Governance
Saskatchewan Health Authority Board
The Saskatchewan Health Authority is governed by the Saskatchewan Health Authority Board of Directors. The Board is composed of 10 members, all appointed for three-year terms by the Minister of Health. Committees of the Board include: the Governance and Human Resources Committee; the Quality and Safety Committee; the Audit, Finance & Risk Committee; and the Board Practitioner Hearing Committee.
Select a Board member to view their biography or scroll down to view them all:
Board Member Biographies
R.W. (Dick) Carter, Chairperson, Regina
Dick Carter, FCPA, FCA, is a retired partner of KPMG, Chartered Accountants, where he worked for more than 30 years in cities across the west – Regina, Saskatoon, Winnipeg and Edmonton. After his retirement from KPMG, Dick worked for seven years with the Government of Saskatchewan, before retiring as CEO of Crown Investments Corporation of Saskatchewan in 2014. Dick formerly served as the Chairperson of the former Regina Qu'Appelle Regional Health Authority.
Dick's education and professional credentials include: Fellow, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Saskatchewan (1998); Queens University, Executive Program (1996); Member – Institutes of Chartered Accountants of Saskatchewan and Alberta; Bachelor of Commerce – University of Saskatchewan; and Chartered Director (McMaster University/Conference Board of Canada).
Dick has also been very involved in the communities where he has lived. In Regina and Saskatoon, Dick was involved with community, hockey and ball associations during his children's early years. In Edmonton, he was involved with the Investment Committee at the Grey Nuns of Alberta, Regina and Manitoba as well as a Board member and Chair of the Finance and Audit Committee with the Caritas Health Group. While in Winnipeg, Dick was a Board member and Chair of the Audit Committee and member of the Management Operations Committee at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. During his time in Saskatoon he was a Board member with the Sherbrooke Community Centre, Board and committee member with the Saskatoon Housing Authority and Board and executive committee member with the Saskatoon Inner City Pre-School Foundation.
Dick is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Canada West Foundation and VersaBank.
TOP
Grant Kook, Vice-Chairperson, Saskatoon
Grant J. Kook is Founder, President, Chief Executive Officer and Chair of Westcap Mgt. Ltd., a leading venture capital and private equity fund manager with over half a billion in assets under management. Mr. Kook is also President and Chief Executive Officer of Cheung On Investments Group Ltd., an international investor syndicated Fund, and has been the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Ramada Hotels (Regina and Saskatoon) since 1992.
Grant serves on the Boards of numerous private and publicly traded companies, including Chair of SaskTel, Saskatchewan Blue Cross, 3sHealth Shared Services Saskatchewan, and the Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation Investment Committee. He was the Vice President of the Canadian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (CVCA), past member of the World Entrepreneurs Association, past executive member of the Institute of Corporate Directors (Saskatchewan Chapter), and was the Co-Chair of the Saskatchewan-Asia Advisory Council. He is active in many community organizations including: Past Chair of the Children's Hospital Foundation of Saskatchewan; Executive Committee Member of the Mike Weir Miracle Golf Drive for Kids; Sponsorship Chair for the 2006 PotashCorp Vanier Cup and 2004 Canadian Nokia Brier; Vice President of Sponsorship for 2010 Canadian World Junior Hockey Championship; Director of 2012 Tim Horton's Brier; Chair of 2013 and 2014 CIS University Cup; and past Board member of the new Saskatchewan Hockey Hall of Fame.
Grant is a recipient of the 2013 Saskatchewan Order of Merit, 2012 Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Commemorative Medal, and Commemorative Medal for the Centennial of Saskatchewan. He is the recipient of the 2014 Saskatoon Tourism Leadership award, the 2008 B'nai Brith – We are Proud of You Award, Ernst & Young nominee for Entrepreneur of the Year in 1998 and 2003, and was recognized in 2008 as one of the Province's Most Influential Men by Saskatchewan Business magazine.
As a leader in governance he has earned the Chartered Director Designation from McMaster University, DeGroote School of Business, was a past executive member of the Institute of Corporate Directors - ICD (Saskatchewan Chapter) to complement his wide range of experience sitting on public, private, crown, community and not-for-profit boards.
TOP
Brenda Abrametz, Prince Albert
Brenda Abrametz, (ProDir) was raised in rural Saskatchewan. Her first job was working for her father in his implement dealership. She obtained a diploma in Local Government Administration from the University of Regina and held a variety of positions in administration, working for a variety of businesses and individuals. including forestry companies, a dentist, a First Nation and lawyers. Until recently, she and her partners owned and operated a small environmental company that provided a broad range of forestry and environmental services. She continues to manage several small businesses. Brenda served as treasurer of Odyssey Productions Inc. and is currently a member of the North East Regional Appeal Board and treasurer of her parish church.
Brenda was appointed to the former Prince Albert Parkland Regional Health Authority Board of Directors in 2009, serving as Vice-Chairperson and SAHO Board member. She was appointed Board Chairperson in 2013. She has enjoyed working with other Chairs, Board members and senior management to seek solutions to issues facing our health system.
Brenda recently served (2016) as a member of the Advisory Panel on Health System Restructuring. The role of the Panel was to review the existing regional health delivery structure and to examine services which could be more efficiently and effectively delivered on a provincial scale. The Advisory Panel recommendations were accepted by the provincial government in January 2017.
TOP
Marilyn Charlton, Weyburn
Marilyn Charlton previously served as the Chair of former Sun Country Regional Health Authority (April 2008 – December 2017), and was previously the Vice-Chairperson. Marilyn is a general manager with an extensive background in leadership roles in small and complex organizations, with high level combined knowledge of strategic planning, financial management and change management skills.
TOP
Judy Davis, Regina
Judy Davis is retired from the Hospitals of Regina Foundation as President and CEO in May of 2014 after a long and successful career with the organization. She is a strong advocate for health-care excellence and played an integral role in building the Foundation's profile to become a leader in health-care philanthropy in Saskatchewan, raising over $110 million to purchase medical equipment for Regina's hospitals.
Judy served as a member of the former Regina Qu'Appelle Regional Health Authority (June 2014 – December 2017) where she was the Chair of the Audit Finance & Risk Committee, former Regina Qu'Appelle Regional Health Authority (October 2015 – December 2017) and a member of the Policy & Governance Committee (September 2014 – December 2017).
TOP
Robert Pletch, Q.C., Regina
Rob is Counsel with the law firm MLT Aikins LLP in Regina. He was Managing Partner of the firm from 1997-2001, and Chairman from 2003-2011.
Mr. Pletch holds a Bachelor of Arts (with Great Distinction) from the University of Saskatchewan and a Bachelor of Laws from Queen's University. He was appointed Queen's Counsel in 1989, and is a Past President of the Law Society of Saskatchewan.
His community involvement includes serving as a director and board chair for the Saskatchewan Roughrider Football Club, governor of the Canadian Football League, director of Canada Post Corporation, director and board chair, SaskEnergy, director and board chair, SaskPower, director, Western Surety Company, and a director and member of the Executive Committee of the Hospitals of Regina Foundation.
TOP
Dr. Preston Smith, Saskatoon
Dr. Preston Smith is dean of the College of Medicine and vice-provost health at the University of Saskatchewan. Over three years, he has led the college's extensive restructuring to improve all facets of medical education and research, and leads collaboration and innovation across the university's health sciences. In both capacities, he has built effective relationships and partnerships across Saskatchewan's health-care system.
Before coming to Saskatchewan he was the senior associate dean of education at Dalhousie University's Faculty of Medicine. He played a key leadership role in developing the new Dalhousie medical education program in New Brunswick, which required critical relationship-building with health system partners. As part of his commitment to rural health care, he was instrumental in starting four new family medicine residency programs in Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
He served Moncton for 25 years as a family physician with a large community practice, where he also had extensive involvement in hospital administration. He has extensive experience in health system reform and administration, having served as vice-president of medicine in southeast New Brunswick when that province moved to eight regions.
Later from Halifax, he ensured the seamless integration of Dalhousie Medicine New Brunswick when New Brunswick moved to two regional health authorities. While serving for four years on the board of the Maritime provinces' children's hospital, he developed an in-depth understanding of children's hospitals and the complexities involved in transitioning Nova Scotia at that time to an amalgamated provincial health region.
A highly regarded medical educator and administrator, he completed his medical education at Dalhousie University, and is a Certificant and Fellow of the College of Family Physicians of Canada. In 2010, he completed a Master of Education focused on medical education from Mount Saint Vincent University.
TOP
Rosalena Smith, Pinehouse Lake
Rosalena Smith is a mother of four beautiful children, a proud Aboriginal woman who was born and raised in Pinehouse Lake. She has served in education for 26 years and is currently Principal of Minahik Waskahigan School (2011-2017), where she along with her staff have created an environment of improved literacy and high attendance rates. She is currently completing research in a Masters in Northern Governance and Development program at the University of Saskatchewan, and has completed a Masters In Curriculum and instruction (2010) from the University of Regina.
Rosalena has experience in public speaking, providing presentations, coordinating events and working with various organizations and people of all cultures. She is fluent in the Cree language.
TOP
Dr. Janet Tootoosis, North Battleford
Dr. Janet Tootoosis Bsc'95, MD'01, FCFP'10 is a practicing family physician. She is owner/operator of North Battleford Medical Clinic Inc. She is Cree from Poundmaker First Nation. In 2007, she partnered with former Prairie North Regional Health Authority to establish the Primary Health Care Centre in North Battleford.
She has served as the regional Medical Staff President (2008-2009), on the board of directors for the Saskatchewan Medical Association (2015-2017), as site director for the University of Saskatchewan's North Battleford Family Medicine Residency Training Program (2013 – present), and as an active participant in Primary Health Care planning and delivery at both a regional and provincial level (2006-present).
TOP
Tom Zurowski, Saskatoon
Tom Zurowski is a retired Tax Partner and the former Tax Practice Leader for the Saskatoon Office of KPMG. Over his 35 years in public practice, Tom assisted in establishing and providing tax advice to numerous business enterprises and individuals on current tax filing requirements, identifying opportunities and helping with strategic planning to allow organizations to meet their future growth potential.
In addition to working with public and private clients, Tom regularly provided tax advice to charitable organizations and not-for-profit organizations including registration with CRA, proper preparation of official charitable receipts for income tax purposes, tax reporting, updating on changes to the income tax rules related to registered charities, GST and the rebates available for registered charities, taxable benefit questions faced by NPOs, and assistance in responding to CRA audits of registered charities.
Tom is a former Chair of the North Saskatoon Business Association Tax Committee and has served CPA Saskatchewan on several committees.
TOP