Keynote Speakers
Wendy Mesley
The Truth Is Out There Kids!
Whether it is politicians, corporate leaders, or health experts, it’s getting increasingly difficult to know who to believe these days. Even journalists can’t always be trusted!
Well known TV journalist Wendy Mesley takes you behind the scenes for an insider’s look at how media, marketing and politics influence the choices we make as consumers trying to keep our families safe. Full of anecdotes from her years as a political reporter for CBC’s National News, her time as host of the media savvy program Undercurrents, and now as host of the consumer advocacy show Marketplace, Wendy offers an informed and humorous take on the challenges of trying to figure out what’s right.
Wendy’s interest in these issues is longstanding, but took a different angle two years ago when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Again, politics, business and media issues were found to complicate the information available. You may have seen her documentary that ran two years ago called “Chasing the Cancer Answer.” There may be no such thing as “the truth,” but Wendy offers some insights into what to look for as you try to make the right decisions for your family.
Wendy Mesley is the co-host of CBC News: Marketplace, CBC Television's award-winning prime-time investigative consumer show. In 1994, Mesley helped create and hosted CBC Television's Gemini Award-winning Undercurrents, a program that examined the media/marketing world. Lasting six seasons, Undercurrents was relevant, intelligent, fast-paced and fearless – a weekly journalistic program that brought the traditional hard reporting of a current affairs show to media culture. Mesley was awarded Gemini Awards for Best Host in a News or Talk Program or Series in 1999 and 2001 for her work on Undercurrents. Mesley then worked on CBC News’ Disclosure in 2001, until starting at Marketplace.
Noted for her energy, tenacity and wit, she is regarded as one of the best interviewers in television. She also has some provocative things to say about her own craft, the media and how the public can be cheated. Wendy Mesley addresses challenging issues with an edgy, entertaining and informative presentation style.
Dr. Lynn Marshall
Child Health and Child Care: The Ugly, The Bad and The Good
Lynn Marshall is a faculty member of the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto and the Clinical Sciences Division of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, Laurentian and Lakehead Universities, and teaches both medical students and graduate physicians. Besides an M.D. from Queen’s University, she has Fellowships in the American Academy of Environmental Medicine, and the Royal Society of Medicine in Great Britain. She serves as Co-Chair of the Environmental Health Committee of the Ontario College of Family Physicians, and as the Committee’s Representative in the Canadian Partnership for Children’s Health (CPCHE) and the Environment and the Canadian Coalition for Green Health Care. Lynn is Medical Education Liaison and Past Medical Director of the University of Toronto affiliated Environmental Health Clinic at Women’s College Hospital. She has collaborated on studies with researchers at the University of Toronto, Department of Public Health Sciences, co-authoring several peer-reviewed scientific papers. She has practised primary care family and emergency medicine, as well as occupational and environmental medicine, in Australia and in small town/rural Ontario.
Lynn has received Environmental Health Awards from the College of Family Physicians of Canada, the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, the Canadian Society for Environmental Medicine, and the American Academy of Environmental Medicine, as well as the Power of Humanity Award from the Canadian Red Cross-Ontario Division.
Storm Cunningham
Restoring the World for Future Generations
Today’s children face an uncertain and challenging future. Twenty years ago the Brundtland Commission famously defined sustainable development as that “which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. It is now clear that despite this warning we have already compromised the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Sustainability will have to be about not only preparing for the future, but repairing the damage of the past.
Restorative development expert Storm Cunningham explains how rebuilding derelict structures, restoring water and dying ecosystems, and revitalizing farmlands, are the only ways to guarantee a better future for today’s children. Pollution, sprawl, and loss of wildlife habitat do not have to be the inevitable price of progress. His inspiring message of hope is a call to action for all of us regardless of where we live, work and play, and particularly for those who work with our future’s best hope – children.
From 1996 to 2002 Storm was Director, Strategic Initiatives at the Construction Specifications Institute, a 50+ year-old association of 18,000 architects, engineers, contractors, and manufacturers.
Storm is the author of 2002’s ‘The Restoration Economy’, which has been hailed by government and business leaders around the world as “Extraordinary,” “Remarkable," "A modern classic,” "A landmark work,” "Required reading,” and "The most important and valuable business book I have read in many years." His new book, ‘ReWealth’, was scheduled for publication by McGraw-Hill in May of 2008.
Storm is CEO of Resolution Fund, LLC in Washington, DC. Resolution Fund helps communities, counties, tribes, regions, and nations ignite rapid, resilient renewal of their economy, their natural resources, and their quality of life. He is founder of Revitalization Institute, the non-profit academy for community renewal and natural resource restoration, based at Seneca College in Toronto. He is also a Distinguished Visiting Professor at Seneca College.
Source: Centre for Children and Families in the Justice System's website (www.lfcc.on.ca)
© Honourable Margaret Norrie McCain.
Hon. Margaret McCain *NEW*
Environmental Factors Affecting Children's Health
Margaret McCain received a Bachelor of Arts with honours in history from Mount Allison University and a Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Toronto. In addition, she has been presented with honorary degrees from many Canadian universities and in 2007 received an Honorary Bachelor of Applied Studies from Seneca College.
Margaret has done extensive work and was a founding member of the Muriel McQueen Fergusson Foundation, whose mission is to eliminate family violence through public education and research.
She has served on Boards and Advisory Councils of numerous not-for-profit organizations including the Canadian Women's Foundation, the National Ballet School, the Canadian Policy Research Network, Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, The Learning Partnership and the Atkinson Centre for Society and Child Development. Margaret was appointed the first woman Lieutenant-Governor of New Brunswick in June 1994 and served until April 1997.
In October 1994, McCain was invested as Dame of Grace of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem. Other awards she has received include the Muriel McQueen Fergusson Award for Work in the Field of Family Violence, the Canadian Red Cross Humanitarian Award, the Centre for Excellence for Early Child Development Award and the 100 Most Powerful Canadian Women Award. In 1998, she received the Order of Canada (O.C.) and in 2004, she became a member of the Order of New Brunswick (O.N.B.). In May 2005, she received the YWCA Toronto Women of Distinction award for Philanthropy and Volunteerism.
Margaret continues to play a major role in many early child development policy and program initiatives in Canada. She has left an indelible mark on public policy in numerous organizations that promote women's rights, social equality, education, music and the arts at provincial and national levels.