Healthcare is a source of pride for Canadians, yet our system faces significant challenges. Shortages in access to a family doctor, long wait times, and stalled innovation severely impact our communities. How do we address these obstacles while building a health system that is equitable, efficient, resilient, and a source of pride for future generations?
Join the Canadian Club Toronto on October 29, for an essential discussion on Ontario’s healthcare future. This panel of experts will explore innovative solutions, the complexities of primary care delivery, and strategies to tackle current and upcoming challenges in our system. Moderated by Mercedes Stephenson, Ottawa Bureau Chief for Global News, the panel features prominent voices in healthcare:
*For virtual attendees, please note that the live stream will begin at approximately 12:40 pm ET & the link will be provided closer to the event date*
Christine Elliott
Former Ontario Minister of Health and Deputy Premier
Christine Elliott, former Ontario Minister of Health and Deputy Premier, is Counsel with the Fasken Health Law group in our Toronto office. With over 15 years of experience in public service, she is ideally positioned to assist clients with navigating existing and emerging complexities in the healthcare space.
During her tenure as Ontario’s Minister of Health from 2018 to 2022, Christine played an integral part in overseeing the province’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In this role, she also sponsored The People’s Health Care Act and enacted the Connecting Care Act. The Connecting Care Act gave rise to Ontario Health, a Crown agency that merged the 14 Local Health Integration Network and other agencies including Cancer Care Ontario, Gift of Life Network, eHealth Ontario and HealthForce Ontario in order to facilitate integrated care delivery systems also known as local Ontario Health teams. Christine also served as Ontario’s Deputy Premier (2018 to 2022) and as Ontario’s first Patient Ombudsman (2016 to 2018).
Christine, along with her husband James Flaherty (Jim) was a founding partner of Flaherty, Dow, Elliott & McCarthy. Later, Christine and Jim co-founded Abilities Centre in Whitby, Ontario, which supports and celebrates the abilities of all people and is a place where everyone belongs, regardless of their challenges. In addition, she has held positions on a range of boards in the health care sector since becoming involved as a volunteer with several charities including the Lakeridge Health Whitby Foundation, Durham Mental Health Services, and Grandview Children’s Centre.
Christine graduated from the University of Western Ontario law school and was admitted to the Ontario Bar in 1980.
Dr. Dominik Nowak
President, OMA & Doctor at Women’s College Hospital
Dr. Dominik Nowak is the Ontario Medical Association’s President and a family doctor at Women’s College Hospital.
Dr. Nowak trained at McMaster University, where he specialized in family medicine and served as chief resident. He went on to the University of Toronto to finish a Master of Health Administration at the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation as well as the ICD-Rotman Directors Education Program at the Rotman School of Management.
Dr. Nowak is a faculty member in the Department of Family and Community Medicine and the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. He is a recipient of the College of Family Physicians of Canada Award of Excellence for his leadership in Canadian healthcare.
Dr. Andy Smith
President and CEO of Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Since 2017, Dr. Andy Smith has been the President and CEO of Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, leading over 12,000 staff, physicians, researchers and learners and an annual budget of more than $1.4 billion. Prior to his current role, Dr. Smith served as Sunnybrook’s Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Executive.
With a long-established career as a surgeon and a recognized leader in the management of colorectal cancer, Dr. Smith is intensely passionate about improving healthcare. He has been involved for many years in quality improvement initiatives in Ontario and is deeply interested in healthcare leadership, innovation, and the evolution of the healthcare system in Canada. Dr. Smith serves as the Immediate Past Chair for the Toronto Academic Health Sciences Network (TAHSN) and is on the Board of Directors for ORNGE, Public Health Ontario (PHO), HealthCareCAN, and Toronto Innovation Acceleration Partners (TIAP).
Dr. Smith completed medical school, including a Master of Science, and General Surgery residency at the University of Toronto. He also completed a Surgical Oncology Fellowship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. Dr. Smith is a Professor of Surgery at the University of Toronto and has served as the Bernard & Ryna Langer Chair, Division of General Surgery at the University of Toronto.
Sunnybrook is recognized as one of Canada’s largest academic health sciences centres and is home to the first trauma centre in Canada. Each year, Sunnybrook conducts more than $100 million in research, provides educational opportunities for 4,000 students and cares for over 1.2 million patients. The organization provides a broad range of tertiary regional programs and services including specialties in cancer, cardiovascular disease, neurological disorders, high-risk obstetrics and gynaecology, orthopaedic and arthritic conditions, trauma and critical care, rehabilitation, and community care. In addition, Sunnybrook is Canada’s largest facility caring for the country’s war veterans.
Dr. Lisa Richardson
Strategic Lead in Indigenous Health, Women’s College Hospital
Dr. Lisa Richardson is a general internist at University Health Network (UHN) and an internationally recognized leader in Indigenous health equity. She serves as Associate Dean, Inclusion and Diversity and Acting Vice-Dean, Strategy at the University of Toronto’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine where she has been pivotal in advancing equity, diversity, and inclusivity within medical education and practice. She is the founder of Ganawishkadawe–the Centre for Wise Practices in Indigenous Health, a centre for clinical care, research, and education at Women’s College Hospital.
A strong advocate for Indigenous health, Dr. Richardson has developed educational frameworks and clinical models that improve the understanding and care of Indigenous patients. Her leadership in Indigenous medical education is felt globally, as she works tirelessly to bridge gaps in healthcare access and outcomes for Indigenous communities. Her background is mixed Anishinaabe and European.
Mercedes Stephenson
Ottawa Bureau Chief/Host, Global News
Mercedes Stephenson is Global News’ Ottawa Bureau Chief and the host of the network’s flagship national political affairs program The West Block. Leading Global News’ coverage from the nation’s capital, Stephenson interviews the biggest names in Canadian and international politics. Hailing from Calgary with a background in Military and Strategic Studies, Stephenson has distinguished herself as one of Canada’s foremost voices in political, defence and foreign policy journalism.
Stephenson has covered major political and leadership conventions and scandals, and provided her expertise from around the world while reporting from locales such as Latvia, France, and Washington – travelling with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on his inaugural visit to the Trump White House, Afghanistan and Niger – where she was the first television reporter ever embedded with the Canadian Special Operations Forces. Stephenson also spent time as a national columnist, featuring in numerous prominent Canadian publications, and previously hosted multiple political television programs.
Possessing a strong reputation for breaking stories and a passion for holding the powerful to account, Stephenson was the first to reveal the identity and death of Canadian suicide bomber Aaron Driver, for which she earned a nomination for the prestigious Canadian Association of Journalists Scoop Award. Stephenson’s investigative reporting drew the public’s attention to the mistreatment and neglect of Canadian veterans, and her reporting on how the military handles sexual misconduct led to major policy changes in the Canadian Armed Forces.
Stephenson holds a master’s degree in Strategic Studies from the University of Calgary where her thesis focused on information operations in Afghanistan. She also studied political journalism at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., interned at the Pentagon and studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Center for International Studies. Crediting her passion for politics to a fascination with world events and the people behind them, Stephenson applies the same to her personal life, travelling whenever she can to meet new people and experience new places.
