Lifetime Achievement Award

Katherine’s distinguished career in municipal and regional services began in 1987 with Ontario’s Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs, where her work on rent control, social housing, and planning Markham’s Cornell community set the foundation for decades of impactful leadership. With Ontario’s download of programs, in 1998 Katherine joined the newly amalgamated City of Toronto to help build its social housing program. In her role as principal planner, she led efforts to protect rental housing and tenant rights amidst sweeping policy changes.

With a shift to frontline housing services, Katherine became Toronto’s Director of Housing and Homelessness, creating and launching the Streets to Homes program (housing first), co-leading with St. Michael’s hospital Toronto’s involvement in the Mental Health Commission of Canada’s At Home/Chez Soi research project, developing the city’s first Indigenous Homelessness Strategy, and delivering its first street count. Her work during this time not only expanded affordable housing but also fundamentally transformed service delivery for those facing homelessness.

In Niagara Region as Commissioner of Community Services, Katherine expanded her reach, leading human services in homelessness prevention, child services, employment support, and long-term care. Her legacy included Niagara’s first housing and homelessness plan and contributions to the Niagara Regional Housing Board.

From 2017 to 2024, Katherine served as Commissioner of Community and Health Services for York Region and as President of Housing York, Inc., overseeing a $1 billion budget, 3,000 staff, and more than 300 programs that support York Region’s residents. Under her leadership, York achieved numerous strategic and service plans, including the region’s first Community Safety and Well-Being Plan and the York Region Inclusion Charter, recognized by the United Nations. Katherine’s focus on integrated service management and her dedication to equity and inclusion have enriched the lives of over 1.2 million residents.

In retirement, Katherine continues to support community development, volunteering with the Prince Edward County Affordable Housing Corporation and as a management consultant current supporting planning for a new community. She is deeply grateful to the talented colleagues, mentors, and team members whose passion, dedication, and commitment to public service have inspired her journey and ensured the delivery of essential programs that support healthier, more hopeful lives for so many.

Following 45 years of management and executive experience in government operated and funded health and human services, Douglas uses his expertise to provide strategic advice to government, not-for-profit and for-profit organizations. His experience spans service system management, multi-system integration, strategy and policy development, systems expansion, and oversight design and implementation within the human services and includes considerable understanding and expertise in diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Recent strategic advisory work includes:

• Collaborating with an Ontario social services organization develop its 10-year Early Learning and Child Care Service plan
• Advising an Ontario temporary shelter on managing external pressure to relocate its facility and operations
• Advising two Ontario based social service organizations on fiscal viability in an environment of declining funding and donor bases
• Leading an Ontario municipality through the introduction of integrated service access and delivery to improve client service and reduce multiple intakes
• Leading an Ontario immigration settlement community to settle and provide multiple services to 1,800 immigrants on an emergency basis in one year
• Introduced new thinking and concepts of care into family medicine through the College of Family Physicians of Canada to address the unique medical needs of the LGBT+ communities in partnership with a prominent Ontario Family Physician (1980s/90s)

Commitment and involvement in local, provincial and national charitable and voluntary sectors remain a passion for Douglas.  He has served on a variety of boards of directors including the Ontario Municipal Social Services Association, Sparrow Lake Alliance, EGALE, Canadians for Equal Marriage, AIDS Committee of Cambridge Kitchener Waterloo & Area (as founding Chair), to name a few. He has been an active supporter of the Arts having been a member of the Patrons Council of the National Ballet of Canada and a member of both the Stratford and Shaw Festivals. Locally, he was a director-at-large on the Board of the United Way of Cambridge and North Dumfries and currently sits as a Board member of Porchlight Counselling Services and The Cambridge Shelter Corporation.

In 2020, the Ontario Municipal Social Services Association awarded Douglas the Patti Moore Human Services Integration Award for excellence in integration and human services leadership. The award is presented annually to one member of the Association who excels in leadership and service integration.

Douglas, along with his husband Michael and their two miniature schnauzers, Friedrich and Greta reside in Cambridge, Ontario.

County of Simcoe

Following 45 years of management and executive experience in government operated and funded health and human services, Douglas uses his expertise to provide strategic advice to government, not-for-profit and for-profit organizations. His experience spans service system management, multi-system integration, strategy and policy development, systems expansion, and oversight design and implementation within the human services and includes considerable understanding and expertise in diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Recent strategic advisory work includes:

• Collaborating with an Ontario social services organization develop its 10-year Early Learning and Child Care Service plan
• Advising an Ontario temporary shelter on managing external pressure to relocate its facility and operations
• Advising two Ontario based social service organizations on fiscal viability in an environment of declining funding and donor bases
• Leading an Ontario municipality through the introduction of integrated service access and delivery to improve client service and reduce multiple intakes
• Leading an Ontario immigration settlement community to settle and provide multiple services to 1,800 immigrants on an emergency basis in one year
• Introduced new thinking and concepts of care into family medicine through the College of Family Physicians of Canada to address the unique medical needs of the LGBT+ communities in partnership with a prominent Ontario Family Physician (1980s/90s)

Commitment and involvement in local, provincial and national charitable and voluntary sectors remain a passion for Douglas.  He has served on a variety of boards of directors including the Ontario Municipal Social Services Association, Sparrow Lake Alliance, EGALE, Canadians for Equal Marriage, AIDS Committee of Cambridge Kitchener Waterloo & Area (as founding Chair), to name a few. He has been an active supporter of the Arts having been a member of the Patrons Council of the National Ballet of Canada and a member of both the Stratford and Shaw Festivals. Locally, he was a director-at-large on the Board of the United Way of Cambridge and North Dumfries and currently sits as a Board member of Porchlight Counselling Services and The Cambridge Shelter Corporation.

In 2020, the Ontario Municipal Social Services Association awarded Douglas the Patti Moore Human Services Integration Award for excellence in integration and human services leadership. The award is presented annually to one member of the Association who excels in leadership and service integration.

Douglas, along with his husband Michael and their two miniature schnauzers, Friedrich and Greta reside in Cambridge, Ontario.

City of Windsor

Debbie began her career in 1990 with the Ministry of Community and Social Services where she held the positions of Team Social Worker, Program Analyst, Project Manager and Program Supervisor supporting individuals and families with disabilities, child and youth mental health, young offenders violence against women and children’s treatment centres.
 
In 2006, Debbie started in the role of Executive Director of Housing and Children’s Services with the City of Windsor responsible for housing, homelessness, child care and early years and emergency social services and held this position for over 15 years until her retirement in 2022. She lead a small but mighty team whose work included many major accomplishments including but not limited to the implementation of a housing first program for people experiencing chronic homelessness; the creation of the Home Together, Windsor Essex’s 10 Year Housing and Homelessness Master Plan; expansion of EarlyOn programs to ensure that families/caregivers in each Best Start Neighbourhood have access to an EarlyOn program in their community; and expansion of supportive housing for youth experiencing homelessness. 
 
Debbie is grateful to have been part of leading an amazing team and support people in need in Windsor and Essex County for almost 16 years.

Grace Mater | City of Hamilton

Rick Farrell | York Region

Gayle Montgomery | County of Lambton
Beth Nowak | Cochrane DSSAB

Walter Burt | Prince Edward Lennox-Addington Social Services
Bruno Ierullo | City of Windsor
Roxanne Lambert | Region of Durham
Linda Mitchelson | City of Peterborough
Joe-Anne Priel | City of Hamilton
Lucy Sobczyk | City of Windsor
Mary Lou White | Lanark County

Stephen Arbuckle | City of Ottawa
Mary Beth Jonz | Halton Region
Adelina Urbanski | York Region
Brenda Wilton | County of Bruce

Lucy Brown | Municipality of Chatham-Kent
Shannon Hyatt | City of Windsor
Patti Moore | County of Norfolk
Brenda Patterson | City of Toronto
Dave Pelette | Niagara Region
Terry Sanderson | Grey County
Terry Talon | County of Simcoe

Marsha Millar | Municipality of Chatham-Kent
David Overboe | County of Huron
Jane Soldera | City of Hamilton

Merv Hughes | County of Norfolk
Heather MacVicar | City of Toronto
Sally Pincock | Halton Region

Carmen Ouellette | City of Greater Sudbury
Mike Schuster | Region of Waterloo
Wendy Stewart | Niagara Region
Ronna Warsh | City of Windsor

Mary Lucas | Thunder Bay DSSAB
Sue Norden | City of Brantford
Valerie Sauer | County of Wellington
Johanne Tallon | City of Ottawa
Bill White | Nipissing DSSAB
Connie Woloschuck | City of Ottawa