Governance
Governance
Providence Living is a faith-based, non-profit organization, providing services in partnership with Island Health and Vancouver Coastal Health.
Our organization operates under an agreement between the Province of British Columbia and the Denominational Health Association. The agreement recognizes the rights of owners of denominational care facilities to own, manage and operate their respective facilities and carry out their respective religious missions. It obligates the owners to meet provincial standards and national accreditation for health care, meet the conditions of any agreements with teaching facilities and plan and deliver health care services in collaboration with other health bodies.
Providence Living Society
Providence Living Society members are appointed by the Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Vancouver. The Providence Living Society appoints the Board of Directors for Providence Living.
Dianne is recognized as a champion of Catholic health care provincially and nationally. She leads from a faith-based perspective, with a focus on integrating compassion and social justice within the BC health system.
She has held numerous positions including Chair for Catholic Health Association of Canada, the Denominational Health Association of BC and Catholic Health Association of BC. In 2006, she was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of Providence Health Care, one of Canada’s largest faith-based health care organizations operating 17 facilities in Greater Vancouver, including St. Paul’s Hospital.
During her almost 12-year tenure as CEO, PHC made a significant impact on the health and well-being of many of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged members of our society. Under her leadership, PHC was accredited in 2013 and 2017 with Exemplary status by Accreditation Canada. In June 2019, Dianne received an Honorary Doctorate from St. Marks College, UBC.ployee & Family Assistance Program Brochure
In 2014, Gary Gordon was installed as the 17th Bishop of the Diocese of Victoria. Prior to that, he served as Bishop of Whitehorse for eight years. In 2006, in honour of his connection with the people, especially the First Nations communities in the Fraser Valley, Bishop Gordon received the name Xyolhmetoxw, which means ‘taking care of the people’ in Halq’eméylem, the language of the Stó:lō Nation.
Leading by example, Bishop Gordon continues to weave a tapestry of faith in the fabric and lives of all those entrusted to our care now and in the future. Bishop Gordon has been a member of the Providence Health Care Society since 2014.
Eric is a founding partner of Harris & Company LLP in Vancouver and has practiced labour law in both the public and private sectors of BC. Eric was appointed to Queen’s Counsel in 1997.
Eric serves on the Board of the Dalai Lama for Peace and Education and is a Vice Chair of the Business Council of B.C. He formerly served on the Board of the Justice Institute of B.C. Eric is a member of the Board of the St. Paul’s Foundation.
Michael Crean is passionate about seniors’ care and the importance of encouraging advance care planning.
He is the past president and CEO of Columbia-Bowell Funeral Chapel, Kearney Funeral Services Ltd., and Crean Holdings Ltd.
For 6 years Michael was also a former board member of the Providence Health Care Society, past president of the Catholic Health Association of BC, past president of the Denominational Health Association and former Chair of the Saint Mary’s Hospital Board from 1992 – 1995.
Archbishop Miller has been the shepherd of Vancouver’s 435,000 Catholics since January 2009, and prior to that was Coadjutor Archbishop assisting former archbishop Raymond Roussin.
He has held a remarkable number of positions in the 43 years since his ordination, from university president to the Vatican Congregation for Catholic education. In addition to teaching theology in seminaries in the US, Mexico and Rome, he has served on the boards of schools, universities and health care institutions, as well as professional and public service organizations.
In addition to his six honorary doctorates, he is a specialist on the papacy and modern papal teaching, and has also written seven books on topics ranging from the Holy See’s teaching on Catholic schools to the development of the papacy and the encyclicals of Pope John Paul II.
Providence Living Board of Directors
Appointed by the Providence Living Society, Providence Living Directors are accountable for supervision/management of all Providence Living property and affairs with a view to the best interest of the Providence Living Society.
Tony Baena joined the Providence Living Board in August 2018. He has more than 30 years of experience in finance, accounting, human resources and operations in both the public and private sector. Most recently, Tony has spent that last 13 years working in private pay and funded seniors housing and care.
Tony chose to work in the seniors’ industry because he has a deep respect for what seniors have contributed to the country and to society. He believes that seniors deserve to live in a safe, caring, active and fun place as they age. Outside of work, you can find Tony learning, reading, exercising and traveling.
Sandra Heath joined the Providence Living Board in January 2017 after a career spent in senior management positions within the Alberta public service and in BC with a professional services firm. She continues to consult on human resources services for a variety of organizations locally, nationally and internationally.
Sandra is passionate about contributing to the community and started providing her volunteer governance work in Calgary, on the board of a credit union. In BC, her board experience has primarily focused on health care, and was a founding board member of providence Health Care, ending her term there as Board Chair. An appointment to the board of Vancouver Coastal Health Authority followed after that.
Romayne is a retired palliative care physician whose past experience spans more than 25 years and includes patient care, teaching and research. Prior to becoming a full-time palliative care physician, she worked as a family physician for 12 years and, later, served as Clinical Professor, Division of Palliative Care, Department of Family Medicine, University of British Columbia. Throughout her career, Romayne has been involved in collaborative work to improve access to palliative care at both provincial and national levels. She remains passionate about improving end-of-life care across the health care system and integrating palliative care and pain management into chronic disease management, including adults with cognitive impairment or dementia.
Carla joined the Providence Living Board in April 2018. She was most recently the Vice President of Acute Specialty Services at Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA). She retired from her role at PHSA in 2017 but continues to work on a consulting basis.
Carla has 40 years of health care experience; 20 of those spent in Vice President and CEO roles. A significant portion of her career has involved working in faith-based organizations, including Providence Health Care and the Good Samaritan Society. Her leadership and operation experiences stretch across a broad range of healthcare settings, including academic teaching hospitals, community hospitals, seniors housing, assisted living and long-term care, mental health, rehab, and Ministry of Health.
Maria joined the Providence Living Board in 2019. Maria trained first at UBC and then in England as an economist. She worked as a consultant, primarily in the area of benefit-cost analysis with a special interest in balancing social, environmental and economic issues.
Maria’s roots are firmly planted in Vancouver where she has lived, studied and worked all her life save the years spent in Britain. Maria is the Board Chair for a foundation that funds a supported housing facility for formerly homeless people with mental health and addiction challenges, and has served on the Boards of Directors for St. Mark’s and Corpus Christi Colleges on the UBC campus. She is also an active member and volunteer for St. Mark’s Parish.
Fred Horne is a Canadian health policy consultant and served as Alberta’s Minister of Health from 2011-2014.
Fred’s career in health policy spans more than 30 years. A frequent speaker and panelist on health-system issues, he is currently principal of Horne and Associates, health policy consultants. Current areas of focus include value-based health care, seniors care, health system governance and pharmaceutical policy. He also serves on the board of the Canadian Frailty Network (National Centre of Excellence).
When not consulting, Fred sits as Adjunct Professor at the University of Alberta’s School of Public Health as well as volunteers his time to support policy education and patient education and engagement initiatives across the country.
Craig Crawford has worked in BC’s affordable housing sector for more than 25 years, including his roles as Vice President Development and Vice President Operations with BC Housing. In partnership with non-profit societies, all levels of government and the private sector, Craig has been instrumental in the delivery of more than 20,000 affordable housing units across the Province. In recognition of his contributions to the non-profit sector, Craig has received the Premier’s Innovation and Excellence Award and the Distinguished Alumni Award from BCIT.
While currently active as a Consultant advising a range of clients in the affordable housing sector, Craig also serves on the Board of Providence Living and the Vancouver Chapter of Lambda Alpha International.
Chris Kelsey joined the Providence Living Board in January 2017. As the former Board Chair for St. Joseph’s General Hospital in Comox, he and his Board oversaw the transition of acute care services from St. Joseph’s to the new Comox Valley Hospital, as well as the transition of St. Joseph’s to a stand-alone long-term care residence, known as The Views.
Chris, a lawyer, has been an active volunteer in his community and in the legal profession. He has served as a board member of community organizations and provides pro bono legal services and advice to many charitable organizations.
His ongoing community-based involvement includes developing an exciting new role for the former St. Joseph’s site in Comox as a centre of excellence in seniors’ care, and St. Joseph’s move to becoming a member of the Providence family of health care services.
Nelson Kwan joined the Providence Living Board in January 2017. Nelson is presently involved in three not-for-profit Boards that support health care — Providence Health Care, S.U.C.C.E.S.S. Society and the Richmond Hospital Foundation.
Nelson is now retired after a long career at TELUS where his career progressed through a variety of senior roles in finance, including 10 years spent as Senior Vice President and Corporate Controller and Senior Vice President, Finance, TELUS, and CFO, TELUS International.
In 2011, Nelson had the honour of being named a Telus Legend.
Jim has been involved in Vancouver’s social and community housing sector for more than four decades. As principal of O’Dea Song, and former principal of Terra Housing Consultants, Jim taps into his depth of experience to advise organizations on how to build housing and spaces for community social enterprise. His employment portfolio includes several prominent positions, including the first full-time Chair of the BC Housing Management Commission, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Community Development, President of the Provincial Rental Housing Corporation, founding board member of the Homeowner Protection Office, and Manager of Housing Programs and Operating Agreements at Canada Mortgage Housing Corporation (CMHC).
Kate Perkins joined the Providence Living Board in June 2019. A strong community advocate, Kate believes that connection to one’s community is the strength of the fabric of our society. She put this belief into practice as President of the Board of Trout Lake Community Centre, where she assisted in the championing of a new Ice Rink and Community Centre and was the recipient of the Diamond Jubilee Award for Outstanding Community Service.
Currently Kate is Operations Manager of the charity, WorkWithUs Foundation, whose mandate is to assist those with barriers into employment find work.
Rod Voth joined the Providence Living Board in 2022. The COVID-19 pandemic and the spotlight it placed on seniors living, sparked his interest in seniors’ care after a 45-year career spent in business and the real estate development and marketing sector.
In the early days of his career, Rod was actively involved in the management of construction for a family-run business, working on such projects as the Vancouver Sky Train stations in the 1980s and other large institutional construction projects throughout the Pacific Northwest. More recently, Rod has jointly managed and invested in housing projects in BC and Washington State, including a 130-room lakefront resort in Kelowna and the largest industrial oat processing plant in Canada, located in Portage La Prairie.
A lawyer by profession, Rod has previously served on the Kwantlen Polytechnic University Foundation Board of Directors, as well as provided counsel to several not-for-profit enterprises.
Dan joined the Providence Living Board in 2021. An 11-year veteran of the Providence Health Care Board of Directors, Dan chaired the organization’s Audit and Finance Committee during the financing and approvals process for the new St. Paul’s Hospital redevelopment.
He currently sits as CEO and Director of First Mining Gold Corp. A veteran mining sector executive, Dan has executed or advised on more than $10 billion of mergers, acquisitions and divestitures, and more than $1 billion of financings. Dan’s previous roles include Partner at Pacific Road Capital Management, a mining focused private equity investment firm and Managing Director and Head of the Global Mining and Metals Group at National Bank Financial Inc.
