Board

Chuck Bruce is a senior executive with broad-based experience in finance, operations, and corporate governance. Currently the inaugural CEO of the Public Service Pension Plan Corporation in Newfoundland and Labrador, he was previously the CEO of the Nova Scotia Public Service Long Term Disability Plan Trust Fund (NSPS LTD).

With an extensive background in the fields of corporate finance, strategy and governance, he is former Chair of the Nova Scotia chapter of the Canadian Mental Health Association. Mr. Bruce has been a member of the MHCC Advisory Council, providing strategic advice and expertise to the MHCC leadership, while serving as an external Ambassador at MHCC events.
Mr. Bruce holds the Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CMA), Chartered Director (C. Dir) and Certified Financial Planner (CFP) professional designations.

Watch Mr. Bruce’s introductory message.

Carole Shankaruk is a Registered Social Worker and certified counsellor. She is currently the division school social worker for the Mountain View School Division, and will transition to the newly created role of Indigenous Education Facilitator in the 2018-19 academic year.

Carole is also Chair of the Board for the neighbouring division, Park West School Division. Carole is of Metis descent and the great-great-great-great granddaughter of Metis leader Cuthbert Grant.

Carole possesses strong and innovative leadership skills and has extensive experience within diverse sectors including: health care, child welfare, education and private business. Carole’s career trajectory included President of the Manitoba Council for Exceptional Children and an appointment as board member of the Child Welfare Intake Agency All Nations Response Unit. A small business owner and operator in the French Metis community of St. Lazare, Manitoba, Carole also assists her husband with the management of a cattle and grain farm.

A mother of two and a first-time grandparent, Carole seeks a balanced, holistic lifestyle by following her cultural beliefs, focusing on all aspects of self: spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical.

Albert Lavoie, K.C., is a retired judge of the Saskatchewan Provincial Court and a retired deputy judge of the Territorial Court in the Northwest Territories.

Over his 40-plus years in the legal profession, Albert has served on the boards of numerous organizations in the areas of mental health and youth sports, including with not-for-profit service clubs and school support groups. Among his significant positions are presidencies for the Saskatchewan Provincial Court Judges’ Association, the Canadian Association of Provincial Court Judges, and the 1989 Jeux Canada Games Foundation and board member roles for the National Judicial Institute (Ottawa) and the Saskatchewan Soccer Association. He was also a founding member of L’Association des jurists d’expresson françaises de la Saskatchewan. In the sphere of mental health services and public policy, he is an appointed member of the Saskatchewan Review Board and the City of Saskatoon Board of Revision. In addition, he has considerable experience and involvement in legal and healing services within Indigenous communities in Canada.

Albert holds BA and LLB degrees from the University of Saskatchewan. His many honours include the City of Saskatoon Certificate of Distinguished Community Service, the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal, the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal, and induction into the Saskatoon Sports Hall of Fame.

Initially trained as a mathematician specializing in information technologies, André Delorme has been a psychiatrist for over 25 years. He works within an assertive community treatment team at Granby Hospital’s Integrated Centre for Health and Social Services (CIUSSS) in Estrie.

Dr. Delorme also has extensive experience as an administrator. After serving as head of the CIUSSS psychiatry department and director of professional and hospital services, he became head of psychiatry at the CHUM Research Centre, and then director of mental health and director general of mental health at the Quebec Ministry of Health and Social Services. He is also on the Frayme board of directors.

In 2017, he was selected as one of 150 CAMH Difference Makers in mental health.

Armaghan (Army) is currently a general surgery resident at the University of Toronto. He has long been passionate about advocating for youth mental health and providing peer support to help ensure that these resources are available and readily accessible across Canada. He also recognizes the importance of educating primary care physicians and other health-care providers on how to become better mental health allies.

During his undergraduate studies at McGill University, where he obtained a bachelor of science (Hons.) degree in anatomy and cell biology, Army was intimately involved in mental health on campus as chair of the Peer Support Centre, a student-run organization providing confidential, non-judgmental mental health support to students. Based on these experiences, he served as a mental health commissioner at the Students’ Society of McGill University, where he worked with McGill’s administration to develop better mental health policies and launch the Rossy Student Wellness Hub.

Following his time at McGill, Army obtained an MD at the University of British Columbia while serving as class president, where he prioritized student wellness and inclusivity. As a representative on the Undergraduate Medical Education COVID-19 Implementation Task Force, he helped to ensure academic rigour during the pandemic while protecting students, staff, and patients. For his involvement, he was awarded the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame Award for Medical Students, the Canadian Medical Association Award for Young Leaders (Student), and UBC’s prestigious Westbrook Scholarship.

Before joining the board, Army was a Mental Health Commission of Canada’s Youth Council member. He also co-founded the Canadian Peer Support Network, which sought to bring peer support to institutions across the country, and now sits as an adviser for the Bell Let’s Talk Diversity Fund.

Beth Tyndall is Chief People Officer at Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan and leads the People and Culture function across its global offices in Toronto, London, Hong Kong, Singapore and San Francisco.

Beth joined Ontario Teachers’ in 2017 after more than a decade at Deloitte, where she held various roles including National Talent Leader for the Audit, Tax and Consulting practices. Prior to her time at Deloitte, she worked for many years in the technology sector.

Over the past five years at Ontario Teachers’, Beth and her team have transformed the advisory and operational capabilities of the People & Culture function and reimagined the organization’s approach to talent, wellbeing, change, culture and leadership. Her team was recognized as the 2019 Canadian HR Team of the Year and she was featured on the HRD Global 100 list of leading HR professionals.

Beth is also a true champion of inclusion and mental health. In addition to ensuring that inclusive policies and practices are foundational to Ontario Teachers’ transformation, she led the implementation of an enterprise Inclusion & Diversity Leadership Council, employee resource groups and was instrumental in establishing several industry partnerships. In July 2020, she was recognized by Women in Capital Markets as one of their 2020 Champions of Change and selected as one of the recipients of the Globe and Mail Report on Business magazine’s inaugural Best Executive Awards.

Beth completed her ICD.D certification from the Institute of Corporate Directors and previously served on the board of directors for two not-for-profit organizations. She is also on the Board of Directors for Amica Senior Lifestyles, an OTPP portfolio company.

Christine is the Deputy Minister of the BC Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions. The Ministry is responsible for working with government ministries, Indigenous organizations, municipalities and community partners to ensure a coherent, accessible, and culturally safe mental health and addictions system that is effective for individuals and families across the lifespan. The ministry is also responsible for leading an immediate response to the province’s overdose public health emergency.

Before being appointed as Deputy Minister, Christine served as ADM in in BC’s Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD) from February 2018 to November 2020. In her time at MCFD, Christine had different responsibilities including childcare policy and programs, policy for child welfare, child and youth mental health services, as well as policy and provincial programs for the early years and children and youth with extra support needs.

Christine’s other experience in the BC Government includes as Executive Director at the Ministry of Advanced Education where she led the transfer of the regulation of private career colleges from an external Crown agency to the ministry; five years at the Ministry of Health, where she led the Seniors’ Action Plan as well as a number of legislative initiatives including the BC Services Card, the new Pharmaceutical Services Act and the Seniors Advocate Act. From 1995 to 2009, Christine worked in the post-secondary sector, including positions with the Research Universities’ Council of British Columbia, the Ministry of Advanced Education, UBC and SFU.

Christine holds an undergraduate degree (B.A.) from the University of Ottawa and a Master’s degree (M.A.) from Simon Fraser University.

Didier Jutras-Aswad is a psychiatrist at the Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CHUM), where he helped to develop the addiction psychiatry unit, an ultra-specialized treatment program for people living with both drug addiction and mental health problems. He is a clinical associate professor at the Université de Montréal and president of the Centre of Expertise and Collaboration in Concurrent Disorders for its integrated health and social services network (RIUSSS). He is also a Quebec health research fund (FRQS) clinical researcher at the CHUM research centre, where his work focuses on various aspects of drug addiction and related mental health problems. In addition, he leads clinical trials designed to evaluate interventions and care models for these conditions. Much of his research is devoted to understanding the effects of cannabis use on health as well as developing new intervention modalities to reduce its harmful effects.

As a senior adviser for the Heart and Stroke Foundation, Donovan is driving their provincial advocacy efforts in Newfoundland and Labrador. He has held previous positions in strategic communications with NATIONAL Public Relations, the University of Toronto Health and Wellness Centre, and CivicAction.

Donovan has facilitated consensus-based decisions on diverse boards, committees, and councils. This includes organizations with governance and technical mandates as well as non-partisan advisory bodies for a premier, a prime minister, and a governor general of Canada. He is in his second term as a board director at the Mental Health Commission of Canada.

Donovan was vice-chair of the technical committee that developed the world’s first national standard on mental health and well-being for post-secondary students, for which CSA Group awarded him the 2020 National Young Professional Award. An advocate for the voices of lived and living experience, Donovan was also an ambassador for the annual Faces of Mental Illness campaign led by Bell and the Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health.

Donovan’s background includes four years as an elected municipal councillor in their home community in rural Newfoundland and Labrador. Donovan holds a bachelor of arts in communications from Memorial University and is active in the GPC.D designation program for the Governance Professionals of Canada.

As President and CEO of Kids Help Phone, Katherine Hay provides strategic leadership and drives innovation in the implementation of the organization’s five-year strategic plan to be the most-nimble, accessible and effective access point to the support young people need. In fact, in leading an organization recognized as a pioneer in e-mental health and virtual care, Kathy has made the organization’s mission, to always be open, providing a safe and trusted place for young people in any moment of crisis or need, a personal commitment. As a passionate change-maker in Canada, Kathy is dedicated to encouraging innovation and amplifying the voice of young people. Her success was recognized last year when Kathy received the 2021 RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Award of Social Change award and the Arts 2021 Alumni Achievement Award presented from the University of Waterloo.

Kathy’s commitment to young people and the charitable sector extends to her volunteer work as a member of multiple organizations’ board of directors, including a seat owner on the Ontario Premier’s Office sub-council on mental health and addiction; Imagine Canada; Children’s First Canada Council of Champions; a member of the National Youth Serving Agencies; a member of the Mayor’s Task Force on Poverty and Homelessness in Mississauga; a former member of the National Council of Foundation Executives for the Conference Board of Canada; and a former member of the Toronto Academic Health Science Network Foundation CEO Roundtable.

Prior to joining Kids Help Phone, Kathy was President and CEO of Women’s College Hospital Foundation where she advanced the health of women across Canada and reached record levels of support. Her success in this role led to her being named one of Canada’s Top 25 Women of Influence in 2017.

Kathy is a passionate change-maker in Canada, impacting change and growth throughout her 18 years of exceptional service in senior leadership roles in the not-for-profit sector, including as: Executive Director of Advancement at the University of Toronto/Mississauga; Associate Vice-president of Advancement at the University of Guelph; President and CEO at Credit Valley Hospital Foundation; and Chief Development Officer at the Art Gallery of Ontario. After a successful career in banking, Kathy and her family moved to Sao Paulo, Brazil, where she co-founded the Canadian Foundation alongside the Canadian Consule General with a mandate of supporting children and families, it is where she knew that by combining her business experience with her commitment to making an impact for others in this city.

Kellie Garrett is passionate about helping others reach their potential. She is an executive coach, speaker and consultant in the areas of leadership, internal culture change, employee engagement, governance and business strategy.

She coaches individuals, teams and boards on trust, constructive conflict, accountability and high performance. A marketing communication expert, Garrett was granted the titles of Master Communicator and Fellow by the International Association of Business Communicators. She is a Certified Daring Way Facilitator, qualified to teach Dr. Brené Brown’s work on courage, vulnerability and shame. Prior to becoming an entrepreneur in 2013, Garrett was a Senior VP at Farm Credit Canada, responsible for business strategy, enterprise risk management, the customer experience, and reputation management.

Three generations of Garrett’s family have lived with depression and anxiety, and she speaks about her own experience to encourage others to seek help and to reduce stigma. An ardent volunteer, Garrett received the Red Cross Humanitarian Award (SK) in 2014, primarily for her work in the area of autism awareness and Dress for Success.

Michelle Boudreau is currently the Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategic Policy Branch, at Health Canada. Her responsibilities include pharmaceutical management and pharmacare policies, as well as on mental health care policies.

Before joining the federal government, Michelle worked as a pharmacist and as a lawyer, dabbling for a short time in intellectual property law.

Over more than twenty years within government, Michelle has worked in many areas including regulatory, program design and operations, intellectual property policy, and pharmaceutical management systems policy. In her career at Health Canada, she has served as legal counsel in the Departmental Legal Services Unit and in senior executive roles.

Michelle is an Acadian from Cape Breton, in Coastal Eastern Canada.  She enjoys the outdoors and recently became the owner of farm property in rural Ontario.

Sarika is a senior health leader with extensive experience working with executive leaders and leading teams on developing inclusive employee health programs. Building workplaces that are resilient and psychologically safe so that everyone can bring their whole self to work fuels her purpose.

She is currently the Director, Canadian Health and Welfare Benefits at BMO Financial Group and formerly led Deloitte Canada’s wellness and benefits program. Prior to Deloitte she pioneered the development of a national workplace mental health program at the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), National Office called the Workforce Mental Health Collaborative.

In addition to serving as a Board Director for the Mental Health Commission of Canada, she is also a member of womenmind™. The womenmind community is united in philanthropy, purpose and impact, working together with CAMH to close the gap in research on the mental health of girls and women, and to support women to become leaders in mental health research.

She holds a Master of Science in Health Services Administration and a Bachelor of Psychology.

Sonia Isaac-Mann is Mi’gmaq from Listuguj First Nation and recently became the president and CEO of the Sioux Lookout First Nations Health Authority, where she leads the implementation of its strategic plan and the overall management of operations. By providing “community-led services and a strong voice for community health needs,” the organization serves 33 Anishinabe communities across Kiiwetinoong in northern Ontario to achieve a vision of “resilient and healthy Nations supported on their path to wellness.”

Sonia holds a master of science in medical sciences-public health sciences with a focus on population health from the University of Alberta faculty of medicine and a bachelor of science from Bishop’s University.

Sonia has worked in First Nations health for over 20 years and has extensive community, regional, and national experience. She advocates for culturally appropriate health policies that lead to better programs and services for First Nations communities.

She has previously served as the vice-president of community health and wellness programs and services at the First Nations Health Authority (FNHA) in British Columbia. The FNHA is a health and wellness partner to over 200 diverse First Nations communities and citizens across the province. As a key senior leadership member, Sonia led her team through a community-oriented approach to delivering services and programs. A critical function of her role was to provide professional health and wellness advice to B.C. First Nations, First Nation health service organizations, health directors, and regional directors.

Before joining the FNHA in 2015, she held several roles over 10-plus years with the Assembly of First Nations in Ottawa, including as the associate director of health.

Sonia has experience with numerous boards and committees, including at the Mental Health Commission of Canada, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Canadian Northern and Remote Health Network at the Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement, and the Thunderbird Partnership Foundation.

Susannah Crabtree is the Senior Vice-President of People and Culture with EDC, a Canadian Crown Corporation. In this role she sits on EDC’s executive leadership team and oversees the full suite of human resources operations, programs, and HR strategy and advisory services.

Susannah has more than 20 years of experience leading and consulting in all aspects of human resources and talent management. Most recently, as a partner with Mercer she led the national compensation, communications, and talent strategy consulting practice for its Canadian operations. She specializes in executive and board succession planning; leadership assessment and development; board effectiveness; diversity, equity, and inclusion; total rewards and performance management; communications; and strategic risk management.

Susannah has a deep passion for mental health and has been exposed to its importance in Canadian society through all facets of her life, including her studies, volunteer work, professional career, and her lived experience. She has a profound interest in corporate governance and has achieved the ICD.D designation in 2021. Susannah is also a fully qualified actuary and has completed several leadership certifications. She is currently serving as past-chair for the YMCA-YWCA of the National Capital Region. Susannah holds a bachelor of science in psychology and mathematics from McGill University and is fluently bilingual in French and English.