Advisory Board
The Honourable Claudette Tardif B.Ed., M.Ed., Ph.D.
Advisory Board DirectorDr. Claudette Tardif has long been recognized as one of Canada’s foremost advocates and defenders of minority linguistic and cultural rights and for her considerable contribution to both secondary and post-secondary education.
She was educated at the University of Alberta, where she obtained a Bachelor of Education in Secondary Education and a Major in French (First class Honours) in 1968; a Master of Education in Secondary Education (Curriculum Studies) in 1978; and a Ph.D. in Educational Administration in 1984. She remains Professor Emeritus of the University of Alberta. In 2006, she was conferred an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Ottawa.
Dr. Tardif began her outstanding professional career in 1968 as a High School Teacher with the Edmonton Catholic Schools. In 1977 she joined the University of Alberta as a professor at the Faculté Saint-Jean, where she eventually served as Dean. Dr. Tardif has held numerous administrative positions at the University of Alberta. Of note, she was Director of the Education Division, Faculté Saint-Jean from 1981 to 1988; Associate Dean from 1991 to 1995; and Dean from 1995 to 2003 as well as a member of the University’s Senate, Academic Priorities Committee, General Faculties Council Executive and Deans’ Council. When she was called to serve in the Canadian Senate, she was acting Vice-President (External Relations) at the University of Alberta.
In the course of her academic career, her research interest focused on immersion education and the role of francophone schooling in the development of cultural identity in a minority rights environment. Dr. Tardif has numerous publications in the field of immersion education, minority linguistic rights and teacher education. She is also interested in the overall preservation and state of French second language education in Canada. She is an engaged member of Alberta’s francophone community and has spoken at length in defence of minority linguistic and cultural rights.
albertaVery active in the community, Dr. Tardif has served on many professional and community-based provincial and national organizations. In addition to participating in numerous conferences, she has served on various boards and played a leading role on important committees relating to education, culture, social issues and sport, both nationally and internationally. She was a member of the Board of Directors for the 8th IAAF 2001 World Athletics Championships and President of its Francophone Advisory Council and of the 2005 World Master’s Games, held in Edmonton. She was also a member of the organizing committee and co-chair of the international conference “Canada: Global Model for a Multicultural State” (2002), Co-chair of the Building World Peace International Conference: “The Role of Religions and Human Rights” (2006), Honorary President and keynote speaker for the provincial conferences “Building the Future: A Working Conference of Education Leaders”, organized by Canadian Parents for French (1998, 2002). Dr. Tardif was a member of the Board of Directors for the John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights, the Canadian Unity Council, the Fondation nationale du théâtre francophone; and vice-president of the Canadian National Centre for Leadership in Evaluation. She was appointed by the Federal Minister of Justice to the Advisory Committee on Judicial Appointments for the Province of Alberta for the period 2002-2004. In 2005, Dr. Tardif was appointed by the Government of Alberta as one of the province’s centennial ambassadors.
In recognition of her leadership and community involvement, the following major honors were conferred: the Ordre de la Pléiade awarded by the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie (2005); the Alberta Centennial Medal (2005); the Province of Alberta’s Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal (2003), the Order of Le Conseil de la vie française en Amérique (2003), the Order of Merit and induction to the Compagnie des cent-associées francophones by the Association canadienne des éducateurs de langue française (2001), the Award of Excellence (Visibility) from the Association canadienne-française de l’Alberta régionale d’Edmonton (2001 and 2006), the Edmonton ITV Women of Vision Award (2000), and recipient of the Prix Maurice Lavallée award in recognition of exceptional contribution to Francophone education in Alberta (1990 and 1997).
Dr. Tardif has been a member of the Senate of Canada since March 24, 2005. She was appointed Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate in January 2007. She also serves as Ex-officio on all of the Senate Standing Committees. In the past, she served on the Senate Standing Committee on Official Languages; on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources; and on Rules, Procedures and the Rights of Parliament. She is also a member of the Caucus on Official Language Minority Communities and the Caucus on Post-Secondary Education and a member of the Inter-Parliamentary Association of Canada-France, the Assemblé parlementaire de la Francophonie, the Parliamentary Association of Canada-Europe; Canada-Belgique; Canada-Ukraine and of the Legislative Association of Canada-China.
With her husband Denis, they are the parents of three children and grand-parents of four grand-sons.
John Mould MSW, RSW
Advisory Board DirectorAppointed October 1, 2002, John is currently the Provincial Child and Youth Advocate. He has been with the Child and Youth Advocate Program since its inception, September 1, 1989.
John began work with the Alberta Government as a child welfare worker in September 1968. Since that time, he has held a number of positions with what is now known as the Children’s Services Ministry, almost all of which have been child welfare related. Throughout his career John has been active with a number of social work organizations at provincial, national and international levels. He was the President of the Alberta Association of Social Workers (now the Alberta College of Social Workers) for two years in the early 80's, President of the Canadian Association of Social Workers from 1997 to 2001, and the North American Vice-President of the International Federation of Social Workers from 1999 to 2001.
In addition to his involvement with social work organizations, John has also sat on the local (Edmonton), provincial (Alberta) and national boards of the John Howard Society, had numerous appointments as a sessional instructor with the Faculty of Social Work between 1975 and 2000 and the University of Calgary from 1987 to 1992. He was also an Associate with Wurmann, Egan and Associates, a private community-based treatment agency assisting children and families affected by child sexual abuse.
John graduated from the Faculty of Social Work, University of Calgary, with an MSW in 1975.
J. Angus Watt
Advisory Board Director
Mr. Watt graduated from York University in 1974, entered the investment industry immediately, and is currently Managing Director, Individual Investor Services, National Bank Financial. His expertise is in assisting with long term Financial Planning, Group Benefits, and Estate Planning. He is a past recipient of the Investment Dealers Association ‘Program of Distinction Award’ for the Prairie Region.
Mr. Watt is currently Chair of the Edmonton Police Services Foundation, board member of The TELUS Edmonton Community Board and David Foster and Friends Edmonton Committee 2008. He serves as an advisor to The Canadian Cancer Society, The Hearing Foundation of Canada and Little Warriors. Previously, Mr. Watt was twice chair of The United Way of Northern Alberta, and also chaired The Minerva Foundation, The Support Network, and The Support Network Foundation. He is a past recipient of the “Paul Harris Fellow”, awarded by the Rotary Club of Canada.
Mr. Watt and his team manage over $500,000,000 in assets, have over 120 years of combined market experience, and are experts in Investment Management as well as Insurance and Benefits planning. As Central Alberta’s Business Authority, Mr. Watt broadcasts 62 times per week on Global TV and 630 CHED.
Detective Wickins
Advisory Board DirectorDetective Wickins has been a police officer with the Edmonton Police Service for close to 23 years. He has worked in a number of specialized areas including the School Resource Officer Unit and Victim Services where he was the Sergeant in charge. He spent a number of years as a Vice detective focusing a great deal of time dealing with young people involved in prostitution. He transferred from the Vice Section in 2003 to create the Edmonton Police Service Internet Child Exploitation Unit.
In early 2006 he was involved in the creation of the first Alberta Integrated Child Exploitation (ICE) Team. With the Alberta ICE team he is responsible for conducting all online undercover ICE investigations as well as all other online child exploitation offences.
In 2005 he initiated what was to become one of the largest and most successful international child pornography investigations in Canadian history resulting in over 80 arrests worldwide and in over 20 children rescued from immediate and ongoing sexual abuse. He has testified internationally on Child Pornography cases and in November 2006 testified in the trial of a Boise Idaho sex offender who was subsequently convicted and received a life sentence.
Detective Wickins has been trained in conducting Internet crimes against children investigations in Canada, the United States and England. He currently co-teaches the Advanced Internet Child Exploitation Investigators Course at the Canadian Police College in Ottawa. Detective Wickins has lectured to parents, young people, university classes, educators, judges, lawyers, forensic psychiatrists and psychologist and police. He has been a guest speaker at numerous conferences across North America.
In May 2007 he received the National Exploited Children Award given to Law Enforcement officers in the United States for exemplary work investigating crimes against children. He was the first non-American police officer to receive the award which was given by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in Washington, D.C. Also in 2007 one of his major investigations was featured in a widely published true crime book called “Caught in the Web” by author Julian Sher. That same investigation was featured in a one hour CBC Documentary called “Hunting the Predators”.
Investigating crimes against children where computers and the Internet are used has become an intense passion of his.
Stephen B. Kates
Advisory Board Director
Mr. Kates, a 1974 graduate from the University of B.C, Sauder School of Business where he obtain his Bachelor of Commerce Degree. He began his career with Manulife Financial, as a Property Investment Analyst. In 1978 Mr. Kates relocated to Seattle where he spent two years as a commissioned officer progressing to the rank of Lt. Jg. with the U.S. Navy, assigned to an intelligence unit. In 1982, Mr. Kates re-entered the corporate investment business as an Investment Manager with the real estate advisory subsidiary of Rainier Bank, who sponsored a closed end real estate fund for union pension funds investing in office buildings, warehouse developments and shopping centres. Mr. Kates became Vice President & Acquisition Manager for the fund. During this period, Mr. Kates attended post graduate studies in Finance at the University of Washington. In 1987 he relocated to Edmonton as a Regional Director of Manulife’s Northern Alberta Commercial Mortgage Office. Mr. Kates is currently a Regional Vice President.
Throughout the past 20 years, Mr. Kates has been involved in community affairs having served as a Board Member of the Boy Scouts of Canada, Edmonton Region in 1988 and as a Board Member of the Phoenix Theatre from 1989 – 1993. As a U.S. citizen, Mr. Kates is currently a member of Washington State’s Economic Crime Task Force where he has participated in committees and attended training sessions dealing with organized crime retail theft, money laundering, and has recently competed a training session sponsored by the U.S. Attorney’s office on investigating and prosecuting crimes related to child sex trafficking.
Mr. Kates and his associates at Manulife’s Edmonton Regional Office have continuously been amongst the top producers of investment grade commercial mortgages for Manulife’s internal investment portfolio.
Mr. Kates supports numerous charitable organizations within Edmonton and Seattle and due to his contributions, the University of Washington has recognized Mr. Kates by designating him as an Honorary Member of the Alumni Association, a member of U.W.’s President’s Club, and a member of U.W. Medicine’s Turner Society.
