Board of Directors
Beth Potter
Executive Director
Camping In Ontario
Beth Potter is currently the Executive Director for Camping In Ontario, an association made up of more than 600 small businesses, which actively represents the campground industry in Ontario. Under her leadership, Camping In Ontario has undergone many changes, including a governance review in 2004/05 that resulted in the Board developing its first strategic plan. On the heels of that achievement, the organization undertook a re-branding exercise in 2006/07. Beth also holds Board seats on the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario and the Accommodation Industry Alliance of Ontario, and chairs Campgrounds Camping Canada. With 19 years of experience in the not-for-profit sector, Beth has worked with a variety of boards, committees and volunteers from all walks of life. She received her Bachelor of Arts from Lakehead University (1990).
Elizabeth Mills
President & CEO
WSPS
Elizabeth Mills is the inaugural President and Chief Executive Officer of Workplace Safety & Prevention Services (WSPS), one of four newly amalgamated health and safety associations resulting from the restructuring of Ontario’s prevention system. WSPS, formed January 1, 2010, is a not-for-profit organization with a mandate to meet the health and safety needs of 154,000 businesses in the agricultural, manufacturing and service industries, representing 3.8 million employees across Ontario.
An executive with over 16 years of experience and leadership in health and safety, Elizabeth Mills was previously CEO of the Ontario Service Safety Alliance (OSSA), having brought together a coalition of industry trade associations and volunteer organizations to found the not-for-profit association in 1997.
Prior to OSSA, Elizabeth honed her government relations, policy development and operational planning skills working in a variety of senior roles in the not-for-profit and government sectors. A strategic thinker, change agent and leader of stakeholder coalitions, Elizabeth served as Director, Government Relations, Retail Council of Canada, from May 1995 to June 1997. In representing and lobbying on behalf of the Council’s 7,000 retail companies, she focused on issues related to employment standards, health and safety, workers’ compensation and the environment.
Elizabeth’s prior experience includes five years as an Ontario public servant working in policy-related functions in both the Ministry of the Government Services and the Ministry of the Solicitor General. She left government in March 1993 to begin her career as a lobbyist in association management and with the Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association.
Elizabeth is currently a Director on the Board of WSPS. She also holds positions as:
- President, Board of Directors, Centre for Health & Safety Innovation
- Member, Advisory Committee for the Centre for Research Expertise for Musculoskeletal Disorders (CRE-MSD)
- Member, Canadian Society of Association Executives
- Member, Board of Governors, National Quality Institute
- Member, Occupational Health and Safety Advisory Council, Ryerson University
Previously Elizabeth served as a publicly appointed member of the Board of Directors for the College of Opticians, and as a Director for the Ontario Tourism Education Corporation.
A native of Toronto, Elizabeth received her Bachelor of Arts, Political Science (1987) from Wilfrid Laurier University and her Master of Public Administration from Queen’s University, (1989). In recognition of her achievements, Elizabeth was nominated for Canada’s “Top 40 Under 40” awards program.
Gary Evans
Co-owner and Executive Vice-President
Edson Packaging Machinery Ltd.
Gary Evans joined Edson Packaging Machinery in 1997 as Controller. In 1999, he applied his expertise in design, manufacturing and finance to develop and execute a plan that increased sales and profitability by 50%, subsequently purchasing 50% of the company. Previously, Gary served in cost accounting for the gas turbine manufacturing division of Westinghouse Canada Inc., later becoming Senior Financial Analyst for four facilities throughout the United States and Canada. After receiving the President’s Award in 1993 and 1994, Gary was promoted to the Westinghouse Service Division where, as the Financial Operations Manager, he was financially responsible for 36 service centres located across Canada. He has been a participant on the CARA Action Task Force, and the West Lincoln Memorial Hospital Board, contributing in governance and strategic planning roles through his membership on Board sub-committees.
George J. McClean
Vice-President & General Counsel
Acklands-Grainger Inc.
George McClean is currently Vice President and General Counsel, as well as Chief Privacy Officer, at Acklands-Grainger, where he is on the executive team and is responsible for all legal matters, mergers and acquisitions, risk management and corporate social responsibility. George was recently responsible for environment, health and safety, and business continuity planning. He was formerly Legal Counsel with GM Canada and member of the OnStar Canada Board of Directors, where his responsibilities included sales and marketing, dealer litigation and ADR, competition law compliance, franchise law, mergers and acquisitions, international transactions, pensions, finance, purchasing, alliances, IP and internet law. George was seconded to GM Defence (London, 1998) and Holden (Australia, 2003), was Director of Fleet and Commercial Sales for GM Canada (2005), and was named Top 40 under 40 Corporate Counsel in 2005. George previously served as Chair of the Finance Committee of the Board of Directors of one of SWPSO’s predecessor companies, the Ontario Service Safety Alliance (OSSA). He obtained his B.A. (Honours, 1990) from UWO, his MBA (Dean's Honours, 1994) from the Schulich School of Business, and his LL.B. (Barlow Scholarship, 1994) from Osgoode Hall. George was admitted to the Ontario Bar in 1996 and is a Certified Management Accountant.
Gordon Vala-Webb
National Director, Knowledge Management
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP Canada (PwC)
Gordon is Chair of the Board of Directors of the Safe Workplace Promotion Services of Ontario (and was previously Chair of one of SWPSO's predecessor organizations: the Ontario Service Safety Alliance). As the National Director of Knowledge Management, he is responsible for the development and execution of PwC’s internally focused knowledge management / sharing strategy, including its internally facing portal, which just won the IIR Portals, Collaboration and Content Excellence Award (2007). Prior to joining PwC in 2005, Gordon had a similar position with Ontario's Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB). His team's portal was named one of the "Top Ten Government Intranets" by NN/g and was given an Ontario Showcase Merit Award for Organizational Transformation (2004). He has a Masters degrees in both Management Science (Technology, Faculty of Engineering, University of Waterloo) and in Politics (Queen's University, Kingston).
Jattinder S. Dhillon
Vice-President, Health, Safety, Wellness & Business Continuity
Loblaw Companies Ltd.
Jattinder Dhillon is currently the Vice-President of Health, Safety, Wellness and Business Continuity at Loblaw Companies Limited, and for the past two years has been a member of the Loblaw Health, Safety and Environment Committee of the Board. He has had over 15 years of experience in the health and safety field in the consulting, manufacturing and retail sectors. He was the Chair of the Mississauga Chapter of Professionals Engineers of Ontario, and has been involved with the prevention committee at the Workplace Safety & Insurance Board (WSIB) level in 2009. During his time at Weston Food Canada Inc. Jattinder was an active member of Weston Foods Canada Health, Safety and Environment Committee of the Board for four years. He has also served as a member with the Canadian Council of Grocery Distributors sub-committee on health and safety. Jattinder holds a B.A. in Chemical/Environmental Engineering from the University of Toronto, a Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety from McMaster University, and a Certificate in Human Resource Management from Sheridan College.
Nicole Birrell
Human Resources Coordinator
Rosa Flora Ltd.
Nicole Birrell is currently Human Resources Coordinator at Rosa Flora Ltd. and was appointed by the Flowers Canada Ontario Board of Directors in 2003 to sit on the Board of one of SWPSO’s predecessor organizations: Farm Safety Association (FSA). She has since served as Vice Chair on the FSA Board, as well as Chair to the Executive Committee (budget, audit and salary). Nicole was elected Chair of the FSA Board of Directors in November 2008, and in her various roles has made significant contributions to bylaw amendments and the transition from FSA to SWPSO. She is also actively involved in The Ontario Greenhouse Alliance HR Council. Nicole has been an advocate for strengthening the visibility of agriculture and horticulture within Ontario’s health and safety system, and for promoting a safety culture in that sector through effective system partnerships. She holds a BA in Business-Human Resources from Redeemer University College.
Normand Côté
Director, Employee Relations
Bank of Montreal
Normand Côté has 35 years of banking experience ranging from Commercial Account Manager, Branch Manager to Human Resources Manager. In his current role as head of employee relations, he has the dual challenge of protecting the legal and legislative rights of both employees and the bank. Normand has extensive knowledge of the Canada Labour Code, the Canadian Human Rights Act and Common Law. He is a certified ADR Mediator and Labour Arbitrator. He also represents the Bank of Montreal in employment issues, collective bargaining, arbitration hearings, occupational health and safety matters as well as human rights matters. He works closely with senior executives to achieve improvements in organizational climate. Normand also has experience with staffing, training and compensation. He has played an active role at the Canadian Bankers Association for a number of years and is a member of its Employee Relations Advisory Group. He has represented all federally regulated employers at numerous parliamentary and senatorial committee hearings and at the United Nations’ International Labour Organization in Geneva, where he acts as Canadian Employer spokesperson, Delegation Head and Employer Chair of all 178 member-states on employment matters. Normand is the Chairman of the Canadian Employers’ Council, a ministerial appointee as Governor of the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health & Safety, a member of the Board of Directors and Treasurer of the Safe Communities Foundation, and President of the North American Association of Employers of Financial Institutions.
Pat Coursey
President
Coursey Management Consultants Inc.
Pat has 31 years of service to the people of Ontario, working in groundbreaking leadership and governance roles. Pat predominantly served the Ontario Ministry of Labour, in the area of Occupational Health and Safety where she retired as the Assistant Deputy Minister of Operations. In this role, she was responsible for the inspectorate program, critical to protecting workers, and for employment standards in Ontario. Pat's integrity and balanced leadership led her to continuing her inspirational work in health and safety as the founding President of the Safe Communities Foundation (SCF). In addition to Pat’s passion for occupational health and safety, she is also a member of the Board of Community Living Toronto, and volunteers in Regent Park /Cabbagetown. Pat, upon retiring from SCF after 10 years, joined the Board of SWPSO’s predecessor organization, the Ontario Service Safety Alliance (OSSA) in June 2006, contributing considerable experience in governance, leadership and stakeholder relations. She also served on OSSA’s Governance Committee of the Board.
Ted Graham
Director, Client Services
Interbrand
Ted Graham is currently Director of Client Services of Interbrand, a leading international brand consultancy specializing in brand services. In this role, Ted works with leading global institutions in the areas of brand value measurement, product and service innovation, and social media utility in brand building. Prior to joining Interbrand, Ted was a management consultant at McKinsey & Company, where he led teams related to marketing ROI, network analysis and organizational design. He was previously Worldwide Director of Knowledge Management at Hill & Knowlton, where he launched and managed a global intranet, developed knowledge management incentive programs, and integrated external and internal knowledge programs. Prior to that, Ted served as Director of Research at National Public Relations. He participates on the CMA B2B Marketing Association, the Board of East Coast Connected, and the AGO Massive Committee. Ted holds a BA from the University of Toronto (1992), and an MBA from Queen’s University (1996).
James Hansen
National Health and Safety Coordinator
Canadian Auto Workers
With more than 20 years of experience in health and safety, Jamie represents labour in the manufacturing and technology sector, currently holding the position of CAW National Health and Safety Coordinator. He is also co‐chair of the CAW Chrysler National Joint Health & Safety Committee, and is responsible for setting direction for health and safety policies, and procedures for the 16,000 workers in Chrysler and Mopar Canadian facilities—a responsibility that requires him to monitor performance of all corporate initiatives. Jamie has been sitting on the local advisory committee for the Windsor Occupational Health Clinic for Ontario Workers (OHCOW) since 2007, and is an active participant in many Candian Standards Association technical committees.
Kenneth Elgin Forth
Owner
Forthdale Farms Ltd.
Kenneth Forth is currently a sixth generation owner of a family farm, Forthdale Farms Ltd., which produces vegetables for the Ontario market. He has served as the President of Foreign Agriculture Resource Management Services since 2005, and as a member of the Board of Directors since 1992—an organization responsible for the policy and logistics of moving 16,000 foreign workers between Canada, the Caribbean and Mexico. Kenneth has served on numerous associations during the past 30 years, and is currently an active member on the Board of Directors of four other influential organizations representing the interests of Ontario farmers: the Canadian Federation of Agriculture since 1995, the Labour Issues Coordinating Committee since 1992, the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association since 1988, and the Canadian Horticultural Council since 1993. He has held executive positions, including various chair capacities, in all these organizations, and has considerable experience in law and policy development, and risk management.
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