FEATURED MDMC SPEAKERS

David Bosiak is the current mayor of the City of Dauphin.  Prior to entering municipal politics, he was the Regional Manager for the Department of Indigenous and Municipal Relations in the Parkland region of Manitoba from 2005-2017. He was the General Manager of the Dauphin Joint Recreation Commission (DJRC) from 1993 – 2000, and during that time also owned and operated Boze’s Bodyshop, a fitness centre in Dauphin from 1985-2104. In 2014 he authored If You Don’t Look After Your Body, Where are You Going to Live?

He has served on many local, provincial and national organizations including the Canadian Parks and Recreation Association, the Canadian Coalition for Active Living, Sport MB, the Manitoba Fitness Council, and Recreation Connections Manitoba.

David has been an advocate for active living, sport and fitness, parks and recreation throughout his professional career. He is an eternal optimist, and believes passionately that having a positive attitude and working together are critical components in “getting things done”.

Terry Cutler is a leading Canadian cybersecurity expert. He is CEO of Cyology Labs and founder of Internet Safety University. It’s a comprehensive all in one platform that educates consumers, employees, and business owners on how to protect themselves from online threats. Terry has helped educate thousands of students in over 150 counties on cyber-crime, spying, security failures, internet scams, and the real social networking dangers that families and individuals face every day.

Mark Emrick’s journey began in Brandon, Manitoba, where he cultivated a deep-rooted commitment to community and service. Relocating to Melita in 1989, he assumed the management of a GM dealer’s autobody shop before venturing into entrepreneurship in 1992, founding his own auto-glass business, which flourished for 15 successful years.

In Melita, Mark emerged as a central figure, immersing himself in various community initiatives. He played pivotal roles in the Melita and Area Chamber of Commerce, holding positions such as Vice President and President. Transitioning back to Brandon in 2008 marked the beginning of a new chapter for Mark. Joining the Manitoba Emergency Services College (MESC) / Manitoba Office of the Fire Commissioner (OFC) as an Emergency Services Instructor/Emergency Services Officer, he became instrumental in training and responding to emergencies across the province.

Mark also served as the Municipal Emergency Coordinator for the RM of Elton from March 2023 to January 2024. He was recently invited to serve on the ICS Canada national steering committee as a subject matter specialist, alongside peers from across North America. Currently, he continues to make significant contributions to the field as an ICS Contract Instructor, sharing his wealth of knowledge nationwide.

Michelle is the Senior Advisor, Operational Readiness and Planning with the Canadian Red Cross. Her role focuses on hazards forecasting and planning so that the Red Cross is prepared to respond. She has operational experience deploying to disasters across Canada and

the United States. Michelle was also a Case Worker for the 2016 Fort McMurray fire. She has a Bachelors of Environmental Studies from the University of Waterloo, and a Masters of Arts in Emergency Management from Royal Roads University.

Mr. Gardiner is the Manager for Emergency Management and Hazmat for Central/Western Canada for CPKC Railway. With over 20 years of experience responding to hazardous materials incidents across North America.  Mr. Gardiner started his career as a hazardous materials emergency response contractor.  As a contractor, Mr. Gardiner responded to all TDG classes of dangerous goods ranging from fixed facility and roadway to water incidents and railway response.  Mr. Gardiner accepted a position of Hazardous Material Officer with CPKC (CP Railway) in 2017 and in 2023 accepted his current position.  In his current role, Mr. Gardiner is looked upon as a leader in industry providing mentorship and advanced training to contractors, fire departments, and other various emergency services.  With a high regard for safety, diligence, and overall compliance, Mr. Gardiner is a highly trusted and an exceptional leader in the industry of hazardous materials and emergency response.

Chantal Guénette recently joined the Fund for Railway Accidents Involving Designated Goods (Rail Fund). Chantal has over 30 years of experience in emergency preparedness and response in both the public and private sectors. She began her career as a researcher in the field of marine oil spill response, with a focus on countermeasures for cold conditions, while conducting major field trials in Norway’s Arctic.  She has held different leadership roles in several organizations, including national and international marine spill response organizations, Environment Canada, and the Canadian Coast Guard. She has led teams and developed programs and policies aimed at enhancing environmental response capabilities, including preparing and delivering contingency plans, incident management, training, and exercises. Chantal has responded to several significant marine spills worldwide, where she provided advice on appropriate pollution mitigation measures and supported claims preparations and assessment.

Natalie Hasell is the Warning Preparedness Meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada in Winnipeg, where she has lived for over two decades.  Natalie Hasell endeavors to inform the general public in Manitoba and the Canadian Prairies about severe weather and what safety precautions to take in advance of and during these events through media interviews and awareness campaigns.  Another one of her duties is to keep the emergency and disaster management community up-to-date on weather issues, be it through Flood Forecast Weather Updates, situational briefs or early notifications.  Natalie also hopes to spend more time training volunteers and members of the emergency and disaster management community to understand and spot high impact weather.

From Thompson, Louise is one of the most experienced Site Manager volunteers with the Red Cross in Manitoba. Louise had a 33 year career with the Province of Manitoba where she got to travel all over the North. She enjoys that her volunteering builds empathy and connections, and contributes to the wellbeing of communities. Her experience with the Red Cross has included managing shelters and reception centers.  She has deployed to Ottawa as well as North Carolina during Hurricane Florence.

Pat Kaniuga has been a Winnipeg – based journalist for 32 years. He has worked at CBC Manitoba the past 29 years, mainly as radio producer and studio director, but also has experience as a host, TV and radio assignment editor and TV reporter.

Before retiring from CBC in December 2023, Pat spent his final nine years there in his favourite role as producer/ show director and fill-in host at its flagship morning show, Information Radio.  He started his career as an amateur sports reporter at the Winnipeg Free Press while attending journalism school at Red River College Polytech. From train derailments to floods and fires, Pat has a lot of experience covering what’s news for the public but emergencies for communities impacted.

Pat now teaches municipalities, First Nation’s, academic institutions and other clients how to deal with the media for Napier Emergency Consulting

Bonnie was employed with The City of Calgary for 31 years in a variety of roles. Her career started in youth probation prior to 10 years with Calgary Emergency Management Agency (CEMA) as the Emergency Social Services (ESS) Planner. In 2005 she began her emergency management training in a variety of ESS leadership positions. CEMA provided her the opportunity to create a municipal ESS program and obtain an Associate Business Continuity Professional designation from the Disaster Recovery Institute (DRI). She supported Calgarians during the 2005 Calgary Flood, 2007 Calgary Suncourt Apartment Fire, 2007 Calgary Homeless Shelter Response, 2007 Calgary Lakeview Apartment Fire, 2013 Southern Alberta Flood, 2014 Calgary Downtown Power Outage, 2016 Alberta Wildfire, 2018 Calgary Inglewood Apartment Fire, 2023 Northern Alberta Wildfires, and 2023 NWT Wildfires.

Bonnie was the Chair of the Emergency Social Services Network of Alberta (ESSNA) and is the co-founder of the Social Work and Disaster (SWAD) Network. She is a Master Trainer for the Alberta Health Services (AHS) Psychological First Aid (PFA) program and has presented at numerous conferences about the importance of building relationships with community partners prior to a disaster. Her postgraduate research identified the work social workers and social service professionals provided during the Alberta 2016 Wildfires. Bonnie now works with Napier Emergency Consulting providing ESS training to an array of communities, businesses and First Nation communities.

Recognized by the Canadian and Nova Scotia Association of Social Work with a 2020 Distinguished Service Award, Serena Lewis is a social worker, consultant and educator committed to values of social change. Her career in Nova Scotia has been diverse in non-profit, provincial, and federal systems. She has been a champion in each of these sectors advocating for, and with the people she engages. In 2018 awarded the Wesley and Jeanne Drodge Award for Health and Social Policy, Serena has been committed to asking hard questions of systems, leaders and the public. As a clinician who has specialized in the field of dying, death and grief, she has mentored, educated and case consulted with teams locally, provincially and nationally. A facilitator and committee participant on various national groups, she has elevated the necessity for social justice in end of life. Her participation and activism in the Nova Scotia Mass Casualty tragedy has demonstrated that Canadians need to rethink how we live and die. Family and community centred approaches are necessary for natural death and grief, and they become critical when violence, and disasters intersect.

Serena holds a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor and Master of Social Work. She is the proud mother of two sons and a Bernese Mountain dog.

Patricia Martel is an experienced emergency management practitioner with a passion for enhancing the emergency management profession through the development and implementation of best practices. Patricia has 17 years’ experience in the field of emergency management which includes working for provincial and municipal governments. She has significant experience reviewing emergency management programs and providing recommendations that move them towards a more effective, proactive approach. In addition to this, she has developed best practices in hazard identification and risk assessment, and emergency planning for vulnerable groups.  She was the lead planner on the eclipse that happened in Ontario April 6^th   which will include planning for up to a million visitors to the Niagara Region.

She has extensive experience in developing plans and procedures including emergency response plans and hazard specific plans for all levels of government inclusive of Indigenous governments. Patricia has served in a range of positions in multiple Emergency Operation Centres for many emergencies. She is a Certified Emergency Manager (CEM) through the International Association of Emergency Managers. Patricia completed a PhD focused on effective operational emergency planning for vulnerable populations with a case study on schools. Her research focused on the social science aspects of emergency management and complemented her strong background in the natural sciences. This included research on natural hazards with a focus on severe weather.  Patricia now works with Napier Emergency Consulting to create emergency plans and programs for a vast array of clients.

Benjamin Morgan is one of Canada’s leading practitioners in crisis and risk communications. He is currently a Principal at the Centre for Crisis and Risk Communications. He holds a masters degree in professional communications and has taught crisis and risk at several universities,. Benjamin has held communications leadership roles during the 2013 Calgary Flood and the 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire, 2021 Lillooet, BC wildfires and the 2021 Merritt, BC Atmospheric River flooding event. Benjamin was called as a crisis communication expert by the Province of Ontario during the Elliot Lake disaster Public Inquiry Hearing. He started his career as an Advanced Life Support Paramedic before returning to academic studies.

Gabriel Peters is the Operations Manager of Emergency Management in Manitoba and Nunavut for the Canadian Red Cross. Gabriel leads the team of coordinators and volunteers to provide direct relief services to people impacted by small-scale emergencies or large-scale disasters. Gabriel is a University of Winnipeg graduate with a bachelor of arts in Geography. His background includes leadership, water safety and disaster management consulting.

Daniel helps run the Mitigation and Preparedness Program and supports local authorities who aim to build resilience. Daniel came to Manitoba Emergency Management Organization from Watersheds Planning and Programs in 2023, providing background in natural infrastructure and environmental goods and services. Daniel holds a B.Env.Sc. from the University of Manitoba and a diploma in Geographic Information Systems from Red River College.

Erin Robbins is the A/Director of Recovery and Mitigation. She has been with Manitoba EMO since 2018 and the Manitoba government for 20 years. Erin’s passions are building resilient communities in Manitoba, innovation in public service, and examining programs with the needs of users in mind. She has a Bachelor’s of Arts from the University of Manitoba and a Master’s of Political Science from Carleton University. Erin is working closely on Manitoba’s changes to the Disaster Financial Program.

Paul has a wide-ranging background including risk assessment, emergency management, business continuity, security, safety and facilities developed through education at the Universities of Victoria and Manitoba as well as 25 years’ experience with the Manitoba Emergency Measures Organization, Manitoba Public Insurance and as a consultant to a number of provincial agencies in Manitoba and British Columbia.  Paul now works with Napier Emergency Consulting providing expertise to clients across Canada.

Jay Shaw is the Deputy Chief of Safety, Emergency Management and Public Information with the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service.  Jay has more than 25 years’ experience in emergency services and health care, serving as an operational firefighter and paramedic for the Department of National Defense and the City of Winnipeg. He has had a wide array of emergency response and health care experiences from flying under helicopters and working in hospital emergency rooms to covering 9/11 for major newspapers and trade magazines. Shaw was responsible for developing the city’s Office of Emergency Management in 2017 and has led the City of Winnipeg through several major disasters and emergencies including the global COVID -19 pandemic.

Jay has delivered keynotes and conference presentations across North America as was recently the Incident Commander for World Police Fire games held in Winnipeg in 2023.

Jay holds an MA in Disaster and Emergency Management studies and has numerous diplomas and certificates related to healthcare, emergency services, and disaster management. Jay is a graduate of Harvard University’s National Preparedness Leadership Initiative studying Crisis Leadership and has recently completed the International Association of Fire Chief’s Executive Development Institute program.

Dr. David Sills earned a PhD in Atmospheric Science from York University in Toronto in 1998. He served as a Severe Weather Scientist at Environment Canada for more than 20 years before becoming the Executive Director of the Northern Tornadoes Project with Western Engineering in 2019. Dr. Sills is also an adjunct professor at both Western University and the University of Manitoba, and a principal investigator with the new Northern Hail Project. He has authored dozens of scientific papers, has served as associate editor and reviewer for a number of prominent Canadian and international weather journals, and works on an international committee that is developing a new tornado wind speed estimation standard. Dr. Sills was awarded the Rube Hornstein Medal in 2017 for his contributions to operational meteorology in Canada, and has been named a Western University ‘Newsmaker of the Year’ three times since 2019.

Stephanie manages Manitoba’s effort to be more proactive and resilient when facing future disasters. Stephanie has worked at Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure in areas of water management since 2013. Stephanie holds a Masters of the Environment from the University of Manitoba, where her research focused on wetland compensation programming in Manitoba.