Economic Strategy Update Steering Committee Members
The Economic Strategy update is being guided by an 9-member steering committee. In addition to Co-Chair Councillors Steve Desroches and Rob Jellett, and member Councillors Rick Chiarelli, Eli El-Chantiry and Marianne Wilkinson, committee membership includes these four outstanding community leaders:
Michel Bilodeau
Michel is President and CEO of the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario. He holds a licence in literature and history as well as a master’s degree in public administration. He has occupied senior management positions in Quebec and Ontario hospitals for more than 30 years.
He had previously worked within the federal civil service in positions of increasing responsibility. Michel has been an active board member of the Ontario Hospital Association, the Ontario Council of Teaching Hospitals, the SCO Health Service Foundation, The Elisabeth Bruyère Research Institute, and the American Commission of Accreditation of Education Programs in Health Administration. He also chaired the Ottawa Academy of Hospital Executives and the OHA Regional Executive Committee.
From 2004 to 2006, Michel was on an extended sabbatical in Paris, France, but remained attached to the Elisabeth Bruyère Research Institute as Emeritus Fellow. During this time he also taught at the University of Ottawa MHA program and surveyed in Canada and Saudi Arabia for the Canadian Council on Health Services Accreditation.
Sonia Riahi
Representing the youth perspective, Sonia is pursuing a master’s degree in engineering management from the University of Ottawa and holds a bachelor of engineering in mechanical engineering from Carleton University. She is also engaged with the Ottawa Centre for Research and Innovation’s TalentBridge, a business leadership program that develops technically educated post secondary talent with entrepreneurial ambitions through mentorship and placements into business/marketing positions with local small- and medium-sized businesses. Having graduated from the program herself, Sonia’s current role is to assist in managing, facilitating and supporting youth entrepreneurship and leadership through the TalentBridge program in the Ottawa area.
Ottawa-born, Sonia has had the opportunity to live abroad for a number of years and returned to Ottawa 13 years ago to live, study and begin her entrepreneurial journey in her hometown. She is co-founder and managing partner of Twidledee, a real-time marketing startup under development.
In the past, she has worked with the private and public sectors in research and development (R&D), testing and analysis, 3-D modeling, project management, product marketing, and teaching. Outside of her professional life, Sonia is an avid traveler, enjoys scuba diving and running, and has interests in real estate, social media, history, and sociology.
Richard Van Loon
Richard is a former Canadian civil servant and ex-president of Carleton University. He was the first president of Carleton who was also a Carleton alumnus. He received his bachelor of science in chemistry from Carleton in 1961, as well as a master’s degree in arts in 1965. He completed a PhD in political studies at Queen’s University in 1968, and for several years taught that subject at Queen’s, Carleton and the University of Ottawa.
His career in the federal civil service included working in the Department of Energy and Treasury Board. He has been an Associate Deputy Minister of Health Canada and Indian Affairs and Northern Development.
He was appointed President and Vice-Chancellor of Carleton University in 1996, and retired in 2005. He is currently Professor Emeritus in the School of Public Policy and Administration at Carleton University.
Steve West
Steve is President of MDS Nordion and Chief Executive Officer of MDS Inc. MDS Nordion is an Ottawa-based life sciences company with more than 600 highly skilled employees in Ottawa, Laval, Vancouver, and Belgium. MDS is a business unit of MDS Inc., a Canadian global life sciences company that provides products and services for drug discovery and development.
In 2008, MDS undertook $158 million of R&D in Canada. Over the past two years, MDS Nordion has attracted more than $20 million in R&D to Ottawa and Canada through its various collaborations.
