Gilbert Brunette
Francine Charbonneau
Susan Forster
Sasha Gilchrist
Dale Stevenson
Traci Walters

 
Gilbert Brunette
Office Manager & Francophone Liaison Officer

Gilbert‘s key role is to provide support to the growing Francophone regional network, which now covers three provinces (Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick). In addition, he has primary responsibility for organizing the AGM and national board meetings, and he is especially skilled in assessing audio visual needs for IL Canada meetings, think tanks and forums. Gilbert is also the Volunteer Coordinator. Over the years he has also worked for the Federal Government, for businesses and in the non-profit sector.
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Francine Charbonneau
Financial Officer

Francine Charbonneau is happily married with two very active children, Michel 14 and Isabelle 6.  Francine comes to ILC having held various Accounting roles in the last 15 years for organizations in the construction and insurance industry as well as having worked for Associations as Finance Officer for the Canadian Council on Social Development and Office Manager for the Canadian Association of Second Language Teachers.  Francine has also taken on the role of self-entrepreneur, having a dairy delivery business with her husband.  In her spare time she enjoys swimming with her kids, reading, politics, gardening, home-improvements and long walks with her big Lab/Newfoundlander dog Bear. 
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Susan Forster
Services and Accreditation Manager

Susan provides program and organizational support to member Centres and to provincial/regional networks. In consultation with the Centre Development Committee, she oversees the implementation of the Accreditation process, with an average of 8 Centres undergoing accreditation each year. Susan also works with the Centre Development Committee to review applications from groups interested in starting an IL Centre. She plays a key role in event planning for the annual ED Forum, and supports the work of the national office. Susan leads two projects:  Investing in Futures (RESP) and Literacy and Quality of Life.

Susan first joined Independent Living Canada in 2000. Originally from Toronto, she worked for the Centre for Independent Living in Toronto on a number of special projects, for other disability organizations, and with the Ontario Public Service on disability and human rights issues. Susan is a founding member of the Ottawa-Gatineau chapter of the Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians, and of the Parenting with a Disability Network, a program of the Centre for Independent Living in Toronto.
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Sasha Gilchrist
Administrative Assistant

Sasha has recently graduated from Trent University with a joint-degree in Cultural Anthropology and International Development. During her third year of university she took part in the Trent in Ecuador Year-Abroad Program. During this time she conducted a volunteer placement with Plan International and a local grassroots organization named Aliñambi. Her main duties included assisting elementary school teachers, teaching English as a second language, working in a community garden, and leading nutrition workshops. Sasha also has experience working in the Federal Government as a records clerk. Sasha’s interests include politics, creative writing, and anything related to the outdoors. During her spare time she enjoys playing bass guitar, practicing Spanish, and spending time with her friends and family.
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Dale Stevenson
National Program Officer

Dale recently moved from Winnipeg and he is very excited to be a part of IL Canada. His current focus is further developing the employment section of the Virtual Independent Living Resource Centre (VILRC).

Dale has varied experience of disability through academic studies, working in the disability community and for the federal government. Currently, Dale is in the process of writing his Master’s thesis in Disability Studies at the University of Manitoba where he is exploring the masculinity of men with disabilities. Within the disability community, he is involved with Paralympic sport, volunteerism, and political activism. Further, Dale has gained research experience / accessible web design with: the Council of Canadians with Disabilities, the Canadian Centre on Disability Studies, and Human Resources and Social Development Canada. As a person with a disability he brings a valuable perspective to his role with IL Canada
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Traci Walters
National Advisor

Traci Walters has provided national leadership to the Independent Living Movement as the National Director of the then Canadian Association of Independent Living Centres (CAILC) from 1993-2010.

Now re-branded, Independent Living Canada is the national umbrella organizations of 27 Independent Living Centres (IL Centres) across Canada. Both Independent Living Canada and IL Centres are organizations run by and for people with disabilities that provide disability supports, information, skills building, peer support and community development. Independent Living Canada represents the national Independent Living Movement which is part of a Global movement which encourages people with disabilities to take control over their own lives, examine options, make choices, take risks, and even to make mistakes in the learning process. The IL philosophy recognizes when people with disabilities control their own lives and services, as much as they possibly can, the great chances of successful integration and participation.

Working closely with the IL Canada Board, Traci promotes the IL philosophy and IL Centres nationally. Beginning in 2008, Traci’s role will have a primarily external focus on the following areas: fund development; advocacy; government relations; IL marketing, promotion and growth; board coordination; and policy development. In her role promoting growth of IL in Canada, she will be working with new groups interested in starting an IL Centre.  In Canada, Traci provides leadership to the IL Movement and works with other national disability organizations, federal government departments, and promotes private and public partnerships.

As well, Traci articulates the IL message not only nationally but internationally. In 2002, she was instrumental in obtaining support from Prime Minister Chrétien along with the United Nations whereby on December 3rd the Secretary of the UN, Kofi Annan, declared the theme for the United Nations International Day of Disabled Persons “Independent Living and Sustainable Livelihood”. She has given workshops in Bosnia, Moscow and at the Sapporo Disabled Peoples International World Assembly in October of 2002 and in Seoul, South Korea in 2007. It was there that she was given an international Meritorious Service Medal by the World Movement for Independent Living for Endless Effort and Passionate Heart.

Not to be forgotten, Traci was a member of the Liberal Task Force on Disability Issues that traveled all across the provinces and territories in 1996 consulting people with disabilities on the federal government’s role pertaining to disability issues. Traci takes ongoing French classes.
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