Board Meeting Highlights
CDHA’s board of directors works year-round in service of all members, setting priorities for the
association and advocating for the profession and the importance of oral health to overall health. Three times a
year, board members meet to discuss important policy matters and review the association’s progress in meeting its
strategic goals.
Fall 2023 Board Meeting Highlights
The Canadian Dental Hygienists Association (CDHA) hosted our first hybrid Annual General Meeting on October 21, 2023.
The CDHA Board of Directors also met in person October 20, 21, and 22 at the Fort Garry Hotel in Winnipeg, Manitoba. A
meeting was also held in Winnipeg with the CDHA Board, Provincial presidents/executive directors/representatives from
all provinces and territories.
Key highlights from these meetings include the following:
Annual General Meeting
Over 1,000 members registered for the 2023 hybrid AGM.
CDHA’s president, Anne Caissie, encouraged members to download the full Annual Report to see all of CDHA’s achievements
for the 2022-2023 fiscal year.
Financial Statements and Appointment of Auditor
The chair of the audit committee, Kathy Yerex, presented the 2022-2023 audited financial statements. KPMG was appointed
as auditor for 2023-2024.
By-Law Amendments
Two by-law amendments were approved:
6.1 change Past President to Immediate Past President
6.2 change Executive Director to Chief Executive Officer
CDHA’s Board of Directors
Wendy Stewart, CDHA President for 2021-2022 and Director from Nova Scotia, finished her term on the board and was
recognized.
CDHA welcomed three new Directors, Nicole Mainville (New Brunswick), Tayyaba Fiaz (Quebec) and Wendy Wells (Nova
Scotia).
Nicole Mainville
Director
New Brunswick
Tayyaba Fiaz
Director
Québec
Wendy Wells
Director
Nova Scotia
CDHA Board of Directors
The presentation of the CDHA Board of Directors for 2023-2024:
Front Row (left to right): Cindy Holden – Newfoundland & Labrador; Alexandra Sheppard – Alberta & President-Elect;
Francine Trudeau – Quebec and President; Anne Caissie – New Brunswick & Immediate Past-President; Tayyaba Fiaz – Quebec;
Donna Lee – British Columbia
Back row: (left to right): Heather Cassidy, Prince Edward Island; Tracy Bowser – North; Kathy Yerex – Manitoba; Wendy
Wells – Nova Scotia; Bev Woods – Ontario; Kaylen Anholt – Saskatchewan; Nicole Mainville – New Brunswick
2023 Awards
CDHA recognized the 2023 award winners:
Award of Merit: Leanne Huvenaars
Distinguished Service Award: Sophia Baltzis
25-Year Member Recognition
CDHA honoured our loyal, longstanding members. A total of 255 members were recognized this year for having maintained
membership in the Association for 25 years.
Angela Dunnett
Danica Leibel
Daniel Porter
Darlene Wiebe
Debbie Nauta
Denise Mulligan
Heather Atkinson
Janet Amiel
Jillian Drew Norton Russell
Karen Ergus
Kerri Vinokurov
Kristin Lind
Kyla Paluk
Lindsay Ord
Lisa McLean
Lisa Serhan
Leah Ugulini
Michelle Castano
Nancy Roy
Nanita Witherspoon
Patricia Sinnott
Pearl Kashmere
Rebecca Whitrow
Rita Mudaliar
Shamira Lalji
Shannon O'Neill
Sonia Malik
Stavroula Sahlas-Letsos
Stephanie Stevens
Tamara Maniec
Tara Rempel
Trudi-Lynn Beale
- Lori Leboeuf
- Marcelle Fausto
- Margo Irons
- Maria Barnard
- Maria Martinez
- Maria Massa
- Maria Yacyshyn
- Maureen Toland
- Megan Watson
- Melanie Rogers
- Michael Taylor
- Michelle Chow
- Michelle Goulet
- Michelle Trylinski
- Michelle V. Brown
- Michelle Webster
- Miranda Neumann
- Moira Veltenaar
- Nancy Clark
- Nasim Musani
- Niki Schloegl
- Nola Fearey
- Olena Mighali
- Pamela MacIntosh
- Patricia Clarke
- Patricia Kinsey
- Patricia Rudneski
- Patricia Visser
- Phu Le
- Raelyn Mellick
- Rebecca Hogan
- Rebecca Holmes
- Rekha Cummings
- Renee Fortin
- Roberta Basso
- Robyn Kempe
- Roxanne Denis
- Saadia Islam
- Saira Tejpar
- Sandra Gneo
- Sandra Roe
- Sandra Secord
- Sandra Wilson
- Sara Paone
- Sarah Crosby
- Shannon Gerbrandt
- Shannon Habib
- Shannon Schmitt
- Sharon Jacobson
- Sharon Lloyd
- Shawn Francis
- Shelbi Anderson
- Shelley Hindle
- Sherry Jeffery
- Shirley Poon
- Shirley Squires
- Sophy Bakker
- Stefanie Iula
- Sukhjit Dhaliwal
- Sunita Mangal
- Susan (Suzana) Adiwinata-Ng
- Susan Jane MacArthur
- Susanne Wong
- Suzanne Leinor
- Tamera Servizi
- Tanya Lynch
- Tanya Paradis
- Tanya Stickland
- Tasha Doncaster
- Tasha Hughes
- Teresa La Chimea
- Tessa Stewart
- Theresa Grubb
- Tiffany Hansen
- Tina Febrillet
- Tina Graham
- Toni Jaques
- Tony Mastragostino
- Tracy Coyne
- Tracy Lantz
- Trisha Simonson
- Ute MacQuarrie
- Viktoria Kopylenko
- Violeta Traboulsi
- Vivian Fang
- Wanita Moroskat
- Wan-Yu Virginea Ho
- Wendy McInnes
- Yvonne Comeau
CDHA Partner’s Circle
CDHA's Partners' Circle is comprised of dental industry firms dedicated to the advancement of the dental hygiene
profession and who recognize the important role that dental hygienists play in the oral health care team. CDHA
acknowledged these highly valued and long-standing partners of CDHA:
CDHA thanked outgoing president Anne Caissie.
Francine Trudeau, Director from Quebec, was elected as President of CDHA for the 2023-2024 fiscal year.
Francine encouraged members to save the date for the first in-person conference since the pandemic in Niagara Falls, ON
from October 17-19, 2024.
CDHA Board of Directors Meeting
October 19, 21 (2 hours), & 22 (half day)
The Fall meeting of the CDHA Board of Directors was held on Treaty 1 Territory and the board recognized that Manitoba is
located on the Treaty Territories and ancestral lands of the Anishinaabeg, Anishininewuk, Dakota Oyate, Denesuline and
Nehethowuk Nations. The board further acknowledged that Manitoba is located on the Homeland of the Red River Métis.
Key highlights from the Board meeting included:
- Board directors are the fiduciaries who steer CDHA towards a sustainable future by adopting sound, ethical, and legal
governance and financial management policies, as well as ensuring we have adequate resources to advance our mission.
This was informed through the CEO’s presentation on an environmental scan and an update on the strategic plan, as they
support the Board Ends (goals).
- The Board Awards Committee working group Chair, Donna Lee, presented the committee report.
- The Chair of the Audit Committee, Kathy Yerex, presented an Audit Committee report.
- The Chair of the Ownership Linkage Committee, Wendy Stewart, presented a report. This included an outline of the
Ownership Linkage Activity scheduled for the Summit in Winnipeg, the provincial president’s meeting, and a review of the
President’s calendar.
- The board welcomed WO/Adj. Myrna Kinslow, RDHA, CD as an observer and accepted her report on dental hygiene and
Canada’s military.
- The board reviewed a written update from the Federation of Dental Hygiene Regulators of Canada (FDHRC).
- The Board directs, controls, and inspires CDHA through the careful establishment of broad written policies reflecting
the Board's values and perspectives. Thus, one of the key roles of the Board is monitoring and assessing Board policies
and executive limitations at each Board meeting. The Board reviewed and accepted the CEO Monitoring Reports and
Governance Process policies.
- The CDHA Board has two representatives to the International Federation of Dental Hygienists (IFDH)- Alexandra Sheppard
and Wendy Stewart. The board reviewed the reports from the IFDH delegates. In addition, Alexandra’s two-year term on the
IFDH was finished and the board held an election for a new representative. The success candidate and new rep to IFDH is
Donna Lee.
- CDHA has been achieving excellent attendance at our virtual AGMs over the past 4 years. To ensure continued access to
all CDHA members across Canada, the Board approved hosting CDHA AGMs virtually every year in September.
- Donna Lee, Chair of the DEI Working Group, provided a written report on the working group’s activities and the Board
discussed possible policy changes and further board action to support DEI. The board recognizes that a journey to
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is a process and not accomplished in one step. As a first step in that process, the
board, having considered its values related to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice, amended some policies to ensure
that values of DEIJ are incorporated into the entirety of the board's work.
- The Board appointed committee members and chairs for all of CDHA Board committees.
- The Board approved that their Fall board meeting would be held on Sunday October 21-Monday October 22, 2024.
Provincial President’s Meeting
Wanda Fedora, current president of IFDH and past-president of CDHA kicked off the meeting by providing an informative
update on IFDH to the CDHA board, provincial presidents, and executive directors.
This was followed by a presentation and discussion, led by CDHA’s Director of Dental Hygiene Practice, Sylvie Martel, on
the new national standards for LTC, CDHA’s recommendations, and a discussion on provincial advocacy opportunities. The
final portion of the evening included a presentation of updates each province and territory in attendance. Due to time
constraints, CDHA’s presentation was recorded and distributed post-event.