Join Canadian Club Toronto on November 23 for a conversation on a crucial issue that affects us all – the support of our aging population and the growing need for home care. As our demographic shifts, we face pressing questions: How will these transformations impact caregivers in the workplace? How can employers step up to support their employees who are also caregivers? And importantly, how can expanding home care help ease these emerging pressures? Moderated by The Globe and Mail reporter Carly Weeks, with opening remarks from The Honourable Charmaine Williams, Ontario’s Associate Minister of Women’s Social and Economic Opportunity, the panel will feature:
Amy Coupal
CEO, Ontario Caregiver Organization
Amy Coupal is the CEO of the Ontario Caregiver Organization, a charitable organization funded by the Ministry of Health that was formed in 2018 to support Ontario’s 4 million caregivers. A visionary leader with 15 years of experience in the not-for-profit sector, Amy has extensive experience building organizations from the ground up and is excited to be leading the Ontario Caregiver Organization through its early days of growth. She has held a number of CEO roles, including CEO of Learnography and My Class Needs Foundation, and has expertise in the latest innovations and technologies related to learning and education. Amy is passionate about mobilizing change through knowledge sharing and building collaborative initiatives that positively impact the lives of individuals and communities.
Amy has a Masters of Education from the University of Calgary and is an Adler-trained coach. Her insights have been shared through speaking and media engagements, both internationally and here in Canada.
Amy has a deep understanding of the benefits and challenges associated with caregiving. As a caregiver for most of her life, Amy helped to support her brother who had Cerebral Palsy. She was also a caregiver to her mother throughout her cancer journey and now supports her elderly father.
Dr. Tom Stewart
Partner and Chief Medical Officer, Deloitte
Dr. Stewart is Chief Medical Officer and a Partner with Deloitte Canada after a long career with successive clinical, teaching, research, and leadership roles across Ontario’s Health System. Dr. Stewart is a Professor of Medicine with McMaster University.
As a frontline physician and administrator in a variety of Ontario jurisdictions over several decades, Dr. Stewart has direct frontline and governance experience with physician reimbursement, drug benefits and assistive devices programs.
As Deloitte’s CMO and co-lead of Deloitte’s future of health delivery, Dr. Stewart is deeply connected with what international jurisdictions are doing in these areas and how they can be leveraged to build a higher quality and resilient health care system.
Dr. Stewart completed his MD with honors at the University of Ottawa in 1988. He went on to do a fellowship in Internal Medicine and Critical Care Medicine at the University of Toronto followed by research training in Paris, France and Toronto. He obtained Full Professor of Medicine and Anaesthesiology status at the University of Toronto and is currently a Professor of Medicine with McMaster University.
Specifically, some of Tom’s select roles have included President and CEO of St. Joseph’s Health System, and CEO of the Niagara Health, Chief of Staff and Executive Vice President, Niagara Health System as well as Chief of Staff at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton and Haldimand War Memorial Hospital. Other prior roles include: Chief Clinical Officer (2010- 2013) at Mount Sinai Hospital; Physician-in-Chief (2009-2013) and, Director of Critical Care Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital (1998-2009) and the University Health Network (2002-2009).
Sue VanderBent
CEO, Home Care Ontario
Susan D. VanderBent, B.A., BSW, MSW, MHSc, CHE is the Chief Executive Officer of Home Care Ontario proudly representing over 70 home care organizations delivering critical front-line care needed by Ontarians every day – nursing, personal care and therapies.
In addition to being a Board Member for the Empire Club of Canada, Sue is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences at McMaster University and a Board Member of the Empire Club of Canada. In her career, she has received the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal, the Order of Niagara from the Anglican Church of Canada, and the Arbour Award from University of Toronto.
The Honourable Charmaine A. Williams
Ontario’s Associate Minister of Women’s Social and Economic Opportunity
In 2018, Charmaine Williams became the first black woman elected to Brampton City Council. As MPP, she will focus her efforts on making our streets safer, ensuring that families have access to the social and recreational services that they need and want, and advocating for an integrated transportation plan in the region.
Charmaine’s beliefs, values and courage to advocate for people are shaped by her professional and personal experiences. Prior to entering politics, Williams had a 19-year career as a certified Multi-Systemic Therapist, Behavioural Consultant and Counsellor. She has been a voice on behalf of families and children of all ages coping with domestic violence, mental illness, substance abuse, neglect, trauma and other personal challenges. Charmaine has also worked with several therapeutic programs and organizations like Associated Youth Services of Peel, Youth Substance Abuse Program, Peel Children’s Center and the Reach Out Center for Kids in Peel and the Halton Region.
Carly Weeks
Health Reporter, The Globe and Mail
As a health reporter, I have had the chance to cover some of the most important stories – the opioid crisis, overcrowded hospitals, the rise of youth vaping and, of course, the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s an honour to work alongside a team of reporters and editors who work tirelessly to bring Canadians the information they need to make sense of an increasingly complex world.
