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The Justice Institute of British Columbia Foundation (The ������ý Foundation) welcomed five new board directors at its virtual Annual General Meeting (AGM) on June 16.

Bringing a wide range of skills, experience, and diversity to the board are: Jennifer Killam, Doctors of BC; Sean Millington, Gair Williamson Architects; Wayne Schnitzler, First Nations Emergency Services; Emily Walmsley, Canadian Western Bank; and retired engineering consultant Terry Wong. 

The ������ý Foundation bid farewell to Vice-Chair Blair Fryer, City of New Westminster, and Secretary Daniel Whittle, Sealord Capital Corporation, who both served six years on the board and chaired the Governance and Nominating Committee and Finance Committee, respectively. 

Following the AGM, Dave Mitchell, Dave Mitchell & Associates Ltd., was reappointed Chair and Gurpal Siekham, Prospera Credit Union, as Treasurer; Kathy Wunder, Vancouver Police Department, was appointed Vice-Chair of the Board, and Louise Nagy, LifeLabs, as Secretary. Incumbents Curtis Campbell, RBC Royal Bank; John Oakley, Emergency Management BC; and Dr. John Tallon, BCEHS and UBC, will continue to serve as directors.  

Highlights from an extraordinary year

At the AGM, Mitchell shared the Board’s activities during 2020-2021 and acknowledged the hard work and commitment of the directors during a challenging year. Highlights include establishing a Communications and Marketing Committee, the Governance and Nominating Committee’s outstanding slate of directors and the Finance Committee overseeing another clean audit.  

Tracy Campbell, Executive Director, The ������ý Foundation and Director, Office of Development, ������ý, reported on the year’s fundraising and engagement activities. Donors generously gave over $380,000 and The ������ý Foundation disbursed more than $300,000 in support of justice and public safety education at ������ý.

Over 60 students received financial assistance from more than 40 named awards, and three new awards were established in 2020-2021. 

Work continued on a project to enhance, update and scale ������ý’s . Thanks to a $300,000 three-year grant from the Vancouver Foundation, the CDRP website was launched in February and is home to a suite of free, online community-centred disaster planning tools and strategies. Also, the ������ý Community Public Safety Award, supported by BC Hydro, helped cover the cost of specialized emergency management training for three communities during the year.  

In 2020, The ������ý Foundation delivered two Giving Tuesday campaigns. Held in response to the pandemic, Giving Tuesday Now in May saw fundraising for a new Student Emergency Assistance Fund  and ������ý participating in the parade past Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster in support of health care workers and the emergency services family. 

The Giving Tuesday campaign in December focused on increasing digital resources for the ������ý Library and exceeded its $20,000 goal. Recognizing the library’s essential role, the Peter & Joanne Brown Foundation generously contributed $50,000 with a portion going to the Giving Tuesday campaign and the rest to additional priority needs for the library. 

The year saw paramedicine education at ������ý enhanced thanks to generous contributions from several donors for training equipment and resources. A significant contribution of $100,000 from a supporter that wishes to remain anonymous enabled all four campuses delivering paramedic training to receive a MegaCode Kelly Advanced manikin (including Simpad) and Deluxe Difficult Airway Trainer. The airway trainer is a tool for students to learn how to manage difficult and obstructed airways. The full-body manikin is also designed for the practice of such advanced airway scenarios and additional invasive skills such as intravenous cannulation, resuscitation from cardiac arrest, and other critical interventions.

This was the largest-ever cash gift in support of paramedic simulation equipment. Additional support was received from Peter W. Webster, LLD, founding chair of The ������ý Foundation and ������ý honorary degree recipient, who funded a Crash Kelly manikin.

Long-serving former director of The ������ý Foundation and ������ý honorary degree recipient Marvin Storrow, QC, LLD renewed his support for new initiatives benefiting Indigenous learners at ������ý. 

The meeting concluded with a sharing highlights from the year. 

“The pandemic has reminded us of the vital work of first responders, many of whom in British Columbia trained at ������ý. It is heartwarming to receive gifts in recognition of these efforts,” said Campbell. “We extend our appreciation to all our supporters and look forward to welcoming them back to campus soon to see first-hand the difference their gifts make.” 

ABOUT THE JUSTICE INSTITUTE OF BRITISH COLUMBIA FOUNDATION

For almost 30 years,  (The ������ý Foundation) has inspired giving for important needs that enhance education, training, student learning, and applied research at ������ý. These needs most often include student financial support in the form of awards and bursaries, highly specialized training equipment and technology, and funding for innovative new initiatives. The ������ý Foundation is proud to be building meaningful relationships with communities to support Canada’s leading public safety educator.