Month: June 2026

Dear Members,

I’m honoured to serve as your newly elected President and grateful for the trust you have placed in me and the Board. Our organization exists because of your commitment to CIPHI and the environmental public health profession, and I am committed to serving you with transparency, integrity, and respect.

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce your current Board of Directors:

• Kelsie Dale, President
• Casey Neathway, Vice President
• Natalie Lowdon, Past President
• Alexandre Tancrede, National Director – Education
• Ann Thomas, National Director – Policy &       Governance
• Kevin Kappell, National Director – Communications       & Advocacy
• Courtney Zimmerman, Branch Director – BC/YK
• Karah Harvey, Branch Director – AB/NWT/NT
• Theresa Reid, Branch Director – SK
• Samarjeet Singh, Branch Director – MB
• Peter Heywood, Branch Director – ON
• Laura Hamper, Branch Director – NB/QU
• Daniel McGee, Branch Director – NS/PEI
• Jillian Young, Branch Director – NL

This Board brings together a range of experience and perspectives, and we are committed to working collaboratively as a team. As a volunteer team, we are committed to working collaboratively to advance key initiatives that align with CIPHI’s mission, support the profession, and deliver meaningful value to our members.

As we begin this new term, I would like to share how your Board operates and the expectations we uphold:

1. Roles and Responsibilities

Your Board is responsible for governance of CIPHI, including setting strategic direction, ensuring financial stewardship, and upholding our bylaws and policies. In addition, we operate as a working board, with all members assigned general work and specific operational portfolios to support the organization’s ongoing activities and priorities. These portfolios are intended to advance our work in alignment with CIPHI’s mission and values.

All board members are expected to act in the best interests of the organization, contribute actively within their assigned areas, respect confidentiality where required, and engage in a spirit of teamwork and collaboration to support Board decisions.

2. Process and Accountability

Board actions, including elections and decision-making, are guided by our bylaws and established procedures. These processes are designed to be fair, consistent, and transparent, and the recent election was conducted in full alignment with them. While questions are a natural and important part of a healthy organization, it is equally important to recognize that there can be more than one appropriate way to apply process. The Board is committed to exercising its responsibilities thoughtfully and professionally, and to maintaining accountability in a way that supports confidence, stability, and trust across the membership.

3. Communication and Conduct

We value respectful, fact-based communication. CIPHI is committed to keeping members informed through regular and transparent updates, including official emails, website information, social media, annual meetings, and other established communication channels that reflect the work and decisions of the Board. We encourage members to look to these sources as the most accurate and reliable information about our activities and direction.

If members have questions or concerns, we welcome them and encourage you to bring them forward directly or through your Branch Representative on the Board so they can be addressed clearly and constructively. Maintaining open, respectful dialogue, grounded in accurate information, helps ensure a strong, collaborative, and well-informed organization.

4. Transparency and Engagement

We are committed to listening and engaging with members in meaningful ways. In the coming weeks, we will be launching a member survey to gather your feedback, ideas, and priorities. Your voice is essential in shaping our direction, and I strongly encourage you to participate.

Our focus is on strengthening our organization, fostering trust, and moving forward together with professionalism and respect. As a volunteer-led organization, we will continue to balance transparency and engagement with thoughtful use of our collective time and capacity. I believe we have a strong foundation and a shared commitment to our mission—and that will guide us through this next chapter.

Thank you for your continued support and engagement.

Kelsie Dale, CPHI(C)
President, Canadian Institute of Public Health Inspectors

Dear CIPHI Members,

Following the Annual Meeting and the completion and validation of the election process by the scrutineers, the CIPHI Nomination Committee is pleased to share the results of the recent Board of Directors election.

The following individuals have been elected to the CIPHI Board of Directors:

• Kelsie Dale, National President
• Casey Neathway, National Vice President
• Alexandre Tancrede, National Director- Education
• Ann Thomas, National Director – Policy and Governance
• Kara Harvey, AB/NWT/NU Branch Director
• Ken Diplock, ON Branch Director
• Laura Hamper, NB/QC Branch Director
• Jillian Young, NFLD Branch Director

The newly elected directors will begin their terms immediately in accordance with CIPHI bylaws.

The Nomination Committee wishes to acknowledge all candidates who participated in this election. Standing for election is an important contribution to CIPHI’s governance and reflects a strong commitment to the profession. There were three candidates for the National Director of Education and three candidates for Vice President. There were two candidates for the National Director of Governance and Policy, and all remaining elected directors had one candidate put forward by the branches as per the National Bylaws 2024-1 Section 3.02.

We thank all outgoing national directors for their commitment to serving the Institute and supporting its ongoing work.

If you have any questions regarding the election process, please contact elections@ciphi.ca. 

Sincerely,
CIPHI Nomination Committee
Canadian Institute of Public Health Inspectors (CIPHI)

Dear CIPHI members,

I am pleased to announce that the June issue of the Environmental Health Review is now available here.
This issue includes:

• CIPHI Branch Updates
• A technical article: Barriers and facilitators to cooling access during extreme heat events: a qualitative study
• An emerging issues article: Cremation tattoos: a public health perspective on the practice of incorporating human ashes into tattoo ink
• A commentary: Planetary health IS environmental public health: from the local to the global—and back
• A summary of relevant research article summaries

Don’t forget that your time spent reading articles in the Journal can be claimed for PDHs.
Hope you enjoy the issue.

Sincerely,
Wendy Pons, PhD, CPHI(C)
Editor
Environmental Health Review