SDRCC – Montréal (Québec) – The Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada (SDRCC) welcomes the nominations by the Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science and Sport, of six new Board members and a new Chairperson. Mr. William L. (Mick) Ryan of Halifax succeeds to Mr. David de Vlieger as Chairman of the Board, effective July 3. Joining the Board of Directors on the same date, for three-year mandates, are Mr. Aaron Bruce, Mr. Alex Harvey, Mr. Brad Kielmann, Ms. Sandrine Mainville, Ms. Lanni Marchant and Ms. Marisha Roman, all of whom are qualified and well respected in their fields.
Mick Ryan is a senior partner in the largest law firm in Eastern Canada. He is a past member of Boards of Universities, the present chair of the Judicial Appeals Committee of Atlantic University Sport as well as former Board member of Canada Basketball and former president of Basketball Nova Scotia. He also gained experience in various committees of the Supreme Court of Canada and the Canadian Bar Association.
Aaron Bruce (Ottawa, ON) has worked for the past eight years for the Canada Games Council, where he currently acts as Vice-President, Sport. Prior to that, Aaron worked for Squash Canada and the Canadian Olympic Committee and also served on volunteer committees with the 2006 Ontario Summer Games and the 2015 Pan American Games.
Alex Harvey (St-Ferréol-les-Neiges, QC) took part in three Olympic Games (2010, 2014 and 2018) as a cross-country skier and earned multiple world championship medals and titles. Currently completing his law degree at Université Laval, he acts as a spokesperson for community organizations helping youth in financial needs and kids with severe disabilities.
Brad Kielmann (Surrey, BC) is a Crown Prosecutor for the BC Prosecution Service. He previously served as an appellate adjudicator for WorkSafeBC and as a business litigation lawyer for the firm Clark Wilson LLP. He currently sits on the Governance Committee for BC Hockey, as well as on the Discipline and Ethics Committee for Softball BC.
Sandrine Mainville (Montreal, QC) earned medals in swimming at Pan American Games, Commonwealth Games, and World Championships before winning bronze with the relay team at the 2016 Olympic Games. Having recently obtained her law degree from Université de Montréal, she will join the firm Borden Ladner Gervais in the fall 2019 as an articling student.
Lanni Marchant (London, ON) is a 2016 Olympian in both the 10,000 metres and marathon, and a bronze medalist at the 2015 Pan American Games. Now a licensed criminal defense attorney in the State of Tennessee, she was admitted to the Eastern District of Tennessee Federal Court. She also serves as a member of AthletesCAN’s Safe Sport Working Group.
Marisha Roman (Toronto, ON) is a lawyer, investigator and trainer with Rubin Thomlinson LLP and currently serves as an elected Director for Rowing Canada Aviron. A strong advocate for equity, diversity and inclusion, she also dedicates much of her professional career and volunteering to advance issues affecting Indigenous people.
“The experience and knowledge of each new member will greatly benefit Canada as we work to create a systemic culture shift in the sport sector”, said the Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science and Sport. “I want to congratulate each and every one of the new members of the SDRCC Board of Directors. Thank you for contributing your time and expertise to help create a safe, welcoming and inclusive Canadian sport system.”
“It’s a true honor to accept this nomination as Chairperson of the SDRCC and I thank the Minister for her confidence”, added Mick Ryan. “The retiring Board members have been a particularly dedicated group of individuals and they certainly have left their mark in establishing the SDRCC as a strong leader in making Canadian sport safer. The years ahead for this organization are exciting and the new Board members named by Minister Duncan have all that is needed to see it evolve, while maintain the highest standards in service delivery to the sport community.”
About the SDRCC
The SDRCC is a not-for-profit corporation created by federal legislation and funded by the Government of Canada. The mission of the SDRCC is to provide the sport community with a national alternative dispute resolution service and strengthen the culture of fairness in Canadian sport by resolving disputes quickly and efficiently and to provide expertise and assistance regarding alternative dispute resolution.
For more information, please contact:
Marie-Claude Asselin
Chief Executive Officer
Tel: 1-866-733-7767
Mobile: (514) 465-7339
mcasselin @ crdsc-sdrcc.ca