in the power of media to engage, to inform, and to serve the public good. Since her appointment in 2005 as TVO's CEO, Lisa has ushered in a new era for Ontario's public educational media organization, leading its transformation to a fully-digital, interactive source of multi-platform educational content that empowers people to be engaged citizens of Ontario.

Prior to joining TVO, Lisa was Astral Television Network’s President and Chief Executive Officer. She was formerly a partner at Heenan Blaikie and served as Legal Counsel and Director General-Cable Television, Specialty and Pay Television Service with the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission.

The world of film is a passion for Lisa, which she has combined with her commitment to contributing to the growth of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), as Vice-Chair of the TIFF board. Fluently bilingual, Lisa champions the cause of educational broadcasters as the Chair of the Canadian Association of Public Educational Media. Lisa is also a member of a number of other not-for-profit, advisory and private sector boards and is a graduate of McGill University’s law school.


Tony Dean

Tony Dean is a Professor at the University of Toronto’s School of Public Policy and Governance and is an advisor on public administration and building capacity for policy and delivery.

From 2002 to 2008 he was Secretary of the Cabinet and Head of the Ontario Public Service, a position that was preceded by appointments as Deputy Minister of Labour and Deputy Minister and Associate Secretary of the Cabinet responsible for Policy.

Tony has extensive experience in public sector leadership, public policy development, negotiations and mediation, and has written on public administration and leadership for the Public Policy Forum, Canadian Government Executive magazine,  for The Guardian newspaper’s magazine Public and for The Toronto Star.

Tony has a B.A. in Sociology and Social Anthropology from the University of Hull, U.K., and an M.A. in Sociology from McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario. Dean started his working life as a millwright with the Dunlop Tire Company in Birmingham, U.K.


Dominic Giroux

Dominic Giroux is Laurentian University's ninth President. In 2011, he received one of Canada's "Top 40 Under 40" Awards and was named the 2010 Education Personality of the Year by Radio-Canada/Le Droit.

Under his leadership, Laurentian achieved greater national recognition and a record-level of enrolment for two years in a row while increasing the average entry grade, ranked #1 in total sponsored research income among Canada's primarily undergraduate universities for two years in a row, eliminated a substantial operating deficit, initiated new capital projects totaling $134 million including a new School of Architecture in downtown Sudbury, and launched a new focused 2012-2017 strategic plan.

Mr. Giroux started in education as a school board trustee at 19 and board chair at 21 in Ottawa.

Prior to his appointment at Laurentian in 2009, Mr. Giroux was assistant deputy minister with the Ontario Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, after having served as CFO of two French-language school boards in southern and eastern Ontario.

Mr. Giroux was appointed in June 2011 as one of four members of the Commission on the Reform of Ontario's Public Services chaired by Don Drummond, tasked to recommend to the government how to deliver the most efficient public services possible. He also served as cospecial advisor on the implementation of a Northern Policy Institute and was appointed to the province's Ring of Fire Advisory Council and to the Globe and Mail’s Advisory Board on Higher Education.

Mr. Giroux serves as chair of the board of directors of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, national co-chair of the Consortium national de formation en santé (CNFS), co-chair of the Ontario Council on Articulation and Transfer (ONCAT), and board member of the Centre for Excellence for Mining Innovation (CEMI), the Greater Sudbury Development Corporation (GSDC) and the Greater Sudbury Food Bank. He is a former vice chair of the Association des universités de la francophonie canadienne (AUFC) and the Association canadienne-française de l’Ontario (ACFO) d’Ottawa, and former board member of the Canadian Education Association (CEA), the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO), and Montfort Hospital in Ottawa.

A member of the Ontario College of Teachers, Mr. Giroux holds bachelor's degrees in social sciences and education from the University of Ottawa, as well as an MBA from the École des Hautes Études Commerciales (HEC) in Montreal. The University of Ottawa gave him the “Leadership in Education Award” in 2007, while HEC gave him a “Talented Young Manager” Award in the large business category in 2008. He is the recipient of a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.


Diane Gray

Ms. Diane Gray is the founding President and CEO of CentrePort Canada Inc. CentrePort is Canada’s first tri-modal inland port and Foreign Trade Zone and encompasses 20,000 acres in the North West quadrant of Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Ms. Gray previously worked for the Province of Manitoba from 1995 to 2009 and simultaneously served as Deputy Minister of Finance, Deputy Minister of Federal-Provincial and International Relations, and Deputy Minister of Trade. In December 2010, she was awarded the Lieutenant Governor's Medal for Excellence in Public Administration for Manitoba.

Ms. Gray currently serves on the boards of Biomedical Commercialization Canada, Manitoba Film and Music, Manitoba’s International Trade Council, MITACS, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, Manitoba Division, the Canada West Foundation, and World Trade Centre Winnipeg.

Ms. Gray is a graduate of the University of Manitoba's and University of Winnipeg's Joint Masters of Public Administration Program and has an undergraduate degree in political studies from the University of Manitoba.


John A. Honderich

John Allen Honderich was born in Toronto and attended Lawrence Park Collegiate Institute, acquired his Senior Matriculation from Neuchatel College in Switzerland and then attended the University of Toronto (1964-68), where he earned an Honours degree in Political Science and Economics.  He went on to earn a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Toronto Law School and, in 1973, Mr. Honderich was called to the Bar.

Mr. Honderich began his newspaper career with the Ottawa Citizen (1973-76).  He joined the Toronto Star in 1976 as a reporter and eventually became chief of the Star's Ottawa Bureau and later chief of the Washington Bureau.  After a stint as Deputy City Editor, he was appointed Business Editor of the Star in May 1984, the position he held until he took a leave of absence (1986) in London, England where he took several post graduate studies in economics and international trade at the London School of Economics.  At the same time, he wrote Arctic Imperative, published in the fall of 1987 by the University of Toronto Press, in which he outlined the serious dangers threatening Canada's North.

In 1994, Mr. Honderich was appointed Publisher of the Star, a position he held for almost 10 years. Before that, he served as Editor for a year and Editorial Page Editor for 18 months, which posting he took up after his leave of absence from the paper. Until his retirement in 2004, Mr. Honderich was Chairman of Canadian Press, Canadian Director for the World Association of Newspapers, and a director on the boards of the Canadian Newspaper Association, the Audit Bureau of Circulations and workpolis.com.

Most recently, Mr. Honderich has been Special Ambassador to the Mayor of Toronto and then Special Advisor to the Premier of Ontario.  He is Chair of the Torstar Voting Trust and currently serves on the boards of the United Way, the Atkinson Fellowship, the Michener Fellowship, the Martin Goodman Fellowship and the Toronto Public Library.  In May 2009, he was appointed Chair of the Board of Torstar Corporation. 

He has received honourary degrees from Victoria University and Ryerson University.  Mr. Honderich was appointed as a Member of the Order of Canada in 2004 and a Member of the Order of Ontario in 2006.

John is the father of two children, Robin, 30, and Emily, 29.


Sandy Houston

Sandy Houston is the President of the Metcalf Foundation. Over the last ten years, Sandy has led the development of Metcalf into an innovative and leading Toronto-based private foundation engaged in helping Canadians imagine and build a just, healthy and creative society. The Foundation addresses the issues of poverty reduction, ecological integrity and creative vitality through the development of new thinking and practice, the advancement of dynamic organizations and the strengthening of individuals to conceptualize and lead change.

After time spent working in the non-for-profit sector and government, Sandy was a litigation lawyer at Osler Hoskin and Harcourt. He went on to become a founding partner of Stitt Feld Handy Houston, Canada's first law firm to focus predominately on alternative dispute resolution. There he focused on mediation work, and served as a consultant to government, agency and corporate clients.

Sandy is currently engaged in a variety of issues across the non-for-profit sector, and has been instrumental in the establishment of a number of Canadian not-for-profits. Currently he is the founding chair of the Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation, an arms-length, public foundation created by the government of Ontario to support the environmental and agricultural integrity of province’s new Greenbelt. He also serves as an advisor to a number of charitable organizations, including Imagine Canada, The Ontario Not-for-Profit Network, The Literary Review of Canada and The Walrus.


Shirley Hoy

Ms. Hoy’s public service career has spanned more than 25 years. Ms. Hoy’s career in municipal public service began in 1980 with the former Metro Toronto government department of Community Services. From 1988 to 1996, Ms. Hoy served at various levels of municipal government and Provincial Government.

In 1993, Ms. Hoy became the Assistant Deputy Minister of Operations and Chief Executive Officer of the Ontario Housing Corporation in the Ontario Ministry of Housing. From 1996 to 2001, Ms. Hoy held numerous posts in municipal government, all associated with community services and the complex components associated with these services.

Ms. Hoy was appointed Toronto’s City Manager in June 2001, where she managed the Toronto Public Service for the City of Toronto, the 6th largest government in Canada. Ms. Hoy’s key responsibilities included the control and management of all human, fiscal and physical resources of the City and providing advice and support to the Mayor and Council in developing and implementing policies, plans and programs of Council.

Ms. Hoy was appointed Chief Executive Officer for the Toronto Lands Corporation on January 5, 2009, a position she currently holds.

Ms. Hoy holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Social Work from the University of Toronto and a Master of Public Administration from Queen’s University. She continues to serve in many volunteer roles with the University of Toronto, on the Board of Directors for Service Ontario, and other community organizations and Boards.


Mitzie Hunter

Mitzie Hunter is the Chief Executive Officer of the Greater Toronto CivicAction Alliance, a coalition of senior business, non-profit, government and community leaders that galvanizes action around the tough issues and big opportunities facing the Toronto region. CivicAction focuses on initiatives designed to increase the region’s economic prosperity and improve the wellbeing of its people.

A lifelong city-builder, Mitzie is passionate about unlocking the region’s potential by building strong communities and ensuring fair and inclusive access to employment and prosperity. Previously, Mitzie was the Chief Administrative Officer for Toronto Community Housing, one of the largest social housing providers in North America. Mitzie has also held executive roles at Goodwill Industries, a non-profit organization that creates work opportunities and skills development for people facing barriers to employment; SMART Toronto, an ICT industry association; and Bell, Canada’s largest telecommunications company.
She is a seasoned executive with an extensive background in strategy and planning, government relations, corporate branding and marketing, communications and issues management, community and economic development, information technology, partnerships, and social innovation.
Mitzie has been involved in CivicAction since its inception, and served as founding co-chair of the Emerging Leaders Network (ELN). She has also served on numerous boards and government task forces, including the boards of hsi (a subsidiary of Toronto Community Housing), TVOntario, United Way Toronto and the Yonge Street Mission. Mitzie is a graduate of the University of Toronto Rotman School of Management.

Mitzie Hunter is the Chief Executive Officer of the Greater Toronto CivicAction Alliance, a coalition of senior business, non-profit, government and community leaders that galvanizes action around the tough issues and big opportunities facing the Toronto region. CivicAction focuses on initiatives designed to increase the region’s economic prosperity and improve the wellbeing of its people.

A lifelong city-builder, Mitzie is passionate about unlocking the region’s potential by building strong communities and ensuring fair and inclusive access to employment and prosperity. Previously, Mitzie was the Chief Administrative Officer for Toronto Community Housing, one of the largest social housing providers in North America. Mitzie has also held executive roles at Goodwill Industries, a non-profit organization that creates work opportunities and skills development for people facing barriers to employment; SMART Toronto, an ICT industry association; and Bell, Canada’s largest telecommunications company.

She is a seasoned executive with an extensive background in strategy and planning, government relations, corporate branding and marketing, communications and issues management, community and economic development, information technology, partnerships, and social innovation.

Mitzie has been involved in CivicAction since its inception, and served as founding co-chair of the Emerging Leaders Network (ELN). She has also served on numerous boards and government task forces, including the boards of hsi (a subsidiary of Toronto Community Housing), TVOntario, United Way Toronto and the Yonge Street Mission. Mitzie is a graduate of the University of Toronto Rotman School of Management.


Tim Jackson

Tim Jackson is vice-president, university relations of the University of Waterloo. Tim previously held the role of vice-president, external relations on an interim basis from June 2011 to April 2012. Prior, he served as chief executive officer of the Accelerator Centre – a campus-based incubator for start-ups – and as the University of Waterloo’s associate vice-president, commercialization.

A Waterloo grad – he holds a BA in accounting from the University of Waterloo and is a chartered accountant – Tim received the university’s 50th Anniversary Alumni Award in 2007. A School of Accountancy fellowship was named after him in 2005.

Tim Jackson comes to the post with a long history as an entrepreneur and business leader. A founder and partner of Tech Capital Partners, he was earlier chief financial officer (CFO) and chief executive officer (CEO) at Waterloo tech firm PixStream. He has also served as CFO, CEO, or board member for numerous other technology companies. Tim is a frequent speaker on innovation, corporate culture, leadership, community building, acquisitions and investing, and related topics.

Active for many years in the not-for-profit sector, in 2009 Tim was awarded the inaugural annual Barnraiser Award for “inspirational, collaborative achievement” in Waterloo Region. In 2007, he was honoured with the Legacy of Leaders Award from the City of Waterloo and the Leadership Award from the Volunteer Action Centre.

In February 2012 Tim was the proud recipient of the Michael R. Follett Community Leader of the Year Award presented to an outstanding member of the Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce who “created or facilitated significant solutions to meet community needs and inspired others to achieve excellence”.

Current community involvement includes: chair, board of Centre in the Square; chair, steering committee for Capacity Waterloo Region; chair, Waterloo Region Barnraiser Council; co-founder, Social Venture Partners, Waterloo; director, Waterloo North Hydro Inc.; member of advisory board, Canadian Digital Media Network; and member of the audit and finance committee, Food Banks Canada.

Tim formerly served as president of the Food Bank of Waterloo Region, chair of the Waterloo Regional Children’s Museum board, and chair of the Waterloo Public Library Board.

In 2009, Tim was named a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario (FCA), the highest designation the institute confers, awarded for outstanding career achievements as well as outstanding service to the community and the profession. Tim received an Award of Distinction from the institute in 2006.


The Hon. Frances Lankin, P.C., C.M

The Hon. Frances Lankin, P.C., C.M, most recently served as a Commissioner of the Ontario Social Assistance Review. From 2001 to 2012 she was the President and CEO of United Way Toronto, guiding it through a strategic transformation into an organization that works to change social conditions.

Frances has spent a lifetime serving community and non-profit organizations. In 2006, was appointed to chair a federal government-commissioned Blue Ribbon Panel reviewing Ottawa’s 26 billion dollar “Grants and Contributions” programs. She has served on the boards of many not-for-profit and charitable organizations and is currently a member of the Boards of the Institute of Corporate Directors, the Ontario Hospital Association, the Literary Review of Canada, the Ontario Press Council and Chair of the TELUS Toronto Community Board.

Frances has been widely recognized for her community work, receiving many awards and honours including; Honorary Doctorates of Laws from Queen's and Ryerson Universities; the Queen's Golden Jubilee and Diamond Jubilee Medals; and in 2012, Frances was named a Member of the Order of Canada. She served as MPP for Beaches-East York for eleven years before joining United Way in 2001. From 1990–1995 she served as Ontario’s Minister of Health, Minister of Economic Development and Trade, and Minister of Government Services and Chair of Management Board.

In 2009, she was made a member of the Queen’s Privy Council of Canada, and appointed by the Prime Minister Harper to the Security Intelligence Review Committee which provides an external review of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. In 2011 she was appointed by the McGuinty government to co-lead the Commission to Review Social Assistance in Ontario.  The Commission completed its work and released its report in October 2012.


Floyd Laughren

Floyd Laughren has been a retailer, teacher, politician, economic regulator and a volunteer. Following a 27 year career in Ontario politics, he was appointed Chair of the Ontario Energy Board in 1998, a position from which he retired in 2003. Prior to entering politics he taught Economics at Cambrian College in Sudbury. As a part of the Rae government he served as Deputy Premier, Minister of Finance, and Chair of the Policy and Priorities Board of Cabinet. Mr Laughren is a graduate of Ryerson and York Universities and has an Honourary Doctorate from Laurentian University in Sudbury. He has been an active volunteer since his retirement and currently is the Chair of the Board of Governors of Laurentian University, Chair of the Community Savings Credit Union, and Past Chair of the Sudbury United Way/Centraide Campaign. In 2006 he chaired the Sudbury Community Solutions Team.


Dr. Danielle Martin, M.D., C.C.F.P.

Danielle is a family physician interested in improving health at the system level as well as the individual level. She is Clinical Staff at Women's College Hospital and Lecturer in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto. Her clinical work has involved remote northern medicine as well as a current focus on maternity care.

Danielle’s policy expertise and passion for equity have made her an emerging leader in the debate over the future of Canada’s healthcare system. A recipient of the Canadian Medical Association Award for Young Leaders, Danielle sat two terms on the Health Council of Canada.  In 2006 the Ontario College of Family Physicians recognized her as one of three New Family Doctors of the Year.

An active student of public policy, Danielle is currently completing a Masters of Public Policy at the School of Public Policy and Governance, University of Toronto.

In May 2006 Danielle helped launch Canadian Doctors for Medicare, the voice for Canadian physicians who believe in a high quality, equitable, sustainable health system built on the best available evidence as the highest expression of Canadians caring for one another. She continues to chair the board of CDM.


David Mitchell

Born in England, Mitchell came to Canada with his family in 1969 at the age of three. He worked with the former City of North York Parks & Recreation Community Services Division as a program coordinator and assistant community centre coordinator and served as the first Youth Sub-Committee chair of the North York Secondary School Principals' Advisory Council before pursuing a law enforcement career in 1990.

After completing his training, he spent 18 months as a general duty officer at the Toronto jail before being dispatched to the Admitting and Discharge Unit. He was promoted to acting sergeant in 1994 and a few months later he was assigned to the Anti-Racism Unit where he was responsible for assisting in the implementation of recommendations made in the Commission on Systemic Racism in the Ontario Criminal Justice System report.

He also held the ranks of captain and acting deputy superintendent at the Toronto Jail and deputy superintendent in charge of operations at the Toronto East Detention Centre. He has also been honoured with an Ombudsman Ontario Public Service Recognition award for demonstrating leadership in informal problem solving and early resolution of complaints, initiating innovative approaches to promote alternative dispute resolution, encouraging the application of systemic and system-wide problem solving and providing exceptional responsiveness and cooperative service during the complaint resolution process.


Allan O'Dette

Allan took on the responsibility of President & CEO of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce on February 1, 2012.

Currently, Allan is a Board Director for the Mowat Centre for Policy Innovation and the Markham Stouffville Hospital.

He is active on the boards of Life Sciences Ontario (LSO), the Ontario Medical Association Student Bursary Foundation Fundraising Committee, Theatre 20, and the Civic Action Steering Committee. He is also a member of the advisory board for the Master of Biotechnology Program at the University of Toronto and is a member of the Mount Sinai Hospital Board of Governors.

Prior to joining the OCC, Allan was the Director of External Relations (Ontario), and National Private Markets for GlaxoSmithKline Canada Inc. With over 25 years experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, he has served the industry association as a regional Vice-Chair and was the Chair of the National Private Payer Committee for Canada’s Researched Based Pharmaceutical Companies.

He served on the Ontario Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration's Expert Roundtable on Immigration and as President and Chair of the Board of the Canadian Club of Toronto. As well, he was an Executive and Board Member with the Ontario Chamber of Commerce.

Allan is passionate about contributing to his community and assists in many charity and volunteer activities. As a result, he was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.

Allan holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Trent University and an M.B.A. from the Rotman School of Business at the University of Toronto.


Bonnie Patterson

Professor Bonnie M. Patterson is the President and CEO of the Council of Ontario Universities (COU), a post she has held since 2009.

Prof. Patterson previously served as President of COU from 1995 to 1998 before taking the post of President and Vice-Chancellor of Trent University, a position she held from 1998 to 2009. She continues to hold her professorial position in Business Administration at Trent. She also served as Dean of Business at Ryerson University (then known as Ryerson Polytechnic Institute), and chaired and taught at its School of Administration and Information Management.

Currently, she serves on the Board of Metrolinx and the Roberta Bondar Foundation. Prof. Patterson served as one of four Canadian university presidents to the Council of the Association of Commonwealth Universities. She has served as Chair of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada; as a Director on the board of the Peterborough Regional Health Centre for nine years, including two as its Chair; and on the board of directors for the International Consortium on Anti-Virals (ICAV). She has also served as the province's representative on the founding board of the Greater Toronto Airports Authority and participated in a number of provincial advisory committees including the Biotechnology Commercialization Centre Fund; Health Industries Advisory Committee on Sectoral Strategy Development; and the Centres of Excellence, Ontario Technology Fund.

In 2006, she was recognized by the Women's Executive Network with a Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada award in the Trailblazers and Trendsetters category. In 2010 Prof. Patterson was appointed to the Order of Ontario and as a Member of the Order of Canada for her contributions as a leader in postsecondary education.

She holds a BA and MLS from the University of Western Ontario.


André Pratte

André Pratte has been a journalist for over thirty years.  He has covered politics for most of his career as a reporter, a columnist, and an editor.  He was named Editorial Pages Editor at La Presse in 2001. 

He has written several books on politics and the media, including Charest :  His Life and Politics; Le Syndrome de Pinocchio, an essay in lying in politic; Les oiseaux de malheur, a reflection on the medias today; Le temps des girouettes, a journal of the Quebec election campaign in 2003; Au pays des merveilles, an essay on the political myths in Quebec.  He was editor of Reconquérir le Canada, Un nouveau projet pour la nation québécoise, a series of essays by a group of Quebec federalists taking a fresh look at Quebecers’ relationship with the rest of the country, and recently by the Douglas & McIntyre Publishing Group, Vancouver, the English version, Reconquering Canada: Quebec Federalists Speak Up for Change.

He also authored an exchange of correspondence on Quebec’s political future with well-known sovereigntist Joseph Facal and, in 2011, he has also written a biography of Wilfrid Laurier in the collection Extraordinary Canadians, directed par John Ralston Saul.

Along with eleven other well-known Quebecers, including former Premier Lucien Bouchard, André Pratte was signatory to a manifesto that had a major political impact in Quebec, For a clear eyed vision of Quebec.

In 2007, 2008 and in 2010, at the National Newspaper Award, he was the winner in Editorial writing.

Finally, he is also co-founder for the Federal Idea, a non-partisan group, non-profit think tank on federalism.


Kasi V.P. Rao

Kasi Rao is a consultant & advisor based in Toronto providing guidance on India related strategies.  In this capacity he advises corporations, universities, think tanks, not-for-profit organizations, and, different levels of government.  As well, he serves as the Senior Advisor (India) to the law firm Bennett Jones.

In 2005, he led a collaborative initiative relating to the automotive sector, as the founding Executive Director of the Beacon Project at the University Of Ontario Institute Of Technology.  Immediately prior to this he worked for three-and-half years as the Director, Office of the President & CEO at BMO Financial Group.  

At the University of Toronto, where he worked for seven years, Rao served in a twin-pronged role: Director of the Office of the President & Director of Government Relations.  He worked for the Province of Ontario in various capacities over a period of five years:  Senior Policy Advisor to the Ontario Government in New York, Policy Advisor to the Premier of Ontario, and, Special Assistant in Cabinet Office.

He is a Senior Fellow at the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada.  He was recognized as “Member of the Year 2012” by the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce and a recipient of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal.  Rao has an M.A. from the University of Toronto and a B.A. from the University of Waterloo, majoring in Political Science.  He obtained his primary and secondary education from schools in Gangtok, Bengaluru, New Delhi and Toronto.


Rana Sarkar

Rana Sarkar is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Canada-India Business Council.

He also serves as a Senior Fellow and Co-Chairman of the Advisory Board for the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto. Previously, Rana was a co-founder of two businesses in the business consulting and media promotions industries.  

Rana is an active commentator and ideas contributor on global business and politics, and has been featured on the BBC and CBC, and in the Financial Times and the Globe & Mail. He has been a regular visiting lecturer at both the London School of Economics and the CASS Business School.

He attended the London School of Economics, Queen’s University at Kingston and is a member of the advisory council of the Literary Review. Most recently, he served as co-chair of the Labour Market Readiness working group for Civic Action. Rana lives in Toronto with his wife and two boys.   


Mark Stabile

Mark Stabile is Associate Professor of Business Economics and Public Policy at the Rotman School of Management, and Director of the School of Public Policy and Governance. Mark's current research interests include the economics of child health, economics of health care and health insurance, and tax policy and health insurance. His work has been published widely in journals including the Journal of Health Economics, Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law, and American Economic Review, among others.

Professor Stabile's past honours include a 2007 Excellence in Teaching Award from the Rotman School of Management, and he was the recipient of the John C. Polanyi Prize in Economics in 2003, and the Harry Johnson Prize in 2002. Professor Stabile received his B.A. from the University of Toronto, and his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Columbia University.


Scott Thompson

D. Scott Thompson became Deputy Minister, Policy and Delivery of the Cabinet Office on December 5, 2011. Prior to his appointment as Deputy Minister Policy and Delivery, Scott was the Executive Lead for the Commission on the Reform of Ontario’s Public Services at the Ministry of Finance.  

Scott’s career in the Ontario Public Service began in 1985.  His prior positions include Assistant Deputy Minister, Provincial Highways Management, Ministry of Transportation; ADM, Policy and Planning, Ministry of Transportation; ADM, Economic, Environment, Justice and Intergovernmental Policy, Cabinet Office and Co-Lead of Policy, Innovation and Leadership; Director, Corporate Policy, Ministry of Northern Development and Mines; and Director, Municipal Governance and Structures, Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing

Before joining the Ontario Public Service, Scott completed a Bachelor of Environmental Studies degree in urban planning at the University of Waterloo.


Carol Wilding

Carol Wilding has been President and CEO of the Toronto Board of Trade since 2007.

Over the past four years Ms. Wilding has harnessed the energy of Canada’s largest local Chamber of Commerce and its 10,000 members to position the Board as an influential thought leader on key business and public policy issues impacting the Toronto region’s globally competitive economy.

Under her leadership, the Board has also enhanced the benefits of members through the introduction of key industry speaker series, business-to-business networking events, partnered-learning opportunities and business development tools.

Ms. Wilding currently serves as a Director on the Boards of the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre Foundation, the Royal Ontario Museum, and the Greater Toronto CivicAction Alliance. She is a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization.

Prior to joining the Toronto Board of Trade, Ms. Wilding was president of Mount Sinai Hospital Foundation, and president of Plan Canada (formerly Foster Parents Plan).

For her leadership in the not-for-profit sector, Ms. Wilding was named to the Top 100TM list of Canada’s Most Powerful Women for 2010. In 2009 she was named a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario. She is a recipient of the Schulich Business School’s Outstanding Public Contribution Alumni Award, the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal and the Public Sector Excellence Award for Technology.

Ms. Wilding holds an Honours degree in Business Administration from the Schulich School of Business at York University.