Vittorio Petrin has never seen his grandchildren’s faces. The Italian draftsman started to lose his peripheral vision in the early 1980’s after his second son was born, forcing him to leave work and take an early pension. He was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a genetic disorder that causes the cells in the retina to break down. There is no cure. His vision steadily got worse until he couldn’t see any light at all.

Before his vision went dark, Vittorio spent six years building a model of St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice, using over 3,000 copper pieces. “It was the most beautiful place I’d seen, and I wanted to replicate it. Working on it kept my mind away from what was going to happen,” he says.

An image of Vittorio Petrin with a replica of St. Mark’s Basilica he built while losing his vision to retinitis pigmentosa. — Vittorio Petrin with a replica of St. Mark’s Basilica he built while losing his vision to retinitis pigmentosa.

“My dad was an artist. He was able to draw phenomenally, he liked taking videos. Sight was important to him,” says Vittorio’s son Dino Petrin. “He never complained about going blind, we never saw it as children. He always had a sense of humour and a strong character. He never asked for any pity, he just took it in stride.”

Millions of people in North America live with retinal diseases like retinitis pigmentosa, glaucoma, retinal ischemia and age-related macular degeneration. These diseases are poorly understood, progressive, and often untreatable.

But thanks to promising gene and cell therapies in development, Dino hopes that one day people like his father won’t have to lose their vision.

Dr. Catherine Tsilfidis' research is aimed at developing a gene therapy strategy that blocks apoptosis and slows down retinal disease progression. — Dr. Catherine Tsilfidis

“Soon we’ll be able to do what our lab has been trying to do all along – bring XIAP gene therapy into the clinic.”
– Dr. Catherine Tsilfidis

A discovery with game-changing potential

Dr. Catherine Tsilfidis can imagine the day when the first patient is treated with the retinal disease gene therapy her lab has worked on for the past 20 years. While it won’t happen tomorrow, that day is not far off.

“XIAP gene therapy is exciting because it keeps cells in the back of the eye from dying,” said Dr. Tsilfidis, a senior scientist at The Ottawa Hospital and associate professor at the University of Ottawa. “It could slow or stop vision loss caused by many different retinal diseases.”

Dr. Tsilfidis is leading a world-class team of researchers that recently received $2.4 M from the Ontario Research Fund to develop gene and cell therapies for retinal diseases. One of their goals is to do the work needed to bring XIAP gene therapy into clinical trials, which could start in the next few years.

The time is right for gene and cell therapy

The promise of replacing defective genes and cells in the eye with healthy ones is undeniable. While these fields are still in their infancy, they are expected to grow exponentially over the next decade. Gene therapy for the eyes has particularly taken off, with Health Canada approval of the first gene therapy for a rare genetic form of vision loss in 2020.

“This research program could make Ontario a leader in the fields of both gene and stem cell therapy
– Dr. Pierre Mattar

When it comes to cell therapies, Ottawa and Toronto are major hubs in the growing area of stem cell research. As partners in the retinal research program led by Dr. Tsilfidis, UHN scientist Dr. Valerie Wallace will work on increasing the survival of transplanted stem cells in the eye, while The Ottawa Hospital’s Dr. Pierre Mattar aims to develop stem cell therapies for retinal ganglion cell diseases such as glaucoma. “This research program could make Ontario a leader in the fields of both gene and stem cell therapy,” said Dr. Mattar. “By learning the best way to mass produce and integrate stem cells for retinal disease, we can advance stem cell research in other fields.”

The Ottawa Hospital's Dr. Pierre Mattar aims to develop stem cell therapies for retinal ganglion cell diseases such as glaucoma. — Dr. Pierre Mattar

Collaboration between lab researchers and clinicians key to success

The incredible challenge of bringing a basic science discovery to clinical trials requires an exceptional team. For this research program, Dr. Tsilfidis assembled a “dream team” of long-time collaborators and new partners.

As a basic scientist, Dr. Tsilfidis has always worked closely with clinicians to help ensure her research reflects patient needs.

“Ophthalmologists help us identify the most important questions to ask,” said Dr. Tsilfidis. “Our lab started working on diseases like Leber hereditary optic neuropathy and glaucoma because clinicians told us how much of a problem they were.”

Two of Dr. Tsilfidis’ long-time clinical collaborators, Drs. Stuart Coupland and Brian Leonard, are part of this new retinal research program. They are joined by retina specialists Drs. Bernard Hurley and Michael Dollin, who will assist in developing clinical trial protocols.

“Our researchers have an incredible track record of taking discoveries from the lab to the bedside,”
– Dr. Duncan Stewart

Dr. Tsilfidis’ lab and office are just down the hall from the ophthalmologists’ offices and clinics, which makes collaboration easier. This kind of co-location of scientists and clinicians has been key to The Ottawa Hospital’s success in translating discoveries from the lab bench to the patient bedside.

The highly skilled team at The Ottawa Hospital's Biotherapeutics Manufacturing Centre will make the clinical-grade virus to deliver gene therapy into the eye. — The highly skilled team at our Biotherapeutics Manufacturing Centre will make the clinical-grade virus to deliver gene therapy into the eye.

Leveraging our biomanufacturing expertise at The Ottawa Hospital

In addition to clinical experts, the team knew they needed new resources and partners to be successful.

“We’ve been very much a basic science lab in the past,” said Dr. Tsilfidis. “Now that we’re at the stage that we want to get XIAP to the clinic, we need all the help we can get.”

One missing piece was a special clinical-grade virus used to deliver the XIAP gene into the eye, known as an adeno-associated virus (AAV). Finding cost-effective sources of AAVs has been a major bottleneck for getting gene therapy trials and treatments off the ground.

Thankfully, The Ottawa Hospital is home to the Biotherapeutics Manufacturing Centre (BMC), a world-class facility that has manufactured more than a dozen different virus- and cell-based products for human clinical trials on four continents. Experts at the BMC were already starting to expand into AAV manufacturing when Dr. Tsilfidis approached them about collaborating on the retinal research program.

The BMC has since been working with Dr. Tsilfidis and her team to develop a process to manufacture the AAVs the team will need for Health Canada approval of the XIAP gene therapy for clinical trials.

The BMC is on track to become the first facility in in Canada to make clinical-grade AAV vectors for gene therapy studies. This new expertise will help them support other gene therapy trials with a focus on rare disease.

Learn more about our Biotherapeutics Manufacturing Centre.

How to plan a world-class clinical trial

In addition to the clinical-grade virus, the retinal research team needed help planning a future clinical trial of XIAP gene therapy. Fortunately, there are no shortage of clinical trial experts at The Ottawa Hospital.

“I’ve never planned a clinical trial before,” said Dr. Tsilfidis “But I knew someone who had – Dr. Dean Fergusson. I’ve always been impressed by the rigorous trails he’s helped develop. When I asked for his advice, he referred me to the Ottawa Methods Centre.”

The Ottawa Methods Centre is The Ottawa Hospital’s one-stop shop for research expertise and support. Their goal is to help all clinicians, staff and researchers at the hospital conduct the highest quality research, using the best methods. They support over 200 research projects a year, led by clinical and basic researchers alike.

“The Ottawa Methods Centre has been amazing to work with,” said Dr. Tsilfidis. “Their research methodology expertise has strengthened this research program and our funding applications.”

Drs. Manoj Lalu and Dean Fergusson along with other experts at the Ottawa Methods Centre are helping to plan a future clinical trial of gene therapy for retinal disease.

At the Ottawa Methods Centre, the team is leveraging the Blueprint Translational Research Group’s Excelerator program, designed to enable efficient translation of basic research discoveries to the clinic through rigorous methods and approaches. Co-led by Dr. Dean Fergusson and Dr. Manoj Lalu, the program will help design the clinical trial protocol, and support the clinical trial application to Health Canada through systematic reviews of available pre-clinical and clinical data.

Research program holds enormous promise

Tackling retinal disease will be a big challenge, but Dr. Tsilfidis has assembled an excellent team of partners both old and new to move this research program forward.

“These therapies could be life-changing. If we could cure or slow down the progression of vision loss, that would be amazing.”
– Dino Petrin

“Our researchers have an incredible track record of taking discoveries from the lab to the bedside, but it can only be done through team efforts like this one,” said Dr. Duncan Stewart, Executive Vice-President of Research at The Ottawa Hospital and professor of medicine at the University of Ottawa. “Fully leveraging our basic and clinical expertise, as well as our world-class core research resources is the key to getting new treatments to the patients who need them.”

For Dr. Tsilfidis, the excitement is palpable. “Soon we’ll be able to do what our lab has been trying to do all along – bring XIAP gene therapy into the clinic.”

Dino, a former graduate student in Dr. Tsilfidis’ lab, sees the potential of gene therapies to help people like his father. “These therapies could be life-changing,” he said, “If we could cure or slow down the progression of vision loss, that would be amazing.”

Vittorio Petrin pictured with his wife Maria Petrin — Vittorio Petrin with his wife Maria Petrin

The Ottawa Hospital is a leading academic health, research, and learning hospital proudly affiliated with the University of Ottawa.

Categories: Biotherapeutics, Clinical Trials, Stem Cell, Technology

Browse Current Issues

Thirty-sixth Edition – Highlights of the new campus development in 2024
Thirty-fifth Edition – What’s happening on the ground (and behind the scenes) at the site of the new campus
Thirty-fourth Edition – Growing health: how a green roof improves wellness, sustainability and planetary health
Thirty-third Edition – Redefining critical care in a modern, state-of-the-art hospital
Thirty-second Edition – Construction update – aerial views of The Ottawa Hospital’s new campus
Thirty-first Edition – Repurposing excavated rock to create sustainable solutions at The Ottawa Hospital’s new campus site
Thirtieth Edition – Enhancing patient experience with digital innovation
Twenty-ninth Edition – Construction update: An inside look as crews build the parking garage at The Ottawa Hospital’s new campus
Twenty-eighth Edition – $59 million grant fuels biotherapeutics expansion at The Ottawa Hospital’s new campus
Twenty-seventh Edition – Designing the operating rooms of the future
Twenty-sixth Edition – Construction update: Aerial view of The Ottawa Hospital’s new campus
Twenty-fifth Edition – Adapting to patient need: The Ottawa Hospital’s new campus increasing access to life-sustaining dialysis
Twenty-fourth Edition – Development Phase Agreement begins for The Ottawa Hospital’s new campus
Twenty-third Edition – Building the best hospital for you
Twenty-second Edition – The Ottawa Hospital and Hydro Ottawa partner on innovative new central utility plant
Twenty-first Edition – The Ottawa Hospital’s new campus development an economic anchor for our community
Twentieth Edition – The Ottawa Hospital’s new campus reaches milestone as next stage of procurement begins
Nineteenth Edition – The Ottawa Hospital’s new campus design showcased on international stage
Eighteenth Edition – Indigenous partnerships and The Ottawa Hospital’s journey of reconciliation
Seventeenth Edition – Bird’s eye view as construction progresses at The Ottawa Hospital’s new campus
Sixteenth Edition – Modern sustainability in a new state-of-the-art hospital
Fifteenth Edition – Construction of The Ottawa Hospital’s new campus continues
Fourteenth Edition – A hospital for everyone: Building one of Canada’s most accessible hospitals
Thirteenth Edition – Welcome to The Ottawa Hospital’s inpatient room of the future; The Ottawa Hospital and building trades unions sign historic agreement
Twelfth Edition – The Ottawa Hospital and Infrastructure Ontario Seek Design and Development Team for New Hospital Build
Eleventh Edition – Tree relocation begins at the New Campus Development
Tenth Edition – The New Campus Development gets the green light from Ontario government, the new hospital construction to boost Ottawa’s GDP by $2 billion, and more!
Ninth Edition – Parking structure highlights, getting to the new campus, naturalizing the site, and more.
Eighth Edition – How a new trauma centre will save lives, an update on the Indigenous Peoples Advisory Circle, a feature on artwork by Algonquin artists Simon Brascoupé and Mairi Brascoupé, and a letter on hospital parking by Chiefs of Staff from hospitals across the region.
Seventh Edition – A commitment to the canopy at the New Civic Campus, creating a transit-oriented hospital, and more.
Sixth Edition – New sustainability benchmarks in the New Campus Development, an update on the Indigenous Peoples Advisory Circle, an an interview with Orleans Councillor Matt Luloff, and more.
Fifth Edition – The proposed design of the cutting-edge new campus, “Early works” projects beginning on the New Campus Development, an interview with River Ward Councillor Riley Brockington, and more.
Fourth Edition – How the finance team is planning for a $2.8 billion hospital, an interview with Chair of Ottawa’s Planning Committee Jan Harder, how the New Campus Development will transform the patient experience – and more!
Third Edition – How architects are designing the hospital with Ottawa’s daylight and weather patterns in mind, a look at groundbreaking research, and the team working hard behind the scenes to plan a hospital for the future.
Second Edition – What it means to build a universally accessible hospital, how the environmental cleanup of the site is beginning, and more.
First Edition – How we will partner with the Unionized Building and Construction Trades Council.

“We hope that our gift will help be a catalyst for others to follow our lead.” — Rob Ashe and Sandra Herrick

“We hope that our gift will help be a catalyst for others to follow our lead.”
— Rob Ashe and Sandra Herrick

Leading by example with a $10-million donation to the Campaign to Create Tomorrow

When Rob Ashe first began volunteering with the Civic Foundation back in 1995, he and his wife, Sandra Herrick, never could have imagined they would be part of a vision to transform healthcare for generations to come.

Now, with their donation of $10 million to The Ottawa Hospital, they hope to have an early and direct impact on the success of the most ambitious fundraising campaign in Ottawa’s history.

The $500-million Campaign to Create Tomorrow sets in motion a vision to transform how the world delivers healthcare — by building the most technologically advanced hospital in Canada and taking groundbreaking research and innovation to unprecedented heights. 

This incredible donation is part of the $216 million raised to date.

Rob and Sandra have been long-time supporters of the Ottawa community, actively supporting the YMCA, the Boys and Girls Club, the Dom Herrick Entrepreneur in Residence at the Telfer School of Management, and various mental health initiatives. So it was an easy decision to support the Campaign to Create Tomorrow — both through Rob’s role on the campaign executive and through their donation — knowing it will attract a new cohort of healthcare experts to Ottawa and ultimately strengthen critical services like acute mental health care.

From his time at Cognos and IBM to joining the board at Shopify, Rob knows better than most the importance of investing in people. With their gift, Rob and Sandra are making a significant investment in the people of The Ottawa Hospital – some of the brightest minds from around the world. And in turn, this investment will help benefit countless people in their community.

Thank you, Rob and Sandra, for your extraordinary generosity, your volunteerism, and for joining us as we transform the future of healthcare for generations to come.

About the Campaign to Create Tomorrow

The Campaign to Create Tomorrow is the largest fundraising campaign in our region’s history. It will help fulfil the most ambitious vision ever for the future of The Ottawa Hospital, focused on four critical pillars.

NEW CAMPUS DEVELOPMENT

Discover how this $2.8 billion, world-class academic healthcare centre will push our hospital to the very top tier of healthcare and research worldwide.

Learn More

INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY

See how we’ll become the most technologically advanced hospital in the country, using the latest tools to provide the right care in the right space with the right provider.

Learn More

WORLD LEADING RESEARCH

Through our unique collaborative model of clinicians and researchers working side-by-side, we will bring groundbreaking discoveries to patients in Ottawa — and around the world.

Learn More

STRENGTHENING CRITICAL SERVICES

From trauma care to cancer advancements to neuroscience, we will strengthen our critical services for patients across the region.

Learn More

At only 20 years old, Junie immigrated to Canada from Malaysia with ambitions to study at the University of Toronto. A new life would begin — one that would entice her family to follow her in the years ahead but would be filled with adversity.

While Junie was initially drawn to Canada for her studies, a particular experience in her early years in Toronto cemented her desire to make Canada her home. She remembers a newspaper stand on a busy street in downtown Toronto. “There was a pile of newspapers and I didn’t see anybody around. I noticed people came by, picked up a paper, and dropped some money in a bowl. It was so orderly. I couldn’t believe that people were so nice.” It was the honour system and that’s what Junie loved. “I remember thinking ‘This is a kind of society I want to live in.’”

In subsequent years, Junie got married and her parents and three siblings followed her path to Canada. Her brother settled in Ottawa and in 1996, Junie, her sister, and their husbands decided to pay a visit to him at his new home. They had a wonderful time reconnecting.

As the two couples headed home after a week, they were involved in a head-on crash just an hour outside of Ottawa. It was a devastating collision, that left the two men dead, and the two sisters badly injured. Junie remembers waking up at the crash site and asking a police officer what happened. “He told me there was an accident and I remember seeing our two husbands slumped over in the front and then I lost consciousness.” The two sisters were rushed to The Ottawa Hospital Trauma Centre.

Eastern Ontario’s only Level 1 Trauma Centre for adults

The Ottawa Hospital is home to the only Level 1 Trauma Centre for adults in eastern Ontario — which is located at the Civic Campus. We care for the most critically injured patients from across the region, including western Quebec.

The team includes a trauma team leader, as well as an anesthesiologist, a team of emergency nurses, a group of resident physicians, and respiratory therapists — this allows them to be ready for the wide variety of complex cases that they handle, or when a Code One is called.

A Code One means a patient with significant injuries is coming to the hospital and all resources gather at the Emergency Department. This code can be called for a scenario when multiple patients are injured, like the motor vehicle collision Junie and her sister were involved in, or for instances where a single patient is injured. By contrast, a large-scale incident or any other community disaster results in a Code Orange being called.

When Junie woke up again, she was in the hospital with significant internal injuries. She learned her sister had suffered multiple fractures and was then told about the unimaginable loss — Junie’s husband and brother-in-law were gone.

“I told myself if I ever get better, I just have to give back. I was just very grateful for all the excellent care that I had received.”

– Junie

Junie was in the Intensive Care Unit for two weeks and was heavily sedated. She remembers the compassionate care she received, having to rely on others to bathe her and wash her hair. She will never forget their kindness and sensitivity. “I told myself if I ever get better, I just have to give back. I was just very grateful for all the excellent care that I had received,” says Junie.

Clinical trial changes the practice of medicine

During Junie’s early days in the hospital, her brother Lawrence observed this compassionate care firsthand as he visited daily, supporting both of his sisters during their devastating loss. He also stayed by Junie’s side while her condition was critical — she was losing a significant amount of blood.

Junie’s brother Lawrence and his wife, Catherine

Junie had multiple blood transfusions to keep her alive and was asked to participate in a clinical trial to improve when blood transfusions should be given in critical care. Lawrence was impressed by the skilled team he observed, and he signed consent for his sister to participate in the trial, in hopes that it would help her and future patients.

“This research has saved thousands of lives and improved blood transfusions for millions of people.”

– Dr. Dean Fergusson

Not only did Junie get better but her participation in this research also helped to change the practice of transfusions worldwide. Dr. Dean Fergusson, Senior Scientist and Director of the Clinical Epidemiology Program at our hospital, explains what this means for patients. “Today, patients all around the world receive blood transfusions based on a more restrictive protocol developed at The Ottawa Hospital,” he says. “Thanks to patients like Junie, we now have a much better idea of when to transfuse, how long the blood should be stored for, and how to prevent bleeding in the first place, so patients can avoid transfusions. This research has saved thousands of lives and improved blood transfusions for millions of people.”

Filled with gratitude to this day

Today, Junie is living in Toronto with her second husband and is deeply grateful to this day for the exceptional care she and her sister received. Not long after she returned home, Junie became a monthly donor to our hospital – holding true to the promise she made while she was in the hospital that she would give back to those who cared for her.

Giving is something that her late mother instilled in her — Junie’s father died when she was very young. It helped mold the person she is today. “We were a working-class family, we weren’t rich, but we persevered. My mother was just an amazing person. She was selfless. So, my siblings and I learned from that — when you receive something good, you try to pay it back in kind, especially with deeds. I think that has a lot of influence on me,” explains Junie.

Strength is an attribute Junie also has carried on from her mother. At the age of 55, Junie was diagnosed with breast cancer. Right after her breast cancer operation, she faced an ovarian cancer diagnosis. She has seen firsthand the need for philanthropy in healthcare to provide the most advanced care. Despite everything she’s faced in life, Junie describes herself as lucky. “It’s still been a good life. It’s been 13 years since I was diagnosed with those kinds of cancers and I’m still here. I am very lucky. I’m a very lucky woman.”

“That’s why, when I die, I can leave something behind to help those who cared for me. That’s my motive.”

– Junie

Now retired after a successful career in banking, Junie thinks to the future and how she can continue to pay it forward. That’s why she’s decided to leave a gift in her will to The Ottawa Hospital so patients will have the latest technology and most advanced treatment options to save their lives, just like she experienced. “That’s why, when I die, I can leave something behind to help those who cared for me. That’s my motive.”

Why Planned Giving is important?

By leaving a gift in your will to The Ottawa Hospital, you will be helping to shape the future of healthcare. It’s an extraordinary opportunity that you will give future generations – just imagine your legacy.

We’re here to provide you with the guidance you need to leave a gift in your will to support our hospital. This is an opportunity for you to create stronger healthcare for tomorrow, with a larger gift than perhaps you thought possible – larger than those made during your lifetime. Just imagine the legacy you will leave.

The Ottawa Hospital is a leading academic health, research, and learning hospital proudly affiliated with the University of Ottawa.

Categories: Clinical Trials, Gift In Will, Patient Care

Daniel Sharp, Red Grid 1

Art for Impact: Auction for The Ottawa Hospital’s New Campus Development

Presented by Kathryn Tremblay, in Memory of Toni Guimaraes

Meet the Artists

Christine Fitzgerald

Claudia Gutierrez

Daniel Sharp

David Gillanders

Dominique Normand

Drew Klassen

Étienne Gélinas

Florence Yee

Guillermo Trejo

Laurena Finéus

Marwa Talal

Michael Schreier

Michael Harrington

Natalie Bruvels

Nicole Krstin

Norman Takeuchi

Sarah Hatton

Susan Roston

Troy Moth

Whitney Lewis-Smith

Christine Fitzgerald

Christine Fitzgerald is a photo-based artist from Ottawa. Christine has always been captivated by nature. Her fascination began in her childhood, while growing up in the Eastern Townships of Québec, and has never abated. Her work is inspired by hidden histories and often deals with the relationship between humans and the natural environment, and the tension that this relationship inevitably creates.

A graduate of the School of the Photographic Arts: Ottawa, and Acadia and Dalhousie Universities, Christine completed an artist residency at the Ottawa School of Art, was an invited artist in residence in print media at York University, and was one of 15 visual artists selected for the historic Canada C3 Expedition on Canada’s 150th anniversary. The work inspired by her expedition experience was part of the Open Channels national exhibition recently held at the Canada Council for the Arts in Ottawa and is featured as part of the inaugural exhibition of the Portrait Gallery of Canada website.

Artist represented by Studio Sixty Six Gallery

Claudia Gutierrez

Claudia Gutierrez is a Latin-Canadian artist, culture worker and arts advocate whose practice has been deeply informed by residencies in Canada and Mexico. She has been exhibiting her work in Ontario and Quebec since 2010 and has completed numerous public art and cultural outreach projects in Ottawa. She was awarded the SAW Prize for New Works in 2020, is supported by the Ontario Arts Council and was recently awarded a public art project with Canadian Heritage.

Independent artist

Daniel Sharp

Daniel Sharp was born in Lacombe, Alberta and has lived in Ottawa since 1982. Sharp worked at Artspace Gallery in Peterborough Ontario (1980-82) and was Artistic Director at the Ottawa artist-run centre Gallery 101 (1989-91). From 1991 to 2017, he worked as a program officer, then manager and curator with the Canadian government’s art collection for embassies and diplomatic missions abroad. Sharp studied painting and design at York University in Toronto, receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1979. He later undertook graduate studies in art and cultural theory at Carleton University in Ottawa (1985-89).

Artist represented by Studio Sixty Six Gallery

David Gillanders

David Gillanders was born in Toronto in 1968 and studied at the University of Western Ontario, London, and McGill University, Montreal. He is currently living and working in Ottawa, Canada. The recipient of grants from the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec and the Ontario Arts Council, David Gillanders has exhibited his work widely in Canada and the United States. His work is held in a number of notable collections, among them the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, the MNBAQ Art Bank, the City of Ottawa Fine Art Collection, the Art Gallery of Northumberland, National Bank, Loto-Québec, and BMO Financial Group.

Artist represented by Studio Sixty Six Gallery

Dominique Normand

New academic painter Dominique Normand celebrates native culture and the nomadic Nordic spirit. Her paintings speak a vibrant language, revealing simple observations of precious moments in time and the sacred gifts of life. Instinctively, Normand lets a deep ‘knowing of the soul’ lead her way in her artistic practice. Embracing abstraction and figuration alike, she shares with her audience the omnipresent powers that imprint and shape the world of human experience. Underlying Normand’s practice is a strong, visceral bond with her Indigenous culture which has led her to research her paternal roots. In 2012, she discovered she is Métis of Maliseet descent.

Normand’s work has been showcased in many solo and group exhibitions within Canada and internationally, such as 11 Nations Cultural Centre, Murwillumbah Art Trail, Australia, Galerie Richelieu in Montréal, Saint Adolphe’s Manifest’Art in the Laurentians, Montmagny’s Rendez-Vous Ononthio, Broadway Gallery in New York, Westin Hotel in Los Angeles, Soutana Galerie and Jardin d’Hiver in Mont Tremblant, art galleries in Montebello, St-Jovite, Saint Sauveur, Piedmont, and many more. Normand has participated in residencies internationally and nationally. In July of 2017, Normand was selected to attend Leg 5 of the Canada C3 Expedition aboard the icebreaker Polar Prince. Her works have been featured in multiple publications, including Maclean’s Magazine, NYArts Magazine, and Echo du Nord Magazine. Normand currently lives in Baie St. Paul, Québec.

Artist represented by Wall Space Gallery

Drew Klassen

Drew Klassen was born in Toronto, spent his youth in Winnipeg, and in 1986 moved to Halifax, where he attended the Nova Scotia College of Art & Design, and the Technical University of Nova Scotia, where he received a Master’s degree in Architecture. His landscapes are defined by an attempt to capture not the details but to use distance, in time and place, to try to remember how they felt, without being bound by precision—a kind of collection of moments, at speed. In the spirit of Monet’s haystacks, but from the window of a speeding vehicle, or a familiar perch.

Klassen’s work is held in numerous private, corporate and institutional collections in Canada and abroad, including the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, the Archives of Ontario, and the Toronto Dominion Bank. In 2010 he received one of five Established Artist Recognition Awards presented annually by the government of Nova Scotia. He currently lives and works in Ottawa.

Artist represented by Galerie St-Laurent + Hill

Étienne Gélinas

Originally from Maniwaki (Quebec), Étienne Gélinas completed a bachelor’s degree in arts and design from the Université du Québec en Outaouais in 2006. His work generates an interaction between artistic forms and representations of scientific languages.

His work has appeared at several individual exhibitions in painting and sculpture, notably at the Galerie d’art Époque, at the artist-run centre AXENÉ07, at the Casino du Lac-Leamy, at the Centre d’exposition Art-Image and at the Espace Odyssée of the Maison de la Culture de Gatineau, at the Galerie d’Avignon in Montreal, at the Galerie St-Laurent + Hill in Ottawa, at the Montcalm Gallery in Gatineau, at the Thompson Landry Gallery in Toronto, at the Lalande and Doyle Gallery at the Centre des Arts Shenkman in Ottawa as well as at the Chelsea Arts, Culture and Heritage Centre.

Artist represented by Galerie St-Laurent + Hill

Florence Yee

Florence Yee is a 2.5-generation Cantonese visual artist based in Tkaronto/Toronto and Tiohtià:ke/Montreal. Their interest in Cantonese-Canadian history has fueled an art practice examining the daily life of their diaspora through the lens of gender, racialization, and language.

Notable solo and duo exhibitions include Sino(n)-Québécoise (2018) at Never Apart, Le Salon (2018) at Articule and Lend Me Your Ears (2017) at Centre Regart. They have completed residencies at the Ottawa School of Art, the Concordia Fine Arts Reading Room, la Galerie du Nouvel-Ontario, as well as the John and Maggie Mitchell Art Gallery. Having graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Concordia University, they are now pursuing an MFA at OCAD U in Interdisciplinary Art, Media and Design as a Delaney Scholar.

Artist represented by Studio Sixty Six Gallery

Guillermo Trejo

Guillermo Trejo is a Mexican/Canadian artist based in Ottawa. He completed his BFA at the National School of Painting Sculpture and Engraving in Mexico City, with a specialization in printmaking, and moved to Canada in 2007. The experience of immigration and distance has shaped Trejo’s work. Since moving to Ottawa, where he is currently based, he has earned an MFA from the University of Ottawa and has been an active member of the artistic community. He has exhibited at the Ottawa Art Gallery, Galerie Saw Gallery, and other artist-run centres across the country as well as in Europe and Mexico. Trejo has worked as a research consultant for the National Gallery of Canada and also teaches at the Ottawa School of Art (OSA).

Artist represented by Studio Sixty Six Gallery

Laurena Finéus

Born and raised in Gatineau, Québec, Laurena Finéus is a Haitian-Canadian visual artist, educator and art administrator specializing in painting. Currently based between Ottawa and Toronto, Finéus focuses on representations of Haiti and relationality within its diaspora through an array of figurative and painterly imagined landscapes. These elements are juxtaposed with personal memories of her life in Canada. The teachings of Haitian scholar Michel Rolph-Trouillot in ‘Silencing the past’ inform her understanding of visual narration in her practice.

Finéus’ work is held in a range of private collections internationally and has been exhibited at the Ottawa Art Gallery (2021), Karsh-Masson Gallery (2021), the Ottawa School of Art (2021), Art Mûr (2019) and Galerie 115 (2019-2020), among others. Finéus graduated from the University of Ottawa with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. She is a recipient of the Ontario Arts Council Exhibition Assistance Grant (2021), the Edmund and Isobel Ryan Visual Art Scholarship (2020) and the Ineke Harmina Standish Memorial Scholarship (2019) and exhibited as a finalist for the Salt Spring National Art Prize (2021). Passionate about Black Canadian history and empowering her community through art, Finéus has previously facilitated a range of bilingual workshops for the Ottawa Art Gallery, Arts Network Ottawa, la Majeur Haute Spécialisation en Arts and l’Association Canadienne-francaise de l’Ontario.

Artist represented by Wall Space Gallery

Marwa Talal

Marwa Talal is a Sudanese-Canadian artist and interior designer based in Ottawa. Her artwork centres on topics of feminism, empowerment of minorities, and storytelling. With varied stories to tell, she employs a variety of mediums, including water colour painting, digital illustration, and ceramics.

Independent artist

Michael Schreier

Michael Schreier is a professional artist and photographer who has dedicated his considerable professional career to the celebration of both the public and private hero. Recent work includes Storyteller, Waiting for Words at the Ottawa Art Gallery, curator Emily Falvey, 2009, and the curating of the exhibition Dave Heath, A Heritage of Meaning, 2013 at the Ottawa Art Gallery. Selected works are represented in both public and private collections, including the National Gallery of Canada, the Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography, the National Archives Photography Collection, the Agnes-Etherington Art Centre, the Canadian Portrait Gallery, Visual Studies Workshop, (Rochester, New York), Light Works Workshop, Syracuse New York, Carleton University Art Gallery, and the University of Ottawa Library Special Collections. Michael Schreier was the 2016 Karsh Award Recipient.

Artist represented by Studio Sixty Six Gallery

Micheal Harrington

Based in Ottawa. Michael Harrington’s abiding preoccupation is the depiction of the human form occupying suggestive and intimate narratives in scenes that are both familiar and enigmatic and are intended to invite reflection and empathy. Harrington applies his representational craft to a broad range of subject matter, including cinema, theatre, literature, music, family folklore, and personal memory.

Michael Harrington is a graduate of the Ontario College of Art and Design. He has exhibited extensively in venues across North America including the Glenbow Museum, the Ottawa Art Gallery, Galerie Saw Gallery and the Carleton University Art Gallery. His work has been presented in Border Crossings Magazine, Canadian Art, Harper’s Magazine and Contemporary Visual Art Magazine. He is represented in numerous public, corporate and private collections, including the Glenbow Museum in Calgary and the Agnes Etherington Centre in Kingston, as well as the personal collections of filmmakers Atom Egoyan and Jeremy Podeswa.

Artist represented by Galerie St-Laurent + Hill

Natalie Bruvels

Natalie Bruvels is a multidisciplinary artist working primarily in paint. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Ottawa and is currently pursuing an MFA at the same institution. Her artistic research explores relational identity including representations of maternal figures and single motherhood in art through a matricentric, feminist lens. Her work can be found in the City of Ottawa art collection as well as many private collections. Natalie lives in Ottawa with her son.

Artist represented by Studio Sixty Six Gallery

Nicole Krstin

Nicole Krstin is a self-taught Filipino-Canadian visual artist whose current body of work imagines the kinetic and complex process of cellular mutations as they metamorphose to create new fragments and figures. With a focus on the internal mechanisms of transformation in the body, Krstin explores and brings forward the inherent and ubiquitous nature of change and evolution.

Nicole Krstin has been featured in numerous exhibitions and art fairs within Canada and abroad, including The Artist Project (2020, 2019, 2018), Timeraiser at the Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery (2018), and Daegu Art Fair in South Korea (2019). Her work can be found in private collections in Canada and the United States. Krstin currently lives in Calgary, Alberta with her husband and children.

Artist represented by Wall Space Gallery

Norman Takeuchi

Norman Takeuchi was born in Vancouver, and some of his earliest memories are of the interior of BC where his parents were forced to relocate during World War II. Upon graduating from the Vancouver School of Art in 1962, he went to London, England, to focus on painting, and returned there in 1967 with a Canada Council grant. In 1996, he left a design career to once again focus on art and has since participated in many solo and group exhibitions. His work is represented in permanent collections at the Royal Ontario Museum, Canadian War Museum, Ottawa Art Gallery, Canada Council Art Bank, City of Ottawa, Carleton University Art Gallery, and in private collections in Canada and abroad.

Artist represented by Studio Sixty Six Gallery

Sarah Hatton

Sarah Hatton was born in the UK and raised in Barbados and Canada. She received her BFA from Queen’s University and her MFA from the University of Calgary, and is the recipient of numerous awards for art and academics. Her deep interest in human nature, mortality, patterns, and her insatiable curiosity about the natural world are found throughout her paintings and installation work. Her “Bee Works,” made from thousands of dead honeybees, received international acclaim, balancing artistry with advocacy, and winning the RBC Emerging Artist Award in 2014. Hatton lives and works in Chelsea, Quebec, one of Canada’s most creative and environmentally friendly communities.

Artist represented by Galerie St-Laurent + Hill

Susan Roston

A mostly self-taught ceramic artist, Susan Roston lives in Ottawa, where she has her studio practice. A two-week solo residency with the late noted sculptor Jim Thomson solidified her commitment to art as a whole and allows her practice to not remain rooted in just one medium. Roston regularly teaches sculpture and pottery courses and workshops from her Enriched Bread Artists Studio.

Artist represented by Studio Sixty Six Gallery

Troy Moth

Canadian artist, photographer and film director Troy Moth’s award-winning photography has been exhibited worldwide and is showcased as part of the permanent collection at the Art Gallery of Victoria. He has worked for a variety of publications, including Rolling Stone and Vogue. His recent work as a filmmaker has been showcased at festivals around the globe. Troy has received many awards, including Magenta Flash Forward, Applied Arts and Toronto alternative film festival – best director.

From his start as an up-and-coming fashion photographer to his work as a visual artist in a remote town on Vancouver Island, Troy Moth traded in material success in pursuit of his higher purpose, fine arts, and has never looked back.

Artist represented by Studio Sixty Six Gallery

Whitney Lewis-Smith

Whitney Lewis-Smith is a Canadian photo-based artist. She attended the Studio Arts program at Concordia University, focusing on painting and drawing. She completed her photographic education at the School of Photographic Arts: Ottawa. In 2014, Lewis-Smith was awarded and attended a one-month production residency at the Arquetopia Foundation for the Arts in Mexico. Since graduating, her work has been acquired by prominent private collections in Canada and abroad, including that of the Canadian Prime Minister, the right honourable Justin Trudeau, as well as in the Beaverbrook Art Gallery of New Brunswick and the public art collection of the city of Ottawa.

Artist represented by Galerie St-Laurent + Hill

The Campaign to Create Tomorrow

Campaign Executive

Meet some of the most passionately committed members of our community, who support and celebrate world-class healthcare, research, and innovation. These inspiring leaders ensure each patient is met with exceptional service, compassion, and new hope

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 CEO of the CLV Group Inc., and Executive Chairman 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.

Cementing a legacy

Celebrating the single-largest healthcare donation in Ottawa history

The Greenberg name in Ottawa has long been synonymous with service to the community and innumerable philanthropic projects. Since 1955, when they created their business, the Minto Group, the Greenberg family members have made a significant impact on the community. In fact, there are few aspects of the city that haven’t been touched in some way by the Greenberg generosity of spirit.

Now, with the single-largest healthcare donation in Ottawa’s history, the shareholders of the Minto Group — Roger Greenberg, chair of the campaign and Executive Chairman of the Board of the Minto Group, his five siblings, and their cousin — have cemented their legacy as pillars of our community.

This incredible $25-million donation is the lead gift to the Campaign to Create Tomorrow — the most ambitious fundraising campaign ever in our region. Our $500-million campaign sets in motion a vision to transform healthcare by building the most technologically advanced hospital in Canada and taking our groundbreaking research and innovation to unprecedented heights.

Guided by a philosophy to leave the world better than when they found it, and with more than 65 years of established roots in this city, the Minto Group’s decision to support this campaign is deeply personal and will have a profound impact.

Thank you, Greenberg family members, for your leadership, extraordinary generosity, and for being catalysts for a healthcare transformation in Ottawa and beyond.

Download episode 59 of Pulse Podcast to hear Roger Greenberg talk more about his family’s gift and why it’s time.

About the Campaign to Create Tomorrow

NEW CAMPUS DEVELOPMENT

Discover how this $2.8 billion, world-class academic healthcare centre will push our hospital to the very top tier of healthcare and research worldwide.

Learn More

INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY

See how we’ll become the most technologically advanced hospital in the country, using the latest tools to provide the right care in the right space with the right provider.

Learn More

WORLD LEADING RESEARCH

Through our unique collaborative model of clinicians and researchers working side-by-side, we will bring groundbreaking discoveries to patients in Ottawa — and around the world.

Learn More

STRENGTHENING CRITICAL SERVICES

From trauma care to cancer advancements to neuroscience, we will strengthen our critical services for patients across the region.

Learn More

April 19, 2022, OTTAWA, ON – Today, The Ottawa Hospital Foundation launched the historic $500-million Campaign to Create Tomorrow. This comprehensive fundraising campaign will transform healthcare not only in our community and across our country, but around the world.

The Campaign to Create Tomorrow is an unprecedented fundraising campaign — the largest in our city’s history — focused on fulfilling the most ambitious vision ever for the future of The Ottawa Hospital to:

build the New Campus Development on Carling Avenue that will be home to the most patient-centred and technologically advanced research hospital in Canada.
push healthcare research and discoveries to the very top tier in the world.
usher in the most advanced digital technology, including the largest data analytics platform in the country.
further strengthen critical services from complex lifesaving surgeries to expertise in neurosurgery to remaining one of the largest and best-equipped regional cancer treatment centres.

Tim Kluke, President and CEO of The Ottawa Hospital Foundation, highlighted this as a historic moment in time for our city. “With the launch of the largest fundraising campaign in Ottawa’s history, each of us can be part of a moment that future citizens of our community will someday look back on and realize, together, we revolutionized healthcare for generations to come. Our donors and volunteers have enthusiastically embraced this special moment in time, as this campaign supports one of the most important community legacy projects of our lifetime.”

At the launch, Roger Greenberg, the Executive Chairman of the Minto Group and the Executive Chairman and Managing Partner of the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group, was officially announced as Chair of the Campaign to Create Tomorrow. He took the opportunity to announce the single-largest healthcare donation in Ottawa’s history — $25 million from the shareholders of the Minto Group: Roger, his five siblings, and his cousin. “It is an incredible opportunity we’ve been given to help so many through our philanthropy. We, along with the generosity of so many others, will completely transform how our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren living in the Greater Ottawa area will be cared for. No one else will do this for us. It’s our turn. It’s our time.”

Bushra Saeed-Khan, trauma survivor and amputee, emphasized how it’s time for single-patient rooms and a new campus that will epitomize excellence in universal accessibility. “While I received exceptional care when I arrived at the Trauma Centre in 2010, I quickly learned how outdated the Civic Campus had become. The Ottawa Hospital team gave me my life back, and now it’s time to give them the state-of-the-art campus they need — a building that will allow them to care for patients into the future. It’s time to make this a reality.”

Michael Runia, Chair of The Ottawa Hospital Foundation Board, explained that this vision for healthcare will elevate Ottawa on the world stage. “As a business leader in the Nation’s Capital, I believe that having access to world-class healthcare translates into an opportunity for organizations of all sizes and scale to attract top talent to this incredible city of ours. We will soon have a hospital that matches the capabilities of our people.”

To learn more about the Campaign to Create Tomorrow in support of The Ottawa Hospital, visit CreatingTomorrow.ca.

About The Ottawa Hospital:

The Ottawa Hospital is one of Canada’s top learning and research hospitals, where excellent care is inspired by research and driven by compassion. As the third-largest employer in Ottawa, our support staff, researchers, nurses, physicians, and volunteers never stop seeking solutions to the most complex healthcare challenges.

Our multi-campus hospital, affiliated with the University of Ottawa, attracts some of the most influential scientific minds from around the world. Our focus on learning and research leads to new techniques and discoveries that are adopted globally to improve patient care.

We are the Regional Trauma Centre for eastern Ontario and have been accredited with Exemplary Standing for healthcare delivery — the highest rating from Accreditation Canada. We are also home to world-leading research programs focused on cancer therapeutics, neuroscience, regenerative medicine, chronic disease, and practice-changing research.

Backed by generous support from the community, we are committed to providing the world-class, compassionate care we would want for our loved ones.
 
For more information about The Ottawa Hospital, visit OHFoundation.ca.  

Healing Today. Creating Tomorrow.

STRENGTHENING CRITICAL SERVICES

From trauma care to the latest cancer treatments to our neuroscience excellence — we’re strengthening our expertise to transform critical care here at home and across the globe.

It’s time to take our place as a global leader in transforming critical care.

Some patients travel hundreds — and even thousands — of kilometres to receive our world-leading care, whether it’s complex, lifesaving surgeries, neurosurgery expertise, or cancer care excellence at one of the largest and best-equipped cancer treatment centres in the region.

Looking forward, we will seamlessly merge research and clinical care to bring the most cutting-edge treatments directly to our patients. Here’s how:

A new home for world-leading neuroscience

Today, we are internationally recognized for our groundbreaking work in multiple sclerosis, stroke, and Parkinson’s, with patients from all over seeking our expertise.

With a new, dedicated hub for one of the strongest research and care teams in the world, we’ll see even more breakthroughs in acute neurology, neurosurgery, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, stroke, and Parkinson’s.

Here’s just one example where integrating research and care has allowed us to improve and save lives:

World-class trauma and emergency care

As the only Level 1 Trauma Centre for adults in eastern Ontario, we serve 1.3 million people regionally and as far away as Nunavut.

At our new hospital, dedicated access routes for ambulances and a rooftop helipad leading to high-speed elevators will bring patients directly to our Trauma Centre — saving critical time and even more lives.

Go behind the scenes of our Trauma Centre with trauma surgeon, Dr. Maher Matar:

World-class trauma and emergency care

As the only Level 1 Trauma Centre for adults in eastern Ontario, we serve 1.3 million people regionally and as far away as Nunavut.

Go behind the scenes of our Trauma Centre with trauma surgeon, Dr. Maher Matar.

A cure for every cancer

We believe every cancer can be beaten. Today, we’re seeing breakthroughs that a decade ago seemed impossible. Tomorrow, we’ll continue to boldly explore novel therapies with our sights set on making all cancers a thing of the past.

See how your support helps us focus on precise and personalized therapies that treat the whole person — not just the cancer. But this is only the beginning. Through leading research, our experts will collaboratively harness their expertise to develop game-changing treatments.

Leading acute mental health care

With two psychiatric emergency services, 90+ inpatient beds — more than any other facility in the region — a day hospital program, outpatient services, and a mobile services program, we’re the region’s largest provider of mental health care.

In the future, we’ll provide a full range of acute mental health services, like a new Psychiatric Emergency

Service, improved inpatient care, state-of-the-art outpatient clinics, and therapeutic spaces for wellness and healing.

Leading acute mental health care

In the future, we’ll provide a full range of acute mental health services, like a new Psychiatric Emergency

Service, improved inpatient care, state-of-the-art outpatient clinics, and therapeutic spaces for wellness and healing.

“One of the biggest advantages of the Ottawa Hospital is that all of us are connected. We are more advanced because we’re able to work as a group. We have brought all the expertise under one umbrella here.”

Dr. Fahad AlkherayfDirector of the Clinical Research Program in the Neurosurgery Division, The Ottawa Hospital

“Donor support allows our cancer experts to deliver the best care while we work to discover and test new and better ways to eradicate cancers. I believe one day every cancer will be cured, and I’m inspired by the research happening right here at our hospital.”

Dr. Rebecca AuerExecutive Vice-President of Research and Innovation at The Ottawa Hospital and CEO and Scientific Director at The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute

“The Ottawa Hospital has a rich tradition of research with a clear focus on practice-changing research. This focus couldn’t resonate more with me as my research is only as valuable as the impact it might have on people’s lives.”

Dr. Jess FiedorowiczHead and Chair of the Department of Mental Health, The Ottawa Hospital

Dr. Fahad AllkherayfDirector of the Clinical Research Program in the Neurosurgery Division, The Ottawa Hospital

Dr. Rebecca AuerDirector of Cancer Research, The Ottawa Hospital

Dr. Jess FiedorowiczHead and Chair of the Department of Mental Health, The Ottawa Hospital

It's time to create a better tomorrow.

About the Campaign to Create Tomorrow

NEW CAMPUS DEVELOPMENT

Discover how this $2.8 billion, world-class academic healthcare centre will push our hospital to the very top tier of healthcare and research worldwide.

Learn More

INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY

See how we’ll become the most technologically advanced hospital in the country, using the latest tools to provide the right care in the right space with the right provider.

Learn More

WORLD LEADING RESEARCH

Through our unique collaborative model of clinicians and researchers working side-by-side, we will bring groundbreaking discoveries to patients in Ottawa — and around the world.

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Discovering Today. Creating Tomorrow.

World-Leading Research

Today, we’re recognized as one of the top research hospitals in Canada. Tomorrow, we’re aiming to become the hospital the world looks to for the most exciting research and discoveries.

It’s time to take research to unprecedented heights

In the last 20 years, we’ve pushed the boundaries of healthcare and research — changing and saving lives all over the world.

Our experts predict more research and clinical breakthroughs will happen in the next ten years than have happened over the last 50. And with your help, more of them will happen here at our hospital.

This means improved treatments and novel therapies — and greater hope for us all.

“Our research is truly groundbreaking and the world is watching. Together, we can make Ottawa into a global hub for healthcare and research. Our sights are set on nothing less.”
—Dr. Duncan Stewart, senior scientist in the Regenerative Medicine Program and professor at the University of Ottawa

Setting the stage for next-level research

We are proudly among the top research institutes in the country. But our impact doesn’t stop here — discoveries and cures found at our hospital will help millions of Canadians and people worldwide.

Collaborations in 151 countries around the world

18 state-of-the-art core research facilities

2,230 scientific papers published in 2020

Unique collaborations for radical results

More than 25 years ago, we had the radical idea to embed our clinicians in labs, side-by-side with our researchers. This successful approach means unprecedented research breakthroughs can quickly translate to the bedside.

Home of world firsts

Our Regenerative Medicine Program is unlike any other in Canada and possibly the world. Simply put, we are a world leader in stem cell research.

“If you are in computers, you go to Silicon Valley. If you are in stem cells, you need to be here in Ottawa. This is where the greatest advances are being made.”
— Dr. Bernard Thébaud, Senior Scientist in Regenerative Medicine, The Ottawa Hospital

1st clinical trial in the world of a stem cell therapy for septic shock.

1st discovery of muscle stem cells.

1st clinical trial in Canada using stem cells to treat the damaged lungs of premature babies.

1st to halt the progress of aggressive multiple sclerosis (MS) through stem cell transplants.

Harnessing biology to fight disease

Our state-of-the-art Biotherapeutics Manufacturing Centre (BMC) is a leader in the rapidly growing area of biotherapeutics — one of the most advanced areas of scientific innovation.

See how we’re using stem cells, cancer-killing viruses, gene therapy, and more, to improve and save lives.

Global impact through clinical trials

Our hospital has one of the largest and strongest clinical trials programs in the country. And our innovative trials have made a global impact with many international guidelines around trial design and reporting originating here at our hospital.

With more active clinical trials than almost anywhere else in Canada, we give patients access to novel therapies, create hope for the newly diagnosed, and establish best practices for patient care around the world.

Together, we can find new cures and make groundbreaking discoveries that save more lives.

It's time to create a better tomorrow.

About the Campaign to Create Tomorrow

NEW CAMPUS DEVELOPMENT

Discover how this $2.8 billion, world-class academic healthcare centre will push our hospital to the very top tier of healthcare and research worldwide.

Learn More

INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY

See how we’ll become the most technologically advanced hospital in the country, using the latest tools to provide the right care in the right space with the right provider.

Learn More

STRENGTHENING CRITICAL SERVICES

From trauma care to cancer advancements to neuroscience, we will strengthen our critical services for patients across the region.

Learn More

“Dream team” of researchers tackles leading cause of vision loss

A discovery with game-changing potential

The time is right for gene and cell therapy

Collaboration between lab researchers and clinicians key to success

Leveraging our biomanufacturing expertise at The Ottawa Hospital

How to plan a world-class clinical trial

Research program holds enormous promise

Browse Current Issues

Leading by example with a $10-million donation to the Campaign to Create Tomorrow

Thank you, Rob and Sandra, for your extraordinary generosity, your volunteerism, and for joining us as we transform the future of healthcare for generations to come.

About the Campaign to Create Tomorrow

NEW CAMPUS DEVELOPMENT

INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY

WORLD LEADING RESEARCH

STRENGTHENING CRITICAL SERVICES

Eastern Ontario’s only Level 1 Trauma Centre for adults

Clinical trial changes the practice of medicine

Filled with gratitude to this day

Why Planned Giving is important?

Art for Impact: Auction for The Ottawa Hospital’s New Campus Development

Presented by Kathryn Tremblay, in Memory of Toni Guimaraes

Meet the Artists

Christine Fitzgerald

Claudia Gutierrez

Daniel Sharp

David Gillanders

Dominique Normand

Drew Klassen

Étienne Gélinas

Florence Yee

Guillermo Trejo

Laurena Finéus

Marwa Talal

Michael Schreier

Michael Harrington

Natalie Bruvels

Nicole Krstin

Norman Takeuchi

Sarah Hatton

Susan Roston

Troy Moth

Whitney Lewis-Smith

Christine Fitzgerald

Claudia Gutierrez

Daniel Sharp

David Gillanders

Dominique Normand

Drew Klassen

Étienne Gélinas

Florence Yee

Guillermo Trejo

Laurena Finéus

Marwa Talal

Michael Schreier

Micheal Harrington

Natalie Bruvels

Nicole Krstin

Norman Takeuchi

Sarah Hatton

Susan Roston

Troy Moth

Whitney Lewis-Smith

Ginger Bertrand

Jeff W. Clarke

Kevin Ford

Dr. Kwadwo Kyeremanteng

Roger Greenberg

Rob Ashe

Whitney Fox

Katie Lafferty

Bruce Linton

Mike McGahan

Janet McKeage

Dr. Pradeep Merchant

Michael Runia

Stephen Victor

Jeffrey York

Campaign Patrons

Jim Durrell, CM

Jackie Holzman