Meet The Board
Meet the Board
The leadership of the FCO consists of a volunteer Board of Directors elected by the membership at its Annual General Meeting. The Board’s main mandate is to promote the role of Ombuds and provide for a wide variety of professional development opportunities to our members – Ombuds’ professionals.
The new Board of Directors was acclaimed for a two-year term (2025-2027) at the June 9th, 2025 Annual General Meeting of the FCO.
President
Tom Barber
Ombudsperson, New Home Omudsperson Office
Tom Barber serves as the New Home Ombuds, the organizational ombuds for Tarion. Tarion is a Designated Administrative Authority responsible for overseeing the Ontario New Home Warranties Plan Act. As New Home Ombuds, Tom’s mandate is to ensure that Tarion treats homeowners fairly and to identify and address systemic issues within Tarion’s processes and policies.
Tom Barber has 20 years of experience investigating and resolving complaints.
Mr. Barber began his complaints investigation career in 2004 in the standards enforcement department at the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario (now CPA Ontario), the regulatory body for public accountants in Ontario.
A graduate of Brock University, Mr. Barber completed the Osgoode/FCO Certificate program Advanced Issues in Ombuds Practice in 2021.
When he is not investigating complaints and advocating for fairness, Mr. Barber enjoys camping and hiking with his family.
Vice-President
Justine Wild
Senior Investigator, National Defence and Canadian Armed Forces Ombudsman
Justine Wild has been in the Ombuds field for over 10 years. Justine joined the Office of the Federal Ombudsman for Victims of Crime (OFOVC) in 2010 as a Complaint Review Officer where she spent five years working in intake and early resolution. Justine moved to an investigators role at the Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada (OIC) in 2015. In 2016, Justine began working as a Complaint Analyst at the Department of National Defence and Canadian Armed Forces Ombudsman’s office before being promoted to Investigator in 2018. In her current role, she is responsible for reviewing and investigating complaints from members of the Canadian defence community.
Justine holds a Master of Criminology Applied (M.C.A) degree from the University of Ottawa. She is passionate about helping others and advocating for fairness. She received her certificate for completing the Sharpening Your Teeth: Advanced Investigative Training for Administrative Watchdogs. in 2018, she obtained her Forum of Canadian Ombudsman (FCO)/Osgoode Certification - Essentials for Ombuds. Justine is an active participant in the Ombuds community. alongside other Federal Ombudsman offices in 2022, she collaborated in a working group to create a special event for Ombuds Day 2022. She received an award from her office for her work on this event. She regular attends and has helped moderate FCO virtual Coffee Chats and is a member of the FCO's Member Outreach and Engagement Advisory Committee.
Past President
Nadine Mailloux
Ombudsman of Montreal
Me Nadine Mailloux graduated from the Faculty of Law at the Université de Montréal and was admitted to the Quebec Bar in 1999. She is an accredited mediator by the Quebec Bar and the Institut de médiation et d’arbitrage du Québec, and a member of the Arbitration and Mediation Institute of Canada. Me Mailloux is vice-president of the Forum of Canadian Ombudsman since 2017.
Me Mailloux codirects with Nora Farrell, the FCO/Osgoode Advanced Issues in Ombuds Practice certificate program at York University’s Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto. The program is offered by renowned ombudsmans in Canada and internationally, and is aimed at experienced ombudsmans. For some years, she has offered many training sessions devoted to the best ombudsman practices.
She is one of three elected members who represent North America on the board of directors of the International Ombudsman Institute and is also active with the Association des ombudsmans et médiateurs de la francophonie (AOMF).
Me Mailloux has been an ombudsman for more than 20 years. The majority of her career has focused on alternative methods of conflict resolution. At first an ombudsman of second-instance at the Régie régionale de la santé et des services sociaux de Montréal-Centre, she then served in that capacity at a major university hospital centre, and subsequently at a university health and social services centre. She was named Ombudsman de la Ville de Laval by the Commission municipale du Québec in 2013 and opened the office, where she lent her expertise to that city’s citizens until she was appointed Ombudsman de Montréal in August 2020.
For several years, Me Mailloux coordinated a pro bono legal-aid clinic in poor communities. She is also pro bono ombudsman with The Lighthouse Children and Families, a non-profit organization that offers respite care and support for families of children afflicted with illnesses requiring complex care.
Carolyn Brendon
University Ombuds, McMaster University
Carolyn Brendon is the University Ombuds for McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario.
Prior to beginning this role in a jointly-held position in 2003, Carolyn was an Employee Ombudsperson and Harassment Advisor at Brock University in St Catharines.
She holds a law degree from Osgoode Hall Law School, an M.A. from McMaster University, and an Honours B.A. from York University. She has several certifications including the FCO-Osgoode Certificate in Essentials for Ombuds, as well as ones in Adjudication for Administrative Boards, Agencies and Tribunals; Advanced Investigations; and Human Rights: Theory and Practice.
She is the Eastern Representative on the Executive for the Association of Canadian College and University Ombudspersons.
Ron Crocker
Ombudsman Representative, Nova Scotia Office of the Ombudsman
Ron Crocker grew up in Heart’s Delight, Newfoundland and Labrador.
His early education was in NL outport church schools. He is a graduate in English Literature from Memorial University of Newfoundland and in law from Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto.
Following a print journalism background with the St. John’s Evening Telegram and as a freelance writer, Ron worked for more than 30 years with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation as a journalist, producer, and senior executive.
Post-retirement from the CBC, he has worked mainly as a Nova Scotia public servant, briefly with Communications Nova Scotia, and for the past decade with the Nova Scotia Office of the Ombudsman where he is a senior investigator.
Ron has written two books: Forever Bluenose: A Future for a Schooner with a Past, published Nimbus Publishing in 2013, and Ray Guy: Portrait of a Rebel, published by Boulder Books in 2021.
Ron lives in Glen Haven, Nova Scotia, where his primary recreation is sailing.
Barbara Finlay
Deputy Ombudsman, Ontario Ombudsman
With more than two decades of experience in the Ombudsman field, Barbara has been with Ontario Ombudsman since 2005. As Deputy Ombudsman, she oversees the day-to-day operations of the Office, managing more than 30,000 public complaints annually related to provincial government services and the broader public sector. She served as Acting Ombudsman from 2015 to 2016, playing a key leadership role during the Office’s historic mandate expansion to include municipalities, universities, and school boards. More recently, she guided the Office’s transition to overseeing services for children and youth in care and French language services. Before joining Ombudsman Ontario, Barbara was Director General of Operations for Canada’s first military Ombudsman, helping establish the office in 1998.
Barbara holds degrees from the University of Ottawa in Social Sciences (Criminology) and Common Law and was called to the bar of Ontario in 1994. She provides training on systemic investigations at the Osgoode/FCO Ombuds Essentials Certificate program and is a frequent presenter on the Ombudsman’s role in promoting accountability and good governance. Barbara is pleased to return to the FCO Board of Directors, having previously served on the Board from 2017 to 2019.
Anaïs Lacroix
Ombud, VIA Rail
Anaïs Lacroix was appointment Organizational Ombuds at VIA Rail on March 1, 2025. She is also CEO of Latitude, an independent firm that acts exclusively as a neutral and impartial third party to promote harmonious relationships within organizations across Canada.
A bilingual labour and employment lawyer and accredited mediator, Ms. Lacroix brings over a decade of experience in conflict resolution and the prevention of harassment, discrimination, and workplace violence. She has participated in over 1,000 institutional investigation, mediations and workplace assessment processes across Canada, serving both federally and provincially regulated organizations in English and French. Ms. Lacroix is widely recognized for her ability to handle complex, high-profile cases, particularly those involving leadership teams. Before founding Latitude, she practiced labour and employment law at an international firm, later specializing in workplace harassment prevention and resolution.
She is a member of the Quebec Bar, the Canadian Bar Association, and an accredited mediator with the Institut de médiation et d’arbitrage du Québec (IMAQ). Ms. Lacroix is also a certified workplace investigator through the Association of Workplace Investigators (AWI) and was trained by the International Ombuds Association (IOA) for her work as ombuds. She holds BCL and JD degrees from McGill University.
Mireille Lafortune
Communications and Corporate Management, Office of the Procurement Ombud
Mireille Lafortune has been a committed member of the federal public service since 2005, amassing extensive experience in all facets of corporate management.
Prior to joining the Office of the Procurement Ombud (OPO) in July 2024, she served as a Strategic Advisor to the Director General, leading the Acquisitions Program Transformation Sector under the AP Procurement branch at Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC).
Since 2017, Mireille has demonstrated her leadership abilities, successfully guiding teams at both the Public Health Agency of Canada and PSPC. Trained in Conflict Resolution, Mediation and Facilitation with a Third-Party Neutral (TPN) Approach, Mireille has applied this skill both in the workplace and in her past volunteer role as a mediator.
Outside of her professional life, Mireille enjoys reading and staying active through karate.
Heather McGhee Peggs
Founding Partner, JustEquitable Inc.
Heather McGhee Peggs is a lawyer, ombuds, and a founding partner in JustEquitable Inc., working with organizations across Canada to manage complaints fairly and effectively. Over the past 25 years she has worked in conflict management across a range of sectors, including corporate, academic, not-for-profit, and healthcare. Her experience includes practicing law at Stikeman Elliott LLP (called to Ontario Bar, 2002), serving as Assistant Ombudsperson at what is now Toronto Metropolitan University, establishing the Graduate Conflict Resolution Center at the University of Toronto, and leading the early resolution team at Patient Ombudsman.
Heather values collaboration and knowledge-sharing in the ombuds community and beyond. Her publications include: “Ghosted! Why do Complainants Disappear?" (Journal of the International Ombuds Association, 2024), Supervising Conflict: A Guide for Faculty (University of Toronto Press, 2023), and a chapter in The Organizational Ombuds: Foundations, Fundamentals & the Future (IOA, 2025).
Oluwakemi Oke
Ombudsperson, York University
Kemi Oke is the Ombudsperson at York University and the President of the Association of Canadian College and University Ombudspersons (ACCUO). Prior to her appointment as York University’s Ombudsperson, Kemi was the Associate Ombudsperson at Simon Fraser University (SFU) and Ombudsperson at the Alma Mater Society (AMS) of the University of British Columbia (UBC). As the University Ombudsperson, Kemi’s mandate is to ensure fairness – procedural, relational and substantive fairness in university processes as well as act as an independent and confidential resource for university community members.
Kemi has over a decade of experience in legal practice, where she advised clients on a wide range of legal issues, including administrative law and principles of natural justice. She holds a research-based Master of Laws (LLM) from the University of British Columbia (UBC), where her research focused on accountability and transparency in the public sector. She has also completed the FCO-Osgoode Certificate in Essentials for Ombuds as well as additional certifications in conflict resolution.
David Paradiso
Deputy Ombudsperson, BC Ombudsperson
David Paradiso has been Deputy British Columbia Ombudsperson since 2014. David has over 35 years’ experience in the oversight and investigation of public sector agencies. After articling for Ombudsman Ontario, David became an Investigator in the areas of workers’ compensation, social benefits, corrections, family responsibility, the Public Guardian and Trustee, the Human Rights Commission and psychiatric institutions.
He participated in the establishment of the Ombudsman for Canada Post, before moving to the RCMP Public Complaint Commission. He then served as Director of Investigations with the Correctional Investigator of Canada responding to complaints from federal offenders. David became the Executive Director and Senior Counsel for the RCMP External Review Committee and was twice appointed interim Chair, where he reviewed employment grievances and disciplinary appeals from RCMP members.
David has a law degree with the Diplôme de Français Juridique from Western University in London, Ontario. He is a member of the Law Society of Ontario. He is very happy to be working and living in Victoria with his wife Rhoda. They have four daughters - all in health care - none of whom has any interest in ADR!
Contact the FCO Board
If you would like to contact a member of the Board of Directors, send an email to info@ombudsforum.ca and it will be forwarded to the appropriate board member. FCO members can use the member directory (available on the Member page) to contact them directly.
