OPA Board of Directors
As per Article 2, 3, 6, 8, 13 and 16 of the OPA Bylaws, only Full Paramedic Members in good standing may be nominated to the OPA Board of Directors. No person shall hold office if he/she is not a Full Paramedic Member, and no member may hold more than one office except for the offices of Secretary and Treasurer, as per the Corporations Act of Ontario.
Provincial Officers
Provincial Directors
Honourary Officers
- Jamie Moffat, CPA (Chief Compliance Officer)
Ontario Paramedic Association Wellness Committee
- David Wolff, Provincial Chair, OPA Wellness Committee
- Caitlin Tavares, Provincial Vice-Chair OPA Wellness Committee
- Bryan Stevens, Member, OPA Wellness Committee
- Harminder Saini, Member, OPA Wellness Committee
Paramedicine Expo & Conference
- Scott Stephens, Conference Chair
- Sue Noël, Corporate Partnerships & Exhibitor Coordinator
Ontario Paramedic Pipes & Drums
- John Lindsay, Ontario Paramedic Pipes & Drums
Office Staff
Past Presidents
Darryl Wilton, President
Darryl has an immense amount of respect for frontline paramedics and is very proud to have worked in an operational role as an Advanced Care Paramedic in rural and urban areas of Eastern Ontario.
Darryl started to gain advocacy experience in 2002 when he was elected to the Board of Directors of the Professional Paramedic Association of Ottawa. He worked hard to promote the profession and moved up through the ranks where he was also seconded to work on projects for the Ontario Paramedic Association such as the Paramedicine Expo & Conference planning team.
As an activist and avid supporter of labour unions, Darryl was also elected to the Board of Directors and eventually as President for the Civic Institute of Professional Personnel which is a labour union that represents over 2000 members including paramedics, public health nurses, chartered professional accountants and other professional occupations. Darryl has an immense amount of respect for the six labour unions representing paramedics in Ontario (CIPP, CUPE, OPSEU, SEIU, UFCW and Unifor) and in fulfilling that role, Darryl has also been a Health & Safety Co-Chair for 7 years where he holds Health & Safety certifications from the Ministry of Labour. Darryl has always been insistent that the OPA adheres to our mandate of "patient and paramedic advocacy" out of respect for the unions so we can better facilitate their focus on their two legislated responsibilities which are "representation of members through grievance or arbitration" and "collective bargaining".
From 2015 and 2018, Darryl had moved up through the ranks within the Ontario Paramedic Association board of directors and was finally elected as president after implementing a very ambitious strategic plan to transform, modernize and rebuild the entire organization. By 2020, the Ontario Paramedic Association had evolved from a volunteer group into the largest Corporation in Ontario to be owned and operated solely by paramedics and for paramedics. Darryl fully acknowledges this success was only attainable because of thousands of dedicated members and chapter executive who supported the vision every step of the way.
Last, as OPA President, Darryl also serves on the Board of Directors with the Paramedic Association of Canada where he represents Ontario Paramedics on a national platform. Over the years, Darryl has been incredibly proud to work with many engaged, knowledgeable and talented paramedics across Canada.
In an effort to continue to grow our profession, Darryl insists that paramedics must always be present, visionary, courageous and take meaningful steps to advocate for the 1.75 million patients served by Ontario Paramedics each and every year.
Steve Annett, Vice-President (Stakeholder Relations)
Helping others has always been the true vector which guided Steve to train and serve community as a Paramedic and then further his career as an Advanced Care Paramedic. Steve is honoured to admit he has been able to learn much throughout his career from the many great Paramedics he has been surrounded by.
Steve is an avid supporter of the Professional development of Paramedicine and is excited about the amazing opportunities open to the advancement of Paramedicine.
Steve brings over two decades of experience as a Paramedic and a decade serving on the Toronto Paramedic Association Board of Directors which he hopes will bring benefit to his role serving on the Ontario Paramedic Association Board of Directors.
Katherine Hambleton, Vice-President (Operations)
Katherine has a professional background in the fields of nursing and paramedicine and has worked in healthcare for 20 years. In addition to holding her AEMCA, she holds a specialty in emergency nursing (ENCC) and a certificate in critical care. Katherine has a diverse portfolio in healthcare, having worked as an RN in the emergency department, as a clinical research nurse and as an educator. She also worked within the provincial air ambulance system as an ambulance communications officer, with their base hospital as lead QA and as an Education and Practice Facilitator; managing the education portfolio of the flight paramedics. Katherine now works as an RN Psychotherapist, supporting the well-being of veterans, public safety personnel and first responders.
Katherine began her volunteer efforts with the OPA in March of 2020, assisting with the launch of the newly established OPA Wellness Committee. In June of 2020, Katherine supported the interim position of Membership Director, being elected into the position in November of 2021. Katherine's dedication to professional advocacy has supported her transition within the OPA Board of Directors, where she now serves as the Vice-President, Operations.
Katherine is dedicated to the advancement of the paramedic profession and continues to be a strong advocate for patient safety.
Robert Kennedy, Secretary-Treasurer
A long-time member of the OPA, Robert comes to the Board of Directors where he has been elected as the Secretary-Treasurer.
Robert graduated from Humber College in 2004 and has accumulated a breadth of experience in both land and air ambulance environments. Currently, Robert oversees the leadership team of a NGO Paramedic Service contractor and is an active flight paramedic in Ontario's Air Ambulance System.
As an outspoken advocate and supporter, he is excited to contribute and forward the ongoing important work of our association in promoting and protecting the paramedic profession and our patients.
Walter Tavares, Director of Research
Dr Walter Tavares has been involved in Paramedicine since the
late 1990's as a clinician, educator, leader and researcher. Walter is
currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health and Society, and
Director of the Paramedicine Collaborative at the Department of Family and
Community Medicine at the University of Toronto.
He is also a paramedic and
scientist with York Region Paramedic and Senior Services. He launched and is
co-chair of the McNally Project for Paramedicine Research. He is Deputy Editor
of the international journal Paramedicine. Walter was lead author on the
“Principles to Guide Paramedicine in Canada” (see paramedicchiefs.ca).
Walter’s
aims as a Director of Research are to support research capacity and use,
knowledge production, translation and use in paramedicine, for the advancement
of paramedicine.
Mary Osinga, Director of Education
Mary was elected back to the Board of the OPA in 2014 and has been serving paramedics in the Association ever since.
Being a past Director and President, Mary brings with her extensive experience and knowledge of the OPA and the profession at all levels.
Mary is currently a retired CCP (F) with a Master's Degree in Health Professions Education and the Coordinator of the Paramedic Program at Fleming College in Peterborough, Ontario.
Mary will be heading up the education portfolios with the OPA bringing unique educational opportunities to Association members during her tenure.
Scott Stephens, Director of Conferences
Scott Stephens has been a Paramedic in the Ottawa area for the last 20 years. He has been involved in the PPAO for the past 15 years, having served as President, Vice President, and currently advises the board as an Honourary Officer. He is also involved in the HELP Fund.
Scott is a strong supporter of peer support and mental health initiatives in particular providing a family support system.
Scott has been involved in multiple OPA Paramedicine Expo and Conferences. He looks forward to improving, expanding and creating a financially viable future for the conference to facilitate Paramedics from across Ontario to gather and exchange ideas and information.
Interim Director Position 1
As required.
This position will be up for election at the next OPA Annual General Meeting. Only full paramedic members in good standing may apply for Director positions
.
Interim Director Position 2
As required.
This position will be up for election at the next OPA Annual General Meeting. Only full paramedic members in good standing may apply for Director positions.