The Brant Community Healthcare System (BCHS) is pleased to announce that 11 local community members have been appointed to the BCHS Board of Directors.

Until, such time as Ms Bonnie Adamson, Supervisor appointed temporarily by Ministry Health is determined complete by the provincial government, the new Board of Directors will remain in an advisory role to Ms. Adamson, after which they will assume full accountability for the roles and responsibilities as outlined under BCHS bylaws.

“This is another step forward in restoring local governance to BCHS,” said Ms. Bonnie Adamson, Supervisor of BCHS. “This diverse group of individuals represent the great strengths of this community and I very much look forward to working with them as individuals and as a governance team.”

Appointments to the BCHS Board include: Ms. Maggie Copeland, Mr. David Diegel, Mrs. Teresa Doolittle, Mr. Paul Emerson, Ms. Annette Gillis, Mr. Ronald Kaufman, Mr. Adam McDonald, Mr. Vernon Payne, Ms. Rena Roy, Mr. Peter Quinlan and Dr. Mackenzie Silfierz.

Mr. Emerson, a Paris resident, who retired as the Chief Administration Officer of the County of Brant earlier this year, has been designated Incoming Chair of the BCHS Board of Directors and will assume the leadership role of BCHS Board Chair at the end of Ms. Adamson’s tenure.

“I am delighted to accept this position,” said Mr. Emerson, “This is a great opportunity for the new Board to work with the community and continue to drive improvements being made in our local healthcare system.”

All newly appointed Board members engaged in an extensive interview process and review to ensure they brought appropriate talents and were free of conflict of interest in the role.

The new Board, which has a maximum of 12 members, now has its first 11 appointments. It is expected that one more Board member will be appointed in due course.

Alphabetical listing of new board member and credentials:

MAGGIE COPELAND

Ms. Copeland is the Community Health Nurse/Supervisor of the community health program for the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation. Ms. Copeland is a Registered Nurse, having graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Ryerson University. She has extensive pediatric and adult nursing experience at various healthcare facilities in the region, including McMaster Children’s Hospital and Hamilton Health Sciences Centre. Ms. Copeland is currently a member of the Indigenous Health Network of the Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant Local Health Integration Network. Ms. Copeland is a member of the Fisher River Cree Nation and has lived in Brantford for 28 years.

DAVID DIEGEL

Mr. Diegel is a private planning consultant for community-based health and social service agencies and networks. Prior to establishing his own consultancy, Mr. Diegel worked for the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care and the Ministry of Children and Youth Services. In addition, he previously served as a health planner for the Grand River District Health Council. Mr. Diegel recently completed a certificate in Not-For-Profit governance from the Institute of Corporate Directors and the Rotman School of Management. He also holds a Master’s degree from Wilfrid Laurier University. Mr. Diegel lives in Brantford and is the current Chair of the Grand River Community Health Centre and a Board Member of Brant Family and Children Services

MRS. TERESA DOOLITTLE

Mrs. Doolittle is a member of Six Nations of the Grand River. She has held various roles with Six Nations enterprises and Six Nations Elected Council, including Six Nations Public Works, First Nations Engineering and the Six Nations of the Grand River Development Corporation. Mrs. Doolittle has a Diploma in General Business from Mohawk College and is currently working on her Certified Human Resources Professional Designation.

PAUL EMERSON (INCOMING CHAIR)

Mr. Emerson is a native of Paris and the recently retired Chief Administration Officer of the Count of Brant, overseeing all County of Brant programs and staff and reporting directly to County of Brant Council. Prior to that role Mr. Emerson was the CAO of the Grand River Conservation Authority. In addition, Mr. Emerson has volunteered locally with the Canadian Cancer Society, Hear & Stroke Foundation, Canadian Diabetes Society and the Brant United Way. Mr. Emerson has been appointed the incoming Chair of the BCHS Board of Directors.

ANNETTE GILLIS

Ms. Gillis is a Registered Nurse who has previously served on the BCHS and BCHS Foundation Board of Directors. Ms. Gillis is a passionate advocate for local healthcare and before retiring held managerial positions at Grand River Hospital, St. Joseph Healthcare System, St. Mary’s General Hospital and London Health Sciences Centre. In those roles, Ms. Gillis consistently looked for and implemented innovative ways to improve patient care. Ms. Gillis lives in Brantford and is currently vice-chair of the BCHS Community Engagement Council.

RONALD KAUFMAN

Mr. Kaufman is a Chartered Professional Accountant and Chartered Accountant with extensive experience working for municipal governments. Mr. Kaufman was most recently Deputy Chief Administrative Officer and Chief Financial Officer for the Town of Caledon where he was a leader in corporate-wide change management and oversaw multiple corporate functions. Prior to that Mr. Kaufman was the City Treasurer and Director of Finance of the City of Brantford. Mr. Kaufman is retired and lives in Brantford.

ADAM MCDONALD

Mr. McDonald has extensive experience in public affairs, communications and government relations. He has a Master of Arts in Political Science from the University of Waterloo and is currently working on his Ph.D in Policy Studies at Ryerson University. Mr. McDonald is currently the Research and Communications Director for the Ontario Professional Fire Fighters Association and has previously worked for the Ministry of Education, the Minister of Natural Resources and a Member of Provincial Parliament. Mr. McDonald lives in Brantford.

VERNON PAYNE

Mr. Payne has been a Brantford resident for 46 years was a classroom educator and principal for the Grand Erie District School Board prior to his retirement. Mr. Payne is currently the Chair of the Brantford Caribbean Association and is Chair of the Arts and Culture Advisory Committee for the City of Brantford. He is also a board member of Brant Family and Children’s Services.

PETER QUINLAN

Mr. Quinlan is a practicing litigation lawyer with Waterous Holden Amey Hitcheon LLP in Brantford. Mr. Quinlan has a law degree from Queen’s University and a Bachelor of Education from the University of Toronto. Before returning to law school, he taught high school for three years. Mr. Quinlan was called to the Ontario Bar in 1980 and in addition to his legal practice, he serves as a Deputy Judge of the Superior Court of Ontario. He is currently on the Board of Directors of Brant-Brantford Crimestoppers and a former Director of the Chamber of Commerce and W Ross MacDonald Foundation.

RENA ROY

Ms. Roy is a psychotherapist and owns and operates, Brantford Integrated Health, her own multidisciplinary counselling business in Brantford. Ms. Roy is passionate about improving the mental health of the community, with an emphasis on children’s mental health. She is a member of the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario and National Association of Cognitive Behaviour Therapists. A resident of Brantford, Ms. Roy has also been a board member of Woodview Mental Health and Autism Centre and a past board member of Community Living Brant.

MACKENZIE SLIFIERZ

Born and raised in Brantford, Dr. Slifierz has a Ph.D. in infectious diseases from the University of Guelph. Dr. Silfierz is an epidemiologist at the City of Hamilton (Public Health) and a part-time academic instructor in the health studies program at the Brantford campus of Wilfrid Laurier University. Dr. Slifierz has extensive research experience with a wide array of publications and presentations. He is a member of the Association of Public Health Epidemiologists in Ontario.