OTTAWA, ONTARIO – Speed Skating Canada (SSC) is proud to officially launch its Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Working Group, today announcing the eleven members who will contribute to the organization’s advancement of key strategies and initiatives to make the sport more accessible for all.
Members of the EDI Working Group bring a wide variety of scholarly, professional, and lived experience that will assist SSC in defining measurable objectives and specific actions to strengthen the Canadian speed skating community’s commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion. The group was carefully curated to ensure a broad range of knowledge, skillsets, and representation.
“We are thrilled to be taking this critical next step toward our mission to build a fun, safe and inclusive speed skating community across Canada. The value added to these efforts by the EDI Working Group will stem from each member’s comprehensive understanding of current issues, experience with implementing similar strategies, and representation of important and unique perspectives for us to consider as we advance this work.” – Joe Morissette, CEO, Speed Skating Canada
SSC’s EDI Working Group launches its mandate this month and will collaborate to define its vision for a diverse and inclusive speed skating community. By sharing best practices and gathering input from voices across the sport, the Working Group will help inform SSC’s strategic approach to integrating equity, diversity, and inclusion in all aspects of the organization’s work.
EDI Working Group Members
| Name | Province / Territory | Biography |
|---|---|---|
| Dustin Silvey | British Columbia | Dustin’s PhD thesis and work experience are focused on the development of accessible sport opportunities for Indigenous peoples living in remote communities. He has worked in six different provinces and has a background in combative sports. |
| Carolyn MacKay | British Columbia | Carolyn is an active Official within the speed skating community. Her lived experience as a member of the LGBTQI2S+ community, and her speed skating knowledge, will bring impactful insight to the group. |
| Amber Lesage | British Columbia | Amber worked with Hockey Canada’s Women’s Team as team manager for 13 years and currently holds an Indigenous-focused role at the University of British Columbia. She is an Indigenous person and a member of the LGBTQI2S+ community. |
| Sheyla Burgos-Khan | Alberta | Sheyla, a club board member and speed skating parent, brings a rich multicultural perspective to the group, leveraging her unique experiences as a Latina woman to drive the conversation forward. |
| Jack Deibert | Alberta | Jack is an active speed skating athlete and coach with experience in national, provincial and club programs. He will bring an important perspective through his lived experience as a member of the LGBTQI2S+ community in the sport. |
| Marley Peters | Manitoba | Marley is the Marketing and Communications Coordinator at Speed Skating Manitoba. A volunteer at the Institute for International Women’s Rights and in disability non-profit organizations, she also brings lived experience as a biracial woman and member of the LGBTQI2S+ community. |
| Shauna Bookal | Ontario | Shauna is a Jamaican-Canadian woman who brings a vast amount of experience as the former Executive Director of Field Hockey Ontario. She recently spearheaded a new role as Manager of EDI for Ontario University Athletics. |
| Lisa Wallace | Ontario | Lisa’s vast professional experience includes work on strategy implementation, curriculum design and/or program development with organizations such as TD Bank, the Canadian Olympic Committee, PGA of Canada, and the Terry Fox Foundation. |
| Kashyap Gosai | Ontario | Kashyap is a second-generation Canadian with experience working in the City of Toronto’s Community Recreation Branch and involvement with EDI initiatives through the North York Aquatic Club, Greater Toronto Hockey League, and Sport for Life. |
| Lan-Anh Phan | Quebec | Lan-Anh works in various sport environments as a Certified Mental Performance Consultant. She is a Southeast Asian woman and a former judo and tackle football athlete. Lan-Anh was a member of Black Beyond Sport, a subgroup of the Black Talent Initiative. |
| Sheila McGinn | Nova Scotia | Sheila has been a trailblazer in the implementation of many inclusive speed skating programs in Nova Scotia. Her successes include programming for low-income families, new Canadians, Special Olympics, Unified Sport and sledge racing. |