Report of the Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments Spring 2018 (April 2018 – September 2018)

Huguette Labelle holds a PhD (education) degree from the University of Ottawa, has honorary degrees from twelve Canadian universities, and from the University of Notre Dame, United States. She is a Companion of the Order of Canada. In addition, she is a recipient of the Order of Ontario, the Vanier Medal of the Institute of Public Administration of Canada, the Outstanding Achievement Award of the Public Service of Canada, the McGill University Management Achievement Award and the Francophonie’s Ordre de la Pléiade.

Ms. Labelle is Emeritus Governor of the University of Ottawa, and was Chancellor of the University of Ottawa from 1994 to 2012. She is currently Vice-Chair of the Rideau Hall Foundation Board, Vice-Chair of the International Senior Advisory Board of the International Anti-Corruption Academy, Chair of the International Anti-Corruption Conference Council, member of the Board of the Global Centre for Pluralism, Board member of Global Financial Integrity, Board member of the Aga Khan Museum, member of the Advisory Committee of the Order of Ontario and Chair of the Selection Committee for Master's Scholarships on Sustainable Energy Development. Ms. Labelle is also a member of the Advisory Group to the Secretary General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) on Integrity and Anti-Corruption, the Natural Resources and Energy Leadership Council and the Advisory Board of RESOLVE, and the University of Ottawa Campaign Cabinet. She is also a former Chair of Transparency International, as well as a former Board member of UN Global Compact.

Ms. Labelle also served for a period of nineteen years as Deputy Minister of different Canadian Government departments including Secretary of State, Transport Canada, the Public Service Commission and the Canadian International Development Agency.

Melissa Blake was elected to six consecutive terms, beginning in 1998, for the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo. She was first elected as mayor in October 2004 and concluded her final term in 2017.

Being the top elected official for one of Canada's largest municipalities brought with it tremendous challenges and opportunities. Wood Buffalo is the heart of Canada's energy industry and is often subject to global scrutiny. When the 2016 Horse River Wildfire forced the evacuation of 88,000 people, Mayor Blake’s strength and dedication earned the hearts and minds of Albertans, Canadians and the world. In Wood Buffalo, she worked hard to get her citizens "home".

Ms. Blake has served on numerous committees in addition to her regular council duties, including those related to development, protective services, community services and affordable housing. She has also served on two provincial associations.

Ms. Blake brought a range of experience including public affairs, materials & services and human resources to elected service from her corporate career. She holds a Bachelor of Administration degree from Athabasca University and has received numerous awards for her work.

She resides permanently in Fort McMurray, Alberta with her husband and two young sons.

The Honourable François Rolland was appointed a Superior Court of Quebec justice in 1996 and Chief Justice of the Superior Court of Quebec in 2004, a position he held until his retirement in 2015.

Following his retirement, Mr. Rolland was appointed by the Quebec government as Director of the Voluntary Reimbursement Program serving until the program ended in November 2017. He also presides over private mediation and arbitration mandates, involving mostly commercial matters, and including large multijurisdictional class actions.

He is a member of the Canadian Bar Association (CBA), a founding member and former chair of the Judges' Forum of the CBA and a past president of the CBA’s Quebec Branch and of the Young Bar of Montreal. Mr. Rolland was awarded the Louis St-Laurent award for his exceptional contribution to the CBA and the CBA’s Centennial Medal.

A member of the Board of the Canadian Forum on Civil Justice, Mr. Rolland is also a member of the International Insolvency institute, Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors of the Centre d’accès à l’information juridique, Chair of the Board of Directors of Éducaloi and a Commissioner of Ethics for the Barreau du Québec and the Chambre des notaires. He also taught ethics at the National Judicial Institute for 10 years.

The Honourable François Rolland graduated from University of Montreal in 1974 and was called to the Quebec Bar in 1975. Before his appointment as a judge, he was a partner at the law firm Fasken Martineau, practising mainly in the field of commercial and civil litigation.

In 2019, he joined Langlois lawyers as Senior Counsel, Mediator and Arbitrator.

Dr. Elizabeth Cannon is the eighth President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calgary. As the leader of one of Canada’s top research universities, she is a passionate advocate of higher education’s ability to drive innovation, leadership and community engagement. Prior to her appointment as president, Dr. Cannon was dean of the Schulich School of Engineering at the University of Calgary.

Dr. Cannon is a Professional Engineer, a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, a fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering and an elected foreign associate of the National Academy of Engineering. She currently serves as co-chair of the Business-Higher Education Roundtable and as a member of the Board of Governors at the Sidra Research and Medical Center in Qatar.

Throughout her career, Dr. Cannon has championed women in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). From 1997 to 2002, she held the NSERC/Petro-Canada Chair for Women in Science and Engineering for the Prairie Region.

Dr. Cannon has received several awards, including the Johannes Kepler Award from the U.S. Institute of Navigation, APEGA’s Centennial Leadership Award and the Gold Medal Award from Engineers Canada. She was selected as one of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 and was named as one of Canada’s 100 Most Powerful Women by the Women’s Executive Network.

She has served on the National Advisory Board on Earth Sciences to the Canadian Minister of Natural Resources, as past president of the U.S. Institute of Navigation and as past director of the Canada Foundation for Innovation.

Dr. Cannon holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in mathematics from Acadia University, as well as a BSc, MSc and Ph.D in geomatics engineering from the University of Calgary.

Karen MacKenzie is a proud Cree-Métis and the co-founder and president of MacKintosh Canada, an Indigenous-owned international consulting company. A proven leader, a skilled consultant and an empowering coach, Ms. MacKenzie is a highly respected authority on individual, team, organizational and community change; the development of strategic alliances, governance and strategic planning. She is a spokesperson for the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the Calls to Action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. As a professional speaker, Ms. MacKenzie inspires audiences to find their inner passion and to move forward in the direction of their dreams.

Ms. MacKenzie is a member of the Edmonton Police Commission and the Circle of Elders for Edmonton Catholic Schools, whose work has been heralded across Canada as a wise practice that enables greater success rates for First Nations, Métis and Inuit learners. Ms. MacKenzie is a Senior Advisor to the Indigenous Women in Community Leadership, Coady Institute, St. Francis Xavier University, and is a member of the Advisory Council for IdeaConnector.net, a virtual learning community for Indigenous entrepreneurs.

Ms. MacKenzie is actively involved in her community as a volunteer and was an inaugural member of the Homeless Commission for the City of Edmonton, Alberta. She is a past board member for Alberta Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) and Women Building Futures. She has also been appointed to the Métis Women’s Council on Economic Security.

Anne Giardini is the 11th Chancellor of Simon Fraser University (SFU). She served on SFU's Board of Governors for five years before being appointed chancellor in 2014. A director, lawyer and writer, Ms. Giardini was president of Weyerhaeuser Company from 2008 to 2014 after serving as Weyerhaeuser's general counsel. A longtime leader within Canada’s resource industry, she has served on many related boards, including: B.C.’s Council of Forest Industries; the Alberta Forest Products Association; the Forest Products Association of Canada; and, Sustainable Forestry Initiative, Inc.

She holds a BA in Economics from SFU, LL.B. from the University of British Columbia and LL.M. from Cambridge University (Trinity Hall). She is the author of two novels and the editor of a collection of advice for writers.

Ms. Giardini is currently a member of the board of TransLink, WWF-Canada and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, Past Chair of the Vancouver Board of Trade, and an honorary patron of the Seaforth Highlanders of Canada.

In 2011, Ms. Giardini received the Robert V.A. Jones Award recognizing leadership in corporate counsel practice and was named one of Canada’s 25 most influential lawyers by Canadian Lawyer magazine. She was honoured with a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal and a Lexpert Zenith Award in 2013. In 2015, she received the Western Canada General Counsel Lifetime Achievement Award.

Vikram Vij is a chef, entrepreneur, author and television personality. Born in India, Mr. Vij left home at the age of 20 to start his culinary journey abroad. The talented young chef has worked all over Europe and finally decided to call Canada home. He emigrated to Banff, Alberta in 1989 and started work at the Banff Springs Hotel in various positions.

In 1994, he opened a successful fine-dining restaurant, Vij's, in Vancouver. Vij’s created delicate food cooked by hand and lots of love which led to international and national accolades by great food writers and authors like Anthony Bourdain, Patricia Wells, Thomas Keller.

Mr. Vij also produces a line of gourmet meals named Vij's At Home and Vij’s Indian food is served on all Air Canada flights to India.

Mr. Vij has also hosted shows like Recipe to Riches, Top Chef Canada, Chopped Canada and was the first Indo-Canadian Dragon on a very popular show on CBC, called Dragon’s Den, where he was helping out other entrepreneurs to achieve their dreams as someone had helped him one day.

Mr. Vij is a passionate supporter of the sustainable food industry and culinary training and education. He has championed a number of causes, including: the Vancouver Aquarium's Ocean Wise Sustainable Seafood Program; the Chef's Table Society of British Columbia; and, the Green Table Society. He is also a certified sommelier and recipient of an honorary Doctorate of Law from Simon Fraser University as well as an honorary Doctorate from the University of British Columbia. Vij’s as an institution has funded and opened Vij's Kitchen, a state-of-the-art culinary learning facility, at the University of British Columbia; Vij’s Kitchen is dedicated to teaching future chefs and nutritionists about ethnic food and cuisine.

James Igloliorte of Hopedale, Newfoundland and Labrador, is a retired provincial court judge. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science and a Bachelor of Education from Memorial University, Newfoundland, in 1974 and started his career as a teacher on the west coast of Newfoundland.

Appointed first as a lay magistrate in 1980, Mr. Igloliorte subsequently took responsibility of the Labrador court and circuit system and completed law school at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in 1985. He then returned to take up duties in Happy Valley-Goose Bay as a circuit judge, a position he held for the majority of his career. Mr. Igloliorte was a 1999 National Aboriginal Achievement Award recipient in the category of Law and Justice. He stepped down from the bench in 2004.

In addition to his impressive legal career, Mr. Igloliorte is a past Labrador Director with the Innu Healing Foundation and was a commissioner with the Royal Commission on Renewing and Strengthening Our Place in Canada. He has also worked as Newfoundland and Labrador's child and youth advocate and was commissioner of the Qikiqtani Truth Commission in Nunavut.

Mr. Igloliorte and his wife live in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, and have four children and five grandchildren.

Socio-cultural entrepreneur Susan Knight is a champion of the intrinsic value of people singing together. A choral conductor and music educator of international repute, her principal current focus is advocating the power of social singing as an engine for individual human health/enrichment and collectively for the creation of an empathic community.

Dr. Knight holds bachelor degrees in music/music education (Memorial University), a master of arts, music education (University of St. Thomas, Minneapolis) and a Ph.D. (University of London).

She is also Chancellor of Memorial University and Visiting Researcher, International Music Education Research Centre, UCL Institute of Education at University of London. She has given presentations at national and international conferences and her work has been published in professional journals, conference proceedings and musical editions.

Founder/Chair of Growing the Voices: Festival 500, a movement to develop access to and diverse opportunities for singing across the lifespan, Dr. Knight also founded Shallaway Youth Choir (1992) and Festival 500 (1997), and has an extensive discography and filmography.

A consultant, author, producer, speaker and arts advocate, she is active in governance nationally and internationally. Dr. Knight has produced a canon of choral work chiefly exploring place, empathic community, ecology and change. She has commissioned published, recorded and/or broadcast works by composers, locally and globally. Her principal focus as a researcher is on adult singing recovery/discovery.

Dr. Knight holds an honorary LLD (Memorial University, 2005) and was invested in the Orders of Canada (2004) and of Newfoundland and Labrador (2005).

Robert James Sanderson has been an active member of the Métis Nation of the Northwest Territories and Alberta and was elected as Deputy Mayor for a term on the Fort Smith Town Council.

Most of Mr. Sanderson’s 32-year career was spent in senior management positions with the Public Service where he was responsible for several staff members and a sizeable budget. From 1981 to 1996, he worked for the Public Service Commission, Yellowknife, NT and Edmonton, AB. During this time, he took on a one-year assignment as CEO with Mikisew Cree First Nation, Fort Chipewyan, AB. From 1996 to 2009, he held the position of Regional Superintendent of the Financial Management Board Secretariat and Human Resources. He was also appointed Regional Director for the South Slave Region, a position he held for three years until his retirement in 2009.

Mr. Sanderson, an active volunteer, has lived in Cambridge Bay, NU, Yellowknife, NT and Whitehorse, YT. He now lives with his family in Fort Smith, NT, where he was born and raised.

For over 15 years, Kathy Tsetso served as Chief Executive Officer at the Dehcho Health and Social Services Authority, an organization that provides medical care, mental health care, health promotion, counselling and other health and social services to the 3,400 residents of the Dehcho region in the Northwest Territories. Previously, she had held several positions in the Department of Health and Social Services, including that of superintendent of social services.

Throughout her career, Ms. Tsetso has been a member of associations and committees such as the Canadian Health Care Association and the Canadian College of Health Leaders, and has served as a member of the board of directors at the Child Welfare League of Canada and Canada Northwest FASD Network. She is currently chair of the DFN Investment Management Board of Directors, member of the board of directors at Nogha Enterprises, Ltd. and past Chair of the Aurora College Board of Governors.

Ms. Tsetso is a recipient of the Town of Fort Smith Academic Award and the Social Service Program Academic Honours Award. She also is a registered Nursing Assistant, with a diploma in social services.

Highly motivated, determined and keen to tackle new challenges, she has strong interpersonal and communication skills and has experience working with and for people at the community, regional and Territory level.

Jennifer Gillivan is President and CEO of the IWK Foundation, which raises funds to help the IWK Health Centre provide critical and specialized care to women, children, youth and families throughout the Maritime Provinces.

Ms. Gillivan has an extensive background in philanthropy, partnerships, public speaking, strategy, marketing and leadership. Born and educated in Dublin, Ireland, she immigrated to Canada in 1982. Prior to joining the IWK Foundation, Ms. Gillivan worked with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation for 14 years, including as Director of Partnerships, Communications, Marketing and Brand for the CBC across Canada.

She is an active member of her community, serving on the boards of Canada Children’s Hospital Foundations and the Children’s Miracle Network. She is also the Atlantic Ambassador for Women Get On Board. In addition, she is an active member of the Rotman School of Business “Judy Project” Advisory Board and enjoys motivational speaking. She has also completed the Ivey School of Business KPMG Community Shift program.

Ms. Gillivan has received numerous awards. In 2017, for instance, she received the RBC Top 25 Canadian Immigrant award, the Top 25 Maritime Immigrant award and the Halifax Chamber of Commerce Business Person of the Year. She also obtained her Institute of Corporate Directors designation in 2017 and she was featured in Canada 150 Women, published in November 2017 and was presented with the Atlantic Business Magazine Top 50 CEO Award for 2014, 2015 and 2017.

Dr. Ramona Lumpkin has held important academic and administrative leadership positions at several universities in Canada and the United States, including Principal of Huron University College and Vice-President Academic and Provost of Royal Roads University in Victoria. In 2010, she joined Mount Saint Vincent University as the President and Vice-Chancellor. She occupied that position until 2017.

Throughout her career, Dr. Lumpkin has been actively engaged in women’s studies, in advocacy on behalf of women’s issues, in promoting the role of women in higher education and in enhancing access to education for Aboriginal learners.

In 2014, Dr. Lumpkin was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada in recognition of her leadership in post-secondary education, her promotion of community-based learning initiatives and her support for the advancement of women. In October 2017, she received the Governor General’s Persons Case Award for her advocacy on behalf of women’s rights.

She holds a Ph.D in English Literature from the University of Kentucky and is a former Fulbright Scholar to England.

Dr. Lumpkin is currently Chair of Engage Nova Scotia and a member of several boards such as: Women Active Nova Scotia; Frank H. Sobey Fund for Excellence in Business Education; and, Canadian Women’s Foundation. She is also a member of the YWCA Halifax Advisory Council on the Economic Empowerment of Women and of the Executive of the International Women’s Forum (IWF), Atlantic Region.

Dr. Dawn Lavell Harvard, Ph.D, has since 2016 served as the Director, First Peoples House of Learning, at Trent University. Prior to taking on this role, she was President of the Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC), having previously been Vice-President of NWAC for almost three years.

A proud member of the Wikwemikong First Nation on Manitoulin Island, Dr. Lavell Harvard was the first Aboriginal Trudeau Scholar and has worked for 25 years to advance the rights of Aboriginal women and their families in Ontario.

Since joining the Board of the Ontario Native Women’s Association as a youth director in 1994, Dr. Lavell Harvard has been working toward the empowerment of Aboriginal women and their families. The mother of three girls, she was co-editor of the original volume on Indigenous Mothering, Until Our Hearts Are on the Ground: Aboriginal Mothering, Oppression, Resistance and Rebirth. She has since published Mothers of the Nations, co-edited with Kim Anderson, as well as Forever Loved: Exposing the Hidden Crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls in Canada, co-edited with Jennifer Brant.

In 2018, Dr. Lavell Harvard was awarded the Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers in recognition to her contributions to her community.

Dr. Lavell Harvard has followed in the footsteps of her mother Jeannette Corbiere Lavell, a noted advocate for Indigenous women’s rights. Dr. Lavell Harvard holds a Ph.D in Education from the University of Ottawa, focusing on the processes necessary to foster academic success for Indigenous students, and a Honourary Ph.D from Nipissing University in recognition of her work for the restoration of the Riggs Indigenous women.

Following a distinguished career with the Ontario government, including eight years as Deputy Attorney General of Ontario and a stint as Deputy Minister Responsible for Aboriginal Affairs, Murray Segal now practises as an independent legal counsel and consultant in Toronto. His practise focuses on assisting the public and broader public service in improving the delivery of services.

Mr. Segal was chief legal advisor to the Government of Ontario as well as advisor to Cabinet, the Attorney General, other Ministers, and Deputy Ministers. In that capacity, he oversaw all government litigation. He is also experienced at developing legislation.

Prior to his time as Deputy Attorney General, Mr. Segal was the Chief Prosecutor for the Province of Ontario, leading the largest prosecution service in Canada.

Mr. Segal has been certified as a Criminal Law Specialist by the Law Society of Upper Canada and is the author of numerous legal publications, with a particular focus on the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, disclosure, and procedure. He is also a frequent participant in continuing education programs.

Mr. Segal is a member of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Mental Health Association of Toronto and is on the Board of Trustees of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. In 2013, he was appointed a member of the Ontario Review Board. In October 2015, Mr. Segal released a Report to the Province of Nova Scotia on the justice system’s handling of the Rehtaeh Parsons matter.

Jeannette Arsenault has been co-owner of Cavendish Figurines Ltd., now operating under the name Shop and Play, since its establishment in 1989. Prior to starting this business, which employs nearly two dozen people each tourist season, Ms. Arsenault worked for 15 years with Statistics Canada.

Cavendish Figurines has earned a number of accolades over the years. Ms. Arsenault was given the “Summerside Good Neighbour Award” in 2002 and in 2003 was named one of the “100 most Powerful Women in Canada” by the Women’s Executive Network. In 2018, she received the “Prix de l’Entrepreneur distingué” from RDÉE Île-du-Prince-Édouard. She is also a recipient of the Queen’s Jubilee Medal as well as the Canada 150 Medal.

Ms. Arsenault serves on many committees – among them, the Entrepreneurs’ Forum, (both the local and the Atlantic Committee), the University of Prince Edward Island and the RDÉE Île-du-Prince-Édouard. In addition, she served as President of the Summerside Chamber of Commerce in 2001.

Born on Prince Edward Island, Ms. Arsenault grew up in Abram Village. She is fluent in English and French and is married with two children and two grand-daughters.

J. Allan Shaw obtained a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Prince Edward Island in 1974. He subsequently earned a Master of Adult Education from Saint Francis Xavier University, in 1982, and a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of New Brunswick in 1988.

Before being called to the Bar, Mr. Shaw started his career as a rural development resource worker for the Department of Development on Prince Edward Island, in addition to working at Holland College as an instructor in adult education, interpersonal communications and leadership. He joined the legal firm Ramsay, Clark and Shaw in 1988 and, in 1990, opened his own practice in Alberton, PEI, where for 17 years he served as barrister, solicitor and notary public.

Mr. Shaw has long been active in his community and has a wealth of volunteer experience. He is Past President and Director of the Prince County Exhibition and of the Prince Edward Island Association of Exhibitions. He is also the former Director of the Alberton Heritage Museum, a committee member of O’Leary Hockeytown History Book and a former Director of the O’Leary Library. He has coached hockey, soccer and softball teams.

The recipient of several honours, Mr. Shaw has been named Prince County Exhibition’s Director of the Year and received the Canadian Association of Fairs and Exhibitions’ Distinguished Service Award, the Ken Pridham Memorial Award for Volunteer of the Year and the West Prince District Friend of 4-H Award.

Riel Bellegarde is a proud member of Treaty Four and the Peepeekisis First Nation, and a graduate of the University of New Hampshire, with a Bachelor of Business Administration from the Whittemore School of Business and Economics.

Mr. Bellegarde is currently President and CEO of the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies. He started his career with the Peepeekisis First Nation and the File Hills Qu’Appelle Tribal Council before joining the federal public service in 1994, working, from 1997, for Indian and Northern Affairs Canada. He was subsequently appointed to the Executive Group in 1999 and has since held several executive positions across diverse portfolios. In March 2003, he was appointed to the senior position of Regional Director General, Saskatchewan Region.

Mr. Bellegarde is married with two children.

Dr. Vianne Timmons received her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1979, with a combined major in Psychology and English. She subsequently obtained a Bachelor of Special Education in 1980. Three years later she completed her Master of Education in Special Education. In 1993, Dr. Timmons earned her Ph.D in Education Psychology.

Dr. Timmons was appointed Chair of the Education Department at the St. Francis Xavier University in 1992 and in 1996 joined the Faculty of Education at the University of Prince Edward Island, where she became Vice-President, Academic Development, in 2001. In 2008, Dr. Timmons became the seventh President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Regina. There, she maintains a wide-ranging research program with particular emphasis on family literacy and inclusive education.

Active in the academic community, she is currently Chair of Universities Canada’s Standing Committee on International Relations and a member of the Canada Foundation for Innovation, and is Past President of the International Association of the Scientific Study of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.

Dr. Timmons has been honoured with numerous distinctions, including being named an Officer of the Order of Canada, in 2017. In 2016, she received the Council of Advancement and Support of Education District VIII Leadership Award for contributions to post-secondary education. She has served on several boards, including Economic Development Regina, the Wascana Centre Authority and the Canadian Bureau for International Education. She is also a member of the Bras d’Or Mi’kmaq First Nation.

Carl Friesen has a degree in Geomatics Engineering from the University of Calgary and a degree in Biochemistry from the University of British Columbia.

A Yukon businessman, husband to wife Robyn and father to two children Zoë and Jeremy, Mr. Friesen is a senior partner and Vice President at Underhill Geomatics Ltd (Underhill and Underhill). He is also a professional engineer, a Canada Lands Surveyor, a British Columbia Land Surveyor and a Fellow of Engineers Canada.

Mr. Friesen joined Underhill in 1971 and became a partner in 1989. He has managed branch offices and has performed large project management and legal and engineering survey projects in all regions of Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut and British Columbia in addition to undertaking international projects. He is a specialist in legal surveys on Canada Lands, engineering surveys, logistical organization, land claim surveys, GPS, Photo and conventional geodetic control surveys.

Mr. Friesen remains active in business and social committees in Yukon and on a national level. He is a past member of the Jack Hulland School Council, past president of the Association of Canada Lands Surveyors and past president of Engineers Yukon, ACLS representative on the Canadian Council Land Surveyors and is a current director of the Yukon Contractors Association, a member of the Yukon Land Titles Advisory Committee and the founder/initiator of the Yukon Industry Conference.

Diane Strand obtained a Business Administration degree from Yukon College in 1996, a Personal Life Coach Certificate from the Rayner Institute in Calgary in 2014 and an Integrative Energy Healing Certificate from Langara College in Vancouver in 2017.

Since joining the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations in 1996, she has occupied several positions, leading to her 2015 appointment as Director, Community Wellness. Her role is to provide leadership on intergovernmental co-operation and program development related to new initiatives towards community health and well-being, working to remove barriers within existing government operations.

Mrs. Strand is also a Returning Officer for Kluane Region and an Independent Consultant for Crow’s Light Consulting where she delivers workshops related to community and individual healing.

Possessing a wealth of volunteer and board experience, she is currently a member of the Yukon Lotteries Commission, the Yukon Hospital Corporation and the St. Elias School Council. She also teaches and leads a dance group of Southern Tutchone Dance: Dakwäkäda Dancers.

Through both work and volunteer activities, Diane is involved in many heritage-related initiatives, including traditional dance and song; culture camps for youth; and community genealogy studies.

Mrs. Strand currently lives in Haines Junction and is the mother of two grown children and a grandmother to an 11-month-old grandson.