News: Ministry Of Health Promotion Strikes Sport Advisory Committee (April 2, 2007)

BACKGROUNDER

April 2, 2007

Sport Advisory Committee

The Ontario government’s ACTIVE2010 is a comprehensive sport and physical activity strategy. It aims to build stronger communities, promote participation in sport and physical activity and develop a strong sport system. The sport system goals relate to enhancing excellence, participation and interaction among all levels and building capacity.

The Sport Advisory Committee is part of the government’s effort to achieve its ACTIVE2010 goalsand follows on a commitment to work with stakeholders to advance sport in the province.

The committee will provide advice to the Minister on policies and programs that will support the sport component of ACTIVE2010, and also, promote the benefits of sport.

With the committee, the Ontario government is engaging an independent panel of experts to build a stronger sport community and ensure that Ontario is a leading jurisdiction in sport development. Additionally, the committee will provide a forum to promote and improve the positive influence sport has on society.

Members

The Sport Advisory Committee is an independent panel of 19 individuals, recognized for their achievements and expertise in sport in various capacities:

Dr. Julia Mary Klich Alleyne
Since 1995, Dr. Alleyne has served as Medical Director of Sport CARE at Women’s College Hospital. She also holds several part-time roles, including Chief Team Physician for Skate Canada and Gymnastics Canada.

Alleyne has participated in a vast array of research, published numerous books, journals and periodicals and has even patented a few of her own products. Throughout her career, Alleyne has been on boards or committees for several organizations that oversee and advise on health, fitness and sport in Canada, such as the Canadian Academy of Sport Medicine, National Sports Centres Advisory Steering Committee and the Canadian Centre for Ethics and Sport. Alleyne has won several awards and is an accomplished and much sought-after consultant and speaker.
Alex Baumann, Executive Director, Road to Excellence, Podium Canada
In January 2007, Mr. Baumann assumed leadership of the Road to Excellence Program in Canada, to help summer sports achieve excellence at the Olympic and World Championship level.

Baumann was an outstanding international-level athlete who has received many awards for his accomplishments in the swimming pool, these include six world records, two Olympic gold medals and two silver medals at the Commonwealth Games. On four occasions, he received the World Champion Award and, on two occasions, the Male Swimmer of the Year Award. He also has been recognised for his contributions to swimming and the community, receiving honours such as the Order of Ontario, being named an Officer of the Order of Canada, and induction into the Sports Hall of Fame and the Canadian Amateur Sports Hall of Fame. In 1996, Laurentian University awarded Baumann an Honorary Doctorate in Physical Education.

Baumann also has an extensive background in sport administration, teaching and development. He has been instrumental in the success of various community-based programs in Canada and Australia, focusing on motivating young people to achieve consistently high standards in sport and community activities.
Jim Bradley, CEO, Sport Alliance of Ontario (SAO)
Over the course of 30 years, Mr. Bradley has held a wide range of positions in sport and recreation, both in municipal and provincial governments and in the private sector.

At the SAO, a not-for-profit provincial multi-sport organization, Bradley oversees delivery of a large number of programs and services to the sport community in Ontario. These include six sets of Ontario Games, the Ontario Sport Awards Program, the Ontario Sport Safety Program and KidSport Ontario.

Bradley is a volunteer with Commonwealth Games Canada and a Member-at-Large of the Board. He has served as the Chef de Mission for Ontario, leading the team to two consecutive team championships at the Canada Games. He also has acted in capacities ranging from volunteer to team lead for various international events, including the 1984 Olympics in Sarajavo and was selected to the Mission for the Commonwealth Games in Manchester, U.K.
Tracey Ferguson, Paralympic Athlete
Ms Ferguson is a key member of the three-time gold medal-winning wheelchair basketball team. She is no newcomer to the world stage and she definitely knows what it takes to reach the podium. Ferguson’s competitive spirit fueled her dream of representing Canada on the Olympic Podium and that dream was not to be denied – even when a spinal surgery left her paralyzed at the age of nine. After her surgery, Ferguson discovered wheelchair sports and through wheelchair basketball, she realized her dream of reaching the podium at the international level. Not only did she reach the top level of the podium, both at World Championships and Paralympic Games, she was also named to two World All-Star Teams (1998 and 2002). Ferguson has her sights set on the 2008 Beijing Paralympic wheelchair athletic team and her performances to date – including qualifying for the finals at two international events in 2006 – demonstrate that she is a force to be reckoned with.

Ferguson was nominated Ontario Female Athlete of the Year in 2000 and has been a four-time recipient of the Ontario Wheelchair Sports Association’s Female Athlete of the Year award. Ferguson also has been honored by the YMCA's Young Woman of Distinction Award and the Terry Fox Humanitarian Award.
George Gross
Mr. Gross arrived in Canada in 1950 and worked at various jobs before joining the Toronto Telegram in 1959 as a staff member of the sports department. During his career, he has had radio shows on CHUM and CFKH (which he covered in German, Hungarian and Slovak).

Gross is a well-known force in the world of sports journalism and has covered numerous sports events nationally and internationally. He has been recognized many times for his work in sports and honours include the Order of Ontario and the Olympic Order. Gross also has been inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame, the Hockey Hall of Fame, the Etobicoke Sports Hall of Fame and Canada's Soccer Hall of Fame. Gross also is a recipient of the IOC's award for media in sports.

Gross is President of Sports Media Canada, the Canadian arm of the World’s Sports Journalists Association (AIPS), as well as a life member and special adviser to the AIPS president. He also is Founder and Director of the Etobicoke Sports Hall of Fame.
Joe Halstead, Community leader
Mr. Halstead served as Commissioner of Economic Development, Culture and Tourism for the City of Toronto. He served as the City's lead person on Toronto's bid for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games and was also the City's Executive Lead for the World Youth Days Conference and the Papal Visit in 2002. Halstead was Commissioner of Parks, Recreation and Culture with the City of North York and has served as Assistant Deputy Minister in the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Recreation. He is a member of several organizations including the Canadian Olympic Association, the Institute of Public Administration of Canada, the Toronto Raptors Foundation Board of Directors and the Toronto Community Foundation.
Paul Franklin Henderson, B.A.Sc, P. Eng
Mr. Henderson has held numerous International Sport and Olympic positions and currently is Vice President of the General Assembly of International Sport Federations, and also, is a Director on the Board for the Vancouver 2010 Olympics.

Henderson has been a member of the Canadian Olympic Sailing Team four times, has won the Canadian National Championships seven times and has won numerous other championships including World Champion. He also has been inducted into the Canadian Olympic Sport Hall of Fame.

Henderson is an active member of the Toronto sports community. Among his many accomplishments, he was Chairman and Co-Founder of the Toronto International Dragon Boat World Championship 2006; he is the founder of the Outer Harbour Community Sailing Association, President of the Toronto Racquet Club, Director of the Harbourfront Disabled Sailing Association and Honorary Commodore of the Royal Canadian Yacht Club.
Scott Haldane, President and CEO, YMCA of Greater Toronto
Mr. Haldane began his career with the YMCA as a part-time swimming instructor – he connected in a way that has defined his career ever since. Haldane began his full-time career at the YMCA in 1977 as a Youth Worker at the West Island Branch of the Montreal YMCA. Since then, he has held numerous positions within the Y including Director of Community Services and then Executive Director of the West Island Branch in Montreal, National Director of Employment Initiatives with the YMCA Canada, and, he served as President and Chief Executive Officer for the YMCA of Hamilton/Burlington.

In addition to his tremendous achievements and progression at the YMCA, Haldane completed his Master of Management through McGill University and the Advanced Management Program through Harvard Business School.

Haldane’s hard work and dedication do not end with his career – he shows the same determination in his pursuit of physical excellence and has competed in 19 marathons, five triathlons and nearly 200 road races.
Greg Henhawk
Mr. Henhawk is a resident of Six Nations of the Grand River. He is a secondary school teacher and head coach for multiple sports at Hagersville Secondary School. He also is Assistant Coach for Women’s Basketball at Ryerson University.

Henhawk is an active member or coach with several organizations, including: Coaches Association of Ontario, OFSAA and SOSSA (secondary school sport organizations), National Aboriginal Sports Circle, NCCP, Basketball Ontario and Basketball Canada.
Ferguson Jenkins, Chairman of the Board, The Fergie Jenkins Foundation
Mr. Jenkins is one of Canada’s greatest baseball players of all time and he is Canada’s only baseball Hall of Famer. He was drafted out of high school by the Philadpelphia Phillies, but spent the majority of his career with the Chicago Cubs, Texas Rangers and the Boston Red Sox.

In 1971, Ferguson was a CY Young Award recipient and was dubbed “Comeback Player of the Year in 1974”. “Fergie” was a 20-game winner for six consecutive seasons – and seven seasons in total.
J. Elliott Kerr, President and Chief Executive Officer, Landmark Sport Group Inc.
Mr. Kerr founded Landmark Sport Group in 1987 following an extensive career in sponsorship sales, event management and athlete/personality representation.

Kerr is instrumental in all aspects of operations at Landmark, including: athlete/personality representation, sponsorship sales, event management, corporate consulting and public/media relations.
Dr. Bruce Kidd, University of Toronto, Professor and Dean of the Faculty of Physical Education and Health
Dr. Kidd teaches and has written extensively about the history and political economy of Canadian and international sport and physical activity.

Kidd has served on numerous boards of local, national and international bodies dealing with sport, including the International Council of Sport Sciences and Physical Education, the International Campaign Against Apartheid Sport, the Stadium Corporation of Ontario and WomenSport International. He is a member of the Commonwealth Advisory Body on Sport, chairs the International Development through Sport Committee of Commonwealth Games Canada and serves as Vice-Chair of the Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada. He is a member of the Leadership Group of the City of Toronto’s Call to Action on Physical Activity.

In his career as a track and field athlete, Kidd held four world junior records, won 18 national championships and set numerous records in Canada, the United States and Great Britain, one of which – the Canadian junior men’s record for 5,000 metres – still stands after 44 years. He was a Gold and Bronze Medalist at the 1962 British Commonwealth Games and a member of the 1964 Olympic Team. He was twice elected Canada’s Male Athlete of the Year by Canadian Press (1961 and 1962). He is a member of the Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame, the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame (as both an athlete and a builder) and the University of Toronto Sports Hall of Fame. In 2005, he was awarded the Canadian Olympic Order.

In 1997, the Canadian Sports Awards created the Bruce Kidd Award to honour an outstanding national team athlete who has given significant leadership to sports. In 2004, Kidd was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada.
Joanne Malar, Olympic Swimmer and Holistic Nutritionist
Ms. Malar was on the National Swim Team for Canada for 13 years before retiring in 2004. During her very successful swimming career, she won more than 70 international medals for Canada. She is a three-time Olympian and five time Olympic swimming finalist. Among her many achievements, Joanne is a 30-time National Champion and was ranked number one in the world from 1995-1996 and from 1999-2000. In 1995, she was recognized as World Champion (Short Course) 400m IM & 4x200m FR. She still holds the Canadian, Pan American and Commonwealth Record Holder in the 400m Individual Medley (LC).

A Registered Holistic Nutritionist (RHN), Malar launched her Holistic Nutrition practice, La Santé Life, in Hamilton, Ontario. She also is Health-&-Fitness expert for Hamilton’s CH Television. In 2006, Malar launched Canada’s first nation-wide swim challenge for charity – Forester’s Big Swim for Arthritis. She is a board member for Hamilton’s Obesity Strategy Steering Committee and is a popular motivational speaker.
Hazel McCallion, Mayor, City of Mississauga
Mayor McCallion was elected to her position in 1978 and has held the position ever since to be the longest serving mayor in the city’s history. Under her leadership, the City of Mississauga has flourished and is debt free.

McCallion’s career has played a leading role for women in politics. She was the first woman to be Mayor of Streetsville and then Mayor of Mississauga and was chosen one of the American Women of the Year in Who’s Who of American Women. In 2004, McCallion became a finalist for the title of World Mayor and in 2005, was a runner-up.

McCallion enjoys many sports including ice hockey and fishing. In 2001, she was inducted into the Mississauga Sports Hall of Fame. She is the Past Chair of the World Health Symposiums on Healthy Cities and a member of the Advisory Committee of the World Health Organization Centre for Health Development. She also was an honorary chair for the Women’s World Hockey Tournament in 1987. McCallion has established many citizens committees, including the Mississauga Sports Council.
Anne Merklinger, Director General, CanoeKayak Canada
A fixture on the Canadian sport scene since the 1970s, Ms Merklinger moved from a distinguished swimming career to curling, in which she has competed with distinction and success since the mid-1980s.

Ms Merklinger joined CanoeKayak Canada in 1994. Today, the organization is regarded, nationally and internationally, as a progressive and dynamic organization that embraces systemic development based on the pursuit of excellence for athletes and coaches.

Prior to CanoeKayak Canada, Merklinger worked extensively to provide opportunities in sport for athletes with a disability. From 1990 to 1994, she led the Commission for Inclusion of Athletes with a Disability, a lobby group successful in obtaining the inclusion of events for athletes with a disability in the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games and other major international competitions.

Merklinger began her career in sport management in 1984 with the Canadian Federation of Sport Organizations for the Disabled, where she was responsible for the overall organization of Canada’s participation in the Paralympic Games and World Championships, fund development and advocacy. An influential leader in the sports community, Merklinger is active on a number of boards, including the Canadian Olympic Committee, Coaching Association of Canada and Special Olympics Canada.
Karen Pitre, Chair, Toronto Sports Council
Ms Pitre was inducted into the University of Toronto Sports Hall of Fame in 1995 for her accomplishments in ice hockey and rowing. She has been athlete, coach and advocate for sports.

Outside of her athletic career, Pitre has led several important initiatives, including work on the Toronto Olympic Bid for the 2008 Olympic Games. Pitre’s role, as the Executive Vice-President, included the overall preparation of the Bid and facilitating the involvement of the three levels of government.

Pitre also established the Toronto Sports Council (TSC) which completed a Sport Strategy Framework for the City of Toronto and hosted the Sport Summit to review the findings. A Draft Action Plan in April 2006 identified the priorities of the Toronto sport community and five key action items. In May 2006, City Council recognized the TSC as the City’s "voice for sport". At that point, Council directed staff and three members of Council to work with theTSC to ensure the implementation and success of the Sport Srategy Framework and to advance the needs of sport for Toronto.
Andy Shibata, Manager, Sponsorship and Marketing, Olympics & Amateur Sport, RBC Financial Group
Mr. Shibata is responsible for RBC’s Olympic and Amateur Sport sponsorship portfolio and manages long-range strategic planning and ROI analysis for RBC’s Olympic sponsorship. He also is managing marketing campaigns supporting RBC’s sponsorship of the Canadian Olympic Team and the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

Shibata is active in the community and has served as a swim coach at the Dollard Swim Club in Montreal and the Etobicoke Swim Club in Toronto. He has been responsible for the training and development of some of Canada’s top Age Group swimmers. Since 2003, Shibata has been a volunteer with the Framework Foundation – an organization that empowers Canadians between the ages of 22 and 35 to help build stronger communities through volunteer involvement.
Mathieu Turgeon
Mr. Turgeon was a member of the National trampoline team for 10 years and is a three-time National Champion. He has competed in two Olympic Games and in the 2000 Games in Sydney, Turgeon won a bronze medal.

In keeping with his lifelong dedication to health and fitness, Turgeon is in the third year of a four-year program to become a doctor of chiropractic.
Brian Williams, Sportscaster, CTV Globemedia
Mr. Williams has been dubbed “Canada’s Mister Olympics” and has covered 12 Summer and Winter Olympic Games. He has been named Canada’s Outstanding Sportscaster eight times, won six Gemini awards and two Foster Hewitt Awards.

Williams started his career with CHUM radio in 1970 and worked at various radio and television outlets before joining the CBC Network Sports Department in 1983 where he remained until June 2006. Over the course of his career, Williams has covered every major sporting event in Canada, including hockey, baseball, football, golf, tennis, Formula One and Indy Auto Racing, world cup skiing, curling, horse racing and the Olympics.

In 2006, Williams joined CTV/TSN where he will be CTV’s Primetime host for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and the 2012 Summer Games in London, England.

Williams also dedicates time in service to the community. He is a member of the Board of Directors for Tim Horton’s Children’s Charities and a lifetime member of Ronald McDonald Children’s Charities. He also is a member of the Board for Right to Play and a member of the Governor’s Council at North York General Hospital in Toronto.

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For further information:

Adam Grachnik
Minister’s Office
416-326-8497

Julie Rosenberg
Ministry of Health Promotion
416-326-4833

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