About us

Respect Forum meetings bring together people from health and social services, all levels of government, universities, community organizations, and peer support organizations. Participants have the opportunity to talk about their organizations, the services they provide, the challenges they face, and their research and community engagement activities — paving the way to explore possibilities for collaboration. By-invitation-only Respect Forum meetings have been held semi-annually since the fall of 2016. With support from Veterans Affairs Canada’s Veteran and Family Well-Being Fund, the Respect Forum golds semi anual meetings in locations across Canada, from Victoire BC to Saint John’s NL. In addition we maintain an online directory of organizations dedicated to improve mental health and quality of life of veterans and emergency workers as well as their loved ones.

Mission

To create a network among organizations who support veterans, emergency responders, and their families in meeting the array of challenges, such as transition, mental health issues, and housing instability by promoting collaboration that improves the delivery of services.

RESPECT Forum Values & Principle

  • Mutual Respect
  • Knowledge Sharing
  • Service, Knowledge, and For-Profit Participation
  • Different Perspectives
  • Non-Partisan


In its fight against such phenomena as PTS and homelessness, Respect Forum activities are designed to promote collaborative approaches to service delivery, knowledge sharing, and knowledge development.

There is no membership in Respect Forum and all participants are the guests of the organizers. Each meeting requires an invitation.

Respect Forum Policies

Respect Forum meetings bring together people from health and social services, all levels of government, universities, community organizations, and peer support organizations. Participants have the opportunity to talk about their organizations, the services they provide, the challenges they face, and their research and community engagement activities—paving the way to explore possibilities for collaboration.

Lieutenant-General (Retired) Guy Thibault

Lieutenant-General Guy Thibault retired from the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) on 8 August 2016 after 38 years of loyal and dedicated service to Canada, the CAF, the Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Corps of Signals. He held a wide range of command and staff appointments within the Army, and at National levels. Upon promotion to Lieutenant-General in 2011, he served as the first Canadian Chairman of the Inter-American Defense Board (IADB) in Washington, DC. This international organization is an entity of the Organization of American States and is the oldest regional defence cooperation organization in the world.

  • Two Respect Forum meetings a year in participating cities
  • A survey to identify participants’ strengths, knowledge gaps, and challenges to inform the planning of Respect Forum meetings
  • Mapping of Respect Forum participants and contact information
  • Creation of an online communication platform to promote collaborative approaches to knowledge sharing, knowledge development, and service delivery
  • A collaborative and sustainable governance and financial model

Three projects have been, in part, an evolution from the RF in Montreal. These are:

  • The Frontline Volunteer Veteran Support Guideline for Interactions with the Homeless as a collaboration with Soldiers Helping Soldiers and frontline shelter workers;
  • The Fondation québecoise des vétérans collaboration with the Old Brewery Mission Sentinel project; and
  • The Fondation québécoise des vétérans “Grand rassemblement” event held on September 29th, 2018.

Respect Forum Governance Committee

  1. To inform Respect Forum Governance Committee members of their roles and responsibilities.
  2. To ensure that the Respect Forum Governance Committee is comprised of individuals who possess the skills, qualities and experience to collectively contribute to effective Respect Forum governance and
  3. To ensure the RFGC represents a diverse cross section of volunteers from a cultural, regional and subject matter expertise perspective

The committee monitors and evaluates the functioning of the Respect Forums as it relates to:
a)   The neutrality (non-advocacy) of the Respect Forums
b)   The invitation of prospective participants and the disinvitation of disrespectful participants
c)   The implementation of communications with disinvited participants if required
d)   The selection of Respect Forum facilitators
e)   The functioning of the Respect Forums and the respect for participants privacy
f)    The promotion of valid collaborations
g)   The Reporting to participants and Founding Members
h)   The implementation of the Fundraising Prospectus

  1. The Committee members must reflect the interests and concerns of the public, private and academic stakeholders of the Respect Forum program and the Respect Campaign Board of Directors. In selecting candidates for the Committee, the Board will seek a balance within the Committee of skills, competencies, experience and diversity of members while considering any unique or special requirements for Respect Forum governance at the current time.
  2. The Respect Campaign Board may delegate the appointment of members to the RFGC Chair and its Board representative.
  1. RFCG members shall be appointed for a 2-year term. Subject to the provisions of the Terms of reference the appropriate number of positions will be staggered to ensure governance continuity.
  2. Members are eligible to be reappointed for consecutive terms at the discretion of the appointing authority.

Twice per year, following the Respect Forum meetings, the committee is to be assembled by telephone to review Management’s assessment of performance for the past Respect Forums and the plans for future forums.

The number of vacancies will be determined every two years and the necessary criteria to fill those vacancies will be identified by conducting a review of the committee composition and its continued reflection of balanced representation as articulated in the Terms of Reference.

This policy may be amended at any time and from time to time by the Board after appropriate consultation.

The Respect Forum Management, Forum Facilitators and the Governance Committee in the commission of their decisions and duties will subscribe to and promote the following values and principles at the heart of all Respect Forums.

  1. Mutual Respect: All participant communications and behaviours must demonstrate respect for one another.
  2. Relationship Building and Collaboration: Given the opportunity to learn about each other, participants may find common ground and identify possible opportunities for collaboration and teamwork. The open sharing of information and experience is essential to collaboration.
  3. Constructive Conversation: The organizers of the forum believe that there is no single, best solution in the fight against PTS or homelessness. As such, it is required that all participants refrain from making public judgements that denigrate the services offered by a fellow participant or organization.
  4. Trust: By bringing stakeholders together in a forum where participants learn about each others’ services with the benefit of facilitated discussions and presentations, stakeholders may develop a foundation of trust that opens the door to collaboration.
  5. Non-Partisan: Respect Forum events are independent, non-partisan gatherings that do not seek to promote any particular interest of any business, group, political party, lobby, or personal interests.

The Respect Forum Program was established to promote relationship building and collaboration. In the complex landscape of service delivery to those suffering from PTS and possibly homelessness, competition between providers exists. The Respect Forums do not play a role in facilitating competition between participants vying to be the resource of choice. Only through collaboration, where and when it can happen between stakeholders, will we as a community find and fill gaps and achieve our common mission.

  • All participants are the guests of the Respect Forum program
  • There is no membership in the Respect Forum
  • Participation in each meeting requires an invitation

The following three key principles will ensure that every participant will be offered continued participation:

  1. The promotion of commercial offerings is welcomed in the context of a formal, pre-planned presentation. Ad hoc selling of services and post meeting solicitation of fellow participants is not welcome and the participant exhibiting this behaviour will not receive an invitation to future meetings.
  2. The Respect Forum is not a place for the public criticism of any organization or stakeholder. Any participant using the Forum to denigrate others will not be invited to future meetings.
  3. Unless by special invitation, organizations or individuals that, at the time of the Respect Forum meeting, are not engaged in serving the target beneficiaries of the Respect Forums will not be considered as candidates for an invitation to a Respect Forum. Special invitations, which require the approval of the Regional Coordinator in writing, will be offered to organizations or individuals who are deemed by the Regional Coordinator to be of significant benefit to the participants of the Respect Forums.

The Respect Forum Governance Committee will review complaints from participants and/or reports of inappropriate behaviour provided by the Respect Forum Facilitators and will determine an appropriate course of action ranging from coaching a participant to disinviting a participant for behaviour deemed by a majority of members of the Respect Forum Governance Committee to be out of alignment with Respect Forum values.

  1. Mutual Respect: All participant communications and behaviours must demonstrate respect for one another.
  2. Relationship Building and Collaboration: Given the opportunity to learn about each other, participants may find common ground and identify possible opportunities for collaboration and teamwork. The open sharing of information and experience is essential to collaboration.
  3. Constructive Conversation: The organizers of the forum believe that there is no single, best solution in the fight against PTS or homelessness. As such, it is required that all participants refrain from making public judgements that denigrate the services offered by a fellow participant or organization.
  4. Trust: By bringing stakeholders together in a forum where participants learn about each others’ services with the benefit of facilitated discussions and presentations, stakeholders may develop a foundation of trust that opens the door to collaboration.
  5. Non-Partisan: Respect Forum events are independent, non-partisan gatherings that do not seek to promote any particular interest of any business, group, political party, lobby, or personal interests.

The Respect Forum Management directs the nature and format of communications delivered to the public and any or all stakeholders by the facilitators.

Public Communications will be undertaken centrally by the Director of Communications and the Social Media coordinator.

Facilitators are only responsible for the preparation of the Respect Forum report using the model provided. Site specific forum reports will include a brief summary of the highlights of the meeting, information regarding any presentations that were provided and a snapshot of the participants small group workshops. Where permissible contact information of the participants will be provided in the report.

The Respect Forum Governance Committee will ensure that external reports are provided to the stakeholder participants following each Forum.

Following the Spring and Fall sessions a comprehensive national report including the survey results, developed by the executive of the Respect Forums will be provided on the Respect Forums website at https://respectcanada.org

Respect Forum representatives in the commission of their duties will subscribe to and promote the following code of conduct. The purpose of this code of conduct is to provide general principles of ethical conduct to guide Respect Forum staff, Co-ordinators and Facilitators in meeting their duties and commitment to the Respect Forum mission and values.

All Respect Forum Facilitators and Coordinators must:

  1. Not advocate for any participant, solution, product, service or opinion when Facilitating or representing Respect Forums and when making opinions known in the context of the Respect Forum, indicate that the opinion is theirs and not the position of the Respect Forum;
  2. Adhere to the mission and values of the Respect Canada Forums and ensure a consistent approach in the conduct of Respect Forums activities;
  3. Protect and maintain the integrity of Respect Forums and ensure they are free of discrimination of any kind with respect to race, colour, ancestry, place of origin, religion, physical or mental disability, sex or sexual orientation;
  4. Ensure they are not engaged in any activities that would be indicative of a perceived or real conflict of interest;
  5. Not engage in any illegal or unethical conduct nor act in a manner that conflicts with the best interests of Respect Forums;
  6. Preserve the confidence of information shared within the context of Respect Forums and any associated activities by protecting the privacy of Respect Forum participants; carry out responsibilities with integrity and in accordance with a high standard of competence.

Leadership

Steve Gregory, Founder and Chairman

Stephen (Steve) Gregory, MSM has led IsaiX Technologies Inc. since 1989, a firm specializing organizational development and technology for sales. In addition, he sits as a director on the boards of two TSX-listed public companies.

In 2006 he co-founded the “3rd Battery of Montreal Artillery,” a charity which supports cadets and veterans. In 2015 he co-founded The Respect Campaign, which facilitates a national networking initiative involving forums in more than 20 Canadian cities. This network promotes collaboration among stakeholders who support the mental health of our men and women in uniformed service. In various capacities, he has assisted in raising over $3 million for the families of our troops and various community outreach initiatives.

Steve and his team of dedicated volunteers, organized 325-km marches across Sicily in 2013 and 2018 in honour of those who fought and died on all sides during Operation Husky, the Allied campaign in Sicily in 1943. Three Op Husky documentaries are now broadcast in Italy and Canada, keeping alive the memory of the fallen and the history of the Allied campaign. In 2023, Steve and his team of Sicilian volunteers will open the Walk for Remembrance and Peace (Il percorso per il ricordo & la pace), a 325-km fully mapped walking trail with accompanying historical descriptions, from both the local Sicilian perspective and that of the Canadian soldiers during the summer of 1943.

Steve is the former Honorary Colonel of the 2nd Field Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery and has been presented with Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal and commendations from the Minister of Veterans Affairs and the Commander of the Army for his work in support of our troops and veterans.

Staff

James Ostler, (LCol Retired) MSM CD, National Program Manager

James Ostler served for 36 years in the Canadian Armed Forces as an officer in the Royal Canadian Dragoons, an Armour Regiment in the Canadian Army.  He served operational tours in West Germany, Bosnia, Israel/Palestine and Egypt.  He received his Meritorious Service Medal (MSM) for service in the pursuit of peace in the Middle East and a second MSM from the US Government. He retired from the CAF in March of 2017.  Immediately following his release from the CAF, he joined the Commissionaires, Kingston & Region, as the Director of Business Development.  He held this full-time position for five years.  He then became an independent contractor with the Calian Corporation, providing simulation support to major Army training activities (part-time).  He is a cancer survivor.  He is married to Michelle.  He is passionate about nature conservation, running, and assisting veterans with their successful transition to life after the CAF.

Drew Burgwin, Western Region Coordinator

Drew Burgwin is retired after forty years in Emergency Health Services, beginning in Halifax, Nova Scotia, continuing through Calgary and, finally, British Columbia. He spent twenty years as an Advanced Care Paramedic followed by twenty years in management positions in quality improvement and education. He graduated from Royal Roads University with a Master’s in Leadership in 2000. He is currently the Western Region Coordinator for the Respect Forum, supporting facilitators in their efforts to conduct Respect Forum meetings in seven cities across western Canada. 

Steve Nolan, Regional Coordinator - Ontario

Steve Nolan served 28 years in the Canadian Army, and he has had numerous operational deployments including tours in Afghanistan. After an appointment as a Commanding Officer at Garrison Petawawa, he retired and began a career as a consultant.
 
Steve has helped several health clinics engage with the Veteran population to increase their new client pipeline as well as helping those businesses develop veteran customer friendly programs. 
 
He has designed and implemented an international Veteran’s project in Canada, India, and the UK for industry leading cyber-security companies. Steve is a Certified Business Continuity Professional (CBCP) and has worked with several consultancy companies bidding and completing risk analysis projects for the federal government. 
 
Recently, Steve has taken a part-time professorship with Laurentian University and Fanshawe College teaching Strategic Management, Business Leadership, Globalization, Business Writing, and Risk Management. He is involved with Military Connected Campus, the City of Ottawa Veterans’ Task Force, and Respect Canada. 
 
Steve lives with his family in Ottawa and volunteers at the Perley-Rideau veterans’ hospital in his spare time.

Brent Kerr, (Maj Retired) MSM CD2, Atlantic Region Coordinator

Brent Kerr served over 39 years in the Canadian Armed Forces, 36 in the Regulars with the Princess Patrica’s Light Infantry (PPCLI) and a bonus 3 years in the Reserves. He served operational tours in Cyprus (twice), Oka, the Darfur Task Force, and 12 months in Afghanistan. 
 
He is a Technically Staff Qualified Officer and served in Trials, Project Management and International Liaison Postings. He was awarded the US MSM for work in Afghanistan developing Coalition Forces. He received a Deputy Chief of Defense Staff Commendation, and 2 Formation Commander’s Commendations. 
 
His final Regular Force position was the Detachment Commander of Camp Aldershot in NS. In the Reserves he managed Reserve employment for Atlantic Canada for 2 years as the leader of the Full Time Summer Employment (FTSE) program. 
 
Brent has been working with RESPECT Canada since 2020 leading meetings in Fredericton, Moncton, Saint John NB and Halifax NS. He currently tries to make his fruit trees work, walks his own (and neighbours) dogs, and is active in various community organizations. 
 
He lives with his wife Cheryl in the Annapolis Valley, and visit a pile of family in NB. 

Bob Thibeau, Indigenous Outreach

Robert Thibeau, CD is former Canadian Army Captain and a proud Métis.  He enlisted in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) at the rank of Private and began his military career in January 1972.  His 38 years of service saw him serve with the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry and was a paratrooper with the Canadian Airborne Regiment.  He has two operational deployments overseas, Cyprus in 1978 and Bosnia in 1997.     

In 2002 after attaining the rank of Sergeant Major, he was commissioned to Captain where he began working with his indigenous culture within the CAF.  

Robert is the National President for the Aboriginal Veterans Autochtone and works to improve Indigenous Veterans issues and ensure equality of benefits and treatments.  In addition, upon release from the CAF in 2009 he created an Aboriginal company designed to conduct awareness training and Indigenous cultural training for Indigenous courses of the CAF.  He has established a network of highly respected Elders and teachers, some of which are Veterans, and with these extraordinary people delivers a very comprehensive training program.

Darryl G. Cathcart, CD, EdD, Academic Outreach Coordinator

Darryl G. Cathcart enrolled in the Canadian Army in 1991 as a private soldier, was commissioned from the ranks as a senior non-commissioned member, and retired in 2017 as a senior officer. During his operational service, Darryl held command and staff positions in The Royal Canadian Regiment and the Canadian Special Operations Regiment, where he deployed to Bosnia, Croatia, Kosovo, and Afghanistan. Notable domestic appointments include serving at the Infantry School and as instructional staff at the Canadian Army Command and Staff College. He is a graduate of the Royal Military College of Canada, the United States Marine Corps Expeditionary Warfare School, the Joint Command and Staff Programme at the Canadian Forces College, and Queen’s University. Darryl holds a Doctorate of Education in Educational Leadership from Western University. 
 
In 2018, Darryl founded Release Point Education to witness the realization of academic excellence by supporting military-connected learners through the provision of specialized, relevant, and credible programming. Darryl has published numerous articles surrounding military-connected students and how this heterogeneous group can produce an amplifying effect on the civilian workforce.

Gisèle Fontaine (Colonel retired) MSC CD RN CHE, Womens’ Outreach Coordinator

Gisèle Fontaine served just shy of 37 years in the Canadian Armed Forces. She started in the Reserves as a CELE Officer for almost 3 years, then transferred to the Regular Force as a Nursing Officer. She eventually became a Health Services Operations Officer (HSO), changing her focus from nursing to operational health services planning and executive management of health services, projects, and corporate programs. 

She had the privilege of commanding the CAF medical and dental services schools and the CF Health Services Centre Ottawa – which included orchestrating it’s relocation to the Montfort Campus and operationalizing its new partnership with the Montfort Hospital.

Her deployments include short assistance visits to Mogadishu Somalia and Kandahar Afghanistan, and much later in her career, deployed as a Colonel to Kabul for a year.

There she led a multinational team advising on rebuilding the Afghan army and police medical and dental education system, for which the Meritorious Service Cross was awarded to her. 

She was selected to be part of the special team to address Sexual Misconduct in the CAF, and helped create the Sexual Misconduct Response Centre (SMRC) and effect CAF-wide policy changes. 

She completed her career as the Chief of Staff to the CAF Surgeon General. She retired in February 2018, took a well needed pause, then worked as a senior consultant with DND assisting in the development of the CAF culture change strategy on sexual misconduct and the CAF
victim support strategy. 

In 2020, the pandemic changed her path unexpectedly, bringing her back to nursing, assisting with COVID-19 screening and immunizations efforts, and later working as a care manager in the home care sphere.

She more recently joined the Respect Team as the Women’s Outreach Coordinator.

Gisèle is a Registered Nurse (RN) with the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO), a Certified Health Executive with the Canadian College of Health Leaders (CCHL), a member of The Order of St John, and a Fellow with the US-led Federal Health Care Executives Institute Alumni Association (FHCEIAA). 

She stays connected to the military family by volunteering as the Vice President Nursing Sisters’ Association of Canada – Ottawa Branch, helping support our military nurse veterans, and by being a member of the Royal Canadian Medical Services Association.

She has a strong passion for service, and continues to contribute to the health and wellness of those in need, especially fellow veterans.