Celebrate CANADA 150

National Conference

DISABILITY AND WORK IN CANADA

Successes and Challenges of Canada’s First 150 Years
Developing a Vision and Strategy for the Future

Ottawa, Canadian War Museum – November 27, 28 & 29, 2017

Conference planning committee

 

 

 

November 27

Indigenous Prayer by Elder Elaine Kicknosway
Watch the video of indigenous prayer (IIncludes itroduction to the conference by  Alec Farquhar and Steve Mantis)

Welcome by Larry Rousseau, VP of Canadian Labour Congress (CLC)
Watch the video: Welcome by Larry Rousseau 

Welcome by The Honourable Kent Hehr, Minister of Sport and Persons with disabilities
Watch the video: Welcome by the Honourable Kent Hehr

Book Launch - "Work Disability in Canada – Portraits of a System", by Dustin Galer
Watch the video: Book Launch by Dustin Galer. EBook is available for purchase

Information Sessions

Information sessions was a unique event with an opportunity to informally meet with organizations and businesses who will share their solutions to many of the barriers present for the hiring and return to work for employees with disabilities.

  • Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC): Opportunities Fund
  • Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work (CCRW): Disability Confident Employer Program; Welcome to Finance Survey
  • Centre for Research on Work Disability Policy (CRWDP): Aspiring Workforce, accommodation best practices and the business case
  • Canadian Standards Association (CSA): National Standard on Work Disability Prevention Management Systems
  • The Lived Experience of persons with disabilities – what has helped or blocked sustainable employment?
  • Lessons from the Independent Living Movement.
  • National Building Trades and The International Union of Operating Engineers: Employment of persons with disabilities in construction
  • Improving alignment and navigability of disability programs – challenges and successes. Background presentation slides
  • Prevention Link: Joint Return to Work Initiatives
  • Key Elements of a Disability Strategy for Canada
  • Support Service and Resources – What Works and What Doesn’t

The summary document from the Information Sessions

Photos from Day 1 of the conference

Buy the e-book "Work Disability in Canada: Portraits of a System", by Dustin Galer.

Keynote presentation

Michael Prince, Lansdowne Professor of Social Policy, University of Victoria
presentation slides, Michael Prince (pdf)
Watch the video of keynote presentation: Michael Prince

Researcher panel

Watch Researcher Panel Q&A "How we got here".

Katherine Lippel, Canada Research Chair in Occupational Health and Safety Law
Click here to see the presentation slides (pdf)
Watch the video of the presentation: Katherine Lippel

Emile Tompa, Co-Director, CRWDP
Click here to see the presentation slides (pdf)
Watch the video of the presentation: Emile Tompa, Researcher Panel

Steve Estey, Coordinator, Canadian civil society reporting group on the CRPD
Click here to see the presentation slides (pdf)
Watch the video of the presentation: Steve Estey

 

Panel of Lived Experience

Watch the video of the presentations and Q&A session, Panel of Lived Experience

Karl Crevar, ONIWG
 

Joe Dowdall, International Union of Operating Engineers
 

Pat Danforth
 

Lisa Panagapko, Rise development entrepreneur
 

Adrienne Goody

 

Steve Mantis, Community Lead, Research Action Alliance on the Consequences of Work Injury, RAACWI
 

Sally Kimpson
 

Labour Market Transfer Agreements

Eppo Maertens, Policy Director, Employment and Social Development Canada
Click here to see the presentation slides in English; click here to see the presentation slides in French (pdf)
Watch the video of the presentation: Eppo Maertens

Innovation in service and supports for accommodation and return to work and supported employment

Meghan Kelly, National Corporate Relations Manager, CCRW
Click here to see the presentation slides (pdf)
Watch the video of the presentation: Meghan Kelly

Erin Doucette, Return to Work Regional Co-ordinator, Prevention Link at Ontario Federation of Labour
Click here to watch the video of the presentation: Erin Doucette
 

Wendy Porch, Manager, Episodic Disabilities Initiatives at Realize
Click here to see the presentation slides (pdf)
Watch the video of the presentation: Wendy Porch

Beth Dea, Chief Operating Officer, Rise Asset Development
Click here to see the presentation slides (pdf)
Watch the video of the presentation: Beth Dea

Bonnie Brayton, National Executive Director at DAWN Canada - RAFH Canada
Watch the video of the presentation: Bonnie Brayton

Karl Flecker, Immigration Employment Specialist, KEYS
Watch the video of the presentation: Karl Flecker

 

Watch Innovation in Service and Supports panel Q&A

Watch Day 2 wrap-up panel

Click here to view photos from Day 2 of the conference

 

November 29

Welcome to day 3 of the conference

Watch welcoming remarks by Maureen Haan and the presentation by Charles Levasseur

Maureen Haan
 

New trends in technologies

Watch welcoming remarks by Maureen Haan and the presentation by Charles Levasseur

Charles Levasseur, Regional Manager / Assistive Technology and Learning Disability Specialist, Neil Squire Society
 

National Panel of Visionaries

Steve Mantis, Community Lead, Research Action Alliance on the Consequences of Work Injury, RAACWI
Click here to open Steve's presentation slides (pdf)
Watch the video of the presentation by Steve Mantis

Bob Blakely, Canadian Operating Officer, Canada’s Building Trades Unions
Click here to open the presentation slides (pdf) by Bob Blakely
Watch the video of the presentation by Bob Blakely

Neil Belanger, First Nation / Indigenous Health and Management Consultant / Executive Director, British Columbia Aboriginal Network on Disability Society (BCANDS)
Click here to watch the video of the presentation by Neil Belanger

Christin Lanteigne, Manager at New Brunswick Employer Support Services (NBESS)
Click here to open the presentation slides (pdf)
Watch the video of the presentation by Christin Lanteigne

Krista Benes, Program Manager, Workplace Mental Health at Mental Health Commission of Canada
Click here to open the presentation slides (pdf)
Watch the video of the presentation: Krista Benes

Watch National Panel of Visionaries Q&A session

 

Welcoming notes

The Honourable Patricia A. Hajdu, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour
Watch the video of the presentation by Patricia A. Hajdu

Breakout table discussions

The discussions focused on six questions:

  1. What are the pillars of a national strategy on the employment of people with disabilities?
  2. How can we improve the interface of disability programs to eliminate disincentives to employment?
  3. What changes in funding strategy need to occur to ensure people with disabilities are working? What is the role of community agencies in this? 
  4. How can we improve navigation and portability of supports for income, employment and health & well-being for sustainable employment?
  5. What do employers need to learn to advance the employment of people with disabilities, differentiating between small to medium-sized enterprises and corporate Canada?
  6. How do we promote best practices to facilitate recruitment, retention and advancement of workers with disabilities?

 

Click here to view photos from Day 3 of the conference

Partners are Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work (CCRW), Ontario Network of Injured Workers Groups, InclusionNL, and Centre for Research on Work Disability Policy

Financial support to the conference was provided by the Centre for Research on Work Disability Policy (CRWDP) which is a 7-year research partnership funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), by the Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work (CCRW) and by the Government of Canada. We thank our sponsors. Our platinum sponsor is the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 793. Our sliver sponsors are the Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work (CCRW), and Canada's Building Trades Unions. Donations from: Canadian Labour Congress, Prevention Link, and Canadian Standards Association.