TBRHSC Board Chair Report (October 2026)

It is my privilege to introduce myself as Board Chair and to reflect on the journey that has brought me to this point. Having served on other community boards, before joining the Hospital Board five years ago, I recognized the complexity and responsibility of hospital governance. I look forward to working alongside our dedicated Board members, leadership team, staff, physicians, volunteers, and community partners to continue to meet the evolving needs of the patients and families we serve across Northwestern Ontario.

At June’s Annual Meeting of the Board there were some significant changes. On behalf of the Hospital staff and Board, the community and the region, I want to thank Patricia Lang, Matt Simeoni, Gord Wickham, and Joy Wakefield who, during their nine years on the Board, governed with expertise, passion and dedication to the Hospital, our community and the wider region.

Continuing their terms of office on the Board are Charles Campbell, Dr. Andrew Dean, James Peotto, Kimberly Ferris, Michael Pelletier, Matthew Aiken and Marla Morrison. Joining as new Board members are Maura Dunk, Angela Maltese, and Andrew Campbell.

Christina Foresto was appointed to a three-year term as the new Community Member on the Governance and Nominating Committee and Amanda Zappitelli was appointed to a three-year term as the new Community Member on the Patient Safety and Quality of Care Committee.

The Board also includes the ex-officio Directors Dr. Rhonda Crocker Ellacott, President and CEO; Adam Vinet, Chief Nursing Executive; Dr. Laura Power, Chief of Staff; Dr. Michael Green, Dean, President and CEO, NOSM University; and Dr. Sonja Lubbers, President, Professional Staff Association. I would like to express my sincere appreciation to the 2026-2027 Hospital Board and Community Committee members for their commitment to the governance and strategic oversight of our institution.

We are in the final year of the Hospital’s Strategic Plan 2026 and the recently released 2025-26 Annual Report outlines the Plan’s progress. This year, a video highlighting the strategic priority of Sustainable Future demonstrates our ongoing commitment to ensuring a healthy future for patients and families across the region.

In keeping with this commitment, on the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, our Hospital’s Miskwaa Biidaaban team published our third Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action Report outlining this past year’s progress on the Calls to Action and next steps. We are committed to providing transparency with regards to the Calls to Action and what we are doing in response, and to continually working towards creating an environment of inclusion, equity and compassion at our Hospital. I invite you to review the report to learn more about these important activities.

This month marked 17 years of Sharing and Caring Together, a week-long event demonstrating our successes in patient and family-centred care, culminating in an exhibition displaying some of the initiatives developed to continue to deliver the highest quality of care to patients and families. It is truly incredible seeing the hard work and commitment of our staff to improving the patient and family experience.