Colleges Ontario

Kevin Costante

Kevin Costante became Ontario's Deputy Minister of Education on July 26, 2009. Prior to this, he served as the Deputy Minister of Northern Development, Mines and Forestry; the Deputy Minister and Associate Secretary of the Cabinet, Policy, in Cabinet Office; the Deputy Minister of Community and Social Services; and the Deputy Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities.
In addition to this, Costante has held a number of other senior executive positions in the Ontario Public Service, including with the ministries of Community and Social Services, and Treasury and Economics. Costante started his public service career in Saskatchewan, where he worked for a total of nine years at the Ministry of Education and the Saskatchewan Treasury Board.
In addition to his role as deputy minister, Costante serves as executive sponsor for D-Net. He is also a member of the board of Service Ontario.

Don Drummond

Don Drummond was born and raised in Victoria, B.C., where he graduated from the University of Victoria. He subsequently received his M.A. in Economics from Queen’s University.
Drummond joined the federal Department of Finance upon completing his studies at Queen’s. During almost 23 years at Finance, Drummond held a series of progressively more senior positions in the areas of economic analysis and forecasting, fiscal policy and tax policy. His last three positions were respectively, Assistant Deputy Minister of Fiscal Policy and Economic Analysis, Assistant Deputy Minister of Tax Policy and Legislation, and most recently, Associate Deputy Minister. In this latter position, Drummond was responsible for economic analysis, fiscal policy, tax policy, social policy and federal-provincial relations. In particular, Drummond coordinated the planning of the annual federal budgets.
Drummond joined the TD Bank in June 2000 as Senior Vice President and Chief Economist. Drummond leads TD Economics’ work in analyzing and forecasting economic performance in Canada and abroad. For Canada, this work is conducted at the city, provincial, industrial and national levels. TD Economics also analyzes the key policies which influence economic performance, including monetary and fiscal policies.
Drummond travels widely across Canada and abroad, speaking to TD clients and various groups about the Canadian economy and its prospects and he is frequently quoted by the media on economic and policy issues.

Laura Formusa

Laura Formusa was appointed president and Chief Executive Officer, Hydro One Inc., on Nov. 23, 2007, having served as the company’s acting president and chief executive officer of Hydro One Inc. since Dec. 8, 2006.
Hydro One is a holding company that operates through its subsidiaries in electricity transmission and distribution and telecom businesses. One of its subsidiaries, Hydro One Networks, is among the largest transmission companies in North America and owns and
operates Ontario’s 29,000 kilometre high-voltage network that delivers electricity to large industrial customers and municipal utilities. Hydro One also owns and operates a 123,000 km low-voltage system serving approximately 1.3-million end use customers.
Formusa joined Ontario Hydro in 1980, following her call to the Bar of Ontario. She practised law at Ontario Hydro and one of its successor companies, Hydro One Inc., and held progressively senior positions until being appointed Hydro One’s general counsel and secretary in 2003. Formusa has also been a member of Hydro One’s executive committee since 2003.
Under Formusa’s leadership, the company has completed substantial infrastructure improvements, including the installation of more than one-million smart meters across the province. In 2009, Hydro One received approval for the Bruce to Milton Transmission Reinforcement Project, one of the largest transmission projects underway in North America.
Formusa is a tireless advocate for diversity, removing barriers in the workplace for visible minorities and women. Her efforts saw the company ranked as the No. 1 Corporate Citizen in Canada in 2009 on the Corporate Knights annual ranking. In 2008 and 2009, Formusa was named to the Women’s Executive Network’s Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 list. Formusa is also a founding member of the Women of Energy group to advance women’s issues and to create critical networking opportunities for high potential women in the energy sector.
Formusa earned her Bachelor of Laws degree at Osgoode Hall Law School and was admitted to the Law Society of Upper Canada in 1980.

Sue Graham Parker

As senior vice president, Sue Graham Parker oversees Scotiabank’s Public, Corporate and Government Affairs group, with global responsibility for media relations, corporate communications, public policy, corporate social responsibility and the strategic planning process.
Graham Parker joined the Scotiabank Group in 1979 in Canadian Banking. She has held progressively senior positions in personal and small business banking, sales and service and wealth management. She was appointed to her current role in 2009, prior to which she was senior vice president of Ontario Region and previously managing director & national head of distribution for Scotia Private Client Group in the bank’s wealth management division.
A graduate of Trent University and the Ivey School of Business Executive Program at the University of Western Ontario, Graham Parker is a director on the Board of Wellspring, a community-based support organization for individuals and families living with cancer.
She and her husband Jim Parker, a singer songwriter and children’s entertainer, have been actively involved with the United Way and Plan Canada for more than 20 years.
They have two sons and live in Whitby, Ontario.
Scotiabank is one of North America’s premier financial institutions and Canada’s most international bank. With approximately 68,000 employees, Scotiabank group and its affiliates serve about 10-million customers in some 50 countries around the world. Charitable contributions and sponsorships total approximately $39 million. A member of the Dow Jones Sustainable Index (World), Scotiabank offers a diverse range of products and services including personal, commercial, corporate and investment banking.

Mary Ito

Mary Ito has had a long history of broadcasting, most recently as host of CBC's Living in Toronto.
She worked at TVOntario for five years as host of a daily talk show called More to Life, which covered an eclectic range of topics in health, education, arts and culture, business and family issues. Ito was also the host of Second Opinion on TVOntario - a panel show which dealt with controversial issues in health. She also worked at Global TV as the anchor of a daily health report, called Health Matters.
Ito has also worked at CFTO-TV as a reporter, host and weekend news anchor. She also worked previously in radio at CBC, and at CFRB as a reporter, host and producer.
She is active in the community with a particular interest in health. She has volunteered her services for many organizations, including the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, the MS Society of Ontario, the Hospital for Sick Children, the Toronto Public Library and the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre.
She lives with her husband and three children in Toronto.

Jamie Kennedy

For over three decades Jamie Kennedy has been instrumental in shaping the culinary landscape in Canada. His innovative approach to gastronomy, commitment to sustainable agriculture and advocacy of local food has been unwavering.
Following his cooking apprenticeship with George Brown College, Kennedy set his sights on an finding work in a kitchen. His first job out of school was at the Windsor Arms Hotel in downtown Toronto under Chef Herbert Sonzogni and it was there that Kennedy cut his teeth.
George Minden, owner of the Windsor Arms, was quick to notice the prowess Kennedy demonstrated in the kitchen and hired him as his personal chef at his home in Gstaad, Switzerland. Following his stay with Minden, Kennedy enjoyed a brief career as journeyman throughout Europe where he honed his craft and approach to classical French cooking. It was during this time the budding chef forged an important and long-lasting friendship with Michael Stadtlaender.
Returning from Europe, Kennedy and Stadtlaender were hired as co-chefs at Scaramouche Restaurant in 1980. It was then that Kennedy secured his position as one of the forerunners in Toronto’s culinary scene and established Scaramouche as the uptown institution it is today.
Kennedy went on to a number of successes in the restaurant business and in catering. His most recent endeavour, Gilead Café & Bistro, showcases the chef’s continued commitment to local and sustainable methods of cooking. Its adjoining kitchen also acts as the production kitchen for on- and off-site private catered events.
Producing locally sourced, seasonally driven, hand crafted menus, Jamie Kennedy Event Catering works with each individual client to customize their experience, from private corporate functions to weddings.
In the coming years, Kennedy looks forward to cultivating his farm and vineyard with plans to open a tavern on his farm in Prince Edward County.

Frances Lankin

The Hon. Frances Lankin, PC, LLD (HC) has been the president and CEO of United Way Toronto since 2001. Under her leadership, United Way has become a leading community builder that works to meet urgent needs and address the root causes of Toronto’s social problems.
Lankin has spent a lifetime in service to the community through her work in public office, the labour movement and the social service sector. She has been widely recognized for her contributions to the community, and most recently received honorary Doctorates of Laws from Queen’s University and Ryerson University.
She has served on several not-for-profit boards and, in addition to the Mowat Centre for Policy Innovation, is currently a member of the Toronto City Summit Alliance Steering Committee and the External Advisory Board of the City Institute at York University.
Prior to joining United Way in 2001, Lankin was the MPP for Beaches-East York for 11 years. She has served as Ontario’s Minister of Health, Minister of Economic Development and Trade, and Minister of Government Services.
In 2009, Lankin became a member of the Queen’s Privy Council of Canada and was appointed to the Security Intelligence Review Committee.

Gisèle Quenneville

Gisèle Quenneville has spent the past 14 years as the face of TFO’s current affairs program, Panorama. Over the years, her guests have included political leaders, economists, teachers, writers, actors, and people from all walks of life.

Her interviewing skills were recognized with a nomination for Best Interviewer at the Prix Gémeaux. Prior to her work at TFO, Gisèle worked in radio for the CBC and for Radio-Canada in Toronto, Windsor, Winnipeg and Ottawa. She lives in Toronto with her husband and two children.