Report of the National Seniors Council on Volunteering Among Seniors and Positive and Active Aging

After a successful career with the federal public service, Jean-Guy Soulière was the Executive Director of the Federal Superannuates National Association for over 12 years. He has served as the Chair and Spokesperson for the Congress of National Seniors' Organizations since 2002 and is a member of the Public Service Pension Advisory Committee. He holds a degree from the University of Ottawa and is fluently bilingual.

Dr. Sandra Hirst, PhD, of Calgary, Alberta, is the President of the Canadian Association on Gerontology. A gerontological nurse by training, she is also an associate professor in the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Calgary. Dr. Hirst has published numerous articles on a variety of topics related to seniors. She has served and currently sits on many boards and advisory councils, including the Seniors Advisory Council for Alberta, the Canadian Gerontological Nursing Association and the National Initiative for the Care of the Elderly Project. Dr. Hirst is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Mary Morrison Davis Award (Alberta Association on Gerontology, 2006) and an Honourary Life Membership (2001) with the Alberta Gerontological Nurses Association.

Patricia Humenny of Clavet, Saskatchewan, has had a very rich and diverse career with positions in both small business, government, social services and the private sector. She has also served in executive positions for a number of community and service organizations, such as the Canadian Association of the Mentally Handicapped. Ms. Humenny's educational background includes nursing, accounting, sociology, economics and business law. Her nursing training and various other positions have given Ms. Humenny the opportunity to be involved with seniors on many levels throughout her career. In 2005, she was awarded the Saskatchewan Centennial Medal in recognition of her contributions to her community and the province of Saskatchewan.

Marilyn Loveless of Victoria, British Columbia, has recently retired as Director of the national award winning Shoal Centre (S.H.O.A.L – Sidney Healthy Options for Active Living) a centre that addresses the needs of seniors in the community. Her work experience in the past two decades has been dedicated to enhancing and promoting the overall well-being of seniors. Ms. Loveless has experience as a teacher, a school trustee and a municipal councillor. She is a long-time volunteer and has served on many boards and committees. She was awarded the 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal for Community Service.

Dr. Daphne Nahmiash, PhD, of Montréal, Quebec, is an active member of and former Chair of the McGill Centre for Studies in Aging Education Committee. She is presently the chairperson of the Notre-Dame-de-Grâce (NDG) Community Committee on Elder Abuse. She was an Adjunct Professor in Gerontology and Social Services at Université Laval and McGill University. She has recently retired from her position as Director of Professional Services of CLSC NDG and as Commissioner of Complaints and Quality of Services at the Centre de santé et de services sociaux Cavendish in Montréal. Dr. Nahmiash has been working in the field of seniors' health and social services for the past 45 years. She has been part of many committees, including at the Quebec Health and Social Services Ministry where she produced government reports on senior abuse, neglect and services to seniors. Some of her awards include Woman of the Year 2005–2006, awarded by the Montreal Council of Women for initiatives to improve the quality of life of seniors.

Cécile Plourde of Montréal, Quebec, has been the president of the Fédération de l'âge d'or du Québec (FADOQ) - Mouvement des aînés du Québec for the Montréal region since 2000. The FADOQ is the largest seniors' group in Quebec and is made up of 280,000 members. Ms. Plourde, a graduate of Université Laval, worked in the health profession for 40 years as a registered nurse. Ms. Plourde has been active in her community for many years and has served on many committees, including the Table de concertation des aînés de l'Île de Montréal and the regional selection committees for the Engagés dans l'action pour les aînés du Québec and New Horizons grant programs. Ms. Plourde has also been a member of the family committee at the Conférence régionale des élus de Montréal since 2005.

Rémi Plourde of Chicoutimi, Quebec, is a senior and a retired academic administrator. At present, he sits on the board of directors (Conseil d'administration) that organized and carried out the merger of two private schools in Chicoutimi and supervised the expansion made necessary by the merger. The board of directors is now developing a strategic development plan in order to ensure the new school's long term survival. Mr. Plourde also worked as a director of the Lac Saint Jean musical camp for 12 years. As well, he chaired the board of directors of the Séminaire de Chicoutimi, and simultaneously assumed the responsibilities of executive director, director of student affairs and director of human, financial and material resources. Mr. Plourde is well aware of the challenges facing seniors.

The Reverend Canon Derwyn Shea of Toronto, Ontario, is the Rector of St. Hilda's Anglican Church and Chairman and CEO of St. Hilda's Towers, one of the largest single stand alone residential care facilities in Ontario. He was Priest-in-Charge for 28 years at St. Clement (Riverdale) Parish. He established a number of local initiatives geared towards youth and low-income seniors. Reverend Shea was appointed Canon for the Diocese of Toronto by the Anglican Church in 2002. He is a former Toronto City and Metro Councillor, as well as a former Ontario Member of Provincial Parliament. He has served on numerous boards, chairs, and commissions, including the Children's Aid Society, the Mayor's Committee on Race Relations and the Police Commission. He was the former Chairman of the O'Keefe Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto and President of the Canadian National Exhibition. He was awarded the 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal for Community Service as a result of his work and advocacy.

Dr. Doo Ho Shin of Vancouver, British Columbia, an active partner in BC Bio Medical Laboratory for over 30 years, is presently practicing as a general pathologist in Fraser Health (largely at Surrey Memorial Hospital). Fraser Health serves a population of 1.46 million people, approximately 1/3 of the total population of British Columbia. Dr. Shin has served on various hospital committees, including Infection Control and Physician Credentials. He has been actively involved in community work including arts, education and seniors issues in the metro Vancouver area.

Joan Tufts of Saulnierville, Nova Scotia, is a retired nurse who is currently an Addiction Services Counsellor with a special emphasis on nicotine addiction. Ms. Tufts has served in a variety of roles involving seniors and home care. She is currently a voluntary Director on the Mental Health Foundation Board of Nova Scotia and sits on that board and the Clare Community Health Board. Ms. Tufts won the 2005 Inspiring Lives Award from the Mental Health Foundation Board of Nova Scotia.

Edward Wade was a teacher in Newfoundland for 30 years. He has a Master's Degree in Educational Administration. Since his retirement, Mr. Wade has worked in the fields of community development and literacy. As a Literacy Coordinator, he developed a Strategic Literacy Plan: Many Hearts-One Voice for community centres in St. John's. Since 2005, Mr. Wade has worked on contract with the Seniors Resource Centre in St. John's, where he is currently coordinating the replication of a pilot project, "Health Care and Nutrition for Older Adults and Seniors," in seven rural Newfoundland communities. In addition to his volunteer work on numerous Boards, he is an elected member of Literacy Newfoundland and Labrador, the vice-chair of the Open Book Literacy Council and Brighter Futures Coalition, and a member of the St. John's Crime Prevention Committee.

Beverly Weeks of Harvey, New Brunswick, is the founder of Harvey Outreach for Seniors, an organization developed to meet the needs of seniors. She is also a founding and lifetime member of the New Brunswick Home Support Association. Ms. Weeks has served on many committees and has conducted research projects in the field of seniors' issues. She is a founding and continuing member of the Third Age Centre housed at St. Thomas University, Fredericton, New Brunswick. She was the New Brunswick representative on the Board of the Canadian Association for Community Care. Some of her awards include the Marion Stevenson Award for outstanding contribution to Community Care and the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal for her work on seniors' issues.