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The CBSC's Panel Adjudicators
Below are the biographies of each of the current sitting CBSC Panel Adjudicators, organized by the Panel on which each person sits.
- National Panels (Public Adjudicators)
- National Specialty Services Panel
- National Conventional Television Panel
- Journalistic Independence Panel
- British Columbia Regional Panel
- Prairie Regional Panel
- Ontario Regional Panel
- Quebec Regional Panel
- Atlantic Regional Panel
- At Large
National Panels (Public Adjudicators)
Andrée Noël is the National Chair of the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council.
Andrew Cardozo, Vice Chair (Public), is Executive Director of the Alliance of Sector Councils, an organization that addresses skills development issues in key sectors of the economy. From 1997 to 2003 he was a Commissioner of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). He has been president of the Pearson-Shoyama Institute and executive director of the Canadian Ethnocultural Council and has been active in various aspects of media, at different times hosting a phone-in show on cable television and writing a column for a number of newspapers. He has also been a board member of the Media Awareness Network and an editorial board member for Canadian Forum magazine. Currently a columnist for Broadcast Dialogue magazine and the Ottawa-based Hill Times, Andrew Cardozo also teaches a media policy course at Carleton University. In addition, he serves on the board of the Catholic Immigration Centre in Ottawa, and chairs the board of the New Canada Institute, a think-tank addressing issues of dynamic change, including diversity in broadcasting. He speaks frequently on issues relating to cultural diversity, broadcasting policy, government relations and media relations.
Alan Mirabelli is a public Adjudicator.
Fo Niemi, a public Adjudicator, was the co-founder (in 1983) and is still the Executive Director of the Centre for Research-Action on Race Relations (CRARR) in Montreal. Mr. Niemi has also served, from 1991 to 2003, on the Quebec Human Rights Commission and, in 1993, chaired the Commission's public consultations on discrimination and violence directed at gays and lesbians. Fo Niemi's other activities include, or have included: Chairman of the Court Challenges Program of Canada; Member of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation (the Crown Corporation established as part of the redress claim settlement of Japanese Canadians) and Member of the Quebec Government's Task Force on Racial Profiling. Mr. Niemi was awarded the Prix de la Justice du Québec by the Attorney General of Quebec for his outstanding commitment to the ideals of justice, the 125th Anniversary of Confederation Medal by the Governor General, and the Human Rights Award of the Lord Reading Society (Montreal's Jewish Lawyers' Association).
Peter O'Neill, a public Adjudicator, is Vice President, Operations, of SmartRisk Foundation, a national charitable organization focused on injury prevention. He has also served (since 1985) on the Board of Governors of the ACTRA Fraternal Benefit Society in different capacities, including as Chair of the organization for six years. Prior to 1997, Peter was at CTV Television for 25 years (from 1972-97) in various capacities, including as Vice President, Finance, and Corporate Secretary and, from 1991-7, as Director, Public Affairs, Strategic Planning. While at CTV, he was appointed by the Federal Minister of Justice to the National Crime Prevention Council and he chaired the Canadian Association of Broadcasters' (CAB) Societal Issues and Trends Committee. Mr. O'Neill also maintained regular contact with many of the public interest advocacy groups in the broadcast area, scheduling meetings with them and invited guests at CTV's offices.
James (Jim) Page, a Public Adjudicator, is an Adjunct Research Professor in the School of Canadian Studies at Carleton University and a specialist in literacy and Canadian studies. He served as Director of Canadian Studies (1983-1989) and Director-General of the Education Support Branch (1989-1994) there; as Director General of the National Literacy Secretariat at HRDC (1994-1998); as Director General of Learning Programmes for the Public Service Commission of Canada (1998-2000); and finally as head of the Service and Innovation Programme at the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS), responsible for government service delivery standards. He retired from the public service in September 2003. He has worked on special projects with the National Library, Public Archives, Museums Corporation, Department of Communications, External Affairs, the Commission of the European Communities, the Council of Europe, the Canadian Cultural Centre in Paris, the British Broadcasting Corporation, the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Commonwealth Secretariat. Since retirement he has been an advisor to UNESCO (Paris) on the United Nations Literacy Decade (UNLD) and in that capacity spoke on Literacy and the Millennium Development Goals at the United Nations in New York (2005). He wrote the first report on the UNLD: The Literacy Decade: Getting Started, published by UNESCO in five languages. He was founding President of the now 50+ member International Council for Canadian Studies. He was a member of the founding executive of the Association for Canadian Studies and was its president for three terms (1978 to 1983). He was founding director of the Canadian studies and international offices of the Association of Canadian Community Colleges (1975-1976). He has written seven monographs in all, including two books on the use of film in teaching for the National Film Board of Canada: Seeing Ourselves for domestic use(1979) and Seeing Canada (1980) for international distribution. Page currently serves on the Boards of Directors of The Ontario Literacy Coalition and the Canadian Organization for Development through Education (CODE), which is active promoting literacy in Africa and the Caribbean.
Mark Tewksbury, a Public Adjudicator, is a motivational speaker with an extraordinary athletic background. A Calgarian dividing his time between that city and Montreal, Mark Tewksbury holds gold, silver and bronze Olympic medals (from the Seoul and Barcelona Games), as well as the Commonwealth and Pan-Pacific Games. Mark’s athletic career highlights include 21 national titles, seven world records, and a Time Magazine cover appearance. Mark was also named the Canadian Athlete of the Year in 1992, and was inducted into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame in 1993 and Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 1995. In 2006, Mark was named one of Alberta’s Centennial Top 100 people in Sport and Recreation, and was inducted into the prestigious International Swimming Hall of Fame in 2000. He served on the IOC, co-founded OATH (Olympic Advocates Together Honorably), is the author of Inside Out: Straight Talk from a Gay Jock, and champions gay sports issues. Mark has championed the causes of sick children, Special Olympians, and stood with Martina Navratilova for human rights at the 1st World Outgames in Montreal in 2006. For his active humanitarianism and ethical leadership, Mark was recognized in 2001 by the University of Western Ontario with an honorary Doctorate of Laws. A frequent orator on the international circuit, Mark has since spoken to millions of people around the world. In 2009, for example, he addressed Goldman Sachs in Hong Kong, Hewlett Packard in Budapest, and hosted the Dalai Lama’s Canadian appearance in Ottawa. Tewksbury also hosted Discovery Channel’s popular How It’s Made and the National Film Board’s series, Miracle Body. Mark’s prime time coverage at both the Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 summer Olympic Games was critically acclaimed. He was a regular contributor on Canada AM, has authored three books and remains a popular media commentator. His latest book, The Great Traits of Champions, co-authored with Debbie Muir, was featured in a special eight part series, Top of Your Game, on CBC Newsworld in March of 2009.
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National Specialty Services Panel (Industry Adjudicators)
Du-Yi Leu, an Industry Adjudicator, is the Director of Regulatory Affairs at CTVglobemedia Inc. (CTVgm), with responsibility for the company’s broadcasting business. Previously, Du-Yi was Manager of Public and Regulatory Affairs at Alliance Atlantis responsible for the company’s thirteen specialty services, Business Analyst at the Canadian Television Fund, and a fund-raiser at the Toronto International Film Festival Group. Du-Yi holds an M.B.A. and a Graduate Diploma in Arts and Media Management from the Schulich School of Business, York University, and is a graduate of McGill University with a B.A. in Art History. Her volunteer involvement has included the Family Selection Committee of WRP Neighbourhood Housing, a partner organization of Habitat for Humanity Toronto, and the Art Gallery of Ontario’s curatorial department.
Born in Beijing, China, Connie Sephton, an Industry Adjudicator, finished high school in Hong Kong before earning her MBA with honours from the University of New Brunswick. For the past 15 years, Mrs. Sephton has held a variety of positions with Fairchild Television ranging from Mandarin News Anchor to Director of Corporate Affairs. Since 2005 she has headed up the eastern division of the operations as Assistant General Manager.
Lea Todd, a Métis Industry Adjudicator, was born in Winnipeg and raised in rural Manitoba. Having begun her career working in the traffic department of a local CTV affiliate, she moved in 1999 to APTN (Aboriginal People’s Television Network) as Scheduling Manager. Lea now has over 12 years of experience in the broadcast industry. In 2005 she was appointed Director of Creative Services and Scheduling and has played an integral role in the evolution of the network from implementing state-of-the-art software/hardware and employee training; to the research and development of three additional feeds, through four different time zones. Lea holds a certificate in Human Resource Management, is a member of the Canadian Women in Communications, volunteers with Habitat for Humanity, and is a supporter of the Winnipeg Humane Society.
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National Conventional Television Panel (Industry Adjudicators)
James Macdonald, Vice-Chair of the National Conventional Television Panel, operates a consulting practice, in which he works primarily with clients in broadcasting and communications. His wide experience in Canada's cultural and communications industries began in the recording sector, where he worked with London Records and Capital Records and was responsible for the Canadian launch, and subsequent management of, Arista Records. After moving to the broadcast and communications sector, he held various senior management positions with Rogers Broadcasting Limited before joining Western International Communications (WIC) as President and Chief Executive Officer of Niagara Television Limited. He ultimately became President and Chief Executive Officer of WIC Television Ltd. and WIC Entertainment Group Ltd. until its acquisition by Canwest Global. More recently, Jim Macdonald was Senior Vice President and Chief Media Services Officer of BCE Media Ltd. He has also been Chairman of the Board of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters and has served on the Boards of the Television Bureau of Canada, Doctors Hospital (Toronto), Chedoke-McMaster Hospital (Hamilton), and the Children's Aid Society of Toronto. In 1997, Mr. Macdonald was the recipient of the Ontario Association of Broadcasters "Broadcaster of the Year" Award and in 2004 he was inducted into the Canadian Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame.
Troy Reeb is Senior Vice President, News and Current Affairs for Canwest’s broadcast properties, including Global TV. In this role, his responsibilities include Global’s flagship network newscast, Global National, as well as content distributed to Global News affiliates domestically and overseas. He has also overseen the establishment of new foreign bureaus in London, Beijing, New Delhi and Jerusalem, and the successful launch of Global’s first investigative newsmagazine, 16:9 – The Bigger Picture. Troy joined Global in 1999, serving as a political correspondent in Toronto and Ottawa before being named Washington Bureau Chief in early 2004. In addition to covering the White House, Troy has reported from across North America, Europe, Africa, Russia and Japan, including on the 9/11 attacks in New York, the AIDS crisis in sub-Saharan Africa, and Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. Prior to Global, Troy spent five years with the Canadian Press wire service, and previously held management positions with Standard Broadcast News and Alberta News Network, and spent two years running a five-person radio newsroom in the Northwest Territories. Troy helps fund a journalism scholarship in his name at Alberta’s Lethbridge College, where he was named Distinguished Alumnus of the Year in 2003. In 2006, he led a volunteer project to train journalists in Bangladesh. He is a recipient of the Alberta Centennial Medal, the Provincial Awards Celebrating Excellence, the Canadian Press President’s Award and 14 separate awards from the Radio and Television News Directors Association.
Tina-Marie Tatto is an Industry Adjudicator. As the Manager, Regulatory Affairs, for the Media group at Rogers Communications Inc., Tina-Marie is responsible for compliance issues, CRTC reporting and project management for Rogers' regulatory filings for their radio, conventional stations and specialty television services. She is also responsible for overseeing day-to-day regulatory issues and queries, including the CBSC and CRTC complaints process. Prior to joining Rogers in May of 2009, Tina-Marie was a member of the Regulatory Affairs team for over 15 years at Canwest Global Communications Corp. In 2003 Tina-Marie was chosen as a participant in the Canadian Women in Communications (CWC) Jeanne Sauvé Professional Development Program. In 2006 she was selected to participate in the CWC/CTV Career Accelerator Program and in 2008 participated in the CWC / CORUS DIGITAL MEDIA & TECHNOLOGY CAREER ACCELERATOR.
Journalistic Independence Panel
Geneviève Bonin, a Public Adjudicator, is an assistant professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Ottawa and co-ordinator of the journalism program. Her research involves the evaluation of media policies and journalistic practices, particularly in relation to the radio industry. She is also interested in the history of communication and journalism. Before becoming a professor, Geneviève spent several years working in the radio industry both in front and behind of the mic, as well as in human resources, education and tourism. She holds a B.A. in Communications (magna cum laude) from the University of Ottawa, a Bachelor of Journalism from the University of King’s College (Halifax), an MBA from the Université du Québec à Montréal and a PhD from McGill University.
Mark Bulgutch, an Industry Adjudicator, is a senior broadcast journalist. After serving as a reporter and line-up editor in Montreal, he became a writer on The National, and that program’s line-up editor for 11 years. He recently retired from CBC News after a 35-year career most recently as the senior producer of CBC News Specials, and the Senior Executive Producer of CBC TV News and CBC Newsworld. In that capacity, he was responsible for all live news programming on both networks. He has produced every federal election night for CBC since 1997, and been part of every CBC election night program in every province and territory since 1995. He produced the federal election debates for all networks in 2006 and 2008. Among the many news specials he produced are: the 1995 Quebec Referendum, the funeral of Pierre Trudeau, the September 11 attack on the United States, the 50th and 60th anniversaries of D-Day and VE-Day, the memorial to the four RCMP officers killed in Mayerthorpe, Alberta, the war in Iraq, and the National Remembrance Day ceremony from Ottawa since 1995. He has also been the executive producer for the world pool of several events, including World Youth Day and Pope John Paul II’s visit to Canada in 2002, as well as the XVI International AIDS conference in 2006. His work has been recognized with 28 Gemini Award nominations, 12 Gemini Awards, 3 RTNDA Awards, the Canadian Journalism Foundation Award of Excellence, the Canadian Association of Broadcasters Gold Ribbon Award, and the Gabriel Award from the Catholic Academy for Communication Arts Professionals for a documentary on the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. Mark has also had a long career as a journalism educator. He taught at Concordia University from 1979-1982. He has been teaching continually at Ryerson University since 1987. And he began teaching at Sheridan College in 2009. In addition he often lectures for the Department of National Defence in both its school for Public Affairs Officers, and its Canadian Forces College.
Stephen Callary, a Public Adjudicator, is the former Vice-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Copyright Board of Canada (1999-2009). In that capacity, he chaired or served as a panel member on more than thirty public hearings. Stephen Callary also chaired the organizing committees of the Forum for federal administrative tribunal members and was one of the founders of the Centre for Professional Development of Members of Federal Administrative Tribunals. In addition, he organized an international conference on national copyright administration and represented the Copyright Board at numerous national and international meetings. Stephen Callary spent twenty years (1979-1999) in the private sector managing enterprises dealing with technology transfer, patents and the licensing of intellectual property rights both in Canada and abroad. From 1976 to 1980, Mr. Callary worked with the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), the Privy Council Office (PCO) and the Federal-Provincial Relations Office (FPRO). He has a B.A. degree from the University of Montreal (Loyola College) and a B.C.L. degree from McGill University. He was admitted to the Quebec Bar in 1973 and pursued studies towards a Dr.jur. degree in Private International Law at the University of Cologne in Germany.
Helen Del Val, a Public Adjudicator, serves as a member of both the Financial Services Tribunal of British Columbia and the Health Professions Review Board of British Columbia. Until May 2008, she was the CRTC Regional Commissioner representing British Columbia and the Yukon. Before becoming a Commissioner, Helen Del Val was Senior Counsel at B.C. TEL and a practising lawyer in Vancouver. She served as a director of S.U.C.C.E.S.S. (United Chinese Community Enrichment Services Society) and other charitable groups. Born and raised in Hong Kong, she moved to Canada at age 15, attended U.B.C., where she was awarded the University Medal in Arts and Science for graduating with the highest standing in the Arts Faculty.
Suzanne Gouin, an industry Adjudicator, is President and COO of TV5 Québec Canada . For more than 30 years, Suzanne Gouin has worked in the area of the media. Prior to her role as COO of TV5 (since 2002), she worked as Vice President, Business Publications at Transcontinental Media. She had previously worked in the television sector, first at Sociét é Radio-Canada, where she rose steadily from content analyst to research journalist and producer at Le Point, and then director at Le Tél éjournal and Executive Producer at Montréal Ce Soir. Ms. Gouin acted as Executive Producer at Pixcom and was Vice President of News at CFCF 12 before becoming General Manager at Montreal ethnic television station CJNT. In 1993 and 1994 she won le Prix Gémeaux for the best newscast for Montréal Ce Soir and le Prix Anik for the same newscast. In 1996 she won the RTNDA Regional Award for “Best Newscast, Television” for a series of four newscasts. She is a member of the Board of Directors of St-Mary’s Hospital , Concordia University, Hydro-Québec and Cinemania. She holds a degree in Political Science from Concordia University and an MBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario.
Bernard Guérin, an Industry Adjudicator, is in private law practice in Montreal, where he specializes in entertainment and copyright matters. He was formerly legal counsel to the news department and the public affairs newsmagazine program J.E. at TVA (1989-1998) and head of legal affairs and Secretary of TQS (1999-2008). He also served in the legal departments of Zellers, Télé-Québec and Loto-Québec. He has been a member of the Barreau du Québec since 1982 and holds a degree in commercial law from the Université de droit, d'économie et de sciences sociales de Paris. Bernard Guérin also served as an Industry Adjudicator on the CBSC’s Quebec Regional Panel from 2001 to 2008.
Russell Mills, a Public Adjudicator, is Executive Dean, Faculty of Arts, Media and Design, at Algonquin College in Ottawa. He is also Chair of the National Capital Commission, Chief Judge of the Michener Award for public service journalism; and he sits on the boards of Opera Lyra and the Ottawa Health Research Institute. Mills has a B.A. in general arts and an M.A. in Sociology from the University of Western Ontario. While at university, he began his long and distinguished newspaper career, working as a part-time reporter nights, weekends and summers at the London Free Press from 1964-1967. He then joined the Oshawa Times as a reporter in 1970 and became city editor later that year. He then moved to the Ottawa Citizen as a copy editor in 1971. From that position, he rose through the ranks, being promoted to assistant city editor, night news editor, assistant managing editor and then editor six years later. Mills was then appointed general manager in 1984 and publisher in 1986. He became president of the entire Southam Newspaper Group in 1989, where he was responsible for all of Southam’s daily and weekly newspapers, later returning to the Ottawa Citizen as publisher in 1992. In June 2002, he was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Carleton University for services to the community and the newspaper industry. He then became a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University from August 2002 to May 2003, before joining Algonquin College on his return.
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British Columbia Regional Panel
Sally Warren, Regional Chair, is a public representative. Ms. Warren served as a CRTC Commissioner for B.C. and the Yukon for ten years ending May 1997. She held the positions of Director of the International Media Centre at the Canada Pavilion for Expo 86; Editor and Manager of Vancouver Calendar Magazine from 1971 to 1984; Assistant Producer at NBC Broadcasting Corporation in 1970; and Photography Editor for the Republican Committee to Elect the President in 1968, which included a stint at the White House in 1969. Ms. Warren is a member of the International Women's Forum and the past Vice-President and Executive Committee member of the Vancouver Art Gallery. She is a non-fiction writer (published in eight languages), who is Vice-Chair of the Vancouver Library Foundation.
Hudson Mack, Regional Vice-Chair and a broadcaster representative, is the Senior Anchor and Director of News and Information Programming at CTV Twoin Victoria. His career began in the BC interior in 1980 at CJFC TV and Radio in Kamloops and CKPG TV and Radio in Prince George and, before joining ‘A’ News Vancouver Island, he served as Senior Anchor and Assistant News Director at CHEK News for 19 years. Well-known and respected within the Vancouver Island community, Hudson has been named "Most Popular Victoria Television Personality" in TV Week Magazine polls on four occasions. His charitable and community initiatives include the Canadian Cancer Society, Variety - The Children's Charity, United Way and BC Children's Hospital. In 2002, he received the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal for Community Service and was also awarded the Canadian Association of Broadcasters’ Gold Ribbon Award for Outstanding Community Service by an Individual Broadcaster. Hudson was a member of the 2009 Cops for Cancer Tour de Rock team, cycling the length of Vancouver Island to raise money and awareness for children’s cancer programs and research. Also in 2009, Royal Roads University named Hudson as the recipient of its Chancellor’s Community Recognition Award. His community commitments extend to the Canadian Forces; in 2007, he was named Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel of the 741 Communications Squadron in Victoria. Hudson Mack has served on the Board of Directors of the Radio-Television News Directors Association from 1990 to 2008, including two terms as President. He also represented Canada on the International RTNDA Board from 2002 to 2008. He is a member, and the former chair, of the Broadcast News National Editorial Committee. Mack's work has contributed to 30 industry awards for his station, including the RTNDA Canada's Bert Cannings Award for Best Newscast, the Charlie Edwards Award for Breaking News Coverage, and 17 international (RTNDA) Edward R. Murrow Awards.
Hiroko Ainsworth, a public Adjudicator, is extremely active in charitable and cultural activities in the Vancouver area. In addition to her involvement with Ballet British Columbia, she was fundraising Co-Chair for the National Nikkei Heritage Centre in Burnaby and served for 7 years on the Board of Directors of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. She also helped establish the first AIDS Chair at St. Paul's Hospital and has been a supporter of many causes, including the Vancouver International Writers Festival and Arts Umbrella and the Vancouver Heritage Foundation's 1st Annual Heritage & Antiques Fair.
Jasmin Doobay, an industry Adjudicator, is the News Director at CKOV-FM (B-103) and CKLZ-FM (Power 104) in Kelowna. A true international representative, Jasmin was born in England of an Irish mother and a Guyanese father, and has lived in Canada since 1969. Her connection with broadcasting was serendipitous, beginning with her winning tickets to a British Columbia Lions football game on a radio call-in show. She graduated from BCIT (Burnaby) in 1992 with the Red Robinson Scholarship for “Most Promising Broadcaster” in hand and has worked in radio with SILK-FM (Kelowna), CFOX-FM and CKNW/CFMI-FM (Rock 101) (Vancouver), and in television at KVOS TV 12 (Bellingham/Vancouver), VTV/CTV (Vancouver), and CHBC-TV (Kelowna) before coming to the Jim Pattison stations. Jasmin spent 7 years volunteering as the announcer with the World Cup Freestyle and World Championships Freestyle in BC. She was also part of the news team receiving the 2006 RTNDA Byron MacGregor National and Regional Awards for "Best Newscast - Medium Market" and the 2004 Jack Webster Award for "Best News Reporting."
Philippa (Pippa) Lawson, a Public Adjudicator, is a Canadian lawyer with considerable experience in the practice of telecommunications, privacy and consumer protection law from a public interest perspective. She is a nationally recognized public interest advocate and a frequent media commentator and presenter at conferences on issues arising from new technologies. Before moving to Whitehorse, Yukon in December 2008, she was founding Executive Director of the Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic (CIPPIC), a technology law clinic based in the Faculty of Law at the University of Ottawa. As Director of CIPPIC, her work focused on establishing useful legal precedent in the public interest, producing relevant research and online resources, training students in effective advocacy, and ensuring that the public interest is robustly represented in government policy development and law-making processes on issues involving new technologies. Prior to starting CIPPIC in 2003, she was Senior Counsel with the Public Interest Advocacy Centre in Ottawa, where she led consumer interventions in all major telecommunications regulatory proceedings from 1992 to 2003. During this time, she also represented consumer groups in various other court and regulatory proceedings, multi-stakeholder working groups, and other national and international policy-making forums. Pippa was an active member of the Canadian government’s National Broadband Task Force, as well as Industry Canada’s Working Groups on Electronic Authentication and Consumer Protection in Electronic Commerce, and was active on the National Task Force on Spam’s Working Groups on Legislative Approaches and Public Awareness. Pippa is now working part time for the Yukon Government (Department of Justice), while continuing to consult and practise public interest law in her areas of expertise, on a national and international basis.
Gord Leighton, an industry Adjudicator, is a career broadcaster. In a career spanning almost four decades, Gord has worked in both radio and television in Terrace-Kitimat, Prince George and now Vernon, where he is General Manager-General Sales Manager at 105.7 Sun FM Vernon (CICF-FM). Gord has an active history in community and industry involvement. A previous President of the B.C. Association of Broadcasters, he has been selected as Broadcaster of the Year and Broadcaster Citizen of the Year in recognition of his community work as a broadcaster. He has also been chosen as Business Person of the Year by the Prince George and District Chamber of Commerce and Rotarian of the Year, among other awards and recognitions.
Mason Loh, Q.C., a public member, is a lawyer and community leader. He has practised general corporate and commercial law for 23 years and taught as an adjunct professor at the Faculty of Law at UBC As a community leader, Mason Loh served as the Chairman of S.U.C.C.E.S.S. (United Chinese Community Enrichment Services Society), one of the largest social service agencies and Chinese Community organizations in Canada, and has been a frequent media participant on legal and community issues. As Chairman of the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine & Acupuncture Practitioners of British Columbia (a provincially legislated regulatory body), he set up the first regulatory regime for the professions in North America. He has served as a board member of or advisor to such charitable and public organizations as United Way of the Lower Mainland, St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation, the Law Courts Education Society of B.C. and the Laurier Institution.
Olivia Mowatt, an industry Adjudicator, graduated from the Broadcast Journalism program at the British Columbia Institute of Technology. After successfully completing internships at A-Channel in Victoria, BC and Democracy Now in New York City, Olivia now works as a writer for Global BC. She grew up in Vancouver but spent a few of her formative years in Hong Kong, where she developed a great appreciation for other cultures and additional linguistic skills. Ms. Mowatt studied Theatre Production and Design at the University of British Columbia and has a background in improvisational and musical theatre. She was the first university student appointment to the CBSC in 2007.
Tom Plasteras, an Industry Adjudicator, is the Program Director of CKNW in Vancouver. After Tom graduated from the British Columbia Institute of Technology radio program in 1989, he began working as a producer and fill-in announcer for sister stations CKNW / CFMI-FM. Two years later, in 1991, he became assistant program director and then, in July of 1993, Program Director of CKNW. Tom serves on the board of the Orphans' Fund, a not-for-profit society serving the lower mainland, which assists individuals and local organizations concerned with the welfare of children who are underprivileged or have disabilities. Tom has also run in the Vancouver Marathon.
Joan Rysavy represents the public. A Smithers community activist, Ms. Rysavy is an energetic participant in major causes across the province. She is currently the Immediate Past Chair of the Board of Trustees of Vancouver Hospital and Health Sciences Centre, which is the second largest hospital in Canada and an innovator in the amalgamation of alternative and traditional medical practices, and has just been appointed to the UBC Faculty of Medicine Community Advisory Council, whose purpose is to develop a new vision and strategic plan for British Columbia's only medical school and faculty. She is currently an Associate Planner with Air Canada's connector Central Mountain Air and has served, among other things, as a Board member of the Environmental Appeal Board, a member of the Municipal Family Court Committee for the Bulkley Valley, Director of the BC Winter Games held in Smithers, and as President of the Smithers Chamber of Commerce.
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Prairie Regional Panel
Daniel Ish, Q.C., a public Adjudicator, is the Prairie Regional Chair. He is currently the Chief Adjudicator of the Indian Residential Schools Adjudication Secretariat (Canada). He was a professor of law at the University of Saskatchewan and McGill University, and served as dean of law at the University of Saskatchewan from 1982-88, 1996-97, and again from 2002-04. He is a member of both the Saskatchewan and Alberta Bars. Mr. Ish has taught and written on many areas of law in Canada and abroad, and has been an active arbitrator and mediator. He was a Fulbright Fellow at Stanford University in 1995-96, and he has done extensive international work, particularly advising on legal reform projects in numerous developing countries. Mr. Ish is also a bencher of the Law Society of Saskatchewan, the Chair of the Saskatchewan Legal Education Society Inc., a trustee of the Law Foundation of Saskatchewan, and a public member (adjudicator) for both the Investment Dealers Association and the Mutual Fund Dealers Association
Hilary Montbourquette, Regional vice-Chair, a broadcaster representative, is the General Manager of NewCap Broadcasting's stations in Moncton, New Brunswick C103FM and XL-96 FM. Hilary is also past President of the Atlantic Association of Broadcasters, serves on the H.R. Committee for the CAB and the Gold Ribbon Awards Rules Committee for the Canadian Association of Broadcasters. He is a member of the Radio Executive Committee for BBM. Hilary has also worked as Network Operations Manager for NewCap's 26 station grouping in Newfoundland in addition to positions at CFCY/Q-93 (Charlottetown), CJFX (Antigonish, N.S.), CIGO (Port Hawkesbury, Cape Breton), and CFDR (Halifax, N.S.). He is a member of the Moncton Chamber of Commerce Communications Committee and has served on a variety of volunteer boards including Heart & Stroke, Children's Wish, Charlottetown Business Development Association and others.
Vic Dubois, a broadcast member, is the General Manager of CJWW-AM, CFQC-FM, and CJMK-FM in Saskatoon. Mr. Dubois is the President of the Saskatchewan Association of Broadcasters and has a lengthy history of involvement with several volunteer boards including Junior Achievement, Crimestoppers, the YMCA, and Tourism Saskatoon. He currently serves on the Executive of the Board of the Saskatoon Centennial Auditorium and Convention Centre and on the Board of Prairieland Park Corporation.
Vince Cownden, an industry Adjudicator, is Program Director and General Manager of the Rogers radio stations CFFR-AM (66CFR, Calgary), CHFM-FM (Lite 96, Calgary) and CHMN-FM (Mountain FM, Canmore). He has a long and extensive (35-year) career in broadcasting, having begun with CKDA and CFAX in Victoria as Production Manager and host of the morning show. He also worked as Production Manager and Program Director at CFUN Vancouver and then CKY Winnipeg before returning to Calgary in the early 1980s with Rawlco Communications, for which he launched KISS-FM. When Rogers Broadcasting purchased the stations from Rawlco and created the Calgary/Canmore cluster, Vince Cownden remained with the stations and became their Program Director and General Manager.
Dorothy Dobbie joined the Prairie Regional Panel in September 1997 as a public representative. Ms. Dobbie was the MP for Winnipeg South from 1988 to 1993 and served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministers of Indian and Northern Affairs (1989-1991), Consumer and Corporate Affairs (1991-1993) and the Environment (1993). Her active role in the community life of Winnipeg continues as the President of Pegasus Publications Inc., publishers of the Manitoba Gardener and a series of education and association publications and as vice president of the Manitoba Marketing Network. Dorothy Dobbie was, until recently, Chair of both the Red River Community College Ten Year Development Plan and the Citizen's Committee of the Aboriginal Heritage Centre of Winnipeg. She was the recipient of the Manitoba Chamber of Commerce "Outstanding Business Citizen of the Year" in 1983 and the YM-YWCA "Business Woman of the Year" in 1987.
Kurt Leavins, an industry Adjudicator, is Program Director at CKOM-AM, Saskatoon, and News Director for the Rawlco Saskatchewan radio stations. Born and raised in small town Saskatchewan, Kurt took a course in broadcasting, after which he continued his studies at the University of Saskatchewan, while at the same time getting his start in the broadcast industry with Rawlco Radio, where he has spent his entire radio career. He has worked in Prince Albert, Saskatoon, Calgary and Toronto in numerous capacities, earning broadcast experience as a news reporter, sports reporter and host, news anchor, talk show host, morning host and copywriter. At age 25, he was the youngest member of the Ontario Legislative Press Gallery. He is a member of the RTNDA, has served as a judge for the Canadian Association of Broadcasters, is a member of the Canadian Historical Society, and sits on the Media/Police Liaison Committee in Saskatoon.
The Honourable Dr. Rey D. Pagtakhan, a public Adjudicator, is the Director of the Global College at the University of Winnipeg, a member of the College's Council, Chair of its Advisory Board and Co-Chair of its Global Advisors. He also serves as a Governor of the Canadian International Peace Project. Born in Manila, Pagtakhan grew up in Bacoor, Cavite, Philippines, and received his medical degree from the University of the Philippines. He completed his residency and fellowship at the Washington University Medical Centre / St. Louis Children’s Hospital and obtained his Master of Science from the University of Manitoba, whose medical faculty he joined in 1971 as a lecturer, becoming a professor of pediatrics and child health in 1985. He also worked as a pediatric respirologist at the Winnipeg Children's Hospital between 1971 and 1988 and was elected a Fellow in Heart and Lung Diseases at the American College of Chest Physicians in 1976. In 1988, he began a new career when he was elected as the Member of Parliament for the riding of Winnipeg North. The first Filipino-born Canadian to be elected to the House of Commons, he was re-elected in 1993 and then in 1997 and 2000 for the redistributed riding of Winnipeg North-St. Paul. Pagtakhan served as parliamentary secretary to Prime Minister Jean Chrétien from 1996 to 1998 and was appointed to Cabinet in January 2001. From then until July 2004, he served successively as Secretary of State (Asia Pacific), Secretary of State (Science, Research and Development), Minister of Veterans Affairs, and Minister of Western Economic Diversification. Dr. Pagtakhan has received many honours in Canada, the United States and the Philippines, including the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws from his medical school Alma Mater, and has been an active participant in volunteer activities in Winnipeg and beyond.
Eleanor Shia, a Public Adjudicator, has been very involved with multicultural issues in Saskatoon for nearly 30 years. A long-term resource person and advisory committee member to the Saskatoon Multilingual Schools, of which she is now the Chair, Eleanor has served on Saskatoon’s Race Relations Committee for six years, was a member of the Board of Police Commissioners for the City of Saskatoon for five years, and has been a leader and major factor in the promotion of the Chinese language in Saskatoon. Eleanor has been a long-term resource person and advisory committee member to the Saskatoon Multilingual Schools, of which she is now the Chair. She has also served on Saskatoon’s Race Relations Committee for six years and currently sits on the Board of Police Commissioners for the City of Saskatoon. Eleanor has also played a leading role in the promotion of the Chinese language in Saskatoon. In addition to teaching Chinese to children and adults since 1978, she is a founding member of the Heritage Chinese Language School and has developed the curriculum for Saskatoon’s high-school streamed Chinese credit course. She is also a national board member of the Canadian Association of Chinese Language Schools and hosts a multicultural radio program – the Chinese Voice - on CFCR community radio. In 1992, Eleanor was a recipient of the 125th Anniversary of Confederation Medal. She has also received a YWCA Women of Distinction Award in the category of Culture and Heritage in 2003 and the Saskatchewan Centennial Medal for her dedication to supporting and assisting immigrant and refugee youth and families in 2005. Eleanor teaches Chinese for the University of Saskatchewan’s Department of Religious Studies and works at the Saskatoon Open Door Society as the Immigrant Youth program co-ordinator and a family support counsellor.
Glenda Spenrath, C.A., an industry Adjudicator, is the Vice President – Operations & Regulatory Affairs at Newcap Radio. Glenda began her career in broadcasting in 1987 when she joined the independently-owned Lloydminster radio and television stations as Controller. Her role expanded into operations when, in 2005, the stations were purchased by Newcap Radio and she was named Assistant General Manager of the Lloydminster region operations, which included two television stations and seven radio stations. Given her breadth of field experience, in 2006, Newcap appointed her as Director of Operations in the broadcaster’s corporate office. Most recently, Glenda’s operational experience and background in the financial and regulatory aspects of the broadcast industry led to her appointment in 2010 as Vice President – Operations & Regulatory Affairs. Professionally, Glenda has been a C.A. since 1987 and is a member of both the Saskatchewan and Alberta Institutes of Chartered Accountants. She has also served as treasurer of the Lloydminster Theatre/Performing Arts Fundraising Committee and the Lloydminster Regional Theatre Foundation Annual Theatre Gala, as a member of the Lloydminster Rotary Club, and as a member of the Board of Directors of Border Credit Union.
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Ontario Regional Panel
Madeline Ziniak represents broadcasters on the Ontario Regional Panel and serves as its Chair. She is National Vice-President of Rogers OMNI Television (formerly known as CFMT-TV). During the period of her leadership, OMNI has grown from a single local ethnic channel to become a system of five channels, with stations in Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver as well as Toronto, currently airing programming in more than 40 languages every month. Madeline has over 30 years' experience in ethnic broadcasting during which she has developed close ties with a variety of ethnic and cultural communities in Toronto and across Canada. Madeline has served on a large number of Boards and industry organizations and committees; she currently chairs the Canadian Ethnic Media Association (formerly the Canadian Ethnic Journalists’ & Writers’ Club) . In addition, Madeline has received a number of awards for her commitment to ethnic broadcasting and her community, including the Order of Canada; the Order of Ontario; the Queen's Golden Jubilee Award; Lieutenant Governor's Gold Medal for Print and Electronic Media, Human Rights and Relations Centre; Global Television/CWC Management Development for Women Award; and the Sierhey Khmara Ziniak Award for unswerving dedication to multiculturalism and its affirmative expression through the medium of television. She was also the recipient of the 2010 Canadian Women in Communications Leadership Excellence Award as “Outstanding Leader”.
Michael Harris, an industry Adjudicator, has worked in television since 1974, and is currently Vice President, General Manager of the Corus Television CHEX-TV stations in Peterborough and Oshawa. Michael started his career in the newsroom at CTV, working for Canada AM and the CTV National News. He moved to CBC in 1983 and became Senior Producer of Midday and Daily Editor of The Journal. Michael was part of the launch team of CBC Newsworld in 1989, first as Program Director, then as Head of the network. In 2001, Michael moved to Corus Entertainment, where he became Vice President and General Manager of three specialty services, CMT, The Documentary Channel and SCREAM. Michael has a Bachelor of Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a Master of Arts from York University and a Master of Business Administration from the Harvard Business School. He serves on the Board of Hot Docs and of Reelworld.
Hanny Hassan, a public Adjudicator, is a structural engineer and the President and Principal Engineer for a Toronto-based consulting engineering practice. A member of the Professional Engineers of Ontario, he holds corresponding professional affiliations in Ohio and Florida. Mr. Hassan has also been President of the Council of Muslim Communities of Canada (CMCC) since 1993. He has a long and distinguished career in community service, including significant contributions to the Muslim and Arab communities, of which he is a member, but also with respect to equity and multicultural issues. Mr. Hassan is a frequent speaker and lecturer to schools, universities, church groups, service organizations and the business community of Islam and Arab issues. He has also focussed his publicly-oriented energies and commitments on interfaith and multicultural issues and is currently, among other things, Co-chair of the National Muslim-Christian Liaison Committee, a member of the Toronto Chapter of the World Conference on Religion and Peace, a member of the Advisory Committee to the Secretary of State on the impacts of anti-terrorism legislation and public backlash on the Muslim and Arab communities, the CMCC representative on the Canadian Ethnocultural Council, and the Muslim Convenor in the Jewish-Christian-Muslim Interfaith Dialogue Series. A London native, Mr. Hassan holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree from the University of Western Ontario and a Master of Engineering degree from Dalhousie University.
Leesa Levinson, a public Adjudicator, has, since elementary and high school, been involved in acting, a subject she studied as part of Wexford Collegiate prestigious Performing Arts Program Musical Theatre. Since those early days, she has been involved in numerous film and television projects, commercials and voice work, as well as live theatre. Diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis at the age of 16, Leesa continued to pursue acting and academics (Fanshawe College and Ryerson University Radio and Television Broadcasting Programs). Leesa’s commitment to her acting career includes making changes in Toronto’s entertainment industry. An active member of ACTRA Toronto for over 10 years, she has finished her second two-year term on the Diversity Committee of ACTRA Toronto as an Advocate for Performers With Disabilities, where she focuses on promoting the inclusion of talent with disabilities as mainstream in our media. Currently Leesa is also a board member for WIFT-T (Women in Film and Television- Toronto) and the Abilities Festival. She has made a long-term commitment to advocacy through her numerous volunteer, Board/committee and professional activities related to her field. She has also been involved in several coalitions working towards the inclusion of persons with disabilities in the arts/media (including MAP, Abilities Festival, Projections, Toronto’s first International Film Festival, and Access 2 Entertainment National Advisory Group). She has consulted for the CRTC, CAB, ACTRA Toronto, ACTRA Fraternal, and the BBC, as well as the Media Access Office Hollywood, California, and the U.S. Screen Actors’ Guild Disabilities Committee. Leesa is also Spokesperson and Director of Public Relations of the Scarborough Multiple Sclerosis Society; she speaks regularly at industry events internationally and continues to actively aspire to learn, advocate and promote change in the Canadian entertainment industry.
Mark Oldfield also represents broadcasters on the Ontario Regional Panel. Mr. Oldfield has worked in almost every aspect of broadcast journalism over more than 20 years. In addition to writing, reporting and producing news stories, he has served as News Director, taught journalism and continues in that role as a part of CTV National News' in-house training team. His essay "Building Better Television News Stories" is a part of every issue of the Broadcast News Style Guide and isused in journalism schools across Canada. He is also associated with the Radio and Television News Directors Association of Canada (RTNDA), the Cambrian College Journalism Advisory Committee and the CTV Journalist Policy Committee. Once separated from his professional responsibilities, Mark's personal passion is astronomy and his astrophotography has appeared in several major astronomical magazines.
John J. Pungente, SJ, is a public Adjudicator. He holds Master's degrees in English, film and theology from Gonzaga University, San Francisco State University and St. Mary's University as well as an honorary Doctorate from Lakehead University. John began his renowned work in media literacy at the Centre for the Study of Communication and Culture in London, England in 1983. He co-authored Media Literacy: a Resource Guide in 1989 and Meet the Media in 1990, and in May, 1999, McClelland and Stewart published More than Meets the Eye: Watching TV Watching Us which John co-wrote with Martin O'Malley. Pungente has served as the Executive Secretary of the Ontario based Association for Media Literacy and was one of the founders of the Canadian Association for Media Education Organizations. In 1995, he was elected president of the Canadian Association of Media Education Organizations (CAMEO) and was also named recipient of the Jessie McCanse award given by the National Telemedia Council, Madison, for excellence in the field of media literacy. Pungente is Director of the JesuitCommunication Project in Toronto where he continues his main work of promoting Media Education across Canada through workshops, classes, and publication of Clipboard - a twice yearly newsletter. He was co-organizer of SUMMIT 2000, an international conference which was held in Toronto for media professionals and media educators in May 2000.
Cynthia Reyes, a public representative, is a director of ProMedia International Inc., a full-service media organization that provides programs, people and strategies for media organizations serving culturally diverse audiences. She has worked as a journalist, executive producer, trainer and management consultant over the years and in 1997 was presented with the African Canadian Achievement Award for herwork in the media and her voluntary contributions to Canada's minority journalists, writers and filmmakers. Cynthia has also served on boards for the National Film Board, Ryerson University's Journalism School, the Black Film and Video Network and the Black Business and Professional Association.
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Quebec Regional Panel
Dany Meloul, an Industry Adjudicator, is the Quebec Regional Chair. Is Vice-President, Legal and Regulatory Affairs and Affiliates Relations at Les Chaînes Télé Astral Inc., a division of Astral Broadcasting Group Inc., since December 2005. Prior to that, she worked at Transcontinental Inc. where she held the position of Director and Chief Legal Officer and Assistant Secretary of the Corporation. She was also a Senior Counsel for Alcan Inc., where she was employed for more than 10 years both in Canada and the United States. Ms. Meloul is a Graduate of McGill University and a member of the Barreau du Québec as well as the New York Bar. She is also an active member of the American Bar Association and sits on the Committee on Negotiated Acquisitions of its Business Law Section.
Gilles Moisan, vice-chair of the Quebec Regional Panel representing the public, is a Fellow of the Order of Chartered Accountants of the Province of Québec and an expert in management, negotiation, financial, human resources and administrative issues. His considerable accounting and management expertise led to the running of businesses in the food and construction areas, as well as partnership and management roles in the major Quebec and Canadian accounting practice Samson Bélair/Deloitte & Touche. He also served as Chairman of the Board of the Centre hospitalier de l'Hôtel-Dieu du Sacré-Coeur de Jésus in 1991, 1992 and 1993 and has been a Member of the Board of the Chambre de commerce et d'industrie de Québec métropolitain since 2000. He previously served as the Treasurer, Vice-President and then President of the Orchestre symphonique de Québec from 1972 to 1984 and, from 1995-2002, first on a part-time and then a full-time, basis, as Executive Director, played a major role in the rescue of the Orchestre symphonique de Québec, taking it from a significant deficit to a surplus in that period.
André H. Caron, a Public Adjudicator, is a full professor in the Communications Department of the Université de Montréal and a former director of that department. He holds degrees from the Université de Montréal (B.A., 1970), Boston University (M.Sc. Communication Research, 1971) and Harvard University (Ed.D. Human Development – Mass Media, 1976). Mr. Caron is the current holder of the Bell Chair in interdisciplinary research on emerging technologies and also founding Director of the Centre for Youth and Media Studies and of the Interdisciplinary Research Center on Emerging Technologies. Previously, Mr. Caron was a visiting professor at Stanford and Harvard Universities, as well as at the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom, the University of Bologna in Italy and the University of Fribourg in Switzerland. He also chaired the Board of the Media Awareness Network, was Vice Chairperson of the Board of the National Film Board of Canada, and sat on the Board of Bell’s Broadcast and New Media Fund and the Canadian Television Fund. An expert in mass media and new technologies, he centers his research on the media’s political and cultural appropriations, programming strategies, the influence of new technologies on youth and interactive and immersive technologies. Mr. Caron is currently working on an analysis of the appropriation phenomena created by mobile technologies. He has also contributed at national and international levels by regularly acting as a research consultant for various government commissions in Canada and being a member of several international scientific committees. In addition, he has been invited on numerous occasions to give talks in the United States, Europe, South America and Asia. He is the author of several published works and articles, the most recent being “Television Culture and Media Socialization Across Countries: Theoretical Issues and Methodological Approaches”, Sage Publications, 2008; “Globalization and New Technology: The Challenge for Teachers to Become ‘Translators’ and Children, Knowledge Seekers”, Idea Group Inc., 2008; Moving Cultures: Mobile Communication in Everyday Life (McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2007); and Culture mobile : les nouvelles pratiques de communications (Presses de l’Université de Montréal, 2005).
Sylvie Charbonneau, a Public Adjudicator, holds a degree in communications from the University of Ottawa (2003) and a degree in psychology from the Université de Montréal (2007), and has been actively involved in community work for the past four years. In 2007, she led, in her capacity as project coordinator, a Pan-Canadian project launched by the Public Health Agency of Canada. With the support of a Canada-wide advisory committee, Ms. Charbonneau developed a resource kit on domestic violence designed as a tool to create the conditions required to fight this type of violence. She has been the General Coordinator of the Centre Halte-Femmes, a women’s centre, since 2008, where she sees not only to the smooth operation of the Centre and its Nouvelle Étape transition apartments, but also mentors and supervises the team of workers and acts as delegate and representative of the Centre. In addition, Ms. Charbonneau was named a member of the interim Board of the Montréal North health organisation, Montréal-Nord en Santé. She sat on that Board’s Governance Committee tasked with completely redefining the organisation’s integrated approach. In 2009, she was chosen as a member of the Mentoring Committee of the Regional Council of women’s centres for Montréal-Laval and participates in the development of the project Un Rayon de Soleil for young single mothers in Montréal North.
Véronique Dubois, an Industry Adjudicator, is principal legal counsel for Groupe TVA. Her responsibilities include all the TVA newsrooms as well as supervision of the public affairs program J.E. Prior joining TVA, she spent a decade practising broadcasting law, civil and commercial litigation, as well as advertising and marketing law at Heenan Blaikie, a major Montreal law firm. Me Dubois articled under Mr. Justice Melvin Rothman of the Quebec Court of Appeal. She was awarded the Prix Sir Lomer Gouin, the Prix Mailhot and Prix Frank Scott (in constitutional law), the Prix Lavery, de Billy (in environmental law), and several other awards and prizes during her three years in the law faculty at the Université de Montréal.
Monika Ille, an industry Adjudicator, is the Director of Programming at the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN). Monika has built a rich and diverse background during her nearly 20 years in the broadcasting industry. Upon graduating with distinction from the Université du Québec à Montréal, Monika entered the industry working first for the Société Radio-Canada and then, for the National Film Board (NFB). During her employment with the NFB she was instrumental in the development of a new training program for Aboriginal filmmakers. It was this latter experience that initiated her into the world of film production and led her to create her first documentary. She has also worked with Quebec Native Women in Montreal and the Assembly of First Nations in Ottawa. Monika is a member of the Abenakis First Nation of Odanak and sits on the Board of Trustees of the Abenakis Museum.
Member of the Cree Nation of Eeyou Istchee, John Paul Murdoch, a public Adjudicator, was the first representative of his community to be called to the Québec Bar. He has been a member of the Grand Council of the Crees (Eeyou Istchee), and today acts as Secretary of the Cree Government. He has acted as an ambassador for his people to the European Parliament, the United Nations and at the National Assembly of Quebec. Me Murdoch, whose practice is based in the community of Nemaska, acts as legal counsel for a number of important Aboriginal organizations and, in 2002, participated in the negotiations of what has come to be known as the Paix des Braves Agreement. He has acted as President for an important Aboriginal Business Consortium which resulted in the awarding and execution of over $410 million in contracts by Aboriginal firms. Me Murdoch also participated in the establishment of the Niskamoon Corporation, which manages significant resources to facilitate development and alleviate negative development project impacts in Northern Quebec. With the mission of the bringing together of many groups, he was recently involved in the formation of a partnership between the Cree and the Ngobé-Buglé of Panama for the development of a solar energy project. He has also collaborated with the World Bank in improving their internal regulations in order to protect the interests of indigenous communities around the world. In this vein, Me John Paul Murdoch was a resource person for the improvement of a community development program for a major oil development project on Sakhalin Island, Russia. The Nikan Series of TV5 dedicated an episode of the series to showcase Me Murdoch as an example of an Aboriginal person working for the betterment of the living conditions his people. As a passionate artist, Me Murdoch finds the time to commit his inspirations and philosophy to large canvasses using rich colors in symmetrical forms. An example of his work can be admired in the Aboriginal Peoples Committee Room in the Senate.
Tony Porrello, an Industry Adjudicator, is presently Executive Vice-President (Broadcasting) for V Interactions Inc. (formerly TQS), a role he has occupied since mid-2008. He previously held the position of Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Remstar Corporation from 2001 through 2008; Remstar ‘s core business is the financing, production and distribution of major motion pictures. For 15 years, Mr. Porrello worked for the Royal Bank of Canada, where he held a number of positions, ending his tenure there as a senior lender in the Knowledge Based Industry (KBI) sector, in which he dealt principally with intellectual property matters, providing financing to entities operating in the communications and entertainment field.
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Atlantic Regional Panel
Burnley "Rocky" Jones is the Managing Lawyer in the firm of B.A. "Rocky" Jones & Associates in Halifax, Nova Scotia. In addition to his broad area of legal practice, which covers labour law, criminal law, human rights and aboriginal law, among many other fields, "Rocky" has had considerable experience in field of Legal Aid and has been extremely involved in the area of human rights. He has dedicated his formidable energies to various areas of African-Canadian and aboriginal activities, developing agencies, teaching history to African-Canadian and First Nations peoples at Dalhousie University, lecturing throughout North America on the Black Experience, human rights and contemporary issues in the field of Corrections. Jones developed Kwacha House, Eastern Canada’s first inner city self-help program, created and set in motion the Hero (Oral History) Project on Black Culture in Nova Scotia and served as the Executive Director of R.O.P.E. (Real Opportunities for Prisoner Employment).
Jennifer Evans, an Industry Adjudicator, is the General Manager and General Sales Manager of NewCap's Prince Edward Island stations. She joined Newcap in 2004 as General Manager/General Sales Manager of CHTN-AM in Charlottetown and, in 2006, launched Ocean 100 FM and K-Rock 105.5 FM. Ms. Evans was the marketing manager for Prince Edward Island’s economic development agency from 2000-2004, where she was also responsible for the Anne of Green Gables Licensing Authority. She has an honours degree in journalism from University of King’s College.
Kathie Hicks, a Public Adjudicator, is currently the Chief Operating Officer of Spirit of Newfoundland Productions, an entertainment company that produces year-round musical stage shows at the Masonic Temple in St. John's and runs a catering operation. Kathie also has an extensive background in accounting and business. From 1979-1985 she worked as an accountant in various cities on the West Coast of Canada, including two years as financial controller of major events such as World Cup of Skiing 1982-1984 in Whistler. Kathie was formerly a radio and television journalist for twelve years, including eight as News Director for two different private radio stations. Throughout that twelve-year period, she worked as a morning radio host in four different East Coast markets and hosted several community cable television shows. During the last two years of her radio career, Kathie co-hosted the CBC morning radio show in St. John's and was also the television correspondent for CBC Television's Mid-Day show. In 1995, Kathie was nominated for Canada's Female Broadcaster of the Year. Kathie is also the editor of the best selling financial planning book In-Short written by Larry Short.
Bob MacEachern, an industry Adjudicator, is the President of MacEachern Broadcasting in Port Hawkesbury, Nova Scotia, and the General Manager of CIGO-FM radio The Hawk. He headed the team that converted the station from AM to FM in 2000 (it was the first Nova Scotia AM station to make the flip). Bob is Chair of the Strait Area Chamber of Commerce, Board Member of the Career Development Association of Inverness-Richmond, the Cape Breton Fiddler’s Association and a significant number of other local associations in the Strait region. He has also received many awards and recognitions, including Port Hawkesbury Citizen of the Year (1994), the Strait Area Chamber of Commerce President’s Award (April 2001) and Entrepreneur of the Year - Chamber of Commerce (October 2001).
Carol McDade, an industry Adjudicator, has been a broadcast journalist since 1979. She has been active in both radio and television (at CHER, CHNS, ASN/CTV and Global, all in Nova Scotia) as a reporter, anchor, producer, in management, and currently as an assignment producer. Carol has maintained a strong link with the law in her journalistic experience. In addition to her long-standing involvement with the CBSC’s Atlantic Regional Panel (at one time as Regional Chair), she sits on the Media Liaison Committee with the Nova Scotia court system, participates in an annual RCMP media training seminar, and will this year (2007) be a part of the annual meeting of Nova Scotia Crown Prosecutors as a panelist dealing with the societal balance between the public’s right to know and the frequently conflicting right of the accused to privacy. Carol studied French at the University of Lausanne, and has degrees from Acadia University (Wolfville) and University of King's College School of Journalism (Halifax), where she continues to speak on issues of broadcast journalism.
Randy McKeen is News Director of Astral Media Radio Atlantic and operates out of CKHJ-AM, CIBX-FM and CFXY-FM in Fredericton, New Brunswick. In recognition of his significant contribution to New Brunswick radio over more than 30 years, Randy has been honoured with nineteen Atlantic or National RTNDA (Radio and Television News Directors Association of Canada) awards for editorial writing or best newscast. He has also served as a guest lecturer on writing techniques for Radio Broadcasting students at NB Community College in Woodstock and on the Journalism Advisory Committee at St. Thomas University. He spent four years on Broadcast News' National Editorial Committee and two terms on the National Executive of the RTNDA. Active in the local community, he was a former volunteer for the United Way, the Special Olympics , CIS Men's Hockey Championships, CIS Women's Basketball Championships and RCGA Canadian University and College Golf championships. He has also coached minor league hockey and baseball.
Roberta Morrison, a public Adjudicator, is co-chair of the Black Women's Business Network and co-owner (with her husband) of Black Bear Ice Cream Emporium in Halifax. She attended St. Mary's University, where she obtained her Bachelor of Arts (majoring in political science and history) and served as Executive Director of the Organization of Part Time and Mature University Students (OPTAMUS). Roberta continues her academic career there in the Masters program in Atlantic Canada Studies. An active advocate of the rights of injured workers in Nova Scotia, Roberta was co-ordinator and founder of the Metro Injured Workers Association and Vice-Chair of the Injured Workers Alliance of Nova Scotia. With her detailed knowledge of workers' compensation issues and the system, Roberta was ideally suited to become the first woman member of the Nova Scotia Workmen's Compensation Board of Directors in its 80-year history (serving from 1995-2002). She has also been involved as a fund-raiser for the United Way Campaign and has volunteered as a paralegal with the Nova Scotia Legal Aid (Metro Office).
Toni-Marie Wiseman, an industry Adjudicator, is a news anchor, entertainment reporter and weather broadcaster for NTV in St. John's. She also produces Entertainment News, a weekly hour-long entertainment program for the station. Toni-Marie began her career in the broadcast industry in 1987 at Humber Valley Broadcasting in Corner Brook, as a news reporter/reader and a disc jockey. The next year she joined VOCM in Grand Falls-Winsor as an announcer and producer before transferring to VOCM St. John's, where she hosted the All Night Show. In 1989, she shifted to the VOFM morning show as traffic reporter and announcer, then switching gears entirely to join Stirling Communications International's NTV station as a news reporter, graduating quickly to become anchor of the station's midday newscast, News at Noon. She has been recognized for the last three years (2000, 2001 and 2002) by the Music Industry Association of Newfoundland and Labrador as Media Person of the Year.
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At Large
Daryl Braun is an At Large Adjudicator (Industry). With 34 years of radio experience in southern Manitoba (in Altona, Brandon, Winnipeg and Steinbach), Daryl has, for many of those, been the News Director of Golden West Radio. He has also served on Radio-Television News Directors Association Board as Prairie Director for Radio and as National Awards Chair. Now one of the CBSC's At Large Adjudicators, Daryl was on the Prairie Regional Panel for a decade where he served for several years as Regional Vice-Chair and then Regional Chair. His community involvements have included the board of the Jake Epp Library in Steinbach (several years of which were spent as chair), the Bethesda Hospital (Steinbach) Centres of Excellence campaign, the Safeway Select Provincial Curling Championship (as media relations chair), and numerous United Church committees.
André Chevalier, an Industry Adjudicator, is the Director of Programming for RNC Media’s radio and television stations in the Outaouais area. He has been involved in broadcasting for more than 35 years in a range of roles, as an on-air host, a journalist and reporter, News and Programming Director, at Radiomédia, TéléMédia, Radiomutuel, Corus, TVA and RNC Media, in Montreal and Gatineau.
Cam Cowie, an Industry Adjudicator, began his career in the field of marketing and held positions with Procter & Gamble and the Saskatchewan Roughriders before moving to broadcasting. In 1983, Cam joined The Hill Companies as an Account Executive with CKCK Television in Regina, and later assumed the position of Retail Sales Manager there. Throughout his career, Cam has held a number of senior management positions with multi-market and multi-station responsibilities throughout Western Canada. In 1991, he joined Craig Media Inc. as General Sales Manager and subsequently held various positions within the organization. Cam returned to The Hill Companies in 2008 and now serves as the General Manager for Harvard Broadcasting Inc. Under this position, he manages the daily operations of the company and oversees all strategic sales planning initiatives and sales and marketing policies.
Sarah Crawford, former Vice-Chair (Industry) of the National Specialty Services Panel, served as Vice President, Public Affairs for CTVglobemedia, directing the Company’s corporate and divisional community and public relations, corporate social responsibility, strategic corporate giving and social investment. She also led the Company’s diversity initiatives. Sarah has been Chair of the Media Awareness Network; a past Chair and member of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters’ (CAB) Joint Societal Issues Committee (JSIC); and Chair of the CAB’s Diversity in Radio Working Group. Sarah was an industry member on the Task Force for Cultural Diversity on Television, whose ground-breaking report was published in 2004, and was Chair of the CAB’s JSIC Subcommittee on the Presence, Portrayal and Participation of People with Disabilities in Television Programming, whose report was made public and submitted to the CRTC in 2005. She has received a Gold Medal for her work in the areas of diversity and equity from the Human Rights and Race Relations Council. In 2006, she was recognized by Canadian Women in Communications with the “2005 Woman of the Year” Award, the organization’s highest honour.
Rita Shelton Deverell, C.M., an At Large Adjudicator (Industry), is an independent television producer/director and theatre artist, and presently an Adjunct Professor of Women’s Studies at Mount Saint Vincent University. From 2005-12 she produced five theatre pieces, eight TV dramas, and edited or contributed to four books. Rita is one of the founders of Vision TV, was VP of Production, and involved in regulatory strategic planning from the original licensing in 1987 through other subsequent successful CRTC digital license applications in 2000. An American by birth, a Canadian by choice, Rita Deverell has lived here since 1967. Rita’s concern for the rights and voices of children led to a major series on the Rights of Children for CBC’s Take 30, and doctoral studies at the University of Toronto and a dissertation on arts policy for children (Ed.D. 1984). Tenured at the University of Regina School of Journalism, she left for the riskier fledgling specialty television business. Among other evidences of her continuing commitment to academic and artistic excellence, she has served on the Boards of Directors of the Ontario Film Development Corporation, Women in Film and Television (Toronto), OCAD University, and Women in the Directors Chair. In 2005 Deverell left the position of Director of News and Current Affairs for APTN (Aboriginal Peoples Television Network), where she had led that network’s first daily show and mentored her Aboriginal successor. Rita Deverell was inducted into the Canadian Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame on October 21st, 2002 and made a Member of the Order of Canada as of October 29, 2004.
Elizabeth Duffy-MacLean, an At Large Adjudicator, was most recently Vice President, Public Affairs for Bullfrog Power, a green energy retailer. Prior to joining the energy sector, Elizabeth spent more than 15 years in the broadcasting industry, as Vice President, Public and Regulatory Affairs for Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc.; Group Vice-President, Regulatory Affairs and Policy Strategy for CTVglobemedia; as well as with NetStar Communications (TSN, RDS, Discovery Channel) in progressive positions. Before that, she spent five years in corporate and operational roles with the Ontario Government, in the Deputy Minister's Office, Ministry of Culture, and with the Ministry of Transportation. Ms. Duffy-MacLean has an MBA from the University of Toronto and has been active as a board member in industry organizations, including the Canadian Association of Broadcasters and Canadian Women in Communications.
Prem Gill, an At Large Adjudicator (Industry), is a broadcasting consultant based in Toronto, Ontario. In her previous role as CHUM Limited's Director, Government & Regulatory Affairs, Prem was responsible for managing all facets of the company's government and stakeholder relations and regulatory affairs. Prior to that, she was Director of Multicultural Programming & Public Affairs for Citytv Vancouver, where she launched and supervised the production of six local programs. Prem also hosted one of the programs, ColourTV, a weekly talk show. She also managed CHUM Television's CineCity–, a short-film fund for culturally diverse, BC-based filmmakers. In 2006, Prem was awarded the SPECIAL JURY AWARD from Women in Film and Video Vancouver for her commitment to cultural diversity in the media.
Paul Gratton, an Industry Adjudicator, was most recently the Chair of the Canadian Television Fund. Prior to that, Mr. Gratton worked for 13 years with CHUM Television, first as Vice President of Bravo!, Space and Drive-In Classics, and then as Vice President of all the CHUM specialty services. He also served as Program Director of Superchannel Ontario and then Vice President of Programming at First Choice. His familiarity with feature films developed in early days as Film Editor of Ottawa Review Weekly, a film reviewer at the legendary CHEZ-FM radio station (Ottawa), on-air host of “Movie Madness” on CKCU-FM, General Manager and Film Programmer at the Towne and Phoenix Cinemas in Ottawa, and as Booker and Buyer at the Carlton and Cineplex Theatres in Toronto. Paul has what is likely a record among movie-goers in Canada, having screened virtually every film theatrically released in Canada and having retained notes on more than 17,000 feature films. He was also a founding Board member of Maxfact, Bravofact and the Harold Greenberg Fund, and has been a Board member of the Banff Television Festival, the Independent Production Fund, and the Telefilm Feature Film Advisory Committee. He was also the Chair of the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television from 2003-2007.
Mike Omelus, an At Large Adjudicator (Industry), is Executive Producer at CTV's Business News Network, who brings a wealth of experience to the CBSC. He is an award-winning journalist who has travelled the globe and covered popes, presidents and prime ministers during more than 25 years in the business. Prior to joining BNN in 2006, Mike was a longtime employee of the Canadian Press, where he held a variety of positions, including senior parliamentary correspondent, Washington bureau chief, and general news director. He has also worked for a variety of radio stations in British Columbia, including as news director for a network of stations in the B.C. Interior. Mike is a member of the Canadian War Correspondents' Association, speaks regularly on broadcast journalism issues at colleges and universities, co-edited a guide to radio, television and online journalism called NewsTalk, and has served on jury panels for both the Gemini Awards and the New York Festivals. He's an active member of RTNDA Canada - the Association of Electronic Journalists - and helped spearhead the association's efforts to advance diversity objectives in the electronic media. Mike studied broadcasting at the British Columbia Institute of Technology.
Joan Pennefather, an At Large Adjudicator (Public), has close to thirty years experience in the arts and communications sectors. After several years in various roles at the National Film Board of Canada, she was appointed Government Film Commissioner and NFB Chair for a period of six years. She subsequently headed the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, acted as a consultant in communications, and served as a Commissioner of the Canadian Radio-Television Telecommunications Commission from 1998 until March 2006. Having served for five years as a volunteer on the Montreal-based Imperial Tobacco Canada Foundation, which provides grants in the Arts and Human Services across Canada, Joan has become its General Manager. Her other volunteer activities have focussed on Health Services, particularly in the areas of chronic and long term care. She currently serves on the Boards of the Rideauwood Addiction and Family Services in Ottawa and the Festival Players in Prince Edward County. Joan has also served on the Board of the Sisters of Charity of Ottawa Health Services for 10 years, and was its Chair for two years, as well as the Boards of the Catholic Health Corporation of Ontario, Canadian Women in Communications, the Harold Greenberg Fund, the Banff Television Foundation, the Perley Rideau Veterans Health Centre in Ottawa, and the Faculty of Administration of the University of Ottawa. She was also a member of the International Institute of Communications and in this capacity chaired a number of international conferences on women in the media. Joan attended university in Montreal, graduating with a B.A. in History, and continued her studies in history at McGill and Oxford Universities.
Philip “Pip” Wedge, an At Large Adjudicator (Public), was born and educated in London, England. After working in the music business for several years, as a personal Business Manager, then as Publicity Manager for Philips Records and later as Assistant Editor of the New Musical Express, he joined Associated-Rediffusion, the first commercial television station to go on the air in the UK, six months before the station began broadcasting in September 1955. He set up and ran their Music Department for two years, and spent time there as Assistant Head of Light Entertainment and Manager of Children’s Programs. He first came to Canada in 1964 to produce a Canadian version of a British game show series, Double Your Money, which ran on CTV. He then immigrated to Canada and joined the network as an Executive Producer, first in Montreal, and then in Toronto (from August 1967). There he served as Promotion Manager, Director of Development, and Vice-President, Programming, a position he held for 20 years, until December 1993. He also chaired the Network Program Committee, and handled all aspects of the integration of the Network program schedule with the stations’ locally acquired programs. Pip also served on the Board of the Broadcast Executives' Society in 1979/80, was one of the founding directors of the North American National Broadcasters’ Association in 1978, and became its Chairman for a two-year term in 1983. He represented CTV at meetings of the European Broadcasting Union and the World Conference of Broadcasting Unions over many years, served as a juror at the Golden Rose Festival in Montreux, and was its Vice President in 1971. He retired from CTV in June 1994. In 2001 he became engaged in research and writing for the Canadian Communications Foundation’s Broadcasting History website, and was named Vice-President of the Foundation in October 2004. He joined the Collections Committee of the Canadian Broadcast Museum Foundation in 2006. Pip was inducted into the CAB Hall of Fame in November 2006.
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