SPEAKERS/PRÉSENTATEURS
Aaron Lyons
Aaron Lyons is an experienced and passionate restorative justice specialist and peacebuilder with extensive international service in facilitation, consultation, coaching, and training. Since 2002 he has designed and led innovative projects across sectors, from Arctic communities to Hong Kong, Brazil, and the Middle East. Aaron’s support for individuals, groups, and organizations is shaped by years of frontline experience working alongside people impacted by, and responsible for, acts of violence. A firm believer in the human potential for growth, Aaron brings creativity, humor, insight, and heartfelt presence to all of his work.
Angela Gates
Angela Gates, Mediator in Cases of Serious Crime, Restorative Opportunities Program, Correctional Service Canada (CSC) Angela has been employed in a variety of roles within the criminal justice system for more than 30 years. She has worked in provincial and federal government setting as well as in the not-for-profit sector. Angela has been an active member of restorative justice community in the Atlantic Region since 1998. Since 2005, Angela has been employed as a Mediator in Cases of Serious Crime within the Restorative Opportunities Program for the Correctional Service of Canada. Angela has sat on several boards, networks and committees over the years including being a founding member of the Canadian Restorative Justice Consortium, CoSA Canada, and the Violence Prevention Network of Southeastern NB. In recent years, Alan has developed a focus on the complex practice issues associated with working restoratively in cases of gender-based violence. For example, in 2017-18, he was a member of the University of Alberta’s Working Group on Restorative Initiatives for Sexual Violence. In 2019-20, he was one of two RJ specialists tasked with developing and delivering training for the Department of National Defence/Canadian Armed Forces’ Restorative Engagement Program, which is an RJ response to sexualized violence in the military. Alan has co-authored five papers on restorative justice and violence, co-authored the resource guide “Serving Crime Victims Through Restorative Justice” and continues to deliver advanced RJ training throughout Canada.
Chantal Chicoine
Bio coming soon.
Dan Case
I have been an educator with the OCDSB since 1999. After serving as a long time teacher in Social Sciences and Canadian Studies, I am now an administrator. I have spent the last 5 years as a vice principal at South Carleton High School and Woodroffe High School and have now transitioned into the role of principal at West Carleton Secondary school. I am also a loving husband and a father of three. In my spare time, I coach, ref, and play whatever sports I can. I am the President of the West Ottawa Basketball Association and Vice Chair of the Eastern Ontario Basketball Committee. I think that the influence of sports made Restorative Practices make sense to me. Everything was a circle: "huddle up", "form a circle", "bring it in" are all phrases that reinforce the RP structure for open communication, not to mention the many other RP connections from sport. I came across Restorative Practices somewhat by chance, and now I look forward to sharing my learning journey with anyone who will listen!
Jane Evans
Jane Evans is a Senior Researcher with the Department of Justice Canada. She holds a Master of Arts in Criminology from the University of Ottawa, Honours Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Western University, and a post-graduate Diploma in Public Policy and Program Evaluation from Carleton University. Jane has over 25 years experience working in research and evaluation on issues related to restorative justice, Indigenous justice, victims of crime, access to justice, family justice, and the criminal justice system. She is a member of the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Working Group on Restorative Justice and its Research and Data Subcommittee. Jane is also actively engaged in the development of the Canadian Restorative Justice Research and Knowledge Network. Paul Robinson is the manager of the Corrections section at the Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics, a division within Statistics Canada. Paul has 25 years experience working on data collection projects from civil and criminal justice organizations and using data to develop relevant indicators and research on the justice system. Paul recently led an engagement with restorative justice programs to assess the state of RJ data in Canada and to identify data gaps and areas of improvement. Paul is a member of the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Working Group on Restorative Justice and is the federal co-chair of its Research and Data Subcommittee. Paul holds a Master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from Queen’s University, and a Bachelor of Law and Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Saskatchewan.
Jessica Rourke
Dr. Jessica Rourke has been involved in the field of restorative justice for nearly 20 years, serving as both facilitator and mentor, as well as supporting the training of both new and experienced practitioners. Jessica has also served as Executive Director of Restorative Justice Victoria, Vice President of the Vancouver Island Region Restorative Justice Association (VIRRJA), and was on the board of directors for Restorative Justice Oak Bay. In 2018, Jessica was the recipient of the Victoria Community Leadership Award for outstanding service to the Victoria community, demonstrating commitment, inspiration, encouragement, and accomplishment through her work in restorative justice. Currently, Jessica is a Complex Caseworker at Restorative Justice Victoria, and also an Assistant Teaching Professor in Psychology, at the University of Victoria. With the aim of enhancing safety, accountability, and survivor-centred practices, she and her students are currently wrapping up a research project exploring the lived experiences of RJ clients who experienced or perpetuated sexualized violence.
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Kate Crozier
Before joining Community Justice Initiatives (CJI), I dedicated much of my career to supporting individuals impacted by violence. Along the way, I worked with criminalized youth, unhoused women, worked on crisis lines to meet whatever needs arose—experiences that deepened my understanding of how systemic failures often lead to criminalization rather than the support people deserve. Over the past two decades, I have spent 10 years in the Violence Against Women (VAW) sector and 10 years in restorative justice. This journey has allowed me to address the impacts and root causes of gender-based violence while coordinating community-based projects and partnerships between CJI and other organizations. One of the most rewarding aspects of this work is collaborating with people and organizations who prioritize meaningful accountability and repair work, community building, and responding to the unique needs that arise from harm. Outside of work, I’m passionate about CrossFit and love encouraging others to experience its challenges and rewards.
Lisa Bowden
Lisa Bowden (she/her) is a proud Métis lesbian surthrivor who has turned pain into purpose and struggle into strategy. From surviving incarceration and conversion therapy to building vibrant spaces of hope and healing, Lisa is a fierce advocate for restorative justice and food sovereignty. Born in the prairies and rebuilt through love and resistance on the West Coast, Lisa has spoken across British Columbia and beyond about the urgent need to transform our justice systems. Her work has centred community in prisons, fostered dignity through food justice, and built bridges where society builds walls. She’s built programs that bring community into prisons, and used her own story to challenge the idea that anyone is beyond hope. Lisa reminds us that connection is the first step toward healing.
Melodie Fortin
Le présentateur sera déterminé en temps et lieu. Ce sera une agente du Bureau des Services aux victimes (BSV). Créé en 2007 par le Service correctionnel du Canada, le Bureau des services aux victimes (BSV) offre aux victimes d'actes criminels des informations pertinentes sur le délinquant qui leur a causé du tort, sur le système correctionnel, les droits des victimes, les transferts et les mises en liberté des délinquants. Il présentera aux victimes les options disponibles, y compris les services de soutien émotionnel, ainsi que la possibilité de présenter une déclaration de victime, qui est prise en compte par la Commission des libérations conditionnelles du Canada (CLCC) lors des décisions concernant le délinquant. Le BSV s’adapte également aux évolutions législatives, notamment en ayant intégré les principes de la Charte canadienne des droits des victimes afin de renforcer la place et la voix des victimes au sein du processus correctionnel. Le Bureau des services aux victimes du SCC joue un rôle crucial dans la protection des droits des victimes et dans leur accompagnement tout au long du processus correctionnel fédéral et il vise à garantir que les victimes sont traitées avec équité et respect.
Nicole Chouinard
Professionally, Nicole earned her Legal Assistant Diploma from SAIT in 2007 and has built a career rooted in law and regulatory systems. She has worked with several quasi-judicial boards, including the National Energy Board, Alberta Energy Regulator, Assessment Review Board, and Subdivision and Development Appeal Board. In 2012, Nicole joined the RCMP Support Services Branch, where her involvement with Victim Services and Restorative Justice sparked a deep commitment to justice reform. Her passion lies in amplifying victims’ voices, fostering understanding of the root causes of harm, and building stronger, more connected communities. Since 2020, Nicole has led the development of Restorative Justice initiatives in the RMWB. Her leadership and collaboration with local stakeholders have been instrumental in growing and sustaining these efforts. Nicole’s work continues to shape a more compassionate and connected approach to justice within the region.
Serge Charbonneau
Biographie à venir bientôt.
Tyler Redskye
tyler redskye (they/them) is a queer trans non-binary settler whose ancestors come from Sicily, Ireland, the Maghreb, Aegean islands, Malta and the Levant. They are a Transformational Justice facilitator, anti-violence advocate and somatic abolitionist. They are the Executive Director of Restorative Justice Victoria. They hold a deep understanding of trauma and systemic oppression as someone who has both caused and experienced harm. They are committed to the work of learning how to hold harm differently.
Tyler Redskye
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Anna Cameron
Anna Cameron is a Senior Policy Analyst with the Nova Scotia Department of Justice, where she supports the Nova Scotia Restorative Justice Program, as well as other restorative initiatives and justice transformation efforts, from a policy, research, and strategic perspective. Before joining the Government of Nova Scotia, Anna spent a decade in research, systems change, and policy advocacy roles in the academic and non-profit sectors, working on such issues as poverty, social provision, basic income, skills training for marginalized communities, predatory lending, and short-term rental regulation. The through-line connecting her work is a commitment to uncovering, understanding, and addressing, from a policy perspective, the sources and causes of social and economic inequity and injustice. Anna is a member of the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Working Group on Restorative Justice and is the provincial co-chair of its Research and Data Sub-committee. She holds a Master of Arts from the University of Ottawa’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science.
Elaine Kicknosway
Elaine Kicknosway pronouns Qwe/she/her. Traditional helper . Swampy Cree through her biological mother from Amisk Lake and her biological father’s side is from Buffalo Narrows Sk. She is a member of Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation in Northern Saskatchewan, and is Wolf Clan. She is a Sixties Scoop Survivor and returned home in 1996. She has been long time community advocate in the areas of child welfare, MMIW2SG, healthy families, and Indigenous Wellness that include spaces for the LGBTQ2S+. Elaine is an Indigenous land based focusing therapist & trauma Counsellor, a Blanket exercise facilitator and trainer, Indigenous full spectrum birth to death Doula , Traditional dancer, singer, drummer and is the Cofounder of The Sixties Scoop Network and carrier of ceremonial teachings.
Jaime Scott
James V. Scott OC is a Canadian ordained minister in the United Church of Canada. Scott is known for advocating for reform of Canada's criminal justice system through collaborative and restorative justice, as well as for his role in the truth and reconciliation process with Indigenous peoples in Canada. As the United Church General Council Officer for Residential Schools, he was tasked with implementing the 1986 and 1998 Apologies issued by the United Church regarding its role in the Canadian Indian residential school system, as well as representing the United Church in negotiations for the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. For this work he was awarded two honorary doctorates, and inducted into the Order of Canada. In 2021, Scott received the Emmanuel Theological College Alumni/ae Service Award.
Jessica Evans
Dr. Jessica Evans is a community engaged scholar whose research examines the causes, conditions, and consequences of incarceration in Canada, framed through anti-racist, decolonial, abolitionist and critical political economic theories. Dr. Evans holds a PhD from York University's Department of Political Science, supported by the SSHRC Joseph-Armond Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship. Dr. Evans is currently the Co-PI on a SSHRC Partnership Engage Grant along with Dr. Mandi Gray (Trent University) and Community Just Initiatives, exploring the perspectives of frontline workers in the gender-based violence sector on Ontario’s moratorium on restorative justice in cases of sexual harm. Her previous research includes a SSHRC Partnership Engage Grant which, in collaboration with Prisoner HIV/AIDS Support Action Network, explored the impact of COVID-19 on incarcerated persons throughout Ontario. This research has been published in recent issues of Punishment and Society, and the Canadian Journal of Law and Society. Dr. Evans' previous work has been published widely, including in peer reviewed journals such as Citizenship Studies, the Canadian Journal of Disability Studies, and Punishment and Society. She has also written numerous op-eds for outlets such as The Conversation and Spring Magazine and has conducted numerous media interviews on issues relating the rights and needs of incarcerated persons. She is a co-founder of the Toronto Prisoners' Rights Project, a member of the Abolition Coalition and is certified through Walls to Bridges.
Karen Ridd
Karen Ridd (MA Peace and Justice: Governor-General's Gold Medal) works on Transformative Justice issues for CFSC (Quakers), and is a Teaching Associate Professor at the Canadian Mennonite University. Karen brings 30+ years of experience in the field of Restorative Justice: she’s been a mediator and trainer with Mediation Services, and teaches courses in Restorative and Transformative Justice. Karen’s work in Restorative Justice began in 1986, working human rights work in war zones with Peace Brigades International. Karen has been recognized with the 125th Anniversary of Canadian Confederation Medal, the Canada YM/YWCA Peace Medal and the 1989 Manitoba International Human Rights Achievement Award. Since 1996, Karen has been effectively using alternative teaching methodology in her university courses. In 2013 Karen was awarded the international Peace and Justice Studies Association's "Teaching Excellence Award." In 2022 Canadian Mennonite University named Karen as a co-recipient of the inaugural "'Kay and Lorne Dick Teaching Excellence Award." Karen is an avid whitewater canoeist, a winter-cyclists, the parent of two young adults and the personal butler to two cats.
Lindsay Hunt
Lindsay Hunt is the Education and Employment Coordinator at Eagle Women’s Lodge, a Section 81 Healing Lodge in Winnipeg, Manitoba. In this role, she supports federally incarcerated women as they transition back into the community, helping them access education, employment, and personal development opportunities. Lindsay holds a degree in Human Rights from the University of Winnipeg and brings extensive experience in social justice, advocacy, and community engagement. She is also a researcher focused on the political economy of Canadian incarceration. Her upcoming publication, Cui Bono: A Critical Analysis of Who Benefits From Incarceration in Canadian Federal Institutions, explores the financial interests of private corporations, government bodies, and other stakeholders in maintaining the prison system. By investigating these dynamics, Lindsay seeks to contribute to ongoing conversations around prison abolition, restorative justice, and the need for systemic transformation. Her work bridges frontline support with critical research, grounded in a commitment to dignity, equity, and reintegration.
Mardi Hardt
Mardi Hardt has been a mental health nurse for 46 years, with three decades spent supporting teachers, students and administrators in two Alberta school divisions. She began her career in forensic psychiatry, when the federal organization was still called Penitentiaries Canada when the Youth Justice Act was still a far-off dream and when little was known about the effect that toxic stress has on brain development. Mardi has provided mental health support to school communities through the relationship-challenging Covid-19 pandemic resulting in the creation of a Mental Health Flagship School framework in the fifth-largest school division in Alberta and this restorative and neuroscience-based work is now being replicated in Saskatchewan. Now in her retirement, Mardi continues to provide high quality learning opportunities in communities wanting to support wellbeing in turbulent times.
Dr. Muhammad Asadullah
Dr. Muhammad Asadullah is an Associate Professor at the University of Regina’s Department of Justice Studies. A recipient of the 2024 CTL Teaching Award, he is also recognized as a President’s Teaching Scholar at UofR, an honor reserved for individuals who demonstrate a strong commitment to teaching and learning excellence across the institution. Recently, he has been awarded the Best Paper Prize by the RJ Working Group of the European Society of Criminology. Before joining UofR, Dr. Asadullah taught at Simon Fraser University, the University of the Fraser Valley, and Kwantlen Polytechnic University. He holds a PhD and a Master’s degree in Criminology from Simon Fraser University and a Master’s in Conflict Transformation from Eastern Mennonite University. His research focuses on restorative justice, transitional justice, decolonized teaching, and youth justice. Among his many honors are the Neekaneewak Indigenous Leadership Award, the Contemplative Social Justice Scholar Award, the Liz Elliott Memorial Graduate Scholarship, and Law Foundation Scholarship
Ruth Slauenwhite
Bio coming soon.
Sylvie Elbilia
Sylvie Elbilia est une mère engagée et une voix émergente en justice réparatrice. Autrice de deux livres (2025 et 2026), elle témoigne de l’incarcération de son fils et de l’impact sur les proches. Formée en direction de CPE, elle a accompagné parents et équipes éducatives, tissant des approches inspirées de la relation d’aide. Elle a aussi travaillé en maison de transition pour mieux comprendre les enjeux de réinsertion. Active sur les réseaux, elle tisse des liens avec d’autres familles touchées par la détention. Des intervenant·e·s du réseau correctionnel l’ont encouragée à faire entendre sa voix. Une criminologue a souligné que ses livres deviendront des outils pédagogiques en criminologie. Elle a livré un témoignage de grande vulnérabilité pour Insiders Prisoner et participe à faire émerger une parole réparatrice, entre vécu intime et réflexion collective.
Angela Gates
Angela has been employed in a variety of roles within the criminal justice system for more than 30 years. She has worked in provincial and federal government setting as well as in the not-for-profit sector. Angela has been an active member of restorative justice community in the Atlantic Region since 1998. Since 2005, Angela has been employed as a Mediator in Cases of Serious Crime within the Restorative Opportunities Program for the Correctional Service of Canada. Angela has sat on several boards, networks and committees over the years including being a founding member of the Canadian Restorative Justice Consortium, CoSA Canada, and the Violence Prevention Network of Southeastern NB.
Alyssa Brennan
Alyssa Brennan (she/her) joins us from Conception Bay South, Newfoundland and Labrador. Alyssa graduated from Memorial University NL with undergraduate degrees in Physical Education, Intermediate/Secondary Education and Special Education and a graduate degree in Education focused on Social Justice and Restorative Justice. She currently teaches at Holy Trinity High in Torbay, NL where she is an instructional resource teacher, athletic director, lead of the school’s restorative justice team, teacher facilitator of the student social justice action committee and Game Changers groups, and volleyball coach. She was introduced to restorative justice by Dr. dorothy vaandering at MUNL. Since that time RJ has become an important part of her teaching and coaching practice. She is a mother of four beautiful children and deeply involved in her community.
Christianne Paras
Christianne Paras is Ilokano and Kapangpangan, originally from the Ilocos region of the Philippines. She currently resides as an uninvited guest, an immigrant settler, on the unceded, ancestral and traditional lands of the Kwikwetlem peoples in BC, Canada.With over 20 years’ experience in the restorative justice field, she is an accomplished facilitator with expertise in a variety of practice models including victim offender dialogue, family group conferencing, and peacemaking circles. She is the Executive Director of Restorative Justice Association of BC; She is one of the authors featured in ‘Colorizing Restorative Justice: Voicing Our Realities’. dorothy vaandering is professor in the Faculty of Education, Memorial University & Director of Relationships First Newfoundland and Labrador. With over 20 years of teaching & research in Restorative Justice in Education, she is passionate about reconciliation and nurturing relational communities where all people are honoured as worthy and interconnected. She is co-author of The Little Book of Restorative Justice in Education.
Pat Lewis
Pat brings a deep background in education to her work with the International Institute for Restorative Practices (IIRP), having served as a teacher, consultant, and school principal over a decades-long career. Now with the IIRP Canada, she supports communities in strengthening relationships, advancing social change, and deepening the reach of restorative practices across sectors. Her work focuses on creating connected systems—whether in schools, neighborhoods, or institutions—where equity, voice, and belonging can take root. Pat’s interests include education reform and leadership for change, and she has had the honour of collaborating on local and international initiatives in restorative schools, community justice transformation and workplace reviews and restorations. Pat lives in Toronto, Ontario, on the traditional territory of the Wendat, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, and the Anishinaabeg, and the Mississaugas of the Credit.
Paul Robinson
Bio coming soon.
Alice Hunt
Alice Hunt is a school teacher with several years of experience in junior and senior high classrooms in Newfoundland. She is currently completing a Master's of Education Program in Teaching, Learning, and Curriculum and is devoted to creating diverse, equitable, and inclusive learning environments. She was introduced to Restorative Justice Education in one of her courses and became quite passionate about this area of study. Her work focuses on Relationships First-Restorative Justice Education and its impact on the educational experience of students, educators, and parents/caregivers. In recent years, Alice has been involved in facilitating or co-facilitating professional learning days for various school faculties as well as conducting parent/caregiver workshops on the topic of Relationships First-Restorative Justice Education in the local school district. When she is not reading and researching this subject, she enjoys spending time with her family, hiking, cuddling dogs, and pinning ideas on her Pinterest boards.
Alan Edwards
Alan Edwards has been working in the field of restorative justice for over 25 years, and is based in Edmonton, Alberta. Since 2004, he has worked exclusively on cases of serious and violent crime, in the Restorative Opportunities Program of Correctional Service Canada. Alan has assisted many, many people harmed by serious, violent crime to have helpful, productive and valuable communication with those federally incarcerated persons who have harmed them. In recent years, Alan has developed a focus on the complex practice issues associated with working restoratively in cases of gender-based violence. For example, in 2017-18, he was a member of the University of Alberta’s Working Group on Restorative Initiatives for Sexual Violence. In 2019-20, he was one of two RJ specialists tasked with developing and delivering training for the Department of National Defence/Canadian Armed Forces’ Restorative Engagement Program, which is an RJ response to sexualized violence in the military. Alan has co-authored five papers on restorative justice and violence, co-authored the resource guide “Serving Crime Victims Through Restorative Justice” and continues to deliver advanced RJ training throughout Canada.
Chief Mi'sel Joe
Chief Mi’sel Joe was born in Miawpukek Mi’kamawey Mawi’omi First Nation, NL into a strong Mi'kmaq family who educated him in all the Mi’kmaq ways and traditions. He served as Administrative Chief for Miawpukek First Nation-Conne River for over three decades. He was instrumental in transforming NL’s understanding of Indigenous Leadership while guiding Conne River to becoming a thriving community. He now serves as the Traditional Saqamaw, with a commitment to preserving the language, culture, and traditions of his people. Since 2018, Chief Joe has been an incredible mentor and guide for RFNL and is currently serving as its Cultural Advisor. He holds multiple awards including the Frank McKenna Award for Outstanding Contributions to Public Policy by Atlantic Canadians (2024), Turning the Tide Industry Lifetime Achievement Award for Exemplary Leadership (2024) and the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador (2024). He is the author of several books including My Indian (2021) and Sulieway (2023).
Dorothy Vaandering
dr. dorothy vaandering is a professor in the Faculty of Education at Memorial University of Newfoundland and the Director of Relationships First Newfoundland and Labrador (RFNL). With over 20 years of research in Restorative Justice in Education (RJE), she is passionate about nurturing relational communities where all people are honoured as worthy and interconnected. Before joining Memorial in 2009, dorothy spent two decades as a primary-elementary educator in Alberta and Ontario. Her work now focuses on designing and implementing innovative, transformative professional learning to support the sustainable practice of RJE. As a settler-Canadian, engaging in reconciliation has become a central priority in her scholarship, teaching, and community engagement. She is co-author of The Little Book of Restorative Justice in Education and has authored many other academic and professional publications. She is honoured to serve as Director of RFNL.
Fiona Li
Bio coming soon.
Heather Peters
Heather (she/her) serves as the Peacebuilding Coordinator for Mennonite Central Committee Saskatchewan. Within this role she focuses on trauma education, restorative justice capacity building, and promoting reconciliation opportunities. She has been a community educator for nearly 20 years around the globe. Heather facilitates classes and workshops in peacebuilding, restorative justice, conflict transformation, abuse response & prevention, and trauma-informed practices. She is also a sessional instructor at St. Thomas More College in Peace Studies. Heather’s education has come from degrees in Human Security and Peacebuilding, International Development, and Theology, as well as many life lessons from living around the world and seeking good, interesting relationships from the people that come into her life.
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Jan Moran
Jan Moran B.A., B.Ed., M.Sc. Jan has been involved in Restorative Justice in Alberta for over 20 years. She provided leadership in the formation of the Alberts Restorative Justice Association (ARJA) in 2006, served as its first Chair and continued her involvement with ARJA until March,2025. During this time Jan has made presentations to many community & professional groups on the meaning and value of a restorative justice approach. Jan has also delivered training workshops on starting restorative justice programs based on a Guide she developed. As Chair of ARJA in 2024, Jan coordinated an engagement project to develop recommendations for standards of practice for the education and training of Restorative justice facilitators as requested by the Government of Alberta. Jan has a background in the field of education and has filled the role of High school teacher, curriculum developer, school administrator and School Trustee. She is a trained mediator and Restorative Justice facilitator. She is a mediator for the Alberta Court of Justice Civil Claims program. Jan is an active member of her community in St. Albert and has sat on many nonprofit and community boards.
Jude Oudshoorn
Jude is a Professor of Human Services at Conestoga College, holding a PhD in Social Work. He has 20 years of experience doing accountability work, in prisons and community-based settings, with men who have perpetrated violence, including as a Serious Crime Mediator with the Restorative Opportunities program of the Correctional Service Canada, and a Counsellor with the Engaging Men program of Women's Crisis Services of Waterloo Region. He is the author of a few books, including Trauma-Informed Youth Justice in Canada and the Little Book of Restorative Justice for Sexual Abuse.
Kevin Péloquin
Kevin Péloquin est professeur en didactique des sciences humaines au primaire à l'Université de Montréal et chercheur régulier au Centre de recherche interuniversitaire sur la formation et la profession enseignante (CRIFPE). Ses champs d'intérêt concernent l'utilisation de la culture matérielle, du cinéma, de la réalité virtuelle et de la bande dessinée pour l’enseignement et l'apprentissage de la géographie et de l'histoire.
Lisa Tootoo
Lisa is a wife and mother who loves connecting with family, travelling and helping to improve the lives of those who have experienced trauma. She holds a BPA in Criminal Justice and has over 10 years of experience as a restorative justice practitioner and trainer while working with the Government of Nunavut. In 2021, she became a Certified Gladue Writer who has prepared trauma informed reports for individuals in Nunavut, Northwest Territories, Ottawa and Kingston. In 2022, after relocating to the Ottawa area, Lisa began delivering modules of The Path with NVision Insight Group Inc. Lisa is bilingual in French and English and as an Indigenous woman is guided by the values of her Plains Cree background.
Michaela De Curtis
Michaela De Curtis brings nearly a decade of dedicated experience in the not‑for‑profit sector to her role as Executive Director of CoSA Ottawa. Michaela holds a diploma in Community and Justice Services, as well as a certificate in Human Resources Management, equipping her with a dual lens of both human-centered casework and organizational development. These qualifications have proven instrumental in guiding her approach to leadership - balancing compassion with structure, and advocacy with accountability. Over the years, she has held various roles in Ottawa's not-for-profit sector, focusing on program development, volunteer coordination, community partnerships, and organizational governance. Her work has consistently emphasized inclusion, trauma-informed practice, and collaboration across sectors. She has also played a key role in HR policy design, staff training, and the development of sustainable operational models for community-based services. Her journey with CoSA Ottawa began as a volunteer circle member supporting individuals reintegrating into the community after incarceration. It was in this role that Michaela developed a deep understanding of the transformative impact of restorative justice and community accountability.
Olivia Stroz-Breton
Bio coming soon.
Rod Jeddore
Rod Jeddore is the Director of Education of Se't A'newey School in Miawpukek, Conne River, NL a role he’s held for 20 years. Prior to this, he was a Teacher/Administrator at the same school for 14 years. He has a BEd from the University of New Brunswick and MEd from the University of Saskatchewan. He is married to his beautiful wife, Susan, and is the proud father of two boys, Brent and Liam. He also has two wonderful stepchildren, Paul and Mahalia, and two lovely Grandchildren. He supports and promotes the strong Mi’kmaq Values and virtues of Respect, Love, Truth, Honesty, Humility, Wisdom and Courage for his family & community. He believes we can all make a difference.
Cst. Shaina Lynden
Constable Shaina Lynden is a proud member of Yellow Quill First Nation and a dedicated mother of five. She holds a Bachelor of science in Kinesiology from the University of Saskatchewan, and a master’s in organizational leadership with distinction from Arizona State University. Since beginning her career with the Saskatoon Police Service in 2005, Shaina has served in various roles, including patrol, the School Resource Unit, Hit and Run Investigations, and currently, the Equity and Cultural Engagement Unit. A passionate advocate for reconciliation and justice, Shaina is committed to advancing the MMIWG2S Calls for Justice, the TRC Calls to Action, and improving police-Indigenous relations in Canada. Currently in her second year of a Doctorate program in Educational Leadership at the University of Saskatchewan, Shaina plans to focus her research on the training and education of police officers regarding the Indigenous experience in Canada. A descendant of both residential schools and the Sixties Scoop, Shaina is grateful to represent the strength and resilience of her ancestors while striving to represent how leadership, innovation, and purpose can create meaningful change across both professional and personal spheres.
Viktoria Kaslik
Viktória Kaslik (b. 1992) is an artistic researcher, an ancestral constellator and facilitator with a background in law. She was born and raised in the Carpathian Basin, where she is also based. She studied law (MA, 2017) in Budapest (HU) and critical and conceptual design (MA, 2021) at Design Academy Eindhoven (NL). In her work, she explores the terrain of nature-sourced laws through artistic and practice-based research, writing, performance, artistic collaborations, and consultation. As a jurist, she has a practice in children's rights and in restorative justice in the European context. As an ancestral constellator and a facilitator, the core of her work is to hold a container for people to facilitate their process securely and safely. Especially during transformations that strongly call to create new systems within and outside, which are in harmony with the Earth’s body, while listening to and co-creating with the more-than-human world.