LEA ALGAR
Consultant, Consumer Affairs Issues

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
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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PIERRE MEYLAND
Consultant, Financial Planning

Pierre Meyland has over 20 years’ experience in financial planning, analysis and strategic development in the information technology and financial services sector. He began his career as a Director of Data Processing Operation’s at the European Center of Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva, Switzerland, managing a team of 15 technicians. Since moving to
Canada, he has held progressively responsible positions during his 16-year career at Bell Canada in Montreal, in Engineering, Financial Analysis, Real Estate, and Forecasts and Methods. In addition, Mr. Meyland has worked as a Commercialization Consultant (Real Estate investment) for Groupe Vie Desjardins-Laurentienne, and as a Special Consultant in Hardware and Software Operations at Control Data Inc., in Montreal.

Mr. Meyland is the Commissioner of Oaths for all the judicial districts of the Province of Quebec and Canada. He is a member of the Corporation of
Chartered Administrators of Quebec, and voluntarily provides consulting and advising services to Jeunes Entreprises du Québec (Junior Achievement). He is also the Head of Missions for help to foreign countries for the Swiss Government, and holds a commercial pilot licence (U.S. and Canadian).

Mr. Meyland holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the Université Laval, Quebec. He is fluent in French, English and German.

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DR. ROGER PALMER PH.D.
Dean, School of Public Health, 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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CHARLES REID
Management Consultant
Private Consulting Practice

Charles Reid is a management consultant based in Vancouver, B.C. From November 1999 – March 2004, Charles was Group Vice-President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for Canfor Corporation, one of Canada’s largest integrated forest products company with annual sales in excess of $2 billion. In a 26 year career with Canfor, Mr. Reid played a key role in a number of senior financial and operational positions, including 14 years in the field at the Pulp & Paper operations in Prince George, B.C. While in Prince George, Mr. Reid was active in Union/Management committees including Employee and Family Assistance, and ‘Standing’ committees. At a Corporate level in Vancouver, while serving first as Corporate Controller and then as CFO, he focused on bringing modern approaches to risk management, internal controls, regulatory compliance, and the latest in financial governance. As CFO, he led an active merger, acquisition and divestiture function linked to the Company’s strategic directions.

Born and raised in British Columbia, Mr. Reid is a Chartered Director who holds a Certified General Accountants designation and attended the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School. Mr. Reid is a Director of the Columbia Power Corporation and Chair of its Finance and Audit Committee.  He is a former national director of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, serving on both the Audit Committee, and the International Strategic Advisory Committees. Mr. Reid has also served on the Advisory Board of Factory Mutual Insurance Company, The Prince George Art Gallery, and was a Campaign Chair for the United Way in Prince George. In 2003, Mr. Reid received the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal for service to Canada. Mr. Reid is married to Mary-Anne and they have a teenage daughter, Samantha.

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STAN GRIFFIN
President and CEO - Insurance Bureau of Canada

Stan Griffin is 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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BRIGID MURPHY
Vice-President with the Dominion of Canada General Insurance Company

Brigid Murphy is the Vice-President with the Dominion of Canada General Insurance Company, with responsibility for a number of key areas, including Underwriting, Claims, Corporate Communications and Operational Planning.

She has more than 30 years of experience in the insurance and financial services sectors. Prior to her current role, Brigid served as President of her own consulting company from 1996 to 2003, counseling a number of industry clients including the Financial Services Commission of Ontario, the Insurance Bureau of Canada and the Dominion of Canada General Insurance Company.

Before founding her own firm, Brigid held a number of progressively senior roles with the Guardian Insurance Company of Canada from 1978 to 1996. Her impressive tenure with Guardian culminated with the position of Chief Operating Officer, which she held from 1992 to 1996.

Brigid has also served on a number of industry boards throughout her career. She was Chair of the Board of Directors of Oceanic Insurance from 1993 to 1996, Director of the Canadian Group Underwriters Insurance Company from 1992 to 1997 and Director of the Guardian Insurance Company of Canada from 1992 to 1997.

As part of her ongoing commitment to the community, Brigid serves as a Member of the Board of Directors for the George Hull Centre for Children and Families – a children’s mental health centre located in Toronto. She has been on the centre’s board since 1998 and has been its Chair since 2001.

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BRIAN MALTMAN BA, LL.B.
Executive Director

Brian brings 27 years experience to the General Insurance OmbudService (GIO), representing and serving individuals, business corporations, insurers and reinsurers, including the private practice of law, as Chief Agent of an international reinsurer, and as General Counsel to a major insurance industry service provider.

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.

Based in Toronto, Ontario, Brian will lead the GIO nationally as it expands its service in the resolution of complaints presented by Canadian customers of car, home and business insurance companies.

GIO is an independent, non-profit, national organization established in 2002 to provide consumers of car, home and business insurance with a cost-free dispute resolution service.

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