Our Leadership

Brad Saunders, Chief Executive Officer

Brad brings over 25 years of experience to the developmental services sector and has been Chief Executive Officer for Community Living Toronto since November 2015. Brad currently leads one of the largest organizations of its kind in Ontario supporting people living with an intellectual disability, with over 1300 staff, nearly 200 volunteers, and more than 1300 members. Community Living Toronto strives to be a visionary and community builder while supporting over 4000 people with intellectual disabilities and their families. CLTO offers programs and services in the community and across Toronto at over 80 locations, as well as at Shadow Lake Camp in Stouffville. Brad joined Community Living Toronto in 2011 as the Regional Executive Director for Etobicoke/North York, where he innovatively improved and broadened services for children with autism, respite services, and clinical supports.

Prior to joining Community Living Toronto, Brad worked with both the Ministry of Children and Youth and the Ministry of Community and Social Services and was Executive Director of the Bob Rumball Associations for the Deaf for 17 years.

Senior Staff

Brad Saunders
Chief Executive Officer
brad.saunders@cltoronto.ca
905-299-2600

Betty Yam
Chief Financial & Administrative Officer
betty.yam@cltoronto.ca
647-801-6512

Casey Pruden
Chief Operating Officer
cpruden@cltoronto.ca
647-244-8089

Aneliya Arnaudova
Director, Human Resources
aneliya.arnaudova@cltoronto.ca
416-818-0661

Angela Bradley
Senior Director, Social Enterprise, Development & Philanthropy
abradley@cltoronto.ca
416-509-1596

Aymen Ben Hassouna
Director IT and Business Solutions
aymen.benhassouna@cltoronto.ca
437-235-7296

Kathia Buendia-Pereira
Manager, Executive Office
kathia.pereira@cltoronto.ca
416-371-3763

Akiko Masuda Paradis
Director, Financial Planning and Analysis
aparadis@cltoronto.ca
416-816-8974

David Renfrew
Senior Director, Enterprise Resource
Planning & Real Estate

drenfrew@cltoronto.ca
647-729-1194

Frances MacNeil
Senior Director, Supported Living
fmacneil@cltoronto.ca
416-371-3237

Heather Dawson
Director, Quality, Privacy & Risk
heather.dawson@cltoronto.ca
437-224-6523

Joe Persaud
Senior Director – Community Participation Supports and Respite
joe.persaud@cltoronto.ca
416-317-0639

Deanna Strazzella
Senior Director, Specialized Services
deanna.strazella@cltoronto.ca
416-317-0475

Petronilla Ndebele
Director, Strategic Communications & Stakeholder Relations
petronilla.ndebele@cltoronto.ca
416-356-1532

Board of Directors

Stephanie Gawur, Board Chair

Stephanie specializes in government relations, issues management and municipal affairs as the Senior Director of Government Relations at Santis Health. Stephanie has supported a number of municipal, provincial, and federal campaigns over the last decade, and was Executive Assistant to a Member of Parliament for whom she managed community outreach and engagement.

In addition to her political experience, Stephanie has held senior leadership positions at the Breast Cancer Society of Canada and the Canadian Association for Community Living. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Queen’s University and a Master of Science from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Stephanie joined Community Living Toronto’s Government Relations Committee in 2020 and joined the Board of Directors in September 2021.

Don Logie, Vice Chair

Don is an Executive Vice-President, Development at CreateTO and has extensive experience in the development and operation of commercial, industrial, and residential real estate with particular emphasis on mixed-use developments. Don has been involved in the development and asset management of over 6,000 residential units and more than 22 million sq. ft. of retail and office developments. He is a member of a pension fund advisory board and two non-profit boards, has a civil engineering degree and an MBA.

Don is a member of Community Living Toronto’s Lawson Project Steering Committee and joined the Board of Directors in September 2021.

Harvey Cooper

Harvey has worked for over 3 decades in the Community Housing sector, most notably at the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada (CHF Canada). At CHF Canada Harvey served in a variety of senior positions including Director of Government Relations and Deputy Executive Director. Some of Harvey’s key areas of expertise include effective advocacy, non-profit and co-operative housing development, and management as well as association governance and management. Harvey recently semi-retired and set up his own consultancy firm focusing on assisting non-profit and community organizations with their government relations efforts.

Over the years Harvey has volunteered his time with several organizations including the Public Affairs Association of Canada (PAAC), where he served on the Board of Directors and Membership Chair for 12 years. He currently serves on CLTO’s Government Relations Committee.

Michael Douglas, Treasurer

Michael is a Senior Principal in the Direct Private Equity Group at CPP Investments, where he has worked for over 14 years. He has been an active volunteer for a number of charitable organizations, including Special Olympics where he has coached powerlifting for two decades.

Michael joined Community Living Toronto’s Finance and Audit Committee in 2020, is currently a member of the Lawson Project Steering Committee and joined the Board of Directors in September 2021.

Emory Gilbert

Emory is a retired community member who has an extensive public safety and security background having served 35 years with the Toronto Police Service and, operated Gilbert & Associates Ltd, providing security and risk management consulting services. He has been involved with the Central Region Council of Community Living since 2015 and as a Board member since 2018. Emory’s daughter Claire, diagnosed as intellectually disabled, is his motivation for his involvement with Community Living Toronto. His goal as a Board member is to ensure the continuity of Community Living Toronto and support its objectives in its advocacy for and care of all members of our community.

Carol Layton

Carol Layton serves as volunteer Vice-President with the charitable non-profit organization, West Toronto KEYS to INclusion (KEYS). Carol is one of the founding members of KEYS, dating back to 2009. She has also served as an advisory member with the Developmental Services Council of Toronto.

Carol has a life-long commitment to the disability community inspired by her daughter Erin. Erin was intellectually delayed and passed away in the summer of 2025 from medical complications due to a progressive neurological disorder. Caring for Erin has brought into sharper focus for Carol the nexus between disability and medical complexity, for some members of the disability community.

Carol enjoyed a thirty-six-year career with the Ontario Public Service (OPS), including thirteen years at the Deputy Minister level, leading large ministries with diverse portfolios. Carol retired in 2016.

Upon retirement Carol served on the boards of the Canadian Association of Management Consultants (CMC – Canada), the Government of Canada Audit Committee, and the Ontario Government’s Corporate Audit Committee.

Carol holds an Environmental Studies degree (Geography) from the University of Waterloo and completed Queen's University’s Public Executives Program.

Brad Saunders,

Chief Executive Officer, Community Living Toronto and Secretary to the Board of Directors

Valérie Picher

Valérie Picher is currently the Vice President, Communications and Public Relations at Greenfield Global Inc. She is a bilingual francophone who has spent over 20 years working in a variety of senior government, nonprofit and corporate roles, including within federal and provincial governments serving several Cabinet Ministers as Director of Communications and Chief of Staff. Prior to joining Greenfield Global, Valérie was also Vice President Community at the St. Joseph’s Health Centre Foundation, Head of Canadian Government Relations at Restaurants Brand International and Associate Vice-President of Community Relations at TD Bank Group. She has been proudly serving on Community Living Toronto’s Board of Directors since 2014.

Mathew Soong

Mathew has more than 40 years of experience in Information Communication Technology (ICT), Finance and Accounting and Operations.

Mathew is passionate about helping organizations and their people succeed in their endeavours. He is adept at helping people solve problems, working together, feeling upbeat and excited about the work at hand.

Over his career of 40+ years as in ICT, he served as an advisor or board member for many broader public sector organizations in healthcare, community services and education. He is the co-founder and a former Director for a registered Canadian Charity dedicated to accelerating sustainable growth for social enterprises in developing communities. Prior to his retirement, he worked as Senior Managing Partner for Gartner – a global IT Research Company.

Mathew is a graduate from the University of Toronto with a degree in Computer Science. He is Chartered Accountant and began his career working for KPMG.

James Janeiro

James Janeiro is a public policy and advocacy professional with over a decade of experience in politics, policy and government relations. His connection to developmental disability stems a life-long commitment to the power of government and good public policy to improve lives.

As Director of Policy and Government Relations at the Canadian Centre for Caregiving Excellence, James leads an ambitious national and pan-Canadian advocacy and policy development agenda focused on substantive and practical reform.

James began his career in the Ontario Public Service working on disability legislation. He then transitioned to the political policy space and served two successive Ontario ministers of community and social services as senior policy advisor on social assistance, poverty, disability, and veterans’ issues.

In 2014, James assumed a new role serving Premier Kathleen Wynne as her social policy advisor. He was responsible for a diverse array of policy areas, including poverty reduction, housing, the Basic Income Pilot, disability issues, autism services and municipal affairs. In 2018, James left government for a senior role in the not-for-profit sector. He was director of community engagement and policy at Community Living Toronto from 2018 to 2022. In this role, James developed and executed advocacy strategies focused on housing, income security, and service improvement.

He holds an honours BA in political science, history, and languages and a master’s in public policy from the University of Toronto. James lives in Toronto with his wife and two cats.

Ann Marie Fierro

Ann Marie Fierro has been a long-standing volunteer with Community Living Toronto and is an active member of the Etobicoke/York Council. Her personal connection to the mission is deeply rooted in her experience as a sibling to an individual with an intellectual disability, which has shaped her commitment to inclusion and advocacy.

She previously served as a Board member many years ago and has been actively involved in fundraising initiatives for Community Living Toronto. Notable examples include organizing Spring Fling dances with the Central Region Council and participating in bowl-a-thons with the Etobicoke/York Council.

Ann Marie recently retired after a 14-year tenure as Administrative Coordinator in the InFlight department at Sunwing Airlines. Prior to that, she served for approximately 12 years as Executive Assistant to the Vice President of InFlight Services at Skyservice Airlines. Her career reflects a strong foundation in administrative operations, team collaboration, and executive support across complex organizational environments.

Mary O’Hearn

My name is Mary, and I am excited to be joining the Community Living Toronto Board of Directors. Although many of my life experiences have taught me a lot, I will speak about a few that I believe have prepared me for this role. I have two sons, one with ADHD, one with Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD). Although they are no longer children, I continue to advocate for them and their rights, just as I did when they were younger. In the past, I worked as a machine operator (for 12 years) and was then promoted to lead hand where I supervised four other workers. After that, I drove a school bus for eight years for children with developmental disabilities. I found both of these experiences rewarding. They taught me how to manage conflict and to multitask. Before the pandemic, I volunteered with Creative Village Studio, assisting with knitting classes. In 2023, I started working at Creative Village Studio as a knitting and crocheting instructor.

For the past year, I have been a member of Influencers at Community Living Toronto called CLTO Influencers. CLTO Influencers are a group of self-advocates who fight for the rights of people with intellectual disabilities. As a part of the CLTO Influencers, I have participated in speaking engagements, interviews, and attended conferences to spread the Influencers’ message of inclusion.

As a member of the Board, I will be an advocate for change. Finally, being on the Board will also let me be more involved and give back to the community

Patron's Council

John H. Tory, Chair

John H. Tory served as Mayor of Toronto from 2014 to 2023. Prior to serving as Mayor, he enjoyed a diverse and successful career in law, business, broadcasting and corporate governance. This has included service on major Canadian Boards such as Rogers, Metro and Cara. He has also been a continuous community volunteer, co-founder of Civic Action, and co-chairing numerous fundraising campaigns for organizations ranging from the United Way to St Michael's Hospital to the Toronto International Film Festival. He also served as volunteer Chair and Commissioner of the Canadian Football League.

John H. Tory is no stranger to the community living movement. Two of his close relatives, one on each side of his family lived with developmental disabilities. His two grandmothers were both involved in the movement and John himself has been a member of our Patrons Council since its inception, having served as well as Chair of our Night of the Stars fundraiser.

Patsy Anderson

Patsy Anderson serves as Chair of the Board of The Aldeburgh Connection. She is also a Trustee of Rosedale United Church, an advisor on the Faculty of Arts and Science Dean’s Circle at Queen’s University, a member of the Patron’s Council of Community Living Toronto and a past Chair of Roy Thomson Hall and Massey Hall. Ms. Anderson served as the Chairman of SickKids Foundation and as a Trustee of Hospital for Sick Children. Ms. Anderson joined the Board of Directors at SickKids Foundation in June 2001.

Brad Badeau

Brad is past President and Chief Operating Officer of Trimark, where he was identified as one of the prestigious Top 40 Under 40. Brad was also Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Burgundy. He advanced standards in the investment management business which have become the de facto standard for the Canadian mutual fund industry’s order entry, clearing and settlement activities. Philanthropy and volunteering are central to Brad’s well-rounded approach to life. In addition to Community Living Toronto, he has been involved for many years at the management level with L’Arche Canada, and he is the Chairman of the KiBo Foundation.

Donna Cansfield

Donna H. Cansfield is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. She ran in the 2003 election as the Liberal candidate for the Etobicoke Centre riding and won. On October 23, 2003, Cansfield was appointed Parliamentary Assistant (PA) to Energy Minister Dwight Duncan. She became the Minister of Energy on October 11, 2005, and then was later reassigned as Minister of Transportation on May 23, 2006. After the 2007 election, Cansfield became Ontario’s Minister of Natural Resources, where she served until the January 2010 cabinet shuffle when Premier McGuinty appointed her as PA to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Donna Cansfield was appointed as PA to the Minister of Economic Development and Innovation in 2011 and selected as PA to the Minister of Finance in 2012. In February 2013 Cansfield was appointed chief government whip as part of the Wynne government. Cansfield left provincial politics after she declined to seek another term in the 2014 Ontario election.

Pooja Handa

Pooja Handa has been a CP24 Anchor since 2008 and in April 2011 she became the Co-Host of CP24 BREAKFAST weekends. Handa is passionate about charity work and helping others. Born and raised in the GTA, Handa makes it a priority to give back to the community and continues to be active in the South Asian Community. She also works closely with Halton Industry Education Council mentoring young girls in their career paths.

Duncan N.R. Jackman, Past Chair

In 2003 Duncan became Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of E-L Financial Corporation, an investment and insurance holding company. At the same time, he was also elected Chairman of the Board of The Empire Life Insurance Company. Duncan is also Chairman of Algoma Central Corporation, the largest Great Lakes bulk shipper as well as Chairman and President of Economic Investment Trust Limited and United Corporations Limited, two Canadian listed closed-end funds, and a member of the Boards of Directors of several other public and private companies.

Vassy Kapelos

Vassy Kapelos is a CTV News Chief Political Correspondent based in Ottawa. She hosts CTV’s weekly political show Question Period, as well as Power Play on CTV News Channel during the week. She also hosts The Vassy Kapelos Show, a national weekday radio program on the iHeartRadio Canada Talk Network.

Originally from Toronto, Vassy has won three Canadian Screen Awards: one in 2020 for Best Live Production Social Media for CBC’s coverage of the B.C. by-election where Jagmeet Singh won his seat, another in 2021 for Best Talk Program or Series for Power & Politics, and a third in 2024 for Best Political News Program or Series for Power Play. In 2021, she also received the Leitch Lecture Award from the law faculties at the University of Alberta and the University of Calgary, after giving a lecture on how COVID-19 affected Canadian politics.

Vassy has a strong background in both federal and provincial political reporting. Before joining CTV News, she hosted CBC’s Power & Politics. She was also the Ottawa Bureau Chief for Global News and hosted The West Block. Earlier in her career, she covered provincial politics in Alberta and Saskatchewan.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Western University and a Master of Arts from Dalhousie University.

In the summer of 2025, Vassy Kapelos joined Community Living Toronto’s Patron’s Council.

Brendon Pooran

Brendon D. Pooran is the principal lawyer at PooranLaw Professional Corporation. He regularly provides advice in the area of wills, trusts and estate planning to individuals with disabilities and their families. Brendon teaches Critical Disability Law at York University, is the past President of Community Living York South, a founding director of PLAN Toronto, and a member of the Ontario Consent and Capacity Board.

Jane Gavan, Vice-Chair

Jane Gavan is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Dundee International REIT. She is also President, Asset Management of DREAM and has more than 26 years of experience in the real estate industry. Ms. Gavan is primarily responsible for international real estate investments. Prior to joining Dundee, Ms. Gavan served as legal counsel for numerous companies including Oxford Properties Group, and Denison Mines Corp., and began her career in private law practice with Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP, specializing in real estate and corporate finance.

Mary Pat Armstrong

Mary Pat is a founding director of Toronto’s Ronald McDonald House and of Camp Oochigeas, a camp for kids with cancer. As the founder of LIGHTS, she has helped her daughter, Jenny, set up her own home, and wants to now create opportunities for other families to do the same.

The Hon. John R. Baird

John Baird is a Senior Advisor at Bennett Jones LLP and a former Senior Cabinet Minister in the Government of Canada.

Mr. Baird has played a leading role in the Canada-China dialogue and worked to build ties with ASEAN countries. In addition, Mr. Baird has worked closely with international leaders to strengthen security and economic ties with the United States and Middle Eastern countries.

A native of Ottawa, Baird spent three terms as a Member of Parliament and four years as Foreign Minister. He also served as President of the Treasury Board, Minister of the Environment, Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons. In 2010, he was selected by Members of Parliament from all parties as Parliamentarian of the Year. Prior to entering federal politics, Mr. Baird spent ten years in the Ontario Legislature where he served as Minister of Community and Social Services, Minister of Energy, and Government House Leader.

In addition to his work with Bennett Jones, Mr. Baird sits on the advisory board of Barrick Gold Corp., the corporate boards of Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited (CPKC), Canfor Corporation (as Chair), Osisko Gold Royalties, the FWD Group and PineBridge Investments. He also serves as a Senior Advisor at Eurasia Group, a global political risk consultancy.

Mr. Baird also volunteers his time with Community Living Ontario, an organization that supports individuals with developmental disabilities, the Prince's Trust Canada, the charitable office of His Majesty King Charles III, and is a board member of the Friends of Israel Initiative.

Michael Enright

Michael Enright has been the host of CBC Radio One’s The Sunday Edition since September 2000. Prior to joining The Sunday Edition, he hosted This Morning for three years, and he spent 10 years hosting CBC Radio’s As It Happens. Among his many accomplishments, he has written for Time magazine, was the editor of Quest, and assistant managing editor of Maclean’s. He has also worked for The Toronto Star as a political writer and was Washington correspondent for the Globe and Mail. He received a Southam Fellowship for Journalism in 1979, and studied Chinese history.

Bob Hepburn

Bob Hepburn is an award-winning journalist who has worked as the Star’s bureau chief in Ottawa, Washington and the Middle East. He has reported from more than 30 countries for the Star and has also served as the Star’s editorial page editor, assistant managing editor, national editor and foreign editor.

Mark G. Johnson

Mark Johnson is the Managing Director & Co-Head, Real Estate Investment Banking at CIBC World Markets Inc. Prior to that, he worked in the Equity Capital Markets Group. His responsibilities included origination support and execution of a variety of equity, and equity related products for a cross-section of Corporate Issuers. Prior to joining the Patron’s Council, Mark Johnson was the Treasurer and a Board Member of Community Living Toronto.

David Lepofsky

David Lepofsky is a part-time visiting professor at the Osgoode Hall Law School. He graduated with honours From Osgoode Hall Law School in 1979 and obtained a Masters of Law from the Harvard Law School in 1982. He served as counsel in the Constitutional Law and Policy Division from 1989 to 1993 and as counsel in the Crown Law Office Criminal from 1993 to the end of 2015. From 1982 to the end of 2015, Lepofsky practised law in Toronto with the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General, and in 2004 was appointed to the position of General Counsel. Lepofsky has been an adjunct member of the University of Toronto Faculty of Law since 1991 as well as the chair of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance since late February 2009. He is the co-chair of Barrier-Free Canada and has been the chair of the Toronto District School Board’s Special Education Advisory Committee (a legally-mandatory committee that advises the Toronto District School Board on reforms needed to improve special education services and programs) since January 2016.

Don Roger

Don is a partner in the commercial real estate group at Torys LLP. Don’s practice focuses on real estate and infrastructure with an emphasis on commercial real estate, energy related projects and secured financing. He was recognized as a leading lawyer in energy and real estate law in 2013 and 2014 by Best Lawyers in Canada and they named him 2014 Toronto Energy Lawyer of the Year. Torys LLP and Community Living Toronto have had a close relationship for over 50 years. Don has worked with, and provided legal advice to, Community Living Toronto his entire career. Don has been a member or chair of the sponsorship committee for all four Community Rocks and he was involved with Community Living’s Night of Stars on many occasions prior to that.