In January 2024, HelpAge Canada placed an open call for nominations for the first national leadership council for the CBSS sector – the Canadian CBSS Interim Community Leadership Council (ICLC) – and selected two community leaders, Karen McDonald (Healthy Aging Alberta) and Marta Hajek (Elder Abuse Prevention Ontario) to co-chair the council. The ICLC’s ‘interim’ term of eighteen months will focus on affirming its mandate, terms of reference, strategic directions, and most importantly, establishing the social license of Canada’s community organizations to represent their voices. To ensure representation from all regions, provinces and territories at this national table, the ICLC will continue to recruit new members until all regional vacancies are filled.
A report detailing the outcomes of the 2024 CBSS Sector Summit will be coming soon, along with announcements on upcoming community consultations, sector development work, and more. Subscribe to the HelpAge Canada CBSS Sector Newsletter to receive the latest updates right to your inbox.
Meet the Members of the Canadian CBSS Interim Community Leadership Council
Council Co-Chairs
Karen McDonald – Executive Director, Sage Seniors Association; Provincial Director, Healthy Aging Alberta
Karen McDonald’s career has focused almost exclusively on the field of gerontology, including a decade in seniors’ supportive housing and fifteen years with the Sage Seniors Association, with half of that time in the role of Executive Director. Sage is a community-based seniors serving organization that provides social services, community development, and life enrichment programming with and for low-resourced older adults. Karen is currently Chair of Community Leadership Council (Alberta) and Provincial Director of Healthy Aging Alberta; working with community-based seniors serving organizations across Alberta to advance sector development to best meet the needs and build on the strengths of seniors living in community. She also recently took on the role of Co-Chair of the Canadian CBSS Interim Community Leadership Council to advance national sector development. In 2015, Karen co-founded MatchWork, an interactive employment training and assessment tool used by employment support organizations to more effectively guide and support those who face barriers to employment, including older workers and caregivers. Karen completed her MBA and BA at the University of Alberta, and her current volunteer work includes the Board of the Muttart Foundation.
Marta Hajek – CEO, Elder Abuse Prevention Ontario (EAPO)
Marta Hajek is the CEO of Elder Abuse Prevention Ontario and feels privileged to be leading a modest but dedicated staff complement, supporting older adults and service professionals alike, when addressing the complexity of issues of EA. Under her stewardship EAPO continues to expand its circle of strategic partnerships across both national and international spectrums, tackling ageism and its pervasive impacts on the quality of life of older persons. As Director of Operations, she helped facilitate the rollout of ON 211, now a national information and referral service engaged in the human services sector. Working in this important space, specifically with community-based service agencies, Marta brings a wealth of expertise in helping weave community relationships to work together collaboratively, to serve the greater public good. These skill sets will be put to the test while Co-Chairing the Canadian CBSS Interim Community Leadership Council over the next few years, not only building a stronger sector addressing the growing needs of seniors in Canada, but ensuring older persons voices are represented in those discussions. “For community, by community”. Marta continues to serve on the Seniors Expert Advisory Committee with the ON Securities Commission, as a Board Director with the Canadian Network for the Prevention of EA, is an elected member to the Steering Group of the Global Alliance the Rights of Older Persons (GAROP) and through EAPO a founding partner of the Canadian Coalition Against Ageism (CCAA). These past two years, Marta addressed the United Nations’ Open Ended Working Group on Aging (OEWGA) as part of the CCAA delegation, advocating for the protection of human rights of this fastest growing demographic and calling for the declaration of a UN Convention for the Rights of Older Persons.
Members
Anita Newling – Manager of Intergenerational Initiatives, Volunteer Canada
Anita is the Manager of Intergenerational Initiatives at Volunteer Canada. Volunteer Canada’s mission is to advance volunteerism to grow connection, community and belonging. Since 1977, Volunteer Canada has acted as the national voice and leadership body for volunteerism. A registered charity with over 1,100 organizational members, Volunteer Canada works with a diversity of corporate, charity, nonprofit, and education partners nationwide to strengthen the quality, quantity, and accessibility of volunteering. Anita is a former nurse, educator and mental health advocate who has worked in the nonprofit sector in New Brunswick serving youth, older adults and those living with a disability. She is a community builder who strives to create safe, inclusive environments where all folks can thrive, using creativity and a forward-thinking approach to drive change and development across multiple sectors. Fostering the power of intergenerational relationships has been an important thread through Anita’s work, and she sits on several national advisory and planning committees as an Intergenerational Practitioner.
Annika Voltan – Executive Director, Impact Organizations of Nova Scotia (IONS)
Annika Voltan (she/her) is the Executive Director of Impact Organizations of Nova Scotia (IONS), where she works with an amazing team to develop the capacity and influence of the community impact sector. Annika has been in a leadership role in the sector for about 8 years was previously the Executive Director of Inspiring Communities. She has experience working across federal and provincial government departments, in academia and in business, which helps her to act as a bridge across sectors. She has a PhD in social entrepreneurship and has research interests in networks, systems change and social innovation. Annika grew up in Kjipuktuk (Halifax) and has lived in other parts of the country and Europe, but Nova Scotia called her home in 2011 and she feels deeply inspired by and connected to her home province. She looks forward to exploring solutions for helping older adults thrive in communities!
Bev Buckway – Retired; Acting President of Yukon Council on Aging
Now retired, Bev was a business owner for twenty-five years and then morphed into Executive Director roles for a number of not-for-profit organizations. Other past titles include veterinary assistant, border guard and capital city mayor, where Bev served on the board for the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.
Bev has been a volunteer in some capacity for half a century, usually on the executive. As a former president, Bev now volunteers with the Yukon Council on Aging.
She believes in teamwork and competed for the Yukon at the Canada Winter Games, the Arctic Winter Games, the Canada 55+ Games and the Canadian Masters Curling Championships. She has travelled to all of Canada’s territories and provinces, and although her house is in Whitehorse, Bev’s home is the Yukon.
Connie Newman – Executive Director, Manitoba Association of Senior Communities (MASC)
Connie Newman is the Executive Director and Lead Consultant for the Manitoba Association of Senior Communities, which currently leads Age-Friendly Manitoba and Social Prescribing Initiatives. MASC is a member association with 82 member groups currently throughout Manitoba. MASC-AFI connects with 95 communities in Manitoba on the Age-Friendly pathway. Notably, she also chaired the committee which developed the Manitoba Government Seniors Strategy, released in February 2023. Since 2022, Connie has also been a member of the Appropriate Use Advisory Committee of the Canadian Drug Agency Transition Office. Among her many volunteer engagements, Connie continues to be very involved with the Assiniboia Youth Community Resource Centre and the St. James-Assiniboia 55+ Active Living Centre. Connie is 76 years young and holds a master’s degree in education administration from the University of Manitoba. She was a junior high teacher and principal for 34 years in the St. James Assiniboia School Division and retired from education in 2004. Newman has many connections in Manitoba, Canada and beyond. Newman believes in active aging and all that it means. Keeping the mind and body active helps to assist those around her who may need information and support as we all age together. She believes giving back and giving to others is important and we can all give in some form as it makes our Canada a much better place.
Daisy Au – Coordinator, MOSAIC Seniors Club, Chinese Community Response Network
With a wealth of experience in the immigrant settlement sector, Daisy Au serves as the Coordinator of MOSAIC Seniors Club, actively engaging immigrant seniors in social connection activities, community events, and volunteer opportunities. In her role with the Chinese Community Response Network, Daisy addresses elder abuse and neglect in collaboration with other community partners, amplifying the voices of underserved immigrant seniors and breaking down social isolation. Daisy envisions a community where all seniors will age well in the place of their choice. As a board member of the Metro Vancouver Cross-Cultural Seniors Network Society and a member of the BC CBSS Leadership Council, she actively promotes inclusivity and cultural sensitivity initiatives for immigrant seniors. Through her involvement, Daisy strives to create a community where every immigrant senior is valued, integrated, and able to make meaningful contributions. Passionate about addressing challenges faced by seniors, particularly immigrant older adults, Daisy focuses on combating social isolation, bridging language gaps for improved healthcare access, and enhancing settlement services. Additionally, she is committed to supporting seniors in developing their communal support network, fostering an environment where they can thrive in their own homes and communities. Daisy’s multifaceted approach reflects her unwavering commitment to creating a more inclusive and supportive environment for immigrant seniors.
Deborah Simon – CEO, Ontario Community Support Association (OCSA)
Deborah Simon is a dedicated leader with decades of clinical, administrative, government relations, and leadership expertise. Deborah has devoted her career to health care, having captained the Ontario Community Support Association (OCSA) as CEO for the past 12+ years, and excelled in several senior leadership positions in government and other home and community care organizations before that. Deborah is also a registered nurse who worked across the health sector in acute care, long-term care, and rehabilitation sectors. She holds a BA in Administration from York University and an MBA in Administration from Athabasca University.
Erica Botner – Manager, Programs for Seniors, Community Health and Social Services Network (CHSSN)
Erica Botner is the Manager of Programs for Seniors at the Community Health and Social Services Network. She is also a Lecturer at Concordia University in Applied Human Science where she teaches courses in human relations and therapeutic recreation. She has more than 20 years of experience working with seniors and caregivers in community and clinical settings and in planning, implementing and evaluating large-scale provincial programs.
Holly Schick – Executive Director, Saskatchewan Seniors Mechanism (SSM)
Holly grew up in rural Saskatchewan and attended university in Saskatoon and Regina. Much of her working career has been as ministry personnel in the United Church where she had the opportunity to live and work in a number of communities throughout Saskatchewan, including as program staff for the United Church provincially with responsibilities for communication, stewardship, social justice, education, and outreach. Looking for an opportunity to do something different resulted in her accepting the position of Executive Director of SSM (Saskatchewan Seniors Mechanism) in 2009. Key areas of work at SSM include age-friendly Saskatchewan, social prescribing, home supports initiative, advocacy, and addressing ageism. She has served as a board member and chair of Regina Anti-Poverty; a board member of Active Aging Canada; and is currently a member of the Public Health Agency of Canada Age Friendly Reference Group.
Judy Beranger – Chair, Seniors NL
Judy M. Beranger, M.A.(Hons), B.Ed., B.A., at an award ceremony in Dublin, Ireland was recognized as a world leader in the field of Mediation with age related issues by Patrick Binns, the Canadian Ambassador to Ireland. Judy was the drafter of the Code of Ethics for Elder Mediators internationally and has been involved with every subsequent update. She assisted in the writing of an additional supporting document: Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults. Judy led the development of the Elder Mediation Certification process for Elder Mediators with input from hundreds of people from a variety of countries, along with Family Mediation Canada (FMC), the Elder Mediation International Network (EMIN), other organizations, networks, and Societies. Judy is a Board member of the CNPEA, Chair of SeniorsNL, and Past President of FMC. She has a Master of Arts degree in Community Development and Psychology and holds undergraduate degrees in Education, Religious Studies, and Psychology. Before moving back to NL, she served as the Executive Director of the Alzheimer Society of PEI for 16 years where she developed and supervised a day respite program for people living with progressive dementias and other cognitive impairments. Judy has specialized in mediation with age related issues since 1991 and has chaired eleven international summits on Mediation with age related issues. Judy assisted in the design of international standards for dementia care and represented Canada in reviewing international standards for community care homes. She has delivered hundreds of workshops and training seminars and is the recipient of several National Leadership Awards.
Karen Willy – Executive Director, Northwest Territories (NWT) Seniors’ Society
Karen Willy is the Executive Director of the Northwest Territories (NWT) Seniors’ Society. The NWT Seniors Society has been registered for 40 years as the only organization that provides system wide advocacy for seniors in the Northwest Territories. The Society also provides a number of services to seniors in the NWT including the Seniors Help Line, Train the Trainer Elder Abuse Facilitation Training along with specific time dated projects in the area of advocacy planning, establishing common definitions for elder abuse, board capacity building, providing advice and support to government and elected officials and various other bodies of work that ensure that seniors in the NWT are heard. Karen was born and raised in the NWT. Her career began as a journalist, but she soon figured out that her passion was adult education. She worked as a post-secondary education instructor, an instructional designer, a consultant in intimate partner and family violence, a special advisor to a Minister and as a Senior Policy Advisor in the transformation of a College to a University. She retired from the Government of the Northwest Territories in October of 2022 and has been doing this job since then. She has a Master of Arts in Leaning and Technology from Royal Roads University. She is a master facilitator and a recognition of prior learning (RPL) specialist. She is currently completing her second master’s in interdisciplinary studies with a specialty in adult education. In her spare time, Karen enjoys spending time with family, friends, and her pets. She is an avid gardener, and she loves to entertain and cook.
Pierre Lynch – National President, Association québécoise de défense des droits des personnes retraitées et préretraitées (AQDR)
Pierre Lynch has been National President of the Association québécoise de défense des droits des personnes retraitées et préretraitées (AQDR) since 2020, an organization that advocates the rights of Quebec seniors. Originally from the LaSalle district of Montreal, he has lived in Laval since 1975. With a bachelor’s degree in physical education, he began his career in teaching, before moving on to management positions. He successively held managerial and executive positions in customer service, training, operations and information technology with major companies such as Via Rail, Sodema of the Transcontinental group, Sitel, McKesson and Tyco. He began volunteering in his community, first for nearly ten years with the Deltas de Laval, a local recreational organization, then as hockey and baseball coach, baseball director, treasurer and member of the organization’s board of directors. Upon his retirement in 2010, Pierre began a long career as a volunteer with various advocacy organizations. He currently holds the position of national president of the AQDR, as well as president of the Laval-Laurentides chapter of the AQDR, president of the CSSS de Laval users’ committee, president of all CISSS de Laval users’ and residents’ committees, and designated member of the Centre Intégré de santé et de services sociaux (CISSS) de Laval Board of Directors. As president of the AQDR, he represents the association on the Coalition pour la dignité des aînés and the Collectif citoyen pour la santé et les services sociaux, with the aim of uniting social forces to improve the quality of life and dignity of Quebec seniors. In 2021, the Table de concertation des aînés de Laval and the Quebec government awarded him the Prix Homage aînés for the Laval region in recognition of his exceptional contribution as a senior citizen in his region. In March 2024, he was awarded the Médaille du député de l’Assemblée nationale du Québec for his volunteer work with seniors, and in April 2024, he received the Médaille du Lieutenant-gouverneur du Québec for his volunteer involvement. Married since 1974, father of two and grandfather of two, he loves to travel and discover new countries and cultures. Perfectly bilingual, he has a particular interest in language learning.
Robert Goluch – President, Men’s Sheds Canada (MSC)
Robert grew up in northwestern Quebec and spent most of his career in senior leadership positions in education and government. He worked at colleges in Ontario, Alberta and Manitoba and later with the Government of Manitoba. A strong believer in giving back to his community, Robert volunteered with numerous community organizations including as Board Chair of Winnipeg Habitat for Humanity, Assistant Superintendent of St John Ambulance (MB), Judge, Premier’s Volunteer Award Committee, and Chair of the Prairie Region Citizens Advisory Committee with Corrections Canada for which he was recognized nationally with the James A Murphy Award of Excellence. In 2017, Robert moved to Squamish, BC and looked for potential volunteer opportunities and he luckily stumbled on the Squamish Men’s Shed. Since then, he has served as its President (3 yrs) and then elected as Vice Chair of the Men’s Shed Association of BC (2 years). In 2021, he chaired and hosted the first provincial Men’s Shed Conference in Squamish. In June 2022, Robert was elected as the inaugural President of the national Men’s Shed organization – Men’s Sheds Canada (MSC).
Shirley Ann Burdock – Executive Director, Community Links (Nova Scotia)
Shirley Ann Burdock very recently began her role as Executive Director of Community Links in Nova Scotia, but her life and career began in Saskatchewan where, as a young mom of twin sons, she completed the Bachelor of Commerce Program, majoring in health care administration. She worked as a consultant with the provincial government and community-based organizations in the areas of poverty, mental health, intellectual disability and as an executive director for emergency medical services.
She received her Masters of Adult Education from the University of New Brunswick, became the mom of a third son and later she and her family moved to Nova Scotia where she held leadership roles in the areas of dementia, injury prevention and health promotion. With more than a dozen years of experience as an Executive Director for impact organizations across the Maritimes and volunteer work dealing with homelessness and dementia, Shirley Ann’s experience is diverse. The connecting theme throughout it all is her passion to collaborate to create solutions to challenges, improve the lives of individuals and strengthen the communities in which they live.
Sue Hesjedahl – Executive Director, Older Adult Centres’ Association of Ontario (OACAO)
Sue Hesjedahl is the Executive Director of the Older Adult Centres’ Association of Ontario (OACAO) and has held this position since 2011. She previously served on the OACAO Board of Directors and the Executive Committee from 1996, including a term as President from 2001 to 2002. Sue has over 30 years of experience working in the not-for-profit sector, specifically with older adult centres. During her tenure as the Executive Director of the Square One Older Adult Centre from 1994 to 2011, she developed and implemented a seniors’ charity. Sue holds a B.A. in both Psychology and Gerontology from McMaster University in Hamilton. In her current role with the OACAO, Sue is responsible for strategic planning and implementation, community development, stakeholder relationship building, partner collaboration, financial and multi-year project management, and government relations and advocacy initiatives for the Seniors Active Living Centres (SALC) sector. She is passionate about Social Prescribing and the health and wellness benefits experienced by older adults and seniors who are connected and engaged at SALCs. Sue is also an active community volunteer, holding various roles in her local community and serving as an appointed leadership volunteer with provincial and national organizations. Sue is married and a proud mother of two children, aged 21 and 18. She enjoys spending time with family and friends in their community of Caledon East, Ontario.
Vi Sorenson – Retired (Former Social Worker, Executive Director, and Grant Writer)
Vi has been working in the non-profit sector in Kelowna for more than two decades, providing services to seniors. She has a Bachelor of Social Work degree and has been involved in a variety of City committees, community groups and boards of local non-profits. She has long been involved in work addressing the abuse of older, vulnerable adults, poverty and homelessness. During this time, she has participated in various grant review committees, including the Regional Review Committee, New Horizons for Seniors. She served on the BC CBSS Leadership Council for a number of years, helping to support seniors’ well-being, wellness and resilience. Having recently left a long-term executive director role, she is now looking forward to continuing to contribute her experience and knowledge to address the needs of older adults across the country.
To ensure equitable and diverse representation at this national table, the ICLC will continue to recruit new members until all vacancies are filled.
We are currently accepting nominations for new council members from the following regions and groups:
- Nunavut
- Prince Edward Island
- New Brunswick
- Indigenous communities across Canada
- Individuals from under-represented or marginalized groups
For more information, or if you require accommodations to complete your application, please email info@helpagecanada.ca or call us at 1-800-648-1111, extension 0.