LEA ALGAR
Retired Ontario Insurance Ombudsman

Lea Algar has had a distinguished career in the insurance industry, extensive experience in the regulation of financial services and the development of consumer protection mechanisms.

Lea has worked on assignments in Peru and Trinidad that assist developing countries establish consumer protection mechanisms for their financial services.

In her capacity as the first Insurance Ombudsman for Ontario and the first such position in Canada, she worked to establish the company-first approach to resolving consumer complaints, raised consumer awareness of the complaint process, and worked closely with insurers to implement an annual consumer claims satisfaction survey and report.

Lea was the first Director of Market Conduct at the Ontario Insurance Commission (now Financial Services Commission of Ontario) from 1991-97, where she established a consumer complaint handling process and an electronic complaint management system. In addition, she established an audit system to review insurer business practices to ensure that they comply with laws and accepted practices for the protection of consumers.

Between 1987 and 1990, Lea implemented an electronic complaint management system, and formalized the processes of the Consumer Information Centres in her role as Manager of Insurance Services at the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC). Lea has frequently conducted seminars for the insurance industry on consumer complaint management.

Prior to this Lea was a professor in the Insurance Administration program at Mohawk College of Applied Arts and Technology in Hamilton. She was honoured with the President’s Award for excellence in recognition of her outstanding service to the college.

Lea was a partner at Truman and Snively Limited, a Hamilton insurance brokerage firm from 1961-75, where she became the first woman president of the Insurance Brokers’ Association of Hamilton. She also appeared on numerous consumer-directed radio and TV talk shows responding to consumer concerns about insurance.

Lea is a founding member and past chair of the Hamilton-Niagara Chapter of the Insurance Institute of Ontario.

Lea received a B.A. (summa cum laude) in Political Science from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. She is also a Chartered Insurance Professional (CIP).

Currently Lea is chair, General Insurance OmbudService, director, of the Canadian Life and Health Insurance OmbudService, and a director, of the Property and Casualty Insurance Compensation Fund.

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DOANE HALLETT, B.Comm., LL.B., LL.D. (Hon)
Retired Justice of the Nova Scotia Court Of Appeal

Doane Hallett graduated from Saint Mary’s University with a B. Comm. in 1952, and then from Dalhousie University LL.B in 1955, followed by an Honorary Doctor of Laws from Saint Mary’s University in 1999.

Doane was admitted to the Bar in 1956. He has an active commercial and corporate law practice in Halifax for 21 years with Wickwire, MacInnes & Wilson and subsequently MacInnes, Wilson & Hallett.

He was appointed to the Bench in February 1977, as Justice of the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia, Trial Division. In March of 1990 he was appointed Justice of the Supreme Court, Appeal Division, followed by an appointment as Justice of the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal (on creation) in January 1993.

He was elected to Supernumerary Status in July of 1997. Doane retired from the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal in July 2002.

At the time of his appointment to the Bench, Doane Hallett was an active member of the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society and served on the Executive Committee of the Society. He has chaired several committees of the Society and presented at Education Seminars for members of the Bar.

During his tenure as a judge, he was a member of the Executive Committee of the Canadian Judges Conference, which represents Canadian Superior Court Judges. He chaired the Independence of the Judiciary Committee and was a member of the Compensation Committee.

Following retirement, Doane returned to the practice of law as a mediator and arbitrator of commercial disputes.

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ROGER PALMER PH.D.
Director, Public Policy & Management, School of Business, University of Alberta

Dr. Palmer was educated in England and Canada. After a distinguished career as a teacher and school administrator, he was appointed Deputy Minister of Alberta Education in 1998. He was the National Director of the School Achievement Indicator Program, the first pan-Canadian program to measure student achievement.

Dr. Palmer became the first Deputy Minister of Alberta Innovation and Science in 1999. There he was an architect of the Alberta Ingenuity Fund and a founder of the Informatics Circle of Research Excellence (iCORE). Both organizations focused on Alberta universities recruiting top researchers from around the world to allow Alberta’s students to train with the best minds in science. He created Alberta SuperNet, a broadband internet-protocol network linking 420 communities and connected every hospital, school and government department office in Alberta.

In 2001, he was appointed Deputy Minister of Alberta Environment. Dr. Palmer began the process that led to Alberta’s water strategy, Water for Life, and was a strong advocate for air quality standards. He served for two years as president of the Clean Air Strategic Alliance.

In 2002, Dr. Palmer was appointed Deputy Minister of Alberta Health & Wellness. During his tenure, major improvements included: the provincial on-line Waitlist Registry; the first provincial electronic health record in Canada; and the negotiation of an agreement with physicians and health authorities that created Local Primary Care Initiatives to revolutionize family medicine in Alberta.

Roger Palmer was awarded the IPAC 2004 Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Excellence in Public Administration.

He is now Dean of Pubic Policy in the School of Business at the University of Alberta and Senior Advisor to the Provost on Public Health. He spent much of the fall of 2005 in Beijing lecturing at the China National School of Administration.

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MARGUERITE VOGEL, BA, MA, LL.B.
Past President of the British Columbia SPCA

Marguerite Vogel is volunteer President and Director at Large of the British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BCSPCA) – a $23 million province-wide animal welfare charity. She is a member of the Vancouver Foundation’s Animal Welfare Advisory Committee. Marguerite is past President of the Animal Welfare Foundation of Canada and served as a Trustee of that Foundation for fifteen years.

Prior to her retirement in 2005 she was Director of the Western and Territories Region of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) for sixteen years. Her territory included British Columbia, Alberta, Northwest Territories, the Yukon and part of Nunavut. She was responsible for ensuring client compliance with broadcasting and telecommunications regulations. Complaints and inquiries from the public about broadcasting and telecommunications constituted a major part of the regional office business.

She earned her B.A. and M.A. (Communications) at Simon Fraser University and her LL.B at the University of British Columbia. She was Adjunct Professor at Simon Fraser for three years lecturing on Canadian Broadcasting and Telecommunication Policy and Regulation.

Marguerite and her husband, Max, are proud guardians of Liesl and Midas. They enjoy traveling and boating. Marguerite is a member of the Cowichan Valley Jolly Dragons – a seniors’ dragon boat team whose members -- ranging in age from 55 to 83 -- aggressively pursue fun, fitness and friendship.

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STAN GRIFFIN
Former President and CEO - Insurance Bureau of Canada

Stan Griffin is Former President and C.E.O. of the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC), the national trade association of the private property and casualty insurance industry.

During his more than 25 years at IBC, Mr. Griffin has held a number of senior roles including Executive Vice- President of Regional Operations, overseeing the operations of regional offices in Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Edmonton and Vancouver. Mr. Griffin also held the position of Vice President of the Ontario region, where he spearheaded many negotiations with successive governments in the province, resulting in substantial changes to Ontario’s auto insurance laws.

From August 1999 to June 2001, he was President & C.E.O. of Facility Association, where he liaised with regulatory bodies and oversaw the operations of the association.

Mr. Griffin was born in Leamington, Ontario and received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toronto in1972. He continued his education in the United States and earned a Master of Arts in Social Science from the University of Chicago in 1973.

Mr. Griffin is a Chartered Insurance Professional (CIP). He is currently a director of General Insurance OmbudService (GIO) and of Smartrisk. He has served on the board of directors of the Ontario Safety League, as well as a member of several industry and government committees dealing with insurance, road safety and related issues.

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WAYNE ROSS, BA, CIP
Vice President, National Property Claims, Aviva Canada

Wayne Ross has a long and illustrious career in the insurance industry, focusing in the Claims field.

Wayne started his insurance career as a Field Adjuster with Crawford Adjusters in 1975, moving to Hartford Insurance Company in 1978 where he assumed his first management position. Wayne joined Allstate Insurance Company of Canada, Commercial Claims in 1980 and transferred to Alberta. He returned to Ontario in 1983 where he held senior management positions progressively. In 1997 he joined Canadian General Insurance Company of the Aviva Group of Companies and Wayne presently holds the position Vice President, Claims in Aviva Pilot.

Wayne received his BA in Economics at the University of Toronto in 1975 and is a Chartered Insurance Professional (CIP). He is currently the Chairman of IBC – Claims Committee and a member of the Canadian Insurance Claims Managers’ Association (CICMA), Ontario Chapter.

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BRIAN MALTMAN BA, LL.B.
Executive Director, General Insurance OmbudService

Brian brings 27 years experience to the General Insurance OmbudService (GIO), representing and serving individuals, business corporations, insurers and reinsurers. In addition to the private practice of law and independent consulting, Brian has held insurance related positions including Claims Counsel to the Insurance Corporation of Ireland, Counsel, Munich Reinsurance Company of Canada, Vice President, Focus Group Inc., Claims Manager and Counsel, Frankona Reinsurance, Chief Agent for Canada, ERC Frankona, Vice President Human Resources and General Counsel, UAB Group, and Director and Chair of the Conduct Review Committee, Omega General Insurance.

Called to the Ontario bar in 1981, Brian was educated at York University’s Glendon College and at Dalhousie Law School. Throughout his career Brian has also served in a variety of volunteer capacities, in the insurance industry, natural resources and arts organizations. These include several of the IBC’s working groups and committees, and the Reinsurance Research Council. He is Past Chair and Director of The Friends of Algonquin Park, President of the Algonquin Park Residents Association, a Director and performer in York Symphony, and an Advisor to the Ontario Negotiating Team in the Land Claim advanced by the Algonquin First Nations.

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