Ginger Bertrand
Co-Chair, Campaign to Create Tomorrow
Ottawa native Ginger Bertrand is a leading communications professional, award-winning publicist, talent agent, and business owner. Ginger blazed an industry trail in Toronto, working with renowned brands, from Walt Disney Studios to Lifetime to Family Channel, and played a key role in Chopped Canada becoming the highest-rated series premiere on Food Network Canada.
She has built a professional network that includes bold name celebrities, content creators, chefs, experts, top production companies, broadcasters, and senior executives. Ginger has spearheaded numerous successful media campaigns for television, film, restaurants, and small businesses and excels in thinking outside the box while maintaining a grounded, innovative approach.
In 2015, Ginger founded GAB Communications, now GAB Group Inc., which handles public relations and talent management for some of Canada’s best and brightest television personalities, influencers, and athletes. In 2021, she co-founded Neue Theory, a wellness line providing third-party tested products with ingredient transparency and an evidence-based approach.
Ginger is an Ottawa Forty Under 40 recipient, a three-time RBC Women of Influence nominee, and a fierce advocate for women in business, animal welfare, and engaging the next generation in the future of healthcare. When she’s not pitching, negotiating, and landing deals, you’ll find her on the tennis courts, cycling the Gatineau Hills, walking her dog Fred, or studying wine.
Jeff W. Clarke
Co-Chair, Campaign to Create Tomorrow
As CEO & Chairman of Inflector Environmental Services, Jeff is responsible for developing high-level strategies, building strategic client relationships, and leading the growth trajectory nationally and beyond. Inflector has already seen exponential growth under Jeff’s leadership since 2014, emerging as one of Canada’s top environmental services providers and executing some of the largest-scale remediation projects in Canadian history.
Inflector’s achievements have been recognized with numerous awards, including being a winner of Canada’s Best Managed Companies program for three consecutive years since 2022 and receiving a Keystone Award for job creation in Ottawa. Jeff credits much of Inflector’s success to the drive and passion of its more than 500 dedicated employees, a spirit instilled by the progressive culture Jeff has worked hard to evolve.
Jeff’s passion for the industry and community spans far beyond Inflector. He is a 2024 Board Member of the Ottawa Construction Association, supporting the needs and interests of trade contractors within Ottawa. Additionally, Jeff is a consistent supporter of various health, science, and youth foundations and initiatives in his community. Among these is The Ottawa Hospital Foundation, where he served on the Board from 2017 to 2022.
Jeff’s ability to lead, impact, and inspire others is widely recognized by key stakeholders and organizations across the industry. Jeff’s impact received national recognition when he was honoured as one of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40® in 2020 and as a Forty under 40 recipient in 2016 by the Ottawa Business Journal and the Ottawa Chamber of Commerce.
Kevin Ford
Co-Chair, Campaign to Create Tomorrow
Kevin Ford is the CEO of Calian Group. He is proud to have been born and raised in Ottawa and believes it to be one of the best cities in the world to live, work, and play.
Kevin believes that a vibrant community needs access to world-class healthcare, and after many interactions with The Ottawa Hospital through family, friends, and personally, Kevin has always been impressed with the quality of care and the compassion of the staff.
Kevin views his role on the Board of Directors at The Ottawa Hospital Foundation as an opportunity to give back and be a proactive member of a team working to ensure Ottawa will have “freaking awesome” healthcare services for the community in both the short and long term.
Dr. Kwadwo Kyeremanteng
Co-Chair, Campaign to Create Tomorrow
Dr. Kwadwo Kyeremanteng is the Department Head of Critical Care at The Ottawa Hospital. He dedicates his time to care for the sickest of the sick patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). As a researcher, he is interested in using ICU resources more efficiently and improving access to palliative care in the ICU. To help do this, he founded the Resource Optimization Network, a multidisciplinary research group working to reduce health spending in this area without compromising care.
In September 2019, Dr. Kyeremanteng launched his ever-growing podcast “Solving Healthcare with Kwadwo Kyeremanteng”. Episodes feature interviews and discussions on the topic of improving healthcare delivery in Canada. Underpinned by the values of cost-effectiveness, dignity, and justice, these podcasts will challenge the status quo, leaving no stone unturned as we explore gaps, assumptions, and different perspectives in the pursuit of finding solutions to problems in Canada’s healthcare system.
During the COVID 19 pandemic, Dr. Kyeremanteng created ‘Solving Wellness’ a virtual health & wellness platform for healthcare professionals. ‘Solving Wellness’ has been helping to address healthcare burnout and providing health, fitness, and self-care for its members.
In 2023, Dr. Kyeremanteng became a first-time author with his book “Unapologetic Leadership.” He has recently been asked to join the Board of Directors of The Ottawa Hospital Foundation. Dr. Kyeremanteng is passionate about the impact that the Foundation has on our community. He also wants to play a key role in support of our new hospital campus that will be state-of-the-art and utilized by generations to come.
Roger Greenberg
Chair Emeritus, Campaign to Create Tomorrow
Roger is Executive Chairman of the Board of The Minto Group and Chair of Minto Apartment REIT. He is also Executive Chairman and Managing Partner of the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG), sitting on the Board of Governors of both the Canadian Football League and the Ontario Hockey League. He was one of five members of Ottawa’s business community leading the Lansdowne Transformation Plan.
Roger has received many distinguished awards including being appointed a Member of the Order of Canada, the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, the Gilbert Greenberg Distinguished Service Award by the Ottawa Jewish Community, Ottawa Board of Trade and Ottawa Business Journal Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014, Ottawa Business Journal’s CEO of the Year in 2004, and United Way Community Builder in 2001.
“I am honoured to participate in transforming how our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren will be cared for. No one else will do this for us. It’s our turn.”
— Roger Greenberg, Chair Emeritus, Campaign to Create Tomorrow
Rob Ashe
Campaign Executive, Campaign to Create Tomorrow
Rob is the former President and Chief Executive Officer of Cognos. He was appointed President in 2002 and CEO in 2004 and held both roles until IBM acquired the company in 2007. Rob served as General Manager of Business Analytics at IBM until 2012.
Rob sits on the Boards of Shopify and MSCI, where he serves as the Lead Director at both companies. He also sits on the Advisory Boards of Bridge Growth Partners, Georgian, and Ottawa-based Mistral — all involved in various stages of technology investing. Rob and his wife Sandra Herrick are graduates of the Telfer school, where they created The Dom Herrick Entrepreneur-in-Residence program. Rob received the Ottawa Board of Trade and Ottawa Business Journal Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020.
“Ottawa is our home — Sandra and I, our family, and friends. This project will impact these people and our community for generations to come — transforming healthcare in our region. It’s a privilege to be part of this community-making project.”
— Rob Ashe, Campaign Executive, Campaign to Create Tomorrow
Whitney Fox
Campaign Executive, Campaign to Create Tomorrow
A long-time supporter of The Ottawa Hospital Foundation, Whitney is a tireless advocate for The Ottawa Hospital and a champion for healthcare. She served on The Ottawa Hospital Foundation’s Board of Directors from 2011 to 2020 and continues to be an active volunteer. A Harvard-educated lawyer, Whitney received the Governor General’s Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers in 2017. She also generously donates her time in support of The Ottawa Hospital through her participation in several Foundation events, notably as a pivotal member of The Ottawa Hospital Gala Committee.
Katie Lafferty
Founding Executive Member, Campaign to Create Tomorrow
Katie is the former chair of the Board of Directors of The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI) and she served as a board member for ten years. She has also served on The Ottawa Hospital Board of Governors since 2015. Katie is a management consultant and the former Chief Executive Officer of the Heart and Stroke Foundation Canadian Partnership for Stroke Recovery. In her previous role as Executive Director of the Canadian Stroke Network, she oversaw the implementation of the Canadian Stroke Strategy. Katie and her husband are founders of Watson’s Pharmacy and Compounding Centre. The Ottawa Business Journal recognized her as a “Top 40 under 40” for her contributions in the health sector.
Bruce Linton
Campaign Executive, Campaign to Create Tomorrow
Bruce has a passion for entrepreneurship and making a positive difference in the world. He brings a wealth of experience in building strong technology-driven companies, developing world-class teams, and positioning his companies in sectors driven by waves of public policy change. Bruce is Founder and served as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Canopy Growth Corporation (Nasdaq: CGC/TMX: WEED). As Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Canopy Growth Corporation, Bruce led the Company through 31 acquisitions, and over 16 rounds of financing for a total of more than $6 billion of capital raises, including a $5 billion investment by Constellation Brands, the largest beer import company in the United States.
Bruce serves as the founding Executive Chairman of Gage Growth Corp. (CSE: GAGE); which recently announced its acquisition by leading North American MSO TerrAscend Corp (CSE: TER), (OTCQX: TRSSF) pending customary closing conditions. Bruce is the Chairman of the Advisory Board for Red Light Holland Corp., (CSE: TRIP), the psychedelics company whose focus is on premium brand ‘magic’ truffles and Advisor with Creso Pharma (ASX: CPH), and Above Foods. Co-Founder and Non-Executive Chairman of Óskare Capital, and an active investor with Slang Worldwide Inc. (CSE: SLNG) and with OG DNA Genetics Inc. He is a Co-Chairman and former Chief Executive Officer of Martello Technologies Group Inc. (TSXV: MTLO). Bruce also sits on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Olympic Foundation and is an active member of The Ottawa Hospital Foundation, Campaign Executive Committee. In Sept 2021 he stepped down from the board of Mind Medicine Inc. (NEO: MMED), where he was a founding Board of Director member and Chairman of the Governance and Compensation Committee; Bruce was also Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Collective Growth Corporation, a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) that went public on NASDAQ in May 2020 and completed its business combination transaction with Innoviz Technologies Ltd. (NASDAQ: INVZ) in March 2021.
Mike McGahan
Campaign Executive, Campaign to Create Tomorrow
Mike is President and CEO of CLV Group Inc. as well as the Chief Executive Officer and Trustee of InterRent REIT. Mike and his team at CLV Group and InterRent are involved with several local and national charities. In 2021, CLV Group received the Outstanding Corporate Philanthropist Award. Mike was honoured as Outstanding Individual Philanthropist in 2018.
“One of the tenets of our company is about giving back and what more can we do. We want to leave a legacy and try to make our community better.”
— Mike McGahan, Campaign Executive, Campaign to Create Tomorrow
Janet McKeage
Campaign Executive, Campaign to Create Tomorrow
Senior Investment Counsellor for RBC PH&N Investment Counsel, Janet is a long-time supporter of The Ottawa Hospital and is the Chair of Board of Directors of The Ottawa Hospital Foundation. She has been a Foundation volunteer since 2015 and Co-chair of the President’s Breakfast from 2018-2020. Janet is an Ambassador for Women’s Mental Health and sits on the board of the Ottawa Community Foundation.
“I consider it both a privilege and a responsibility to support this campaign. Our hospital is the one institution that will touch every individual in our community. Having a world class facility to match our world class medical team is essential for all of us.”
— Janet McKeage, Campaign Executive, Campaign to Create Tomorrow
Dr. Pradeep Merchant
Campaign Executive, Campaign to Create Tomorrow
Pradeep is the Site Chief of the Division of Neonatology at The Ottawa Hospital and Assistant Professor in the Department of Paediatrics at the University of Ottawa. He served as Director of The Ottawa Hospital Foundation Board for ten years. Pradeep is a Founding board member and Chair of the Governing Council of the Canada-India Center for Excellence in Science, Technology, Trade, and Policy at Carleton University and served on Carleton’s Board of Governors for six years.
Pradeep is a well-known and respected member of the Indo-Canadian community and works tirelessly with private and political sectors to improve economic ties between India and Canada. He is currently an advisor to the Indo-Canada Ottawa Business Chamber.
He has received many distinguished awards including the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for Outstanding Canadians and, most recently, was appointed to the Order of Canada by Governor General Mary May Simon.
Michael Runia
Campaign Executive, Campaign to Create Tomorrow
Michael is Partner and Chief Investment Officer with the Nautical Lands Real Estate Group and was previously a Vice Chair with Deloitte Canada. In addition, he is a Director and Chair of the Audit Committee for Avenue 31, serves on the University of Ottawa’s Advisory Board of the Telfer School of Management and was a founding director of the City of Ottawa’s Innovation Centre at Bayview Yards.
“It is a privilege to be part of such an important pillar in our community.”
— Michael Runia, Campaign Executive, Campaign to Create Tomorrow
Stephen Victor
Founding Executive Member, Campaign to Create Tomorrow
Stephen is head of the Civil Litigation Group and a senior partner at Victor Vallance Blais. Stephen has acted as lead counsel before the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, the Court of Appeal for Ontario, the Federal Court Trial Division, and the Federal Court of Appeal. Stephen was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1981. Stephen chaired several boards including the University of Ottawa Heart Institute Foundation, the Canada-Israel Committee, the Canadian Friends of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and the Jewish Federation of Ottawa. He received the Gilbert Greenberg Distinguished Service Award from the Jewish Community of Ottawa, and he was awarded the Governor General’s Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers and an honorary PhD from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 2018.
“Whoever saves one life saves the world entire.”
— The Talmud
Jeffrey York
Campaign Executive, Campaign to Create Tomorrow
Jeff is a Partner and Special Advisor to Sobeys, Farm Boy Company Inc. He also served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Giant Tiger Stores. A graduate of Princeton University, Jeff is an active member of the Young Presidents Organization and has been involved in that executive network since 2002. He is an investor in many Ottawa based entrepreneur-led companies and serves as Chairman for various companies.
Campaign Patrons
Jim Durrell, CM
Patron, Campaign to Create Tomorrow
Jim is a Canadian business owner, former Ottawa mayor, and former president of the Ottawa Senators.
In 1980, Jim was elected alderman of Riverside Ward on Ottawa City Council. In 1985, he was elected the 53rd mayor of Ottawa – a position he held until 1991. His achievements were transformative. He oversaw the expansion of the Ottawa International Airport and the construction of the Ottawa Convention Centre. He brought the Ottawa Senators, triple-A baseball, and three Grey Cup games to the city, and was the first president of The Ottawa Senators hockey team — a franchise that he is largely credited for bringing to Canada’s capital city.
Jim served on numerous boards, and his charitable and volunteer contributions have been significant, including Business Development Bank of Canada and Ottawa Police Services, and chair of the Ottawa International Airport’s Board of Directors, the Ottawa Convention Centre, and Hydro Ottawa.
In 2013, Jim was honoured for his achievements and received the Ottawa Chamber of Commerce’s inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award, the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, the Order of Ottawa, and was invested as a Member of the Order of Canada.
Jackie Holzman
Patron, Campaign to Create Tomorrow
Former Ottawa mayor Jacquelin Holzman has been dedicated to her community since the 1960s, volunteering with such organizations as the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre, Ottawa Health Sciences Centre, The Ottawa Hospital Rehabilitation Centre, and the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, serving at one point as its chair. In 2016, she co-founded Compassionate Ottawa to empower families and individuals to discuss death, dying, and grief as a normal part of life, and to help people live as long and as well as they can on their own terms.
Jackie has stated, “I am proud that our citizens have access to cutting-edge treatments, because The Ottawa Hospital is such a leader in research.” She joins The Ottawa Hospital’s Campaign to Create Tomorrow as a patron to continue to encourage the community to support this historic campaign and its bold vision for the future of healthcare for our region.
Jackie is now a resident and President of the board of the Unitarian House of Ottawa, a seniors’ community where she has been involved for more than 40 years.
Brianne Jenner
Patron, Campaign to Create Tomorrow
Brianne Jenner began her hockey career with the National Women’s team in 2009, when she was centralized at 18-years-old for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. Her achievements are extensive and include two Olympic gold medals (2014, 2022), a silver medal (2018), Olympic MVP (2022) and tying the record for most goals scored at an Olympic tournament. Brianne has represented Canada at 10 World Championships and was named MVP for Canada in both the 2022 and 2023 gold medal games. She is currently an assistant captain on the National/Olympic team.
Both a scholar and an athlete, Brianne’s career at Cornell University included being a four-time All-Academic Ivy League winner, being named by Business Insider as one of Cornell’s “19 Most Impressive Students,” claiming two ECAC Player of the Year and two First Team All-American honours, and being the Ivy League nominee for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award.
Brianne obtained her Master of Public Policy degree at the University of Calgary, and in her debut 2016 season with the Calgary Inferno of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League, she was named captain, helping the team win its first ever Clarkson Cup. In her four years with the Calgary Inferno, Brianne’s team won two Clarkson Cups (2016 and 2019) and made three Clarkson Cup Final appearances.
Since 2019, Brianne has served as a founding board member of the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association as well as the newly formed PWHLPA. Brianne was a member of the five-player bargaining committee that negotiated the historic PWHL CBA. She was one of the first signings in league history and was named the first captain of the PWHL Ottawa franchise. Brianne currently resides in Ottawa with her wife and three children.
The Right Honourable David Johnston, C.C.
Patron, Campaign to Create Tomorrow
Governor General of Canada, 2010-2017
Chair of the Rideau Hall Foundation
The Right Honourable David Johnston was Canada’s 28th governor general. During his mandate, he established the Rideau Hall Foundation (RHF), a registered charity that supports and amplifies the Office of the Governor General in its work to connect, honour, and inspire Canadians. Today, he is actively involved as Chair of the RHF Board of Directors. In 2018, he was appointed Colonel to the Royal Canadian Regiment. Prior to his installation as governor general, Mr. Johnston was a professor of law for 45 years and served as President of the University of Waterloo for two terms and Principal of McGill University for three terms. He was president of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada and of the Conférence des recteurs et des principaux des universités du Québec. He was the first non-U.S. citizen to be elected chair at Harvard University’s Board of Overseers from which he graduated in 1963 magna cum laude and was twice named all-American in hockey and was named to Harvard’s Athletic Hall of Fame. He holds degrees from Harvard, Cambridge, and Queen’s and has received more than three dozen honorary degrees or fellowships. He has authored or co-authored more than 30 books. He was named Companion of the Order of Canada in 1997. He has chaired or served on many provincial and federal task forces and committees and has served on the boards of more than a dozen public companies. He has been married for 59 years to Sharon and they have five daughters and 14 grandchildren.
Dr. Jack Kitts, CM, MD, FRCPC, MBA
Patron, Campaign to Create Tomorrow
Dr. Jack Kitts received his medical degree from the University of Ottawa in 1980. After a three-year tour of duty as a medical officer in the Canadian Armed Forces, he specialized in anesthesiology and completed a research fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco. He joined the Department of Anesthesia at the Ottawa Civic Hospital in 1988, where he served as the director of research and medical director of the preoperative assessment clinic prior to his appointment as Chief of the department and Associate Professor at the University of Ottawa, faculty of medicine.
In 1998, Dr. Kitts was appointed Vice-President of Medical Affairs and led the medical staff during a complex restructuring in which three hospitals and five large programs were merged into The Ottawa Hospital. He completed his master’s degree in business administration in 2001 and was named President and CEO of The Ottawa Hospital in February 2002, a position he held until his retirement on June 26, 2020.
Dr. Kitts’ inclusive team-oriented strategic leadership, passion for delivering quality patient-centred care, and the development and mentoring of emerging healthcare leaders, was a central, unifying force in establishing and sustaining The Ottawa Hospital’s vision: To provide each patient with the world-class care, exceptional service and compassion that we would want for our loved ones.
Dr. Kitts is known nationally for his focus and expertise in patient experience, performance measurement, and physician engagement, which makes him a sought-after advisor and inspirational speaker on these key topics in healthcare today.