The Team

Madison Empey-Salisbury

Madison Empey-Salisbury is in her final year of her master’s degree in the School of Urban and Regional Planning at Queen’s University. She previously attended the University of Waterloo, where she earned her Bachelor of Environmental Studies in Honours Planning. Madison’s research interests are in age-friendly planning, which she is able to explore in a greater depth through her position on the Aging Playfully team where she works alongside urban planning scholars from both Canada and abroad.

Samantha Biglieri

Samantha Biglieri is an editor of the Aging People, Aging Places book, an Assistant Professor in the School of Urban and Regional Planning at Toronto Metropolitan University, a practicing planner, an past president of the Toronto Council on Aging. Her research focuses on age- and dementia-inclusive urban planning and housing.

Larry McDermott

Larry McDermott is a member of Shabot Obaadjiwan First Nation, an Algonquin nation in what is now eastern Ontario, and is part of the Indigenous Advisory Group and Indigenous Elders’ Circle of the Law Society of Ontario. He holds an Honorary Doctor of Laws from the University of Guelph and is the executive director of Plenty Canada.

Carrie Bourassa

Carrie Bourassa is the Scientific Director of the CIHR Institute
of Indigenous Peoples’ Health and a Professor in the Department of Community Health and Epidemiology at the University of Saskatchewan. She is also the Principal Investigator for the Canada Foundation for Innovation funded Morning Star Lodge.

Sarah E. Nelson

Sarah E. Nelson is an editor of the Aging People, Aging Places book, an assistant professor in the Department of Geography & Geology at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, and a faculty member in the Medical Humanities and Native American Studies programs. She is a health geographer with a focus on patient interactions with health care, Indigenous geographies of governance and community health, and Indigenous-settler relations.

Sylvia Humphries

Sylvia Humphries is a retired secondary school math teacher with an interest in outdoor education, canoeing, and community building. Sylvia is a Senior Goodwill Ambassador for Charlotte County, New Brunswick, a co-coordinator of the Town of Saint Andrews Community Garden and the chair of the Vibrant Communities Charlotte County (VCCC) Board.

Edward Donato

Edward Donato is a recent graduate from the Master of Arts program at the School of Planning at the University of Waterloo. He also holds an Honours BA in Geography from McMaster University. Edward’s expertise is in active transportation and health, sustainable public transportation, and older adult mobility.

Candace Skrapek

Candace Skrapek is a retired registered nurse educator and Co-Chair of the Age-Friendly Saskatoon Initiative. In retirement, Candace has continued to utilize her past education, experience, and expertise in a range of community volunteer activities that focus primarily on promoting positive aging and creating a better quality of life for Saskatoon’s older adults.

Lindsay Herman

Lindsay Herman completed her MA in Geography and BA (Hons) in Regional and Urban Planning at the University of Saskatchewan. She now works as a marketing manager in the health and fitness industry.

Barry Pendergast

Barry Pendergast is the President of the Oakridge Virtual
Seniors Village project, which in three years has rapidly grown to 100 members. While the majority are physically and mentally fit, new funding is anticipated to cover a four-year program to expand the group and progressively reach the most vulnerable.

Marianne Wilkat

Marianne Wilkat has volunteered her entire adult life. She has
been working on affordable/accessible housing for seniors for almost 15 years. In 2005 she received The Alberta Centennial Medal in recognition of outstanding service to the people and province of Alberta.

Delphine Labbé

Delphine Labbé is an Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Her research focuses on promoting full participation of people with disabilities of all ages by better understanding the person–environment interaction and using participatory action research to co-create interventions with key stakeholders to develop inclusive communities.

Atiya Mahmood

Atiya Mahmood is an Associate Professor in the Gerontology
Department at Simon Fraser University. Her training is in
environmental gerontology and her research focuses on health and built environments for older adults with a specific interest in neighbourhood environments, mobility, active living, and pro-social behaviour/social engagement of diverse groups of older adults in community-based and supportive housing.

John Whalley

John Whalley is the Vice President of Business and Finance at New Dawn Enterprises Limited in Sydney, Nova Scotia. From 1997 to 2015, he was the Economic Development Manager for the Cape Breton Regional Municipality. He holds an honours BA and a MA in Economics from Dalhousie University.

Lilian Wells

Lilian Wells is professor emerita, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work University of Toronto. Her research and teaching includes aging, health and disability, empowerment practice, organizational change, and long-term care. She was a founding member of the Toronto Council on Aging and currently is President of the Ontario Association of Councils of Aging.

Lori E. Weeks

Lori E. Weeks is an Associate Professor in the School of Nursing at Dalhousie University where she is a member of the Healthy Populations Institute, the Centre for Transformative Nursing, and Health Research and the JBI Centre of Excellence. She also holds a scientific appointment with the Nova Scotia Health Authority.

Della Webster

Della Webster is a retired school administrator/university supervisor who is involved in the Age-Friendly Initiative with the Greenwich Local Service District in New Brunswick. She has worked closely with the Wellness Branch of the Province of New Brunswick to implement various programs for seniors, such as Healthy Chefs.

Ryan Walker

Ryan Walker is a Professor of Geography and Planning at the
University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada, and past-Chair of its regional and urban planning program. He has degrees from Queen’s University at Kingston (PhD), University of Waterloo (MA), and University of Lethbridge (BA).

Danette Starblanket

Danette Starblanket is from the Star Blanket Cree Nation and is nearing completion of her PhD at the University of Saskatchewan. Danette is an instructor at the First Nations University of Canada and research co-lead at the Morning Star Lodge, an Indigenous-based research lab.

Elliot Paus Jenssen

Elliot Paus Jenssen is a retired social worker and a member of the Age-Friendly Saskatoon Initiative Steering Committee. In retirement, Elliot has continued to work with a range of community volunteer activities that focus primarily on promoting positive aging and creating a better quality of life for Saskatoon’s older adults.

Connie Paul

Connie Paul has worked for 30 years as a nurse and now works at the Snuneymuxw First Nation Health Centre in Nanaimo on what is now called Vancouver Island, British Columbia.

William Montelpare

William Montelpare is the Margaret and Wallace McCain Chair in Human Development and Health at the University of Prince Edward Island. As the scientific lead for the Primary and Integrated Healthcare Innovation Network, he is developing health and wellness opportunities for Islanders across the age spectrum.

Elder Betty McKenna

Elder Betty McKenna is Anishnabae from the Shoal River Band #366 who, with her husband Ken, has had three children. She is an Elder for First Nations and Métis education at the Regina Public School Board, and a lecturer of Indigenous Health Studies in social work and biology.

John Lewis

John Lewis is a Citizen of the Métis Nation of Ontario and Professor in the School of Planning at the University of Waterloo. He has worked as a community planner and consultant for municipal and First Nations governments and as a researcher for the Ontario Ministry of Seniors’ Affairs.

Marlin Legare

Marlin Legare works as a Research Assistant for Morning Star Lodge in Regina, Saskatchewan. He is also a Citizen of the Métis Nation who is directly involved as a research lead for community-based Indigenous health projects in partnership with the File Hills Qu’Appelle Tribal Council in Fort Qu’Appelle, Saskatchewan.

Sebastien Lefebvre

Sebastien Lefebvre is a Research Assistant at the Morning Star Lodge, an Indigenous community-based health research lab spearheaded by Dr. Carrie Bourassa. As an ally, Sebastien brought data analysis and mentoring skills to the lab which were put to use in the development of Indigenous-based data analysis methods.

Chris Kawalec

Chris Kawalec is the Community Development Program Manager at the City of Peterborough. Chris has an undergraduate degree in Geography from McMaster University and a Master’s in City Planning from the University of Manitoba. Chris was one of the key leaders instrumental to the implementation and success of Peterborough’s Age-Friendly Community Action Plan.

Mackenzie Jardine

Mackenzie Jardine is a Métis woman of Métis Nation Saskatchewan and a student in the University of Saskatchewan’s School of Medicine. Her career goal is to help create a representative workforce of Indigenous people within the healthcare system and to contribute to eliminating the health inequities experienced by Indigenous people.

Florence Huguenin-Richard

Florence Huguenin-Richard is a Lecturer in Geography at the
Sorbonne University in France. Her research examines mobility, walkability, and pedestrian safety, with a focus on the place of older adults, children, and young people in living spaces.

Dana Hickey

Dana Hickey is an Anishinaabe researcher from Dokis First Nation in Ontario, Canada. Dana recently defended a Master of Indigenous Relations thesis at Laurentian University. Dana’s research interests have been focused on power imbalances that have social implications, such as health inequities in Canada.

Jessica Dieter

Jessica Dieter is from Okanese First Nation in Treaty 4 Territory. An employee of the FHQ Tribal Council, she has filled various roles revolving around First Nation health and education. Through research and front-line work, she has engaged in work with birthing, youth, and adults – especially Elders.

Jennifer Dean

Jennifer Dean is an Associate Professor in the School of Planning at the University of Waterloo where she teaches and conducts research on healthy and inclusive communities. Jennifer holds degrees in Geography (PhD, McMaster University; MA, University of Toronto) and Women’s Studies and Geography (BA, University of Toronto Mississauga).

Marie-Soleil Cloutier

Marie-Soleil Cloutier is a health geographer and Professor of Urban Studies at Institut national de la recherche scientifique, Québec. She is the Director of the Pedestrian and Urban Space Laboratory (LAPS), where her research interests include the impact of the built environment on pedestrian road safety and road risk perception.

Natalie S. Channer

Natalie S. Channer is a master’s student in the School of Geographical Sciences at the University of Bristol. She completed her BA in Human Geography at Cardiff University in 2020. She worked as a Research Assistant on the Aging People, Aging Places project throughout the summer of 2019.

Olive Bryanton

Olive Bryanton is a researcher in the Department of Health Sciences at the University of Prince Edward Island. She co-chairs the PEI Government Seniors Health & Wellness Implemental Council, is the Atlantic representative on AGE-WELL Older Adults and Caregiver Advisory Committee and is actively involved in other pan-Canadian projects.

Gail Boehme

Gail Boehme is the Executive Director of the All Nations’ Healing Hospital and File Hills Qu’Appelle Tribal Council Health Services.

Nicole Akan

(Cree, Bear Clan) Nicole Akan is a member of the Muskowekwan First Nation. She is the current Community Research Assistant for the All Nations’ Healing Hospital Health Services. Previously employed by Morning Star Lodge and CBC Saskatchewan where she has gained valuable experience in leadership, finance, and relationship building in community.

Mark W. Rosenburg

Mark W. Rosenburg is an editor of the Aging People, Aging Places book, a Professor in the Department of Geography and Planning and cross-appointed in the Department of Public Health Sciences at Queen’s University. He is a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Aging, Health, and Development.

Maxwell Hartt

Maxwell Hartt is an editor of the Aging People, Aging Places book and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography and Planning at Queen’s University. His research focuses on the geography of and planning responses to demographic changes, including aging and shrinking cities. Maxwell leads the Aging Playfully project.

Maxwell Hartt

Samantha Biglieri

Mark W. Rosenberg

Sarah E. Nelson

Marisa Turesky

Raisa Chowdhury

Rachel Barber