Top People in the Capital – Sep/Oct 2013 Issue

This year, it’s all about leadership. Kevin Page brought new credibility to the independence of Parliamentary institutions. Industry Minister James Moore is fighting for everyday consumers. Elizabeth Sanderson kicked down some doors to make a difference. The Hill Times Editor Katie Malloy played a significant role in raising the bar in how politics is reported in Canada. Mike MacDonald –The Comedy Legend and Northstar for Canadian comics for three decades – beat back the odds to regain his life. Dugald Seely is a leading thinker and innovator in cancer care treatment. Katie Telfer is a big bright light in the Justin Trudeau circle. Beverley McLaughlin needs no intro…you get the picture. These people are truly worth reading about in this, the 13th year of the new millennium.

Kevin Page
THE COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:
KEVIN PAGE’S TIME AS THE PARLIAMENTARY BUDGET OFFICER

Balance, honesty and transparency – standing for these values in the Canadian government is more challenging than Kevin Page initially imagined. Deflecting criticisms and cynicism, Page was responsible for advocating for these principles for five years as Canada’s Parliamentary Budget Officer.

The position was created as a part of the Conservative government’s accountability initiatives in the wake of the Liberal sponsorship scandal. Following in the footsteps of other international governments, such as the United Kingdom, Austria and the Netherlands, the Parliamentary Budget Office was designed to help Parliament scrutinize the government’s finances and the economy, allowing MPs and the public to access crucial financial information.

To Page, it was the perfect opportunity to build transparency in the Canadian government – a mission that formed the foundation of his 5 years in the office. “I saw it as leveling the playing field. Many parliamentarians (ie, the opposition and other backbenchers) don’t have access to public service resources that the Prime Minister and the Cabinet enjoy”, explained Page.

So he chose to make information available by doing what he does best – adding and subtracting numbers. The office started working on offering alternative cost analyses for the war in Afghanistan, the purchasing of fighter jets, Canada Health Transfer and old-age pension to all Canadians, not just to cabinet ministers.

Through his 27 years in the public service and his education at Queen’s University, he gained the financial expertise that eventually brought him to the Parliamentary Budget Office.

Initially his career had a different emphasis. “My job was to steer the budget through the Prime Minister’s office, through cabinet and make sure the Prime Minister was well briefed. We had meetings as well on the economy on a month-to-month basis so most of my career was working to support the executive on preparing budgets,” Page explained, describing his time as a public servant prior to 2007.

But, it was a personal tragedy that changed the path of his career, leading him to the Parliamentary Budget Office. In 2006, Page and his wife lost their 20-year-old son, Tyler, who was killed by an oncoming train.

“I think when you lose a son you get a sense that there’s no security. When you’re doing your work, you want everything to be somehow special, you want to honour memories…you kind of evaluate risk in a different way,” explained Page.

In a government that had never received the sort of critique and forecasts that the Parliamentary Budget Office provided, this outlook gave Page the courage to deal with the inevitable backlash that some of his work would cause.

“[The criticism] came from everywhere. It came from the government, the executive, it came from public servants who didn’t like what we were doing. It even came from opposition members who we thought would be natural clients,” recounted Page.

James Moore
WHAT’S NOT TO LIKE: A CONSERVATIVE’S CONSERVATIVE

James Moore is a likeable fellow. In politics today, that is a high compliment. Moore is a quick study – bright, principled and authentic. He is a conservative’s Conservative.  His obvious loyalty and respect for his boss Stephen Harper is genuine, but Moore is no shrinking violet. This is probably why Harper has consistently given Moore increasingly tough roles in Cabinet, including his appointment in July as the Minister of Industry. When asked about the appointment, Moore said, “The Prime Minister wants the Canadian economy to grow, so we have this goal of balancing the budget by 2015. It’s not just about cutting spending; it’s about growing the Canadian economy, from which the economic benefits will derive: the tax revenue necessary to balance the budget, to grow the Canadian economy requires us to take advantage of these opportunities and to not do so would be, I think, a failing of our obligation to do our best to grow the economy.” Moore maintains that a key part of growth is competition. To that end, he also retains his role as the Senior Regional Minister from British Columbia (the youngest person to ever hold the post) and will be at the apex of all discussions and decisions related to B.C.’s liquefied natural gas export industry and other economic matters.

 Moore became the youngest Member of Parliament ever elected from B. C. at age 24 when he won the riding of Port Moody-Westwood-Port Coquitlam in 2000. He followed that with an impressive debut in Ottawa where he was named Deputy Foreign Affairs Critic and Deputy National Revenue Critic and later promoted to serve as the Senior Transport Critic and Vice-Chair of the House of Commons Transport Committee. In 2003, when the Canadian Alliance morphed into the Conservative Party of Canada, Moore was named Official Opposition Transportation Critic and Amateur Sport Critic by the Party’s new leader Stephen Harper. In June 2008, Prime Minister Harper appointed Moore as Secretary of State for the 2010 Olympics, the Asia-Pacific Gateway and Official Languages. Shortly thereafter, Moore was named Minister of Canadian Heritage (October 2008). He held that post for 4½ years and it was here that he earned a reputation for being tough, disciplined and fair. A senior bureaucrat at Canadian Heritage told Ottawa Life that Moore earned the respect of many in the department by his thoughtful and reasoned approach to issues. “He asked a lot of questions and would go back if he was unsure about something until he really understood the issue. We respected that. You could see he wanted to make things more efficient in the department so that dollars intended for arts programs and artists actually went to them and not to administration and related things.”

Moore became a champion of sorts for Canadian arts and culture. Internally, he would battle to get more efficiencies and results out of the department’s funding, while externally, he would champion Canadian Heritage programs based on need and efficiency. Moore succeeded in winning over his Conservative caucus, who supported his changes even in the midst of the global economic crisis and he earned the grudging respect of many in Canada’s arts community who had wrongly assumed the Prime Minister had put him in the department to gut programs and funding. However, Moore did demand accountability from organizations like the CBC and others who received large pots of federal dollars and he got it. Moore also made himself accessible to explain his decisions as Minister while at Canadian Heritage. In one notable July 2011 interview with CBC Radio’s Q host Jian Ghomeshi, Moore pushed back at suggestions he wasn’t supporting the music industry with considerable effect. Even Ghomeshi seemed to accept his fact-based narrative and backed down. Point – Moore. It reinforced Moore’s reputation for being well briefed on his files.

There is no question that Prime Minister Harper has put James Moore front and centre to stare down the powerful Canadian telecom industry and bring in competition to break the bizarre monopolistic hold that Bell, TELUS and Rogers have over the Canadian industry and consumers. For decades, “the big three” have gouged Canadian customers relentlessly with the highest telecom fees in the western world while they pocket billions. When the CEO of Bell (George Cope), TELUS (Darren Entwhistle) and Rogers (Nadir Mohammed) made little headway with the new Minister this past summer as they sought to protect their interests, their representatives went personal, questioning Moore’s competence on the telecom file and then began a huge propaganda campaign to discredit the governments stated policy to make Canada’s telecom sector more competitive.  A key part of this policy is to allow foreign telecom companies to enter the Canadian market. The big three even managed to have the Canadian Council of Chief Executives (CCCE) back them in full-page newspaper ads. However, the CCCE was quickly discredited when it became known that CCCE President John Manley, a former Liberal Industry Minister who organized the preparation of the letter, was also on the Board of TELUS. The old boys’ club was at work, but Moore stayed firm, squarely coming down on the side of Canadian consumers who were being gouged by the big telecom companies, saying “Canadians know very well what is at stake and they know dishonest attempts to skew debates via misleading campaigns when they see them.” Moore said that these companies shouldn’t be afraid of competition: “I don’t question the sincerity (of companies) when they say that competition has made their firms better and I think that more competition would achieve even better results going forward.” He noted that even if another competitor enters the Canadian market, Bell, Rogers and TELUS will still have significant competitive advantages. Point-Moore.

We asked Moore about the pressure of the job (he is married with a new baby boy) and about his end goal as Minister of Industry. “It’s pressure in a good way to do good things and to (leave behind me) genuine achievements. Preston Manning, in one of my favourite books about politics, said there are two kinds of people in politics: those who want to be something and those who want to do something. I want to be a politician who does things of genuine accomplishment, not of perceived grandiosity. I want to do things that, when my son grows up, that he’ll say, “Yeah, my dad did do things. Here’s what he did. I’m proud of him.” We ask him what his long-term goals are since he is only 37. Moore responds that “I believe we’re very lucky that Stephen Harper is our Prime Minister in the difficult times we’ve had during this global recession. I support his leadership and the best thing I could do for my community and for the country is to do the best possible job that I can as Industry Minister and support his time as Prime Minister. I want to perform well here, continue to have the confidence of my constituents and we’ll see. Politically, you take every election one at a time.”

POSTSCRIPT: The day we interviewed Moore there was much in the news about Russia’s anti-gay laws that are impacting on the upcoming Olympics. Moore was the Secretary of State for the hugely successful 2010 Olympics. Six years prior to those Olympics, in 2004, he was one the few members of his caucus to vote in favour of same-sex marriage.  We asked him about that. “It was not a hard decision. I believe in equality under the law for all Canadians for civil marriages, which in a perfect world would be termed civil unions. However, in the end, it’s really about equality and respecting our Charter and laws. I stand by my vote. Everyone should have the right to be happy.” Game, set, match — Moore.

Beverley McLachlin
THE PEOPLE SHOULD HAVE EASIER ACCESS TO JUSTICE

The Rt. Hon. Beverley McLachlin has the distinction of being the longest-serving Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada and the first woman sworn in as Chief Justice of Canada. Known for tackling big cases with efficiency and the ability to minimize controversy, McLachlin recently expressed her concern regarding Canadians ability to access justice. “Being able to access justice is fundamental to the rule of law, and if people decide that they can’t get justice, they will have less respect for the law. They will tend not to support the rule of law. They won’t see the rule of law, which is so fundamental to our democratic society, as central and important.” McLachlin was referring to a growing trend in Canada where legal services are only available to the rich, or the poor through programs like pro bono work or legal aid. The escalating cost of legal advice is leading more and more people to make the choice to represent themselves in court. McLachlin suggests there must be more affordable costs for legal services and the construction of more courts in which to hear cases.

Katie Telford
CHANGING NEGATIVE PERCEPTION OF POLITICS

Katie Telford is the National Campaign Co-Chair of the Liberal Party of Canada and a key advisor to Justin Trudeau. Telford is young but is no neophyte when it comes to politics. Beginning as a Page in the Ontario Legislature and later as a Page in the House of Commons Telford got the political bug early on, but it was her smarts and savvy instinct that propelled her to the influential position she holds today. “In politics, you get to deal with such a variety of people from all across the country –such a diverse and really talented and passionate group of people who just want to do great things for the country,” Telford said. She finds it very exciting to be involved in politics right now and believes Canadians are ready for a change in the way national politics are done in Canada. Telford believes that too many people are cynical about politics and she understands why, but still remains very optimistic about the future.

Elizabeth Sanderson
JUSTICE LAWYER FOR “JUSTICE”

Elizabeth Sanderson has spent her career making a difference. Among the vanguard of young women lawyers who kicked in the door of the predominately “old boys’ club” that was the Department of Justice in the 70s, she devoted her career to recognizing the rights and enhancing the lives of those on the margins of Canadian society. Sanderson spent the last decade championing the causes of the Aboriginal People of Canada. Possessing extraordinary intelligence and unmatched integrity, Sanderson was often called upon by the Justice Department to deal with complex and difficult issues. As the Assistant Deputy Attorney General, Aboriginal Affairs, she was key to Canada recognizing the atrocity that was our Residential Schools system and subsequent efforts toward reconciliation. She established and headed the Public Law Policy Section at the Department of Justice, under which reform of the Canadian Human Rights Act. She was the Legal Co-ordinator for the Minister of Justice during the Charlottetown Constitutional Reform process. Over time Sanderson became recognized as a policy expert on equity issues. In 2002, she was awarded the Queen’s Jubilee Medal for her work on diversity and employment equity. As a specialist on Governance and the Law, Aboriginal Affairs and Human Rights Law, Sanderson is currently on assignment with the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law, where she has developed and taught courses on the practice of law within government.

Charles Bordeleau
POLICE CHIEF IS A LEADER RESOLVED TO MAKE OTTAWA SAFER

Ottawa Police Chief Charles Bordeleau takes immense pride in his job and the community he serves. Bordeleau had the opportunity to pursue his policing career in different cities but chose to remain in his hometown. “I love this city. It’s a great city. I was born and raised here and I never thought of leaving.” As a teenager, he thought his future would be in business. However, Bordeleau learned about policing from his future father-in-law. Although Bordeleau acknowledges the pressures and difficulties of his career path, he is firm in his resolve to make Ottawa a safer city in which to live. As he continues to build positive relationships with the citizens of Ottawa, Bordeleau feels that working within the community is a great way to do so. He is the past chair of the Youth Services Bureau Charitable Foundation. He sits on the TELUS Ottawa Community Board, is co-chair of the Community Development Framework Steering Committee for the City of Ottawa and is now working on his second campaign with United Way Ottawa (Growing Up Great). “As police officers, we’re privileged in the job that we do and the community entrusts us with their safety,” Bordeleau said. “It’s important that we give back from a volunteer perspective.” What Bordeleau enjoys most about his job are the people he is delighted to work with every day. He feels fortunate to be leading the 2,000 men and women in the Ottawa Police Service. “They are very committed and dedicated to their jobs, so having the privilege of being their chief is a big honour to me”. Bordeleau continues to show leadership in addressing head-on the growing concern of the public about Police misconduct in Canada. He attended the Borders, Policing and Law symposium at Carleton University in March 2013 as a keynote speaker, along with Ontario’s Ombudsman André Marin and renowned criminal lawyer Lawrence Greenspon. The conference host, Criminology Professor Darryl Davies, a recognized national expert in police behavior matters, complimented Bordeleau, saying, “he has integrity, he listened, and he has high expectations that the Ottawa Police will act appropriately in all police matters.”

Mike MacDonald
TO HELL AND BACK

Comedian Mike MacDonald has had a rough ride, but he is doing great, recovering from a long-awaited liver transplant that was performed in March. “There were times in (Toronto General Hospital) during the first couple of months when I thought I shouldn’t have gone through with it,” MacDonald confides. “I felt I should have died with my own liver because after the transplant, I was feeling pretty miserable. I’m certainly not ungrateful for the new liver, but the anti-rejection drugs triggered a severe bipolar reaction which I’m still struggling to completely come to terms with. All my senses were screwed up. It’s only in the last month that I’ve been able to taste food normally. Before that, everything tasted like cardboard. I’ve lost a lot of weight – from 240 to 153 pounds. I have chicken legs. I don’t want to put all the weight back on but I need to work out. But for the longest time, it was just the biggest thing to get up and go to the bathroom.” MacDonald, 58, looks terrific, 10 years younger since the transplant. “The reason I got the liver was because my blood type was rare and matched the blood type of the donor,” he explains. “I was the next critical guy in the line. It’s as simple as that. You can’t just put any liver in any body.  “Literally, within the last month, I’m just starting to get back into the comedy writing. I’ll be hosting two shows for the Canadian Comedy Awards Festival on October 5 at the Centrepointe Theatre which will feature all Ottawa talent. “Certain people have already enquired about me entertaining crowds specifically gathered for reasons of education and sharing knowledge about liver transplants,” MacDonald reveals. “It’s the least I can do.”

Kate Malloy
EDITOR OF THE INFLUENTIAL HILL TIMES

Kate Malloy has been with The Hill Times since it started in 1989. She is a graduate of Carleton University’s School of Journalism. Malloy worked as a reporter for The Yellowknifer in Yellowknife in 1988-1989 before landing a job as a reporter at The Hill Times, a weekly newspaper that is considered a must-read for political junkies. “It was a one-person newsroom and I was it,” she says. Malloy has been the influential weekly’s editor since 1999 (editing the newspaper and its on-line version). The Hill Times has won numerous Canadian Community Newspaper Awards and Ontario Community Newspapers Association awards. “I love The Hill Times, and I am very proud of our team,” says Malloy. “The Hill is one of the most exciting and best beats to cover. We can go beyond the gloss of the daily headlines and cover the nuts and bolts of federal politics, the government and Parliament.” Malloy is originally from Ottawa and is married to John Crupi, the assignment editor at CTV Ottawa.

Graham Richardson
CO-ANCHOR, CTV OTTAWA NEWS AT 6

Born in Connecticut and raised in Toronto, Graham Richardson is now happily settled in Ottawa. Richardson took over the co-anchor position for CTV Ottawa News in 2010. Following the retirement of long-time anchorman Max Keeping, News at 6 continues to be a ratings leader in Ottawa and the surrounding regions, including west Quebec. Knowing he wanted to be a journalist from the age of 15, Richardson said he was attracted by the idea of asking powerful people uncomfortable questions. Richardson sits on the board of directors of the Ottawa Food Bank, the Royal Ottawa Foundation for Mental Health and Bruyère Continuing Care. “I think when people watch us at six o’clock, they want to know us,” Richardson says. “I am really just a regular guy, and I hope that’s how a lot of people relate to me.”

His Excellency Cho Hee-Yong
AMBASSADOR OF THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA TO CANADA PAYS HIS  RESPECTS TO CANADA’S VETS

Dubbed the Year of Korea, 2013 marks the 50th anniversary of Korean-Canadian diplomatic relations and 60 years since the signing of the Korean armistice which signaled the end of the so-called Forgotten War (1950-53). The Korean War was a three-year conflict that erupted in 1950 when North Korea invaded Canadian-backed South Korea. About 27,000 Canadians fought in the war; 516 of them died. South Korea’s Ambassador to Canada Cho Hee-yong has made a big impact with Canadians by making it his priority to travel across Canada to meet with members of the Korean community to celebrate the Year of Korea. He has also been present at many wreath-laying ceremonies commemorating Canadians who died in the Korean War. “I cannot think of a better time to deliver our deep gratitude to the Korean War veterans of Canada and their families for their sacrifices” Hee-yong said. Ambassador Cho Hee-yong’s many earlier overseas appointments include Counselor at the Korean Embassy in Washington (2000 and 2003) and a year as Minister and Consul General in the Philippines. He has also worked as an Adjunct Professor of Diplomacy at Korea University (2005) and as the Director-General, Secretariat for the UN’s 6th Global Forum on Reinventing Government (2004), held in Seoul. Ambassador Cho is a recipient of the Republic of Korea’s Order of Service Merit for outstanding contributions to national development. He earned his undergraduate degree in economics from Seoul National University.

Jeff Hunt
Mobilizing Entrepreneurship to Transform Ottawa Sports

What began as a passion for hockey has transformed Jeff Hunt into one of the most influential figures in Ottawa sports.  An entrepreneur, Hunt bought the Ottawa 67s with the hope of fusing his love for sports and business. His success spurred him and his partners to create the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group in the hopes of bringing football and the CFL back to Ottawa. The group spearheaded the redevelopment of Lansdowne Park and as a result, the city’s new CFL team, The Ottawa Redblacks, will start playing when the park reopens. Shortly after, the Ottawa Fury FC, the new NASL soccer team, will begin playing games at the stadium and Ottawa will host the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup. The end of construction will also see The Ottawa 67s return to their historic home at Lansdowne Park. “It’s becoming more and more real every day. As the project takes shape, the momentum and the excitement are snowballing.”

Dr. Bruce Beehler
Dental Healer

Dr. Bruce Beehler is an ambitious dentist with 20 years of experience. He has opened practices in Ottawa, Stittsville and Barbados. Dr. Beehler is a licensed provider of intravenous conscious sedation for wisdom tooth removal and general or complex dentistry for patients who are apprehensive about dental procedures. From a simple filling to applying invisible braces, Dr. Beehler is qualified to do common and challenging dental procedures in the comfort of his own general practice in downtown Ottawa: Permasmile Dentistry. A lot of dentists are located downtown but Permasmile is a one-stop shop. What makes them different is the fact that they are able to diagnose patients, put forth digitized X-rays, create a comprehensive treatment plan and execute it. Most practices do not have access to a licensed sedationist in their office and are required to bring someone in on surgery days or send patients to other locations. Dr. Beehler’s clinic is unique in its ability to perform sedation practices as needed – whether root canals, fillings, grafting or cosmetic cases. It is a major convenience because you can get all your dental care met in one location.

Thomas Mulcair
Shaking Things up on the Hill

In 2011, Tom Mulcair played a pivotal role in helping the New Democratic Party make history as Canada’s Official Opposition for the first time. Since being elected Leader of the Opposition in 2012, Mulcair has advocated for a west-to-east pipeline to carry Canadian oil from the point of origin to refineries on the East Coast. This would keep jobs here as opposed to a project like the Keystone XL Pipeline running through the United States. Mulcair has also shown support for a more open approach to free-trade policies. And, in the wake of the Senate spending scandals, Mulcair continues to promote the NDP’s long-standing position on Senate abolition. Mulcair also supports measures to lower the youth unemployment rate and legislation for a more bilingual Supreme Court. In fact, the NDP made history this spring by having the House of Commons adopt a law making it compulsory to be bilingual for 10 agents of Parliament, including the Auditor General.

Larry Phillip Fontaine
A Towering Figure in the Aboriginal Community

Larry Phillip Fontaine is recognized for outstanding accomplishments and leadership on issues of Aboriginal societies in Canada and internationally and for setting a model for generations to come. Fontaine is the former National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) and was the longest-serving National Chief in AFN history, elected for an unprecedented three terms. He is a citizen of the Sagkeeng First Nation in Manitoba. As AFN National Chief, Fontaine was instrumental in the successful resolution and settlement of the 150-year Indian residential school tragedy, which led to a historic apology by the Canadian government. He also signed the Declaration of Kinship and Cooperation of the Indigenous and First Nations of North America and was the first Indigenous leader to address the Organization of American States. Currently, Fontaine acts as a senior advisor to Norton Rose Canada LLP, counsel to Chieftain Metals, counsel to Avalon Rare Metals, and is special advisor to the Royal Bank of Canada and Trans Canada Pipelines. He holds 14 honorary doctorate degrees from Canadian and U.S. universities. In 1996, he was honoured with the National Aboriginal Achievement Award and is a Member of the Order of Manitoba. He has been awarded the Queen Elizabeth ll Diamond Jubilee Medal and, most recently, was appointed to the Order of Canada.

Meg Beckel
Museum President is a Big Hit in the Capital

Meg was appointed President and CEO of the Canadian Museum of Nature (CMN) in 2011. Since joining the museum she has initiated a series of changes and improvements in order to enhance the public’s museum experience and ensure its position as a national museum of international rank. She has also reached out to the local Ottawa community with special events that are proving to be immensely popular while simultaneously winning big-time merit points for the CMN in community affairs. Beckel’s impressive career has spanned the arts, academia, finance and the public sector. She began her working life at the Bank of Nova Scotia before moving to the National Ballet of Canada, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, the University of Calgary. In 1998, she joined the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) as President and Executive Director of the Royal Ontario Museum Foundation and was appointed the museum’s first Chief Operating Officer the following year. In this latter role she oversaw the day-to-day operations of the museum including management of the Renaissance ROM, a $250 million capital project. Beckel also serves as a member of the Board of TerraTundra Foundation, the Alliance of Natural History Museums of Canada and the Advisory Board of Ottawa River Keeper. Beckel always takes time to credit her team of passionate and committed employees who are dedicated to the museum’s vision to inspire understanding and respect for nature.

Kellie Leitch
Cabinet Minister and Volunteer Physician

In her spare time, the Hon. Kellie Leitch, Conservative MP for Simcoe-Grey, and Minister of Labour and Minister of Status of Women (since July), is a volunteer physician at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario. Dr. Leitch is a pediatric orthopedic surgeon and an associate professor of surgery. Her work at CHEO and as an MP helps her keep in contact with child and youth issues, she says. Dr. Leitch was first elected in the 2011 general election. She has served as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development and to the Minister of Labour, as well as on several federal committees. Dr. Leitch holds a Doctorate of Medicine from the University of Toronto and an MBA from Dalhousie University. In 2005, Dr. Leitch was selected for Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 list for her work in medicine and business. In 2010, she received the Order of Ontario for her children’s advocacy work.

Claudia Salguero
Artistic Sensation brings her Unique Flair to Ottawa

Whether it’s digital art, photography, music or teaching, Claudia Salguero is sure to impress anyone with her extensive portfolio of work. Through her artistic endeavours, Salguero has worked hard to immortalize Latin American culture in Ottawa using her own distinctive artistic flair. Her most well-recognized work involves blending digital art, photography and design to create unique yet stunning images. She’s been recognized as a “Corel Painter Master” for her distinctive artistic style, joining an elite group of 35 artists from around the world. Salguero also won 1st place at the Black and White Spider Awards in London, England in 2006 for her unique photography. Her art has been exhibited in Ottawa, New York and Montreal. But Salguero is not just concerned with displaying her work – she runs special educational workshops in Ottawa and Latin America to teach others how to create stunning art using digital techniques. Her generosity also manifests itself through her philanthropic work. As a successful singer, Salguero performs regularly at various Ottawa venues, singing Latin American Jazz with her back-up band, often donating a part of her concerts’ proceeds to Fundacion Ayuda a la infancia en Colombia, a children’s organization. Talented, generous and savvy, Salguero has left an unforgettable mark on our community.

Diane Holmes
Veteran City Councillor, Ward 14 Somerset

Since being elected Ottawa City Councillor for Wellington Ward in December 1982, Diane Holmes has maintained a strong interest in planning, transportation, the environment, culture, health services and women’s issues. In 1994, she became the first directly-elected Regional Councillor for Somerset Ward, and was acclaimed to another term three years later. In 2003, 2006 and again in 2010, Holmes was elected as City Councillor for Somerset Ward, where she now serves a diverse community of all ages, incomes and origins. Holmes’ priorities are to push for better public transit services, environmentally-responsible transportation and control of costly urban sprawl; insist on new development that respects Centretown’s cultural, natural and architectural heritage; increase Ottawa’s tree planting, roadside greening budget, and protection of natural spaces; promote a well-designed downtown for residents, workers and visitors, with attractive shopping areas on Bank, Elgin, Preston, Sparks and Somerset Streets; and provide strong support for arts and cultural activities. Holmes is a past-President of the Centretown Citizens Community Association and Heritage Ottawa.

Manjeet Sethi
Keeping our Food Safe

Dr. Manjeet Sethi is the Executive Director of the Pest Management Centre (PMC) at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Thanks to the work of Dr. Sethi and his team the food that Canadians eat is safer. The PMC helps growers/farmers get access to safe and effective crop protection tools. This translates to safer and high-quality fruits and vegetables with the assurance that chemicals used are evaluated and registered by Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency. But the program does more. It allows Canada to compete more successfully in the export of our fruits and vegetables, which are judged to be superior food products. For example, Canada’s blueberries are exported to Germany and Japan. Our cherries will soon be exported to China. The work of Dr. Sethi and his team helps ensure safe food, competitiveness, and sustainable agriculture.

Dr. Dugald Seely
Founder & Executive Director, Ottawa Integrative Cancer Centre

Dr. Dugald Seely leads the clinical practice and cancer research program for the Ottawa Integrative Cancer Centre (OICC). In addition to his clinical role as a naturopathic doctor, he also serves as the director of research & clinical epidemiology at the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine, as affiliate investigator for the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and as board member for the Society for Integrative Oncology. As founder of the OICC, Dr. Seely is pioneering a contemporary cancer treatment model based on scientifically grounded, evidence-informed complementary medicine. With the establishment of the first integrative cancer care and research centre in Eastern Canada, Dr. Seely and his team are providing whole-person integrative care to people living with cancer and addressing research gaps in whole systems of cancer care. Dr. Seely completed his M.Sc. in cancer research at the University of Toronto and is a Fellow of the American Board of Naturopathic Oncology. As a clinician scientist, Dr. Seely has been awarded competitive grant and trainee funding from many foundations. He is the principal investigator for a number of clinical trials and syntheses projects with the goal of building on the growing body of evidence that supports integrative oncology. Dr. Seely strongly believes in the ability of evidence-based medicine to effect positive change in the health care system. As an educator, researcher, clinician and frequent speaker at conferences around the world, Dr. Seely is seeking to shift the debate towards a more whole-person cancer care model that is espoused by integrative oncology.

Daniel Alfredsson
Detroit Is Now His Home, but Ottawa Remains Close to His Heart

The Sens Army may have lost their leader to the Detroit Red Wings, but Daniel Alfredsson says he remains committed to Ottawa and will continue to focus on mental-health awareness here. Alfie’s departure has left mixed feelings for the Sens’ most faithful. An integral part of Ottawa on and off the ice, Alfredsson is known for his dominance as a Senators’ right wing and for his dominant presence in the community. Alfredsson’s leadership role is shown through his continued involvement with The Royal Ottawa Foundation for Mental Health. Alfredsson is the face of the You Know Who I Am campaign, one meant to encourage open dialogue and eliminate the stigma about mental health. He has worked to use sport as a means of empowering children and youth in underprivileged communities with Right to Play. In 2012, his immense community work was recognized as Alfie won the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, given to a player in the NHL who best exemplifies a significant involvement and humanitarian accomplishment in their local community. Again, Alfredsson was recognized this year, winning the Marc Messier Leadership Award. Alfredsson’s contribution to Ottawa has been recognized: he was named Citizen of the Year in March by the People’s Choice Business Awards and was awarded a United Way Community Builder Award in 2010. Though it is incredibly unfortunate that, as Alfredsson neared the end of his professional hockey career, the Ottawa Senators were unable to keep their longest-serving captain, he says Ottawa will always remain home in his heart.

Erica Wark
Blogger and Style Maven

If there’s one person in Ottawa who truly lives fashion, it’s Erica Wark. She spent two years as St. Laurent Centre’s resident stylist, while appearing in regular segments on CTV Morning Live, CHCH and Rogers Daytime. However, Wark hasn’t just made a splash here in Ottawa. Her styling savvy has now catapulted her into the larger Canadian spotlight. Featured in two seasons of CBC’s Steven and Chris as their Fashion Resident Expert, Wark offered advice on the latest trends to Canadians throughout the country. She’s also made her rounds on other television programs, appearing on Breakfast Television Toronto and Entertainment Tonight Canada’s Fashion Panel, critiquing everything from red carpet fashion at the Oscars and the Grammy’s to co-ordinating her own fall fashion advice panel on behalf of Holt Renfrew. However, fashion is not her sole pursuit. Wark still takes time out of her busy schedule to contribute to the community. As a member of the leadership committee for the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation’s Bust-A-Move event, Wark has raised over $12,000 for breast health in the past two years. With a big heart, a busy schedule and the perfect eye for fashion, Wark is making it work.