Leadership and board

Donna Cansfield was elected to the Legislature in October 2003. She became the first female Minister of Transportation of the Province of Ontario in May 2006. Prior to taking on this senior Cabinet post, Donna served as Minister of Energy. Before becoming an MPP, Donna served Etobicoke Centre as a school trustee for 15 years and, ultimately, Chair of the Toronto District School Board. Donna has been an avid supporter and volunteer at the Dorothy Ley Hospice for over 17 years. She lives in Etobicoke Centre with her husband, Bill.

Following graduation from law at Queen’s, Doug received a Masters of Law from the London School of Economics. He joined the Board in June 2022 and is a member of the Governance Committee. He was VP: Regional Counsel for PepsiCo International for 30 years and relocated with his family to Hong Kong, London, New York and Bermuda before returning to Canada. His experience includes corporate and commercial law as well as corporate governance. Doug was a Queen’s University Counsellor for 6 years and served on its Executive Committee.

Scott Spearn is MedX Health Corporation President overseeing the continued development of the organizations global sales and sales channels. The company is focused on skin cancer detection with it’s SIAscopy technology that views moles and lesions in a pain-free, non-invasive manner, creating real-time images for physicians and dermatologists to evaluate all types of moles and lesions within seconds.

Prior to joining Medx, Scott had retired after 27 years with Laerdal Medical, having developed the company’s business in Canada, as well as, contributing significantly to growth in the U.S. and Latin American markets.

Peter Macaulay is the principal of P. Macaulay & Associates Inc., a forensic accounting firm. Prior to founding P. Macaulay & Associates Inc., he worked in the forensic accounting practice at Deloitte.

In addition to his CA•IFA specialist designation from the CICA, he holds an MBA from the Ivey School of Business. His favourite recreational activities include racing sail boats, playing ice hockey and white-water canoeing. He has a long history of involvement in community-based organizations, both in Mississauga and in Toronto.

Lovleen Bassan has deep experience in public and private sector companies across multiple industries, including pharmaceutical, energy, infrastructure, and engineering. Throughout her career, Lovleen has uniquely combined her strategic mindset with her operational background to achieve superior business outcomes in the areas of leadership development, cultural transformation, change management and project delivery. Lovleen holds a Bachelor of Civil Engineering, is a member of the Project Management Institute and an alum of the Judy Project at the Rotman School of Management Initiative for Women in Business.

Outside of work, Lovleen enjoys traveling, cooking and spending time with her husband and family.

Roberto is principal emeritus of Larkin Architect Limited, the firm responsible for the design of Dorothy Ley Hospice. Since its opening in 2009, they have worked with DLH to provide ongoing architectural and consulting services when needed. Most recently, Larkin Architect Limited completed several upgrades to the hospice to increase the number of beds from 10 to 12, improve comfort for the residents, and expand facilities for the palliative care medical team and resident families.

Roberto began his interest in palliative care back in 1989 when a friend was transferred from hospital to Casey House AIDS hospice. The model of hospice care he witnessed there inspired Roberto to train and volunteer for their Resident Care Team for the next seven years. During that time, with his wife Kim and others who have remained lifelong friends, he was also a founding member of the Grief and Bereavement team at Casey House, offering a drop-in for newly grieving partners, friends and family, as well as nine-week structured support groups.

Roberto looks forward to his new role on the Dorothy Ley Hospice board and to contributing as chair of the Building and Development Committee that will support the work of Dipti and her staff as they continue to plan hospice service expansions for underserved communities in Etobicoke.

Dick Falconer joined the Board in May 2014 and is a member of the Finance Committee and Co-Chair of the Capital Campaign Committee.

Dick retired from his position as Vice Chairman CIBC World Markets, concluding a 40-year career with CIBC. Over the years he has served on a number of corporate boards.

Currently, Dick is a Member of the Campaign Leadership Council for the Children’s Aid Foundation, and a Member of the Board of Governors Shaw Festival Theatre Endowment Foundation.

As a long-time member of St George’s Church, he watched the launch and growth of the Dorothy Ley community. Joining the board was a natural next step.

With over 35 years of experience in corporate leadership in the public and private sectors and across diverse industries Gail Galea’s expertise in business has established her as a sought-after consultant for many start-ups and small businesses.  She specializes in high growth transformational strategies, leadership, process improvement and operational excellence. Currently, she is EVP, North America for the Korhani Group.  Throughout her career she has worked in partnership with many charities.  Her belief is that business and charity partnerships undoubtedly help the community but also can be beneficial for businesses.

She’s earned aICD.D designation from the Rotman School of Management, Advanced Management from Harvard Business School and currently is an active member of the Institute of Corporate Directors; Women Get on Board and is a Harvard Business School alum and IWF fellow.

Linda Javorski earned her MBA at the University of Toronto. After graduating, she worked for W. R. Waters Ltd. doing preparatory research for public utility rate case testimony and assisting in the creation of an early on-line portfolio measurement system. She has also worked in both Hatch Investments Ltd and her own investment holding company, managing the business and various investment managers. Linda is the President of the Regent Park School of Music Foundation.

Linda is a long-time resident of Etobicoke. She helped coordinate the 2003/2004 campaign at St George’s on the Hill Anglican Church that raised over $300,000 towards building the current residential centre of the Dorothy Ley Hospice. Linda has been an active member of the Fund Development Committee at the Dorothy Ley Hospice since 2010. She enjoys travelling, cooking, needlework and learning new skills.

Over a public service career spanning 35 years, Renu has gained experience in diverse policy, regulatory, licensing, enforcement and program delivery environments across several ministries, including Education, Labour, Training and Skills Development, Cabinet Office, the former Ministry of Government and Consumer Services and the Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement.

She served as Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery from July 2021 until September 2024.

Throughout her leadership journey, Renu has continuously strived to embed diversity, inclusion and anti-racism into organizational practices. She holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts in History and English literature from the University of Toronto and has completed the Executive Development Program through Queen’s University. She is married with two adult children and a very active Corgi named Jet.

Moussa Tahlil is a dedicated community leader, police officer and entrepreneur with over 15 years of service to the Etobicoke community. An immigrant from Somalia, Moussa founded a successful landscaping business that also served as a mentorship platform for local youth. He has held several volunteer roles, including the Etobicoke Humane Society and the Toronto Police Service Board’s Anti-Racism Advisory Panel. Currently a Police Officer with the Toronto Police Service, Moussa remains active in youth mentorship, school outreach and community fundraising. His contributions have been recognized with the King Charles III Coronation Medal, Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Pin and the Community Recognition Award from his Member of Parliament.

Robert Yeo is a life-long resident of Etobicoke and is an active volunteer in various local charities and not-for-profit organizations, including Kingsway-Lambton United Church and the Daily Bread Food Bank.

He has over 30 years experience in the healthcare sector having worked in hospital administrative management roles and having owned a successful, diversified healthcare services business with offices across Canada.

Robert has a graduate degree in healthcare administration and an MBA, both from the University of Toronto.

Alison Weyland in a Partner at Deloitte Canada with over 20 years of management consulting experience advising clients on growth. She specializes in customer strategy; guiding companies in the development of strategies that ultimately focus on addressing customers’ needs, and leveraging technology to deliver these experiences consistently across channels. Prior to joining Deloitte, Alison worked as an engineer in the manufacturing space. Alison holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Waterloo and a MBA from the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto.

Outside of work Alison is the proud mom of three young boys and enjoys downhill skiing, cottaging, and travelling with her husband and family.

Executive Director of the Dorothy Ley Hospice, Dipti Purbhoo has a long tenure in healthcare and integrated care delivery. A registered nurse with over 20 years of experience in home and community healthcare, encompassing several roles. Dipti’s passion for quality care is at the cornerstone of her work.

Her expertise in healthcare is built on an accumulation of experiences in bedside care and administration.  Dipti held the position of Chief Operating Officer at the former Toronto Central Community Care Access Centre (CCAC) – currently referred to Home and Community Care Support Services – for six years where she was responsible for the delivery of high-quality home and community care services.

Dipti has also worked to improve homecare and palliative care services for many years at the provincial, regional and community level. She is a creative and innovative leader who has implemented new models of care to improve the experiences of clients and caregivers alike. Most notably, she co-led the development and implementation of the Toronto Central Integrated Palliative Care program that won the Health Minister’s Medal for Excellence in Quality and Safety in 2014.

She is currently co-leading the Integrated Palliative Care Strategy with the Mississauga Ontario Health Team (OHT), a professional group working to implement a new integrated palliative care model for Mississauga.

Dipti holds a Master’s of Health Administration degree from the University of Toronto and a Master’s of Health Science degree in Nursing from McGill University.