Grant advisory committee
A volunteer group of current and retired Canada Post employees review applications and make recommendations to the Board of Trustees.
Community Foundation trustees
Meet our Foundation trustees and advisors
Grants are awarded by the Community Foundation trustees. The number of project and Signature Grants is limited to the funds available that given year.
Who decides on grants recipients
Trustees
The independent Board of Trustees* receive recommendations from employees. They provide final evaluation and decisions to ensure grants are awarded across the country.
Our trustees
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Julia Deans
Julia Deans is an accomplished and entrepreneurial leader who builds organizations and initiatives that connect people to opportunities. After practicing law with Torys LLP in Toronto and Hong Kong and creating a successful business in Singapore, Julia led CivicAction, Futurpreneur Canada and the task force that developed Ontario’s first-ever immigration strategy. Most recently, she was the founding CEO of the Canadian Children’s Literacy Foundation.
Julia is on the boards of Investeco, George Brown College, the Canada Post Community Foundation and jack.org. She has been recognized as one of WXN’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women in 2014 and 2017, received the YWCA Toronto Woman of Distinction Award, the Pearson Centre for Progressive Policy Progressive Leadership Award and the Goodman School of Business Distinguished Leader Award in 2018, and was named a 2012 Woman of Influence Canadian Diversity Champion. She holds a B.A.(Hons) from Queen's University, a Master of Public Administration from Columbia University, and a J.D./L.L.B from Osgoode Hall Law School.
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Vikram Khurana
CEO of Prudential Consulting Inc.
Mr. Khurana is the founder and CEO of Prudential Consulting Inc. in Toronto, an IT-enabled service provider. Prior to becoming an entrepreneur in 1995, Mr. Khurana worked with Toronto Dominion Bank in Commercial Credit. Since then, he has founded many India-centric businesses such as Leading System Consultants, a company engaged in IT staff augmentation, established in 1995, and Prudential Chem Inc., a company involved in marketing pharmaceutical formulations and ingredients, established in 2004. Mr. Khurana has been an advisor, consultant and served on the board of numerous multinational companies and community organizations in the field of Information Technology and Information Technology Enabled Services.
Mr. Khurana is currently a board member of the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada (APFC) and also serves on the Advisory Board of the Indo Canada Chamber of Commerce. Among other community involvements, he is an honorary Board member at Mt. Sinai Hospital Foundation in Toronto, honorary Ambassador of the Province of New Brunswick, Board member of India Research and Policy Institute at University of Waterloo and the Regional Convenor of the Canada-India Foundation. Mr. Khurana also serves on the Board of the Museum of Hindu Civilization. He has also served on the board of the Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA).
Mr. Khurana is an engineering graduate from India and also holds a Masters in Business Administration, Cum Laude, St. Mary's University, Halifax. He has been an active guest speaker on a wide variety of topics including mainstream media and business educational programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
Mr. Khurana is an active participant in a variety of community fundraising activities for worthy causes such as schools for underprivileged children, and long term aid initiatives for Haiti. In 2011, Mr. Khurana Co-Chaired the first Diwali gala to raise friends and funds for the Emergency Department at Toronto Western and Toronto General Hospital. Recently, Mr. Khurana received the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal in recognition of his achievements and work in the community.
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Jeffrey L. Orridge
Jeffrey L. Orridge is a leading executive with a lifelong passion for sport and business with more than 20 years of experience in building major brands, businesses, and teams. Mr. Orridge most recently served as Senior Vice President, Community and Partnerships for Canadian Tire Corporation. The former Commissioner of the Canadian Football League, he was the first African-American chief executive of a major North American sports league. Prior to that role, Jeffrey held the position of COO for Right to Play, International and had been the executive director of CBC Sports Properties and General Manager, Olympics.
At CBC, as the Executive Director of Sports and General Manager, Olympics, Orridge oversaw rights acquisitions, partnership management, revenue initiatives and program execution involving marquee sports properties and digital opportunities. He successfully secured the media rights to the 2014 and 2016 Olympic Games, the 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Games, and the 2018 and 2020 Olympics. Under his direction, the 2014 Sochi Olympics and 2014 FIFA World Cup achieved record setting broadcast reach, digital consumption and profitability.
Previously, Orridge was the Chief Operating Officer and head of Global Business Development for Right to Play International, a charity that improves the lives of children and youth around the world in the areas of health, education and wellness.
He has also served as Vice-President, Corporate Strategic Planning for Mattel Inc, identifying growth opportunities and capturing emerging trends for this multi-billion dollar company as well as Director, Sport Licensing for Warner Bros. Consumer Products.
His extensive resumé includes stints in the 1990's as Director, Global Sports Marketing for Reebok International and as Assistant Executive Director of USA Basketball, where he played an important role in introducing the first "Dream Team" to basketball fans around the world.
Born and raised in New York, he and his family hold both Canadian and American citizenship and have lived in Canada since 2007.
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Martha Durdin
President and CEO at Canadian Credit Union Association (CCUA)
Martha Durdin is currently the President and CEO at Canadian Credit Union Association (CCUA) . She is a seasoned executive with extensive experience in management, public affairs and advocacy. Previously, she was the Managing Principal of a leading national strategic public affairs firm and spent thirteen years as an executive at a large Canadian bank. Early in her career, Martha worked on Parliament Hill.
Martha volunteers her time for a number of community organizations. Among them, she served three terms as the Chair of the Ontario Arts Council and is currently Chair of the Royal Ontario Museum Board of Trustees. She is also a Director of The Canadian Club of Toronto. Martha represents CCUA on the boards of The World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU) and Co-operatives & Mutuals Canada (CMC). Martha is a recipient of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal.
Ms. Durdin is bilingual; holds a BA (Hon) from Western University, an MSc from the London School of Economics, and an ICD.D from the Institute of Corporate Director.
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Dr. Sharon A. Firth, LLD (Hon)
Youth and Volunteer Leadership Specialist, Government of the Northwest Territories
Dr. Sharon Firth is a Canadian former cross-country skier who competed in the Winter Olympics in 1972, 1976, 1980 and 1984 and eventually became a Youth and Volunteer Leadership Specialist for the government of the NWT, speaking to communities across the NWT about the positive influence of sports. Her career is an outstanding testimony to the dedication displayed by her in achieving a level of excellence very rarely attained by any athlete in this country.
At a time when many people of the north still survived on the land by hunting, fishing, trapping and sewing, Sharon followed her dream to see the world. She speaks with great humility and fondness for the life she was born into and how it was the foundation for her success. Being raised on the land and learning traditional skills gave Sharon the discipline, perseverance and courage to achieve. Sharon and her twin sister Shirley made cross-country skiing a way of life. Members of the Gwich’in First Nation, the Firth sisters won a combined 79 medals, including 48 titles, at the national championships. They were the first indigenous women to be inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 2015.
Sharon was the recipient of many awards during her illustrious career such as The Order of Canada (1987), an induction in the Canadian Ski Museum Hall of Fame (1990), the National Aboriginal Achievement Award in the sports category (2005), the Queen’s Silver Jubilee Award (2012), and induction into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame; the highest Sports Honor in Canada (2015), an honorary doctorate of laws from the University of Alberta in 2017 and received the Order of the Northwest Territories in 2018. Sharon was also featured on a stamp in 2018 as part of the Canadian Women in Winter Sports series. She is currently an adjunct professor at the University of Alberta, School of Public Health.
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Doug Ettinger
President and CEO, ex-officio
Doug Ettinger was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of Canada Post in March 2019.
Canada Post is the country’s postal service and leading parcel delivery company. In 2018, it delivered 8 billion pieces of mail, parcels and messages to 16.4 million addresses. With its subsidiaries Purolator Inc., SCI Group Inc. and Innovapost Inc., Canada Post is a leader in providing innovative e-commerce, marketing and logistics solutions.
As Chief Commercial Officer for Canada Post from August 2016 until his appointment as CEO, Doug led growth strategies for Canada Post’s Parcels, Direct Marketing and Transaction Mail businesses. He oversaw all commercial functions, including Sales, Marketing, Retail, Digital, Business Development and Customer Service. He was also a member of the senior executive team that reviews and approves major business plans, processes and policies, as well as performance indicators and targets.
An accomplished senior executive with a strong focus on customer service, Doug has more than 30 years of broad experience in the consumer packaged goods industry. He worked with Canadian and global organizations – leading sales, marketing, and product management.
Before joining Canada Post in August 2016, Doug led well-established companies through complex business transformations. He was President and CEO of Scotsburn Dairy Group, the largest Atlantic Canadian-owned dairy processor and distributor. Prior to that, he was the first non-family member to be President and CEO of Ganong Bros. Limited, one of Canada’s oldest family businesses. Previously, he held executive roles with Parmalat, Nestlé and Coca-Cola.
Doug also chairs the board of Innovapost.
A proud native of Nova Scotia, Doug earned both a Bachelor of Commerce degree and a Masters in Business Administration from Dalhousie University in Halifax.
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Susan Margles
Senior Vice-President, Corporate Affairs, Canada Post
Susan Margles is Senior Vice-President, Corporate Affairs. In this role, Susan is responsible for managing the relationships and developing and negotiating the corporate positioning vis-à-vis our Shareholder, the Government of Canada, and other levels of government across the country. She is also responsible for ensuring that the policy and regulatory framework for the corporation provides clear direction for the effective formulation of corporate strategies and achievement of sustainable business results.
Susan joined Canada Post in 2005 from the federal government where she worked in increasingly senior positions in several different departments including the Department of Finance, Transport Canada, Industry Canada and Health Canada.
In the course of her career, Susan has established excellent relationships with senior government officials and Central Agencies. Throughout her career, Susan has garnered extensive experience in dealing with multiple stakeholders, representing divergent interests, on highly sensitive public policy issues. She is known for her strong communication skills and ability to bring complex issues to ground.
Susan is fluently bilingual and holds a Bachelors Degree in Economics and an MBA from McGill University. She is married and is the mother of two.
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Jo-Anne Polak
Vice-President, Communications and Public Affairs, Canada Post
Ms. Polak was appointed Vice-President, Communications and Public Affairs in April 2011. In this role, she is responsible for aligning and integrating internal and external communication strategies for employees, stakeholders and the public.
She joined Canada Post in April 2008 as General Manager, Communications Strategy. Prior to that, she spent 14 years as Senior Vice-President with Hill & Knowlton, one of the world's leading public relations, public affairs and strategic communications agencies. Jo-Anne led major corporate communications initiatives for national and global clients across a multitude of industries, including oil and gas, transportation, financial services, entertainment and technology. She is credited with creating innovative communications methods that have since been adopted by the company worldwide.
In December of 1988, at the age of 29, Jo-Anne was named General Manager of the Ottawa Rough Riders of the Canadian Football League. At the time, she was the first female General Manager of any professional sports franchise in North America. Following three seasons with the team, Jo-Anne spent two years as a morning show co-host on an Ottawa radio station before moving to Hill & Knowlton.
Next steps and support
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*Canada Post provides administrative support for the Foundation and facilitates fundraising activities. The Foundation's Trust Deed stipulates no more than 8% of funds raised for the Foundation may be used to cover overhead costs, though typically less than 4% of funds raised are used by the Foundation to support its work.