2026 Toronto Regional Symposium

Frank Denton

Senior Advisor

Counsel Public Affairs

Frank is a part-time consultant and board member. He retired in 2024 from his role as CEO of the Resource Productivity and Recovery Authority (RPRA). He was appointed in 2017 as the first CEO to lead this regulatory authority and successfully guided it from start up to fully mature regulator of Ontario’s laws governing recovery of resources from waste.

Before his tenure at RPRA, Frank spent most of his career leading the design and implementation of regulatory programs as an assistant deputy minister with the Ontario government. Frank led reforms as well as the creation and deployment of a broad range of regulatory systems, in areas including labour, consumer protection, economic development, beverage alcohol, gaming, public safety, and corporate and commercial law.

 Frank also led several public-private commercial transactions on behalf of the provincial government and developed and managed a broad range of public-private service delivery models, including agencies and other arms-length bodies.

 Before joining the Ontario government, Frank practiced commercial law with the firm Osler, Hoskin and Harcourt.

Jessica Harper is currently Chief Policy Officer for the Registered Insurance Brokers of Ontario (RIBO). Jessica leads teams responsible for the policy, governance, education, licensing and communications portfolios for RIBO.

With over nearly two decades of public sector and regulatory policy experience. Before joining RIBO, Jessica held various senior policy advisor roles within the Ontario Public Service and most recently in financial services regulation with the Ministry of Finance. She holds an Honours Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a Master of Arts in Public Policy and Administration.

Jessica Harper

 Chief Policy Officer Policy, Standards & External Affairs

Registered Insurance Brokers of Ontario

Tim Hudak

Partner
Counsel Public Affairs

Drawing from his almost three decades in the public spotlight, Tim Hudak helps business and organizations advance their leadership, advocacy and public affairs goals.

 Tim had a distinguished 21-year career as a Member of Provincial Parliament, Cabinet Minister, and Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario. Post-politics, Tim has continued to advise the Ontario government, including as a Member of the provincial Housing Affordability Task Force and as Chair of the Ontario Tourism Economic Recovery Task Force post-COVID.

 For over seven years, Tim served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Ontario Real Estate Association (OREA), Canada’s largest provincial professional association. Under Tim’s leadership, OREA transformed into one of Ontario’s most impactful advocacy groups, making great strides in strengthening consumer protection, keeping the dream of home ownership alive, and creating a new health and insurance benefits program for all realtors. As a result, Tim was named one of the most powerful people in North American residential real estate by Swanepoel Power 200 for five consecutive years.

 Most recently, Tim launched Tim Hudak Consulting, which offers industry-leading executive support through innovative Peer Councils for CEOs and Advocacy Executives across the country.

Arthur Lam 

Founding Partner

Nexus Strategic Consultants

Arthur Lam is a Partner at Nexus Strategic Consultants, where he helps companies navigate complex regulatory and government landscapes. He brings over 20 years of experience across international corporate development, government relations, and corporate strategy, with senior roles at Equifax and Brookfield Asset Management.

As Senior Advisor to Canada's Industry and Trade Ministers, Arthur influenced policy across innovation, trade, and commercial regulations, including overseeing significant regulatory changes in copyright, bankruptcy, and financial services.

Arthur holds a B.A.Sc. in Systems Design Engineering from the University of Waterloo and an MBA from Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto.

Kim Lambert

Associate Registrar, Regulatory Programs

College of Veterinarians of Ontario

Dr. Kim Lambert has been with the College of Veterinarians of Ontario since 2016. As Associate Registrar, Kim oversees the regulatory programs at the College, including licensure, quality assurance and improvement, accreditation, and investigations. Prior to her role at the College, Kim was the Manager of the Medical Communications Program at the Ontario Veterinary College, Guelph, Ontario. She is a companion animal veterinarian and was in clinical practice for 14 years. Kim also has a Masters degree in Epidemiology from the University of Guelph.

Trevor Lee 

CEO
Health and Supportive Care Providers Oversight Authority

Trevor is the Chief Executive Officer of the Health and Supportive Care Providers Oversight Authority (HSCPOA), a newly established regulator focused on the registration of Personal Support Workers to support public protection.

He previously served as Deputy Chief Administrative Officer at the City of Guelph and spent over two decades as CEO of The Elliott Community, a continuum of care organization. Trevor has also contributed to regulatory governance as a member of the Board of the Retirement Homes Regulatory Authority.

A Chartered Professional Accountant, Trevor holds degrees from the University of Waterloo and an ICD.D designation from the Rotman School of Business and Institute of Corporate Directors. He remains active in his community through board service, mentorship, and guest lecturing.

Leah Price

Director of Legal Services,

 Regulatory Operations

Professional Engineers Ontario

Admitted to the Ontario Bar in 1976, Leah has had a long and diverse litigation career. She has been a partner in three separate downtown Toronto law firms. She spent 10 years at the Ministry of the Attorney General, first as Senior Counsel in the Constitutional Law Division, then at Crown Law Office Civil, where she was designated a General Counsel. She has appeared as counsel before all levels of the courts, including the Supreme Court of Canada. She has acted in cases involving a broad range of issues, including maritime law, commercial litigation, competition law, constitutional law, and administrative law.

Leah joined the Association of Professional Engineers of Ontario (“PEO”) in 2011. She is currently the Director of Legal Services, Regulatory Operations. Leah supervises the department and also personally handles professional misconduct prosecutions and other proceedings as required under the Professional Engineers Act. Leah remains focused on protecting the public interest in all her work.

Jamie Robertson

Deputy Registrar
Ontario College of Teachers

Jamie Robertson is the Deputy Registrar for the Ontario College of Teachers.  In accordance with the Ontario College of Teachers Act, The College is a not-for-profit organization located in Toronto, Canada which licenses nearly 230,000 teachers to work in Ontario.  Jamie’s role focuses on operationalizing the College’s strategic plan and maintaining the corporate and professional integrity of the organization.  Jamie joined the College as Director of Investigations & Hearings in September 2022 and took on the Deputy Registrar duties in January 2023. 

Jamie has worked in public education for more than 35 years, holding various roles in Alberta and Ontario.  He has been a teacher, principal, superintendent and has held senior human resources positions in one of Canada’s largest school boards.

Jamie holds a Bachelor of Education from the University of Alberta and a Master of Arts in Education Policy and Administrative Studies from the University of Calgary.

Gillian Slaughter

Registrar & CEO
College of Occupational Therapists of Ontario

As Registrar and CEO of the College of Occupational Therapists of Ontario, she is a respected leader in professional regulation with deep experience across Ontario’s regulatory landscape. She has held senior leadership roles at several regulators, including director positions at the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario and the College of Dental Hygienists of Ontario, and previously served as Manager of compliance and decision writers at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario. Earlier in her career, she practiced litigation at a large, full-service law firm, representing clients before all levels of court in Ontario and a wide range of administrative tribunals.

A regular speaker at national conferences, she is recognized for her insight on investigations, and modern professional regulation. She holds a BA from McGill University, an MBA (Hons.) from York University, and an LLB from Queen’s University, and previously served as Senior Advisor to the Ontario Minister Responsible for Women’s Issues.

Wayne Snow 

Vice President

KWM Consulting Services

Wayne Snow is Vice President at KWM Consulting Services, a leading government relations consulting firm that has served clients for more than 20 years. KWM provides GR services to businesses, industry associations, municipalities, foundations and charities. Many of the firm’s clients navigate the dynamic between government Ministries who set policy and legal mandates, and regulators who implement those mandates.

Wayne has served as political staff at Queen’s Park under two administrations and his political experience spans all levels of Government across ten provinces in Canada.

An avid supporter of his community, Wayne has coached multiple youth sport teams, is a volunteer mentor at the University of Toronto, and serves as a board member for his local Salvation Army, assisting hundreds of families in need. Wayne holds an MBA from the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto.

Arjang Tavassoli 

Manager, Complaints and Investigations

Professional Engineers Ontario

Arjang Tavassoli holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Civil Engineering and a Master of Applied Science in Structural Engineering, both from the University of Toronto.

He spent approximately eight years working as a structural engineer with several engineering firms across Ontario before joining Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO).

Since joining PEO in 2020, Arjang has held a number of progressive roles, including Investigator and Senior Investigator, and currently serves as the Manager of Complaints and Investigations.

Nancy Tran

Director of Registration

College of Midwives of Ontario

Nancy Tran is the Director of Registration at the College of Midwives of Ontario, where she provides strategic leadership across all aspects of the department’s work including overseeing the full registration lifecycle for midwives. Her recent initiatives have focused on expanding pathways and reducing barriers to entry, as well as developing a competency-based assessment framework for the profession. Previously, Nancy provided policy and legal advice on teacher certification at the Ontario College of Teachers, with a focus on internationally educated teachers. An internationally trained lawyer, she was called to the bar in 2015, as part of the inaugural cohort to complete Ontario’s alternative licensing process. She has also managed federally funded projects on labour mobility and international credential recognition with the Council of Ministers of Education.

Nancy currently serves as an adjudicative member on the Discipline and Admission & Registration committees of CPA Ontario.

José Vera

Director Licensing

Professional Engineers Ontario

José Vera PEng has a Master of Engineering & Public Policy (MEPP) degree from McMaster University and received his BEng from U of T in Mechanical Engineering. He also has an Osgoode Certificate on Construction Law. Furthermore, José is fluent in French and has a certificate from the Paris Chamber of Commerce.

As Director Licensing, he Transformed the Licensing team at PEO by making the key operational decisions to achieve compliance with the Fair Access to Regulated Professions and Compulsory Trades Act (FARPACTA) and to meet all KPIs. And he directed the development of an Inventory Management Plan (IMP) that resulted in a reduction of the legacy applications inventory by well over 50%. Previously, as Manager of Practice Advisory, he responded to recommendations from the Elliot Lake Commission of Inquiry and the Office of the Chief Coroner. And he managed the development of PEO guidelines such as Structural Condition Assessments of Existing Buildings, and Use of the Professional Engineers Seal. 

Before joining PEO, José worked for numerous top employers such as Electronic Data Systems (EDS), EPSON Printers Manufacturing, Shaw Engineering, and Javelin Technologies. His rich experience includes managing engineering divisions, performing Finite Element Analysis (FEA) studies for numerous clients, piping systems engineering design, and developing manufacturing automation solution

Nicole Zwiers

Registrar & CEO

College of Chiropodists of Ontario

Nicole is a lawyer and has been a licensee of the Law Society of Ontario for over 20 years. Nicole graduated from Queen’s University Law School with an LL.B in 1998 and, more recently, completed her LL.M (Masters in Law) at Osgoode Law School with a focus on the modernization of professional health regulation. Prior to joining the College, Nicole practiced law as a civil litigator at a national, full-service law firm appearing at all levels of court as well as arbitration and mediation. Nicole brings over a decade of experience as a faculty member and faculty leadership in post-secondary education with expertise in educating students enrolled in professionally accredited programs. Nicole has worked with other health regulators as well as a non-health regulator in professional regulation, and accredited post-secondary education for paralegals. Nicole was appointed and re-appointed for several terms as an Adjudicator with a Federal tribunal adjudicating medical appeals to determine eligibility for the Canada Pension Plan. Finally, Nicole volunteered as a board member on the Lakeridge Hospital Board, a multi-site hospital serving the Durham Region, for two consecutive terms.

As Registrar & CEO of the College, Nicole is committed to providing effective leadership to serve the College’s mandate to protect the public. Nicole has prioritized the College’s obligations to Truth and Reconciliation as well as its commitment to equity, diversity and inclusivity by, among other initiatives, meeting with and hearing directly from the Chiefs of Ontario as to what footcare model will best serve the needs of First Nations communities. Nicole supports Council’s stated commitment as expressed in the College’s Strategic Plan, moving towards the Podiatry Model of footcare in the province with the support of the Chiefs of Ontario.