Press Release

October 28, 2009

Mississauga, Ontario – October 28, 2009 – Corporate wellness is the focus of the health and safety conference and trade show, Forum North 2009. The annual three-day event takes place on November 3 - 5, 2009 at the Valhalla Inn, located on 1 Valhalla Inn Road. Forum North 2009 has a jam-packed lineup of speakers and sessions addressing all facets of the healthy workplace.

During challenging economic times, it becomes more important for companies to invest in their greatest assets, their staff. Making health and safety a priority benefits staff and gives companies an advantage in the competitive marketplace. The benefits of investing in health and safety include reduced workplace incidents, lost-time injury claims, and employee absences, as well as increased productivity. A number of sessions at Forum North 2009 will explore different facets of corporate wellness and provide suggestions on how to achieve a healthy workplace. Examples of sessions include:

Examples of sessions include:

• Mental Health in the Workplace: A Primer for Supervisors and Managers. Mental health is becoming an issue in Canadian workplaces, but what are organizations doing to address the problem? Learn how to identify signs of mental illness and what resources and tools are available to employers so that they can assist employees. Session runs November 3, 2009, 10:00 – 11:15 a.m., led by Dawn Blessing, Clinical Counsellor, Thunder Bay Counseling Centre.

• Stress and Employee Health in Today’s Economic Climate. Stress at home and in the workplace can become problematic for many during challenging economic times. One of the consequences of stress is a reduction in productivity. In this session, delegates will learn to adopt strategies and techniques to help them deal with stress more effectively and in turn, maintain productivity. Session runs November 4, 8:30 – 9:45 a.m., led by Jonathon Winston, Director Business Development, Shepell FGI, Toronto.

• Health, Safety and Wellness: An Economic Imperative. Find out how making the business case for health and safety can lead to a healthy workplace in this session. See how companies have turned health and safety into a business advantage and what you can do to achieve it. Session runs November 5, 8:30 – 9:45 a.m., led by Jim Armstrong, Vice President Client Services, and Larry Masotti, Manager, Business Development, IAPA.

• Morale: Make an Impact in Your Workplace. How does an organization improve morale during challenging times? Common causes of low morale will be explored in this session as will solutions on how to improve it. Session runs November 5, 10:30 - 11:45 a.m., led by Gary Vance, Consultant, IAPA.

Forum North 2009 features a number of keynote speakers. Among them, Gary Phillips, President, NorthWest Training & Development who will talk about how to motivate staff to create a healthy work environment (November 3, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.) and Jamie Broughton of Footprint Leadership. Mr. Broughton’s interactive keynote will provide delegates with the tools to improve organizational performance (November 4, 12:00 – 1:30 p.m.).

In addition, the CEOs of Ontario’s four new health and safety associations will be present and will address delegates on Tuesday, November 3. The CEOs are: Elizabeth Mills, CEO, Safe Workplace Promotion Services Ontario; Candys Ballanger-Michaud, CEO, Workplace Safety North; Louise Logan, CEO of Health and Safety Association for Government Services; and Mike Delisle, CEO, Infrastructure Health and Safety Association. 

The Ontario Workplace Health and Safety System is undergoing a restructuring to better assist clients in reducing the number of injuries, illnesses, and fatalities in the workplace. As a result of these changes, 12 of the province’s health and safety associations will amalgamate to form four new organizations effective January 1, 2010. The new health and safety associations will be known as:

• Safe Workplace Promotion Services Ontario
• Farm Safety Association, IAPA, and Ontario Service Safety Alliance
• Workplace Safety North
• Mines and Aggregates Safety & Health Association, Ontario Forestry Safe Workplace Association, and Pulp and Paper Health & Safety Association
• Health and Safety Association for Government Services
• Education Safety Association of Ontario, Municipal Health and Safety Association, and Ontario Safety Association for Community and Healthcare
• Infrastructure Health and Safety Association
• Construction Safety Association of Ontario, Electrical and Utilities Safety Association, and Transportation Health and Safety Association of Ontario

Forum North 2009 receives support in the planning and development process from its health and safety partners. These partners include the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, Ontario Forestry Safe Workplace Association, Pulp and Paper Health and Safety Association, and Mines and Aggregates Safety and Health Association. Everyone involved is committed to making Ontario workplaces safer and healthier.

For more information on Forum North, visit IAPA’s website at www.iapa.ca.

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For more information, contact:

Lena Wan                                                                                 
Communications and PR Specialist, IAPA                                 
Tel: 905-614-4272, ext. 2247
Email: lwan@iapa.ca