Champion’s Council

As the hospice palliative field has grown, it has also evolved to include more and more people from outside our community offering to lend their voice and be champions, as we continue to work together to deal with the issues of end-of-life care, including an aging population and an increasing death rate every year.

In continuing to show leadership on this issue and in helping to change the face of hospice palliative care in Canada, the CHPCA launched its Champion’s Council in the Fall of 2010. The Champion’s Council is comprised of a group of key leaders in Canada who have offered to advance the profile of hospice palliative care across the country.

The Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association has a strong history of good governance as well as a long history of working with the provincial hospice palliative care associations across the country. The Champion’s Council will provide further opportunities to interface with an even wider range of expertise, to harness new energies and to reflect the diversity that is Canada.

Compassionate Care Report

The Compassionate Companies Research Project was created by the Champion’s Council to gauge which companies out of the recipients of the “Canada’s Top 100 Employees” award offer any kind of compassionate care leave to their employees. Click here to access the report.

Canadian Compassionate Companies (CCC) Designation

Introduced in 2016 by the Champion’s Council of the CHPCA, the CCC designation is awarded to companies who meet three out of five of the following criteria:

  1. Your company has a HR policy that lays out a Compassionate Care Leave Benefit (CCLB) endorsing the job protected family medical Employment Insurance benefit currently at 26 weeks.
  2. Your employees’ jobs are protected while they are off on the CCLB program.
  3. Compassionate Care leave could provide employees with income top-up of benefits over and above the job protected family medical EI benefits leave offered through the provinces and the Federal EI program.
  4. Your company has a caregiver accommodation policy that allows for support and flexibility within economic reason.
  5. Your company will promote Advance Care Planning (ACP) using resources and tools at www.advancecareplanning.ca or create their own materials.

A CCC designation enables you to advertise yourself as a CCC including use of the Canadian Compassionate Company (CCC) logo.

For more information, click here.

Members

The CHPCA is proud to announce the following individuals as members of the Champions’ Council:

Mr. Russell Williams

Senior Vice President, Mission,
Diabetes Canada

Russell is president of Diabetes Canada, leading our mission to support Canadians living with diabetes and prediabetes while we work to end the diabetes epidemic in Canada. Since joining Diabetes Canada in 2016, Russell was Senior Vice-President, Mission, leading the organization’s advocacy efforts at all levels of government for public policy change that will better support people with diabetes and their families, from improved access to medications and devices to strategies to improve the health of all Canadians and support type 2 diabetes prevention.

Russell Williams was the former President of Innovative Medicines Canada (formerly Rx&D), an association of over 50 innovative life sciences companies. During his time there, he was involved in numerous provincial task forces on pharmaceutical policy, he worked directly with key government agencies, and he participated in a number of key coalitions focused on improving research, healthcare, and ethics networks. Prior to his appointment as President of Rx&D, he acted as the Member of the National Assembly for the riding of Nelligan in Montréal, and advocated for many causes, including better patient care, improved emergency services, increased research and development, individual rights, as well as reform for handicapped services.

Russell Williams was the recipient of a 2018 Presidents’ Award from the West Island Palliative Care Residence; the awards celebrate the pioneers in palliative care and to recognize individuals or groups who have made a significant contribution to palliative care and the Residence. Mr. Williams received The Balfour Mount Award, which honours an individual, family, or group who has demonstrated outstanding commitment to hospice palliative care through their volunteer service and/or leadership in philanthropic and community support.

Ms. Kathryn Butler Malette

Chief Human Resources Officer (retired)
House of Commons of Canada

Kathryn Butler Malette is the Chief Human Resources Officer at the House of Commons of Canada. She has more than twenty-five years’ experience in human resources management which she gained in the healthcare sector as the former Vice President of Human Resources for Canadian Blood Services, Vice President of Human Resources for the Sisters of Charity of Ottawa Health Service and Vice President, Human Resources for The Ottawa Hospital.

Kathryn has practiced as a mediator for workplace disputes and harassment complaints and received her training in mediation at the Canadian International Institute of Applied Negotiation in Ottawa, at the Center for Dispute Resolution in Washington, D.C. and in the Program of Instruction for Lawyers at Harvard Law School.

In recognition of her contribution to the human resources profession, Kathryn was awarded the Vision Award for the Human Resources Professional of the Year by the Human Resources Professional Association of Ontario.

Kathryn is a graduate of the University of Ottawa and is a Governor of the University, chair of the Pension Committee and a member of the Board’s governance committee. She has a particular interest in ensuring that programs and services are in place to provide students with a great student experience at the University. For the past seven years, Kathryn has been a Director of Service Coordination des services, a local social service agency in Ottawa that provides services to children and adults with developmental disabilities.

She is a member of the Canadian College of Health Service Executives, the Institute of Corporate Directors and the Human Resources Professional Association of Ontario.

Mr. William (Bill) Greenhalgh

President and Chief Executive Officer,
Stratx Inc.

Bill Greenhalgh was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Human Resources Professionals Association (HRPA) in April 2006and retired from that position in September 2017. He now is now CEO of Stratx, a strategic consulting organization.

His previous positions include President of the Globe and Mail; CEO of Thomson’s Western Canada Newspaper Group; President of Cinram International; COO of Shred it International; as well as various line and staff positions in general management, operations, marketing and finance with Nortel Networks.

He was born in Derry in Northern Ireland and holds a Master’s Degree in Business from the London Business School; a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Southampton University; certificates from the Senior Executive Programs in both Manufacturing and Marketing from Harvard Business School; and is a graduate of both The Aspen Institute Executive Leadership Program and the Directors College at McMaster University.

Bill also served as HRPA Board Secretary and CEO and Board Secretary for the Human Resources Research Institute (HRRI). He is a past member of the boards of the North American Human Resources Associations (NAHRMA), The Scarborough Hospital, the Toronto Symphony, the Commonwealth Games Club and the Canadian Foundation for the Preservation of Chinese Cultural Treasures.

Mr. Rob McCulloch

Chief Development Officer,
University of Ottawa

Rob McCulloch joined United Way Centraide Canada as National Director, Fundraising Strategy in September 2014. Prior to this, Rob brings with him over 25 years’ experience working in the not-for-profit sector at all levels – national, provincial and local. He has been an effective manager and guided staff and volunteer teams to raise in excess of $50M for annual campaigns with organizations such as the Heart and Stroke Foundation, the Lung Association and the Ottawa Humane Society.

Rob is an expert in annual giving campaigns and has successfully delivered programs utilizing an array of proven fundraising channels including major gifts, planned giving, direct mail, telemarketing, e-philanthropy, monthly giving, tribute giving, face-to-face canvassing and direct response TV.

Rob has a Bachelor’s Degree in Education from Dalhousie University and is a former National Board Member with the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies.

Dr. Balfour Mount

Emertius Professor of Medicine
McGill University

Dr. Balfour Mount is a medical graduate of Queen’s University. He trained as an Urologist at McGill University and as a Surgical Oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. His training in end-of-life care was at St. Christopher’s Hospice, London. He was Founding Director of The Royal Victoria Hospital Palliative Care Service in 1974/75. In addition to research and teaching programs, this pioneering initiative in care of the dying included a Home Care Service; a Consultation Program to the acute care wards of that McGill teaching hospital; a geographically separate ward, the Palliative Care Unit; and a Bereavement Follow-up Program. The ‘Royal Vic’ experience resulted in liaison with, and visiting lectureships to, Centres throughout Canada and the United States, as well as Scandinavia, Europe, Israel, Australia, New Zealand, China and Japan. ‘The RVH Manual On Palliative/Hospice Care,’ published in 1982, became a guidebook for program development internationally. In 1991 Dr. Mount was the Founding Director of the Palliative Care Division of the Department of Oncology at McGill and in 1999 he initiated The McGill Programs in Integrated Whole Person Care. In 1994 he was named to McGill University’s newly created Eric M. Flanders Chair in Palliative Medicine.

His research interests include issues relating to quality of life and whole person care. An enthusiastic teacher, Dr. Mount initiated McGill’s biennial International Congresses in Care of the Dying in 1976 and acted as their Chairman until 2004. Dr. Mount was awarded McGill’s Osler Teaching Award in 1997. He is the author of 130 publications and has participated in the production of 19 teaching films and audiotapes on Oncology and Palliative Care.

Dr. Mount is an Officer of the Order of Canada, an Officer of the Order of Quebec and recipient of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’, as well as the Canadian Palliative Care Association “2000 Award of Excellence’.

The above are made possible by the continuing generous support of wife Linda, daughter Bethany, her older siblings and a variety of canine mentors, not to mention a host of Muses representing the creative arts and the inner life.

Dr. Mount retired in February 2006.

Nancy Lefebre

Senior Vice President and COO
SE Health

Nancy Lefebre is currently the SVP, COO for the Business of Caring at SE Health, with a broad portfolio that includes the delivery of care across all business lines in addition to the areas of professional practice, research, education, and digital transformation.

Nancy’s passion and commitment to leadership, the use of evidence, and breakthrough clinical practices is reflected in the awards SE has received – including being named a Best Practice Spotlight Organization (BPSO), a Healthy Workplace, and the winner of the CHSRF Chair Achievement Award in Nursing/Health Human Resources. Nancy is a recipient of the RNAO Award of Merit for her outstanding contributions to the Nursing profession, and the Canadian College of Health Services Executives Nursing Leadership award in recognition of her nursing leadership.

Advocacy on behalf of Canadians most in need is a key practice for Nancy. In addition to her work in SE Health, she has served as the Executive Director of the Saint Elizabeth Foundation and has now transitioned into her role as a board member. Under Nancy’s direction, SE Health and the Saint Elizabeth Foundation has invested more than $6 million into end-of-life care catalyst projects, supporting over 200 hospices across Canada, and becoming the founding member and ongoing operator of Journey Home Hospice. The hospice is a leading provincial, national, and international teaching and learning facility for health care providers to learn specialized care for patients who have experienced homelessness and structural vulnerability. Given her social impact leadership, Nancy received the Sharon Carstairs Award of Excellence in Advocacy in 2020.

Nancy also serves as an adjunct lecturer at the Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto, and is a past member of the Innovation Advisory Board, George Brown College.

Chrisoula Nikidis

Head of Ethics and Compliance,
Takeda

Chrisoula’s successful career is highlighted by creative citizen mobilization, coalition-building and the development of ethical practices on a provincial, national and international level. She has built a world-class understanding of the issues and challenges facing the advancement of ethical policies.

As the new lead to IQVIAs Canadian Compliance Team Chrisoula will be helping to navigate the complex and changing environment in compliance and transparency in the life sciences industry. As Vice President of Ethics, Integrity and Governance, she built a reputation as a trusted and respected leader of issues involving ethics and integrity both in the private and public sectors. Chrisoula has been very skilful in balancing competing and challenging issues and priorities in a fast-paced, continually changing environment.

Most recently, she successfully coordinated the Canadian Ethical Consensus Framework, including the Canadian medical, nursing, patients and industry organizations. She continues as a senior member of a leadership team implementing collaborative ethical partnerships in many countries. Her strong legal background helped her lead several rounds of modernization of the innovative pharmaceutical code of industry practices.

She has played a pivotal role in the advancement of compliance and ethics on the international level through her leadership in the Code Compliance Network at the IFPMA and as a member of the leadership team in the APEC SME Ethics Initiative in 21 countries of the Asia Pacific region. Chrisoula continues as Co-Chair of the APEC Working Group leading this initiative.

Prior to joining IMC, Chrisoula played an important role working alongside a member of the Quebec National Assembly. She contributed on key files, elections, policy development, referenda, and constituent issues and concerns.

Chrisoula has a strong record of coalition and relationship building. Her ability to work with diverse groups and build trust in challenging environments speaks to hersense of diplomacy and effective communication skills. Chrisoula resides in Ottawa with her family and is an active member of the Greek community.