LMIC-CIMT - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Director, Department of Economic Development / Government of Yukon
Bryan Oates contributes to the writing and designing of content for LMIC's social channels. In addition, he also supports projects surrounding website development and analyzing social media analytics.
Aside from working at LMIC, Bryan is also a student at the University of Ottawa and will soon graduate from the Joint Honours in Communication and Sociology program.
When not he's not working or studying, Bryan enjoys storytelling and researching past and present true crime cases.
Job Titles:
- Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Skills and Employment Branch
- Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Skills and Employment Branch / Employment and Social Development Canada ( ESDC )
At ESDC, Catherine is responsible for employment insurance policies and youth employment and skills program policies (including the Youth Employment and Skills Strategy, Canada Summer Jobs, and Student Work Placement Program). She also oversees Future Skills Initiatives, labour market information and the Government of Canada Job Bank.
Prior to taking on her current role, she was Director General, Employment Insurance Policy, and Acting Assistant Deputy Minister of the Accessibility Task Team at ESDC, where she led the development and implementation of the Accessible Canada Act.
Catherine has also held various director general positions in the federal public service, including roles related to youth and skills innovation at ESDC, strategy and partnerships at ESDC, and intergovernmental affairs at the Privy Council Office. She was the executive director for labour market agreements with the provinces and territories and contributed to the Policy Research Initiative with the Privy Council Office and Ontario government.
Catherine holds an M.Sc. in industrial relations and has completed her PhD studies in Industrial Relations (abd).
Job Titles:
- Assistant Deputy Minister With Saskatchewan 's Ministry of Immigration and Career
- Assistant Deputy Minister, Ministry of Immigration and Career Services / Government of Saskatchewan
- Assistant Deputy Minister, Ministry of Immigration and Career Services / Government of Saskatchewan / Director
Christa Ross is an Assistant Deputy Minister with Saskatchewan's Ministry of Immigration and Career Training. Christa leads a provincial team responsible for an array of programs and services that support the employment and career growth of Saskatchewan residents, as well as the attraction and settlement of newcomers into the social and economic life of the province.
Christa has a Masters in Public Administration from the University of Regina. She has worked in the field of labour market development for the past 15 years, with experience both provincially and nationally in policy development, research and program delivery and design.
Outside of work, Christa enjoys spending time with her husband, 2 children and 2 dogs. She is a traveler, an avid reader, and a yoga enthusiast. She volunteers with Dress for Success Regina and for the YWCA Regina's annual Women of Distinction Awards.
Job Titles:
- Assistant
- Assistant Deputy Minister, Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development / Government of Ontario
- Assistant Deputy Minister, Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development / Government of Ontario / Director
David Beaulieu is the Assistant Deputy Minister for the Strategic Policy Division of Ontario's Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development.
In his current role, David is responsible for both policy development and data analytics. The division's mandate includes policy and legislative development in a wide range of workplace issues, including labour relations, health and safety, employment standards, workers' compensation and related areas. The division also leads intergovernmental initiatives and coordinates broader, cross-ministry initiatives.
Job Titles:
- Communications Specialist
Gabrielle Larose is a communications specialist who supports the LMIC team in the production of accessible labour market information and research, as well as in projects related to website development.
Prior to joining LMIC, Gabrielle split her free time between freelancing and working in communications for a municipality in Qu ébec. She likes to use her creative side to add value to the work she produces.
Gabrielle has a bachelor's degree in communication (Public Relations) from the University of Qu ébec in Montreal.
Job Titles:
- Director of Communications
With deep experience in strategic communications and marketing, Jessica leads LMIC's efforts to communicate its mission of empowering Canadians with high-quality labour market information. She develops and leads the execution of strategies to engage diverse audiences, including government stakeholders, employers, workers, researchers, and policymakers.
Jessica brings a wealth of expertise in digital engagement, branding, and multi-channel communications. Prior to joining LMIC, she worked with mission-driven organizations across North America, where she successfully implemented strategies that increased brand visibility and drove sustainable growth.
Outside of work, Jessica can be found spending time in nature with her husband and three cattle dogs, reading, cooking, and gardening. Her guilty pleasure is anything and everything pop-culture related.
Job Titles:
- Assistant
- Assistant Deputy Minister for Workforce Development and Skills Training at the Ministry of Post - Secondary Education and Future Skills / Government of British Columbia
- Assistant Deputy Minister for Workforce Development and Skills Training at the Ministry of Post - Secondary Education and Future Skills / Government of British Columbia / Director
Joanna White was appointed as the Assistant Deputy Minister for Workforce Development and Skills Training at British Columbia's Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills (PSFS) on December 16, 2022.
Prior to her appointment, Joanna was the Assistant Deputy Minister and Executive Financial Officer for B.C.'s Ministry of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation and the Ministry of Labour, where she provided executive leadership for the financial services, strategic human resources, corporate planning, and priorities and information management and systems teams. She held this position from November 2019 until joining PSFS in her current role.
Joanna began her civil service career in the United Kingdom as an asylum and refugee caseworker with the Home Office and joined the B.C. public service in 2006 after immigrating to Canada. Joanna has held a series of management and leadership roles across the economy sector ministries, including leadership of the Community Gaming Grants program and roles in strategic human resources, strategic initiatives and corporate policy, priorities and planning.
Joanna attended the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom and holds a BA (Hon) in history.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Chief Statistician, Social, Health and Labour Statistics Field
Josée Bégin holds a master's degree in mathematics and statistics (MSc) from the University of Ottawa. She started her career at the Canada Revenue Agency in 1994 before joining Statistics Canada in 2002, where she gained experience in overseeing large and complex statistical programs. Josée became the Assistant Chief Statistician of the Social, Health and Labour Statistics Field at Statistics Canada in January 2023.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director of Economic and Population Growth / Government of Prince Edward Island
Kal Whitnell is the Executive Director of Economic and Population Growth and has held this position since 2019. Kal is responsible for providing leadership, strategic direction and coordination of labour market information, population growth and settlement of newcomers, domestic and international trade policy, and economic advice.
Kal joined the Department of Economic Growth, Tourism and Culture in 2009 working across government to represent and support the interests of the businesses and citizens of Prince Edward Island.
Kal is responsible for a team working on key policies related to population and labour market needs of the province. Strategic focus is placed on growing the population of PEI through recruitment and retention of new immigrants and repatriation of Islanders and supported by labour market initiatives and policies including WorkPEI to better align job seekers and employers.
In his capacity, Kal also works on various Federal-Provincial-Territorial initiatives and is lead negotiator for the Government on trade policy files including international negotiations for CUSMA and CETA Agreements and domestic negotiations for the Canadian Free Trade Agreement.
Before working for the Government of Prince Edward Island, Kal enjoyed a career in the private sector in Economic Consulting prior to spending 10 years in the telecommunications industry in various roles including Finance, Marketing, Federal Government Relations and Policy. His past experiences have proven invaluable in the public sector since 2009, helping to drive the economic development agenda for the province.
Kal holds a Master's degree in Economics from the University of Guelph.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Deputy Minister of Immigration and Population Growth, Department of Immigration, Population Growth and Skills / Government of Newfoundland and Labrador
- Assistant Deputy Minister of Immigration and Population Growth, Department of Immigration, Population Growth and Skills / Government of Newfoundland and Labrador / Director
- Vice - President of the Newfoundland and Labrador Chapter of the Institute of Public Administration of Canada
Katie Norman first joined the Newfoundland and Labrador public service in 2007. Katie is currently the Assistant Deputy Minister of Immigration and Population Growth with the Department of Immigration, Population Growth and Skills, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. Prior to assuming her current role in April 2021, Katie held a variety of diverse roles within the public sector, including, Assistant Deputy Minister, Enforcement and Resource Services with the Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture, Assistant Deputy Minister of Public Engagement, and Executive Director of Planning and Coordination. Ms. Norman has also held a variety of management and policy positions in the provincial public service, including Cabinet Officer, Director of Workforce Development, Director of Skills and Labour Market Research, and Director of Social and Economic Policy (Intergovernmental Affairs).
Katie also spent time working in the Department of International and Intergovernmental Relations with the Government of Alberta, and was recognized with a Newfoundland and Labrador Public Service Award of Excellence in 2015 for her work in the area of population growth. Ms. Norman holds a Master of Public Administration from Queen's University, and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in political science from Memorial University. She is currently completing a Master of Laws in Administrative Law, from Osgoode Hall Law School (Professional Development) at York University.
Katie is currently Vice-President of the Newfoundland and Labrador Chapter of the Institute of Public Administration of Canada. She lives in St. John's with her husband Greg and their son, Tom.
Job Titles:
- Director of Research and Strategic Foresight
Ken works to develop and implement LMIC's vision for the collection and dissemination of research to support the data needs of Canada's evolving labour market.
Ken joins LMIC after working in education, labour market, and equity research to support evidence-based policymaking. He has published research reports and government evaluations on mental health, the impact of funding structures on government service provision, Work-Integrated Learning, and labour market transitions for new graduates.
Prior to entering the world of policy and government, he worked in biomedical engineering, researching spine regeneration at Mount Sinai Hospital. He then studied at McGill University, where he researched therapies for brain cancer at Montreal General Hospital.
In his spare time, Ken likes to travel, is an avid fan of film and pop culture, and spends time with his Shiba Inu, Kobe.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director of Economic and Labour Market Policy Division, Ministry of Economic Development and Jobs / Government of Manitoba
- Executive Director of Economic and Labour Market Policy Division, Ministry of Economic Development and Jobs / Government of Manitoba / Director
- Executive Director of the Economic and Labour
Lynn Houghton is the Executive Director of the Economic and Labour Market Policy division of Manitoba's Ministry of Economic Development and Jobs. In this role, she is responsible for overseeing the department's policy development, the production and dissemination of high quality labour market intelligence, and is Manitoba's senior official at a number of Federal-Provincial-Territorial tables, including the Forum of Labour Market Ministers.
Ms. Houghton has over 22 years of experience working in Manitoba's public service, in a variety of ministries and roles. This has included working in Federal-Provincial Relations, and for the past 12 years, she has worked in management and senior leadership positions overseeing and supporting economic and labour market programming. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Dalhousie University and a leadership certificate from the Queen's School of Business.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Deputy Minister, Labour and Strategic Services ( Division ), Post - Secondary Education, Training and Labour / Government of New Brunswick / Director
Job Titles:
- Acting Executive Director, Director of Governance and Operations
Job Titles:
- Associate Deputy Minister, Department of Labour, Skills and Immigration / Government of Nova Scotia
Job Titles:
- Assistant
- Assistant Deputy Minister, Income Assistance and Career Development, Department of Family Services
Sandy Kownak is the Assistant Deputy Minister for Income Assistance and Career Development in the Government of Nunavut's Department of Family Services.
Job Titles:
- Director, Labour Development and Standards, Department of Education, Culture and Employment / Government of the Northwest Territories
- Director, Labour Development and Standards, Department of Education, Culture and Employment / Government of the Northwest Territories / Director
Steve St. Pierre has been engaged in labour market development policy for nearly two decades and joined the Government of the Northwest Territories in as Manager of Labour Market Programs in 2017. Since that time, with the Government of the Northwest Territories, Steve has held the roles of Assistant Director, Labour Development, Director of Policy and Legislation, and also served as Director of the FLMM Secretariat.
In his current role as Director of Labour Development and Standards for the Government of the Northwest Territories, Steve is responsible policy development and management of labour market programs, apprenticeship, trades and occupational certification, the Northwest Territories Nominee Program, and employment standards.
Steve holds a Bachelor's Honours Degree from Concordia University in Montreal and a Master's Degree from Memorial University Newfoundland, both in Political Science.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Deputy Minister Strategy and Policy Labour and Immigration / Government of Alberta
- Assistant Deputy Minister, Labour and Workforce Strategies, Jobs, Economy and Northern Development / Government of Alberta / Director
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