Canuck Place team

Denise Praill

CEO

Denise Praill joined Canuck Place in 2013 as Chief Development Officer and was appointed Chief Executive Officer in April 2022. She brings more than 20 years of experience and success as a senior executive in the philanthropic, non-profit and private sectors in BC.

Denise has helped build a diverse and talented team that brought a relationship-based fundraising model and other significant strategies to Canuck Place — doubling annual revenues from $9.1M to more than $18M. She has also been a key member of the senior leadership team, providing strategic vision and direction to the organization.

Before joining Canuck Place, Denise held front-line fundraising and senior management positions with United Way of the Lower Mainland. She also has management, communications and public relations experience in the private sector.

Denise holds her CFRE (Certified Fund Raising Executive) designation and is a long-standing member with the Association of Fundraising Professionals. She is an active volunteer in her community, currently serving on two non-profit boards dedicated to animal welfare.

Dr. Hal Siden, MD MHSc FRCPC

Medical Director

Dr. Harold (Hal) Siden, MD, MHSc, FRCPC, is the Medical Director of Canuck Place Children’s Hospice in Vancouver Canada. He oversees the physician team, research, education programs and care of over 800 children with life-threatening illnesses and their families.

Specializing in pediatric palliative care, Dr. Hal Siden has been the Canuck Place Medical Director since 2001 and has played a vital role in caring for children and families for the over 20 years. Leading innovative research, developing new clinical practices, educating medical students and residents while advocating for the care of terminally ill children are all part of his committed career.

Hal’s work has made BC the nation’s leader in pediatric palliative care, which in turn, provides a unique model followed throughout the world. His efforts have undeniably improved the lives of many children and their families. A devoted educator in the specialty he pioneered, Hal continues his work as a compassionate and involved clinician.

He is also is an Attending Physician in Pediatrics and Division Head of Palliative Medicine at BC Children’s Hospital and an Investigator in the BCCH Research Institute. He is a Clinical Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of British Columbia (UBC) with a joint appointment in the Inter-Departmental Division of Palliative Medicine. His clinical interests are pediatric palliative care, pediatric pain management and general & complex care pediatrics. He is Principal Investigator on several projects funded by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research.

In 2017, Dr. Hal was presented with the Dr. Parminder Singh Award of Distinction by the BC Pediatric Society for his leading work in the field of pediatrics. In 2016, Dr. Hal was presented with the BC Community Achievement Award recognizing individuals who have made a significant contribution to their community either as volunteers or in the course of their work.

Early in his career, he realized he wanted to help the children he was caring for in a different way.

“I was a physician caring for a lot of kids that I couldn’t cure, but I realized I could still make a difference in their lives. That was really important to me as a doctor.”

Kristina Boyer, RN MScA

Clinical Program Director

Kristina Boyer joined Canuck Place in 2005 as a Clinical Nurse Specialist and being an integral part of the Canuck Place team for over 15 years has provided Kristina with a deep understanding of the complex needs of vulnerable children and families and the value of working with them to reduce suffering and improve their quality of life.

She transitioned to her current role as Clinical Director in July 2020, overseeing the entire clinical program at Canuck Place. Her passion and dedication to the role enables her to set strategic priorities to further the development of pediatric palliative care in the province

Working closely alongside the medical director, Kristina is committed to supporting excellence in pediatric palliative care, including ongoing learning, innovation and continuous improvement of Canuck Place’s model of care.

Before joining Canuck Place, Kristina was a Clinical Nurse Specialist at SickKids, the largest pediatric hospital in Canada. This is where she first began working with children with life-limiting illnesses and their families – advancing her career in complex pediatric palliative care.

Kristina is a Registered Nurse; she attended McGill University where she received a Bachelor of Science degree, and a Master of Science (Applied) degree.

Jennifer Polci

Managing Director, Development

Jennifer Polci joined Canuck Place in 2014 as Director, Corporate & Community Partnerships, and was named Managing Director, Development in 2021. Jennifer brings more than 15 years experience as a senior leader in Development.

Prior to joining Canuck Place in 2014, she held the role of Director, Corporate & Major Gifts with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra for nine years with previous roles at Thames Valley Children’s Centre, the Grand Theatre and Fanshawe Pioneer Village in London, ON. From special events and major gifts to planned giving, Jennifer’s career has spanned the range of fundraising activities.

In her eight years at Canuck Place, Jennifer has helped establish a diverse, multi-talented team that excels in a relationship-based fundraising model and strong community partnerships. She brings a strategic vision alongside a measured approach to key strategic conversations, and builds strong relationships with both internal and external stakeholders.

Jennifer completed a post-graduate degree in PR and Journalism from Sheridan College after completing her BA in Sociology and Journalism from the University of Western Ontario.

Catherine Gordon, CPHR SHRM-SCP

Director, People & Culture

Catherine has experience in the recruitment, legal, technology, regulatory, environmental, healthcare and non-profit sectors. Since 2018, she has been the Director, People and Culture at Canuck Place Children’s Hospice; supporting all aspects of HR for 200 staff across BC.

A life-long learner Catherine holds the following certifications: Strategic HR Practices, Employer Brand Strategist, Advanced Employment Supports Specialty, Leadership and Inclusion and Antiracism. In addition to “Leading a Mentally Healthy Workplace”, CPHR Workplace Mental Health and a Mental Health First Aid Certificate. She is currently enrolled in the following programs: Disability Management Practitioner, Maslow Executive Leadership Coaching and Mindful Leader.

Carol Ellis, CPA

Chief Financial Officer & Facilities

Carol Ellis joined Canuck Place in 2019 as Chief Financial Officer. Carol brings more than 30 years of experience as a finance and operations leader in the public, private, and non-profit sectors.

Prior to joining Canuck Place, she held the role of Chief Financial Officer at the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research and other leadership roles with healthcare and family services charities in BC and her home province of Manitoba.

Since joining Canuck Place, Carol has helped build a diverse and skilled finance, IT, and facilities team. She is working with her team to bring in technology initiatives that support Canuck Place to be able to care for children and families no matter where they work. Carol has also initiated a workplace strategy that is underway to align the work environments across three locations with Canuck Place’s long-term objectives. She is an active member of the senior leadership team developing vision and direction for the organization.

Carol holds her CPA (Chartered Professional Accountant) designation. She is an active volunteer in her community, and with her love of animals, she focuses her time on animal rescue charities.

Jessica Tremblay

Director, Volunteer & Support Services

Jessica Tremblay joined Canuck Place in 2018 as Director, Volunteer & Support Services. Jessica oversees housekeeping and food service departments across two hospice sites, as well as the volunteer program consisting of 400 incredibly dedicated people.

Jessica has an extensive background in leadership, hospitality and operations. She has over 15 years in senior leadership roles with Red Robin Restaurants both franchise and corporate operations. This included overseeing new restaurant openings and training programs for management and staff across BC and Alberta, comprised of 18 locations and 1500+ employees. As Regional Operations Director (multi-unit), Jessica was responsible for overseeing up to $11 million in revenue.

In her four years at Canuck Place, Jessica has mentored and leveraged the talent of her staff and managers. Her focus has been on attracting and retaining top support staff and volunteer talent, ensuring her team’s work is guided by the program service needs that support Canuck Place children and families. In 2019 she led her team in the growth and recruitment to reach over 400 volunteers dedicating an incredible 25,000 hours of service.

Being able to offer hot meals, housekeeping services, and quality time with volunteers, keeps Jessica and her team connected to the purpose of Canuck Place; to ease the burden for families staying in hospice, and provide exceptional pediatric palliative care for children with short lives and the families who love them.

Debbie Butt

Director, Communications Marketing & Events

Debbie leads the communications, marketing and proprietary fundraising events team for Canuck Place. Working in partnership with families, volunteers, clinical and fundraising staff the communications and events team engages the community, donors and builds awareness of the positive impact of Canuck Place programs on children with life-threatening illnesses and BC families.

Previously, Debbie was the Director of Communications & Brand for the Rick Hansen Leadership group supporting initiatives of the 25th Anniversary Man in Motion World Tour, Rick Hansen Heroes CTV Special and the key lead on the Difference Maker Series for the London 2012 Games. As Executive Director of the independent not-for-profit Canucks for Kids Fund and Director of Community Partnerships, she led largest NHL-team charity from 2005 to 2010 generating grants of over $14.3 million to BC charities serving children.

Debbie was the Director of Communications for four years for the BC Lions Football Club and held the same title with the Vancouver Grizzlies of the NBA for a six year tenure and led the Spinoza Bear program for the Grizzlies Foundation. Debbie completed her degree in journalism from Ryerson Polytechnical University after graduating from the University of British Columbia in Human Kinetics.

Bob Smart

Chair

President & CEO, Primex Technologies

Bob Smart holds an ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors and an MBA from The Ivey School of Business. For over 45 years, Bob has provided strategic and operational expertise to a wide variety of industries, and he has contributed as a director to both private and non-profit organizations.

As President and CEO of Primex Manufacturing Ltd., a B.C.-based plastic injection molder, Bob lead the company from a regional supplier to become the market leader in engineered plastic panels to the Telecommunications Industry in North America. This journey involved several acquisitions and divestitures, as well as a recent sale to CRH, a multinational public corporation.

Bob has recently retired from Primex and now focuses his energy and expertise as a strategic advisor to businesses and organizations.

Suzanne Steenburgh

Vice Chair

R.N. & Health Leader

Suzanne Steenburgh is a former nurse and health leader with almost 20 years of experience in children’s health.

Suzanne is currently focusing her efforts on exploring, teaching and promoting mindful compassion programs to support care givers and prevent or heal empathy fatigue and burn out.

Prior to this, Suzanne held the role of Director for Quality, Safety and Accreditation with the Provincial Health Services Authority. Suzanne lead the safety programs for multiple child and youth agencies in this role and supported the teams through the last Accreditation Canada survey, achieving an ongoing Exemplary Status.

It was Suzanne’s role as Program Manager (2009-2016) at B.C. Children’s Hospital that ignited her passion for quality and safe care. Suzanne held management positions with oversight of the medical/surgical inpatient units as well as some of the ambulatory care clinics. During this time, Suzanne also lead the clinical teams through the design process for 2 of the new inpatient floors at the Teck Acute Care Center.

Suzanne’s early clinical time was spent working in the areas of pediatric neurosciences and oncology, with a specific focus in the care of children with brain and spinal cord tumors. It is this close work with children and families that Suzanne describes as being one of the true gifts in her life and career.

Suzanne holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, a Master’s in Nursing and certifications in lean leader methodologies, change management and coaching.

Suzanne lives in Vancouver with her husband and two children and joined the Canuck Place Board at the end of 2018.

Teresa Budd

Vice Chair & Secretary

Governance Consultant & Lawyer

Teresa Budd is a governance consultant and lawyer with 20 years’ experience in governance and law. As a collaborator with WATSON, Teresa conducts governance reviews, board evaluations, corporate secretarial practice assessments and supports multiple boards as an outsourced corporate secretary. She also facilitates governance education programs for individual directors and boards.

Previously, Teresa was a partner at Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP, practicing corporate finance and business law in both Vancouver and Toronto.

Active in her community, Teresa is the Chair of the Inquiry Committee of the College of Massage Therapists of British Columbia and is a Past Chair of the Board of 211 British Columbia Services Society.

Teresa resides in North Vancouver with her husband, two daughters and their dog.

Tom Webster

Treasurer

Chief Treasury & Investment Officer, First West Credit Union

Tom Webster is an experienced senior executive who has more than 30 years of experience in the financial services industry. His areas of expertise include strategic management, leadership and coaching, financial management, investment management and risk management.

Tom recently retired from First West Credit Union as the Chief Treasury and Investment Officer following 17 years as CFO overseeing an eight-fold growth in assets. First West is the third-largest credit union in the Province of British Columbia and operates through four community-based regional brands.

Tom has an undergraduate degree from the University of Victoria, as well as a CPA, CA and the ICD.D designation through the Institute of Corporate Directors. Tom was recognized in 2021 by Business in Vancouver as CFO of the year in the Transformation category.

John DeLucchi

President & CEO, Madison Group

John is the President & CEO of Madison Venture Corporation (madisonGroup of companies) which has interests in commercial real estate and operating businesses in industrial automation, service and engineering, business information analytics and media.

Prior to joining the madisonGroup John was a partner at PwC until March of 2020.

After serving as the BC Region Managing Partner John was elected to the board of PwC Canada and served as a director from 2018 to 2020 when he joined the madisonGroup.

John was the Managing Partner for PwC in the BC Region from 2009 to 2017. In addition to being Managing Partner, John previously held various leadership roles at PwC including National Consumer and Industrial Products Leader (responsible for industries including: Mining, Forestry, Retail, Real Estate, Pharma and Life Sciences and other Industrial products industries), National Technology Leader and National Life Sciences Leader.

During his career at PwC John primarily worked with public companies listed in Canada and the US as well as selected large, professionally run private companies. The majority of the companies John worked with have international operations in several countries.

Over the last number of years John was an instructor for the Directors Education Program for the Canadian Institute of Corporate Directors of Canada.

John currently serves as a director on the boards of Covenant House Vancouver and Canuck Place Children’s Hospice. John has also previously served on several business association and not for profit boards over the years such as the Business Council of B.C. and the United Way as well as many others.

Markus T. Delves

Director, Finance & Investment, Quantum Properties

Markus T. Delves, CPA, CA is a Chartered Professional Accountant and an experienced board member in the healthcare sector. He is the Director of Finance for Quantum Properties, a Fraser Valley real estate construction company where he’s worked since 2013. His healthcare experience includes serving as a board member and the Chair of the Finance and Audit Committee at the Fraser Health Authority from 2014 to 2018 and serving as the Treasurer of the Abbotsford Hospice Society since 2014. He is also currently the Treasurer of the Fraser Valley Indo-Canadian Business Association.

Markus articled with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP in Vancouver. After obtaining his designation, he transferred to PwC’s London, UK office where he advised multinational corporations. Previously he served in the Royal Canadian Navy reserves where he retired as a Lieutenant.

Markus holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Simon Fraser University and a Diploma in Accounting from the University of British Columbia. He later returned to SFU to teach as a Lecturer at the Beedie School of Business.

Markus lives in Abbotsford where he is an active volunteer in the community and joined the Canuck Place Children’s Hospice board in September 2019.

Dr. Douglas Cochrane

Professor Emeritus, UBC Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery

Doug has served as the Chair of the BC Patient Safety & Quality Council (BCPSQC)and as the Provincial Patient Safety & Quality Officer since the Council’s creation in 2008. In 2017 he was also appointed as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Interior Health Authority.

Doug retired from clinical practice in 2017 after a three-decade career as a pediatric neurosurgeon at BC Children’s Hospital and Sunny Hill Health Centre for Children in Vancouver and the Hospital for Sick Children (Sick Kids) in Toronto. During that time, he served in numerous leadership roles supporting BC Children’s Hospital, the Children’s and Women’s Health Centre, the Provincial Health Services Authority and Sick Kids. He also chaired the BC Patient Safety Task Force from its inception in 2003 to the creation of the BC Patient Safety & Quality Council and was a past Chair of the Canadian Patient Safety Institute.

A passionate teacher, Doug was appointed Professor Emeritus by the University of British Columbia’s Department of Surgery in 2016. He continues to serve as Faculty for the BCPSQC Quality Academy and Clinician Quality Academy programs, as well as the Sauder Physician Leadership program at the University of British Columbia.

Robert Coard

Partner, PwC Canada

Robert Coard is Partner in the Vancouver office of PwC Canada, who specializes in providing assurance and business advisory services to growing companies. He is the BC Region Industries Leader and the Technology and Consumer Markets leader for Western Canada. Robert has advised many companies on significant transactions and assisted others in achieving growth through acquisition and in capital markets. He spent two years seconded to the London, UK office of PwC. His past voluntary involvement has included extensive service to the CPA training program, The Canadian Cancer Society, The Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, and the Neil Squire Society.

Barbra Mohan

Canuck Place Family Advisor

Barbra Mohan became part of the Canuck Place family when her fifteen-year-old son Jasper received end-of-life care at Glen Brae Manor in 2013. Following his passing, Barbra served a six-year term on the Canuck Place Family Advisory Committee (FAC) and is now serving as the designated Board member on that committee, representing the family experience at the Board level and acting as a liaison between the two groups.

Barbra has worked in local government since 2003 and is currently the General Manager, Corporate Services for the Cowichan Valley Regional District. She also serves on the Vancouver Island Counselling Board as well as the Cowichan Valley Concert Band Board. She enjoys speaking to physician and patient groups about the experience of rare childhood cancer research, treatment and child loss.

Her educational background includes an undergraduate degree in Biology and Environmental Studies from the University of Victoria and an MBA from the University of Calgary’s Haskayne School of Business. She loves playing and composing music, cycling and sailing with her husband Stephen from their home on Vancouver Island.

Jill Donaldson

Principal, IWJ Law

Jill is a Principal at IWJ Law, Business + Investment Counsel, having joined in 2000 as an associate from the Vancouver office of Blakes, Cassels & Graydon. Jill has extensive experience working with senior executives and their boards in the areas of strategic planning and implementation, governance and stakeholder capitalism, mergers and acquisitions, and compliance and risk management. Jill brings a breadth of experience advising her clients on the business, legal and regulatory issues that arise with the formation, management and operation of public and private investment funds and private and listed companies.

Jill promotes an active and collaborative decision-making process for Boards tied to strong corporate governance, avoiding group think and supporting effective deliberations. For the past 14 years, Jill served as corporate secretary of a public investment fund that is a unique partnership of diverse stakeholders seeking to provide more than rates of return by offering retail investors access to venture capital investments, encouraging employee share ownership, and being an economic driver of the B.C. economy. In April 2021, Jill joined the board of directors of Prospera Credit Union.

Jill obtained her J.D. from the University of British Columbia Law School in 1996 and was called to the British Columbia Bar in 1997. Prior to attending law school, Jill received a Bachelor of Commerce with Honours from the University of British Columbia. In 2019, Jill obtained her Institute of Corporate Directors Director Designation after completing the ICD-Rotman Directors Education Program.

Jill is also active in the community as an advisor to the Governance Committee of Canuck Place Children’s Hospice, as co-chair of the Canuck Place Gift of Time Gala Committee for a second term having been on the committee for the past five years and previously was on the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation Run for the Cure organizing committee for six years. Jill enjoys family life with her husband and their two daughters.

Jennifer Baumbusch

Professor, UBC School of Nursing

Jennifer Baumbusch is an Associate Professor and CIHR Chair in Sex & Gender Science (2020 – 2024) at the School of Nursing at the University of British Columbia (UBC). Her research program focuses on improving person- and family-centered care for older adults and people with lifelong disabilities. She teaches in the areas of nursing care of older adults, care of people with disabilities, research methods, knowledge translation, and leadership.

Jennifer has been a registered nurse for 25 years. Before becoming a faculty member at UBC, she worked in professional practice, nursing education, and as a staff nurse at a variety of organizations. For several years, she has been a member of the Practice-Based Research Challenge Committee with Providence Healthcare and through this role teaches research methods to practicing healthcare professionals. Jennifer is committed to working with clinicians around quality of care and best practices.

Jennifer completed her Bachelor of Science in Nursing at UBC and went on to graduate studies at Western University, returning to UBC for her PhD in Nursing.

Jennifer lives in Burnaby with her family, which includes their two dogs.

Barry Macdonald

Chairman and CEO of Truvera Trust & Mortgage Group.

Barry is also a corporate director and strategic advisor. He focuses on governance, business growth and innovation, international expansion, and accounting/finance in a variety of industries. He has chaired (and created) large boards for businesses, public institutions, member organizations, non profits, foundations, and was chair of an international organization (see below) with 32,000 worldwide members.

Barry was 2018/19 Chair of the Board of the Chartered Professional Accountants of B.C. He led their board of 17 directors governing 35,000 members. Barry was on their leadership team that unified three accounting bodies in 2015, creating a new board and governance structure. At the CPA profession’s national level, Barry represented BC on the Collaboration Accord Review Task Force, which reviewed the governance and operational relationships among CPA Canada and the regulated provincial bodies (including two territories and Bermuda).

Barry retired in 2016 as a partner with PricewaterhouseCoopers, after a 34 year career with them. From 1990 to 1997, Barry was a partner in PwC’s Hong Kong firm, their only partner from North America. His PwC expertise area was cross border tax and transfer pricing planning. He also held various executive leadership roles with the firm, including large client relationships, HR, Recruiting, and was their Canadian Inbound Clients Leader. Barry has lectured and given presentations in over ten countries.

In addition to Truvera Trust & Mortgage, Barry is a board director of these companies; Iplayco (until end of 2019; TSX-V traded children’s indoor playground equipment manufacturer, Chair of their Audit Committee), EasyPark (parking transportation, past Chair of their Governance, HR and Nominating Committee), and Frontfundr (fintech, Chair of their Audit Committee). He was a strategic advisor to TMF (a global business services provider). Barry further serves on the Institute of Corporate Directors’ BC Chapter Executive Committee.

Barry is passionate about community service. He chairs or serves on many non-profits, including a number of boards at Simon Fraser University (Chair of the Beedie Dean’s Business Advisory Board, Executive Chair of the UniverCity Real Estate Trust, past member of the Board of Governors, and director of the SFU Foundation), the Hong Kong Canada Business Association (past National Chairman, 1500 members across Canada), Federation of HK Business Associations Worldwide (past elected World Chairman; 32,000 members) and Arts Umbrella Foundation (Immediate Past Chairman).

During his time in Hong Kong, Barry was a Chairman of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in HK, and an early governor of the Canadian International School of HK. Barry recently joined the Canuck Place Children’s Hospice Governance Committee.

Barry has enthusiastically raised funds, through participating in the Campaign Cabinets, for Simon Fraser University, Arts Umbrella, and the new YMCA Coquitlam BC Building.

Barry was elected Fellowship by the CPA CA profession in 2005. In 2018, he received the SFU Chancellor’s Distinguished Service Award. Barry qualified as a Hong Kong Certified Public Accountant in 1993. He earned the ICD designation in 2015.