Daniel Gatien is the Town of Hawkesbury Chief Administrative Officer and has over 35 years of experience in municipal management. During his career, he served as chief executive officer, director of economic development, clerk and treasurer for several Ontario municipalities, including the Village of Casselman, Russell Township and the City of Clarence-Rockland. A municipal expert recognized by his peers, he chaired and served on the Association of Municipal Clerks and Treasurers of Ontario for over 10 years.

Mr. Gatien joined HGH Board of Directors in June 2015. Actively engaged in his community, he previously served on the boards of Prescott-Russell Services for Children and Adults Foundation and Prescott-Russell Community Development Corporation.

Our hospital provides outstanding services that everyone in Prescott-Russell should be aware of. I joined the Board to contribute to HGH’s outreach efforts throughout the region.

Mr. Gatien holds a diploma in Municipal Administration from Algonquin College and is accredited by A.M.C.T. He also studied Industrial Relations and Human Resources Management at Queen’s University. Furthermore, he completed an Arts Degree with double concentration in Political Sciences, Law and Justice at Laurentian University. He lives in Wendover.

Retired since 2016, Guy Yelle has spent most of his career at the St.Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation where he held senior executive positions. Mr. Yelle is a mechanical engineer and a recognized specialist in strategic planning, project management and change management.

Respect for employees and clientele, as well as a sound knowledge of the community’s needs are the foundation of his management philosophy. A long-time volunteer, Mr. Yelle is currently treasurer of the Lefaivre Lions Club and serves on the Alfred-Plantagenet Municipal Recreation Advisory Committee.

I share the hospital’s community vision and feel inspired by the goals of providing quality care, in both languages, for our people. I really wish to support this cause.

Mr. Yelle is a member of the Professional Engineers of Ontario. He also studied in Business Administration, Marine Transportation, Leadership, Change Management and is Lean Six Sigma Certified. He lives in Lefaivre.

Retired since 2015, Judith Anne LaRocque had a 35-year career with the Canadian government and federal public service. She started in the House of Commons and was the Executive Assistant for the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada before her appointment as Chief of Staff to the Government Leader in the Senate and the Minister of State for Federal-Provincial Relations. She was also Secretary to three consecutive Governor Generals.

Ms. LaRocque was Deputy Minister of Canadian Heritage from 2000 to 2010 and responsible for several programs, among which Official Languages, Cultural Industries and Copyright. In 2010, she received the Public Service Award of Excellence for her outstanding contribution to public service and for the coordination of the federal government role in the 2010 Olympic and Paralympics Winter Games in Vancouver and Whistler. From 2011 to 2015, she was Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Canada to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Paris, France.

After a career in Ottawa and abroad, my spouse and I have chosen to return to our hometown, here in Hawkesbury. The hospital redevelopment project is providing essential services for our residents. I look forward to contributing to this important institution for our community.

Ms. LaRocque holds a Master of Public Administration and a Bachelor of Political Science from Carleton University. Since 2015, she has been serving on the Board of Directors of Banff Centre in Alberta. She lives in Hawkesbury.

With 31 years of experience, François Bertrand is a recognized expert in financial management in the education sector. Prior to his retirement in 2013, he was Superintendent of Business and Treasurer at Conseil scolaire de district catholique de l’Est ontarien. A chartered accountant, he also served as Director of Finance and Accounting as well as Controller and Auditor.

Mr. Bertrand has an excellent knowledge of policies based governance.

I joined the Board of HGH hoping to put my years of experience gained in the education sector to use for the continuous improvement of health services provided to our communities.

In 2011, Mr. Bertrand received a merit award in recognition for his outstanding contribution to the Franco-Ontarian education during his career. He lives in Hawkesbury.

Lucie Charlebois had a 25-year career in the Québec healthcare system where she acquired a wealth of experience in hospital and community settings. She now operates a dairy farm in St-Eugène.

Ms. Charlebois has worked as a clinical nurse and manager in several organizations, bringing inspiring leadership and strong change management skills. Ward Manager, Coordinator of Clinical Programs and Network Assistant Director are only a few examples of positions she has held.

My top priorities will always focus on the healthcare sector and the well-being of the population. By serving on the Board of Directors, I wish to contribute to this community that welcomed me. I am proud to participate in the development of our regional hospital, which provides essential care close to home for the people of our region.

Ms. Charlebois holds a Bachelor of Nursing and a Master of Health Administration. She is also certified in LEAN methodologies.

Prior to her retirement in 2014, Nicole-Lafrenière Davis was Senior Director at Champlain Local Health Integration Network (LHIN). During her career, she has held senior management positions and acted as a consultant in the areas of health and social services at the regional, provincial and federal levels. She holds a Masters in Social Work and has extensive expertise in policy development as well as planning and management of programs and projects.

Ms. Lafrenière-Davis served on several regional and provincial boards such as Société santé en français and Comité consultatif des services de santé en français.

After a long and fulfilling career, I wanted to get involved locally. In healthcare, the voice of patients, their families and the community is essential. My role as an HGH Board Member is to ensure that their voice is heard.

During her career, Ms. Lafrenière-Davis has also worked abroad. She has worked in community development in the Caribbean, where she forged strong ties with a family that she still supports today. She lives in L’Orignal.

Marco Lalonde is a manager with over 30 years of leadership experience in small and large municipalities, both in Ontario and Québec. He has served as Director of Public Works Department at Ville de Gatineau since 2008. He also held managerial positions at the City of Ottawa and the former City of Gloucester. Furthermore, he played a leadership role in the amalgamation of 12 municipalities that led to the creation of the new City of Ottawa.

Mr. Lalonde promotes an approach focused on teamwork and staff commitment; mutually beneficial labour relations, and results-based management. With this approach, he successfully led large-scale organizational transformations. A life-long volunteer, he sat on the Boards of Directors of Centraide Prescott-Russell, Alfred Swim Club and Caisse populaire d’Alfred.

I fully share HGH values of compassion, innovation and excellence. In particular, I have a special interest in the health and care provided to our aging population. I wish to apply my experience to help with the major transformation that the hospital is going through.

Mr. Lalonde holds a Civil Engineering Technology diploma from Algonquin College. He also earned the LEAN Master title from Mouvement québécois de la qualité and received a Masters Certificate in Municipal Leadership from York University. He lives in Plantagenet.

Patrick Lalonde is a registered physiotherapist and the owner of Lalonde Physio and Champlain Health Hub. He also operates an organic hobby farm in L’Orignal.

A high-level endurance athlete, Mr. Lalonde competed in several international road cycling championships. Moreover, he won a provincial duathlon championship; completed several triathlons and ran the equivalent of 57 consecutive ultramarathons on the Appalachian Trail in the United States. He recently organized the first edition of the Bay Run in L’Orignal which profits were donated to the HGH Foundation.

Promoting an active lifestyle and a positive outlook on life is part of my values. It’s the reason why I’m choosing to be engaged in my community and to join the hospital’s Board of Directors. Every day, I can see how important it is for people to have access to health services. My goal is to help in improving the accessibility of care.

Mr. Lalonde holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Ottawa and a Master of Clinical Science in the field of Manipulative Therapy from the University of Western Ontario. He lives in L’Orignal.

Jo-anne Laviolette pursued a career in education with the Eastern Ontario’s French and English, Catholic and Public school boards. She taught at the elementary and secondary levels, before becoming school principal and finally Director of Students Services. She was also responsible for programs for students with special needs and was in charge of specialized staff including psychologists, speech therapists and social workers.

Ms. Laviolette has served on numerous advisory committees on childcare, special education, autism and mental health.

In education, we make decisions in the best interest of children and their development. The same principle applies to healthcare. Patients and their well-being are central to our concerns and decisions. For the advancement of our hospital, we must focus on our primary goal of meeting our patients’ needs and delivering quality care.

Ms. Laviolette lives in Casselman. Now retired, she carries on her work as a consultant in education.

Sylvette Leroux operates a family poultry farm in St-Isidore. For almost 40 years, she has been working on the farm, managing daily operations and doing bookkeeping. Animal welfare, quality consumer products and food safety are at the forefront of her concerns. She ensures that their farm meets the standards set by Egg Farmers of Canada and Egg Farmers of Ontario.

Ms. Leroux is actively engaged in community, business and agricultural organizations. She was Vice-Chair of Association des parents et enseignants de l’Ontario for four years. She also chaired the school council at École élémentaire de St-Isidore for four years where she led a fundraising campaign for the schoolyard improvement project. She was a member of the Board of Directors of St-Isidore and Vankleek Hill figure skating clubs. She is also a member of ESTIC Chamber of Commerce and Union des cultivateurs franco-ontariens.

Our hospital is going through major changes. Knowing that our families and aging population will have access to a broad range of services at the New HGH is very comforting. People will have access to specialty healthcare services close to home and will not have to travel to the city anymore. Through my involvement, I want to contribute to the promotion of our hospital’s services within our communities.

Ms. Leroux lives in L’Orignal. She loves nature and enjoys the outdoors. She also has a keen interest in performing arts and politics.

Neil Levac is a civil engineer with over 45 years of experience in the field. Founder of the engineering firm Levac Robichaud Leclerc and Associates, numerous Eastern Ontario buildings bear his signature. During his career, he designed, supervised and managed several residential, commercial, institutional and industrial construction projects. He also engineered municipal infrastructure and road rehabilitation projects. He carried out work in Burkina Faso and Peru for the Canadian International Development Agency.

Actively engaged in the community, Mr. Levac served as a municipal councillor and Mayor of West-Hawkesbury Township and also served as chairman of Chambre économique de l’Ontario. For several years, along with his spouse, he organized the Ski-a-Thon, a fundraising event for cancer research.

I appreciate the opportunity to promote HGH’s excellence and to provide the best service for our patients, while getting a better understanding about healthcare services.

Mr. Levac is a member of the Association of Professional Engineers of Ontario and Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec. He holds a B.A. in Civil Engineering from the University of Ottawa. He lives in L’Orignal.

Anik Léveillé is a lawyer and president of the Société professionnelle Léveillé where she practices commercial law, real estate law as well as in the area of wills and estates. She was called to the Law Society of Upper Canada in 2009.

Mrs. Léveillé strongly believes in community engagement. She served on several boards of directors, including the Hawkesbury Chamber of Commerce and the Foundation of the Hawkesbury and District General Hospital. She was also an active member of the Hawkesbury Optimist Club and still serves on the board of directors of the Caisse populaire de Hawkesbury.

Health is so important. I joined the hospital’s Board of Directors because I wanted to contribute to an organization that serves the entire community, and to be part of a dynamic team. Through my profession and my regular involvement in the drafting of wills for my clients, I clearly see the importance of this institution in people’s lives.

Mrs. Léveillé holds a Bachelor of Law from the University of Ottawa. She lives in Hawkesbury.