Report on the Labour Force Participation of Seniors and Near Seniors, and Intergenerational Relations

Annex D: Members of the National Seniors Council

Jean-Guy Soulière, Chair

After a successful career with the federal public service, Jean-Guy Soulière was the Executive Director of the Federal Superannuates National Association for over 12 years. He has served as the Chair and Spokesperson for the Congress of National Seniors' Organizations since 2002 and is a member of the Public Service Pension Advisory Committee. He holds a degree from the University of Ottawa and is fluently bilingual.

Patricia Eve Edge

Ms. Edge was appointed by the Government of British Columbia in 1996 as a Senior Citizen Counsellor and is still serving in this capacity with the Ladysmith Resources Centre Association. Ms. Edge has worked with numerous organizations and served on various committees representing seniors in the town of Ladysmith and its surrounding area, including the Ladysmith Resources Centre Association, the Ladysmith RCMP Community Policing Station, the Ladysmith Senior Centre Society and the Ladysmith Health Care Auxiliary. Ladysmith is a small town of 8,500 one hour north of Victoria along the eastern coast of Vancouver Island. Ms. Edge has also won a number of awards celebrating her significant commitment to the community, including Volunteer of the Year, RCMP Community Policing (1997-1998), the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal (2002) and the Ladysmith Citizen of the Year for Volunteerism (2006).

Stanley Hrabarchuk

Following Mr. Stanley Hrabarchuk retirement from the Government of Canada in 1991, Mr. Hrabarchuk became a member of the National Association of Federal Retirees (FSNA). He was appointed to the position of National President of FSNA in 2009 and in 2010, became the Immediate National Past President. For nearly 20 years, Mr. Hrabarchuk has worked on a number of committees to help further the work of FSNA through the development of membership programs and marketing and recruitment strategies. He was also instrumental in establishing a Manitoba Committee of Seniors to represent seniors' interests across the province. His demonstrated leadership skills and extensive experience supporting seniors' issues are an excellent addition to the Council.

Patricia Humenny

Patricia Humenny of Clavet, Saskatchewan, has had a very rich and diverse career with positions in both small business, government, social services and the private sector. She has also served in executive positions for a number of community and service organizations, such as the Canadian Association of the Mentally Handicapped. Ms. Humenny’s educational background includes nursing, accounting, sociology, economics and business law. Her nursing training and various other positions have given Ms. Humenny the opportunity to be involved with seniors on many levels throughout her career. In 2005, she was awarded the Saskatchewan Centennial Medal in recognition of her contributions to her community and the province of Saskatchewan.

Leonie Napa Duffy

Leonie Napa Duffy has been very active in Coral Harbour, Nunavut, working as a teaching assistant, a teacher and a nurse's aide. She is also a long-time hotel owner and manager, as well as a church pastor. Mrs. Duffy has been elected to office on numerous occasions, and is currently serving as a member of the Keewatin Business Development Centre. She holds many awards, including Fellow of the Arctic Institute of North America (1999), a Governor General Commemorative Medal (1992), and an award from the Hamlet Council of Coral Harbour (1995).

Dr. Doo Ho Shin

Dr. Doo Ho Shin of Vancouver, British Columbia, an active partner in BC Bio Medical Laboratory for over 30 years, was a practicing as a general pathologist in Fraser Health (largely at Surrey Memorial Hospital). Fraser Health serves a population of 1.46 million people, approximately 1/3 of the total population of British Columbia. Dr. Shin has served on various hospital committees, including Infection Control and Physician Credentials. He has been actively involved in community work including arts, education and seniors issues in the metro Vancouver area.

Beverley Weeks

Beverley Weeks of Harvey, New Brunswick, is the founder of Harvey Outreach for Seniors, an organization developed to meet the needs of seniors. She is also a founding and lifetime member of the New Brunswick Home Support Association. Ms. Weeks has served on many committees and has conducted research projects in the field of seniors’ issues. She is a founding and continuing member of the Third Age Centre housed at St. Thomas University, Fredericton, New Brunswick. She was the New Brunswick representative on the Board of the Canadian Association for Community Care. Some of her awards include the Marion Stevenson Award for outstanding contribution to Community Care and the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal for her work on seniors’ issues.

The Council would like to recognize and thank the following former members of the Council, whose hard work and insight contributed greatly to the development of this report.

Daphne Nahmiash

Dr. Daphne Nahmiash, PhD, of Montréal, Quebec, is an active member of and former Chair of the McGill Centre for Studies in Aging Education Committee. She is presently the chairperson of the Notre-Dame-de-Grâce (NDG) Community Committee on Elder Abuse. She was an Adjunct Professor in Gerontology and Social Services at Université Laval and McGill University. She has recently retired from her position as Director of Professional Services of CLSC NDG and as Commissioner of Complaints and Quality of Services at the Centre de santé et de services sociaux Cavendish in Montréal. Dr. Nahmiash has been working in the field of seniors’ health and social services for the past 45 years. She has been part of many committees, including at the Quebec Health and Social Services Ministry where she produced government reports on senior abuse, neglect and services to seniors. Some of her awards include Women of the Year 2005–2006, awarded by the Montréal Council of Women for initiatives to improve the quality of life of seniors.

Cécile Plourde

Cécile Plourde of Montréal, Quebec, has been the president of the Fédération de l'âge d'or du Québec (FADOQ) - Mouvement des aînés du Québec for the Montréal region since 2000. The FADOQ is the largest seniors' group in Quebec and is made up of 280,000 members. Ms. Plourde, a graduate of Université Laval, worked in the health profession for 40 years as a registered nurse. Ms. Plourde has been active in her community for many years and has served on many committees, including the Table de concertation des aînés de l'Île de Montréal and the regional selection committees for the Engagés dans l'action pour les aînés du Québec and New Horizons grant programs. Ms. Plourde has also been a member of the family committee at the Conférence régionale des élus de Montréal since 2005.

The Reverend Canon Derwyn Shea

The Reverend Canon Derwyn Shea of Toronto, Ontario, is the Rector of St. Hilda’s Anglican Church and Chairman and CEO of St. Hilda’s Towers, one of the largest single stand alone residential care facilities in Ontario. He was Priest-in-Charge for 28 years at St. Clement (Riverdale) Parish. He established a number of local initiatives geared towards youth and low-income seniors. Reverend Shea was appointed Canon for the Diocese of Toronto by the Anglican Church in 2002. He is a former Toronto City and Metro Councillor, as well as a former Ontario Member of Provincial Parliament. He has served on numerous boards, chairs, and commissions, including the Children’s Aid Society, the Mayor’s Committee on Race Relations and the Police Commission. He was the former Chairman of the O’Keefe Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto and President of the Canadian National Exhibition. He was awarded the 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal for Community Service as a result of his work and advocacy.

Joan Tufts

Joan Tufts of Saulnierville, Nova Scotia, is a retired nurse who is currently an Addiction Services Counsellor with a special emphasis on nicotine addiction. Ms. Tufts has served in a variety of roles involving seniors and home care. She is currently a voluntary Director on the Mental Health Foundation Board of Nova Scotia and sits on that board and the Clare Community Health Board. Ms. Tufts won the 2005 Inspiring Lives Award from the Mental Health Foundation Board of Nova Scotia.

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