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About CAV and
Canada VRS

Message from the Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director

Dear VRS Callers,

I am honoured and excited to be appointed CAV’s new CEO and Executive Director. As a Deaf person, I understand the tremendous value Canada VRS brings to the Canadian Deaf and Hard of Hearing communities.

Canada VRS has been operating for over seven years and has connected almost 3.5 million VRS calls. The service has continually evolved with innovations to meet the needs of Canadian VRS callers, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. As CAV continues to grow, our goal remains to provide a quality VRS that meets the needs of our community.

I look forward to working with the CAV team, our interpreters, and the VRS community.

Thank you for your continued support.

About CAV

The Canadian Administrator of Video Relay Service (CAV), Inc., or CAV, is a not-for-profit telecommunications services company with a mandate from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to design, implement and oversee the delivery of Video Relay Service (VRS) in Canada.

Canada VRS enables Deaf, Hard of Hearing or speech-impaired Canadians who use American Sign Language (ASL) and langue des signes québécoise (LSQ) to make telephone calls via Internet-based videoconferencing technology.

CAV and its Board of Directors are responsible for Canada’s national VRS, Canada VRS which was launched September 28, 2016, and is available 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

About_CAV_Image

CAV's Vision

Empower Deaf Canadians.

CAV's Mission

Provide VRS for Canadians who use ASL and LSQ; enabling connections to people and increasing opportunities.

Canada VRS Theme

Access is Opportunity.

Canada VRS is the name of the service that CAV is responsible for.

Deaf, Hard of Hearing or speech-impaired Canadians who use sign language can download and register for a free Canada VRS app for iOS, Android, Windows and Mac computers with Safari and Waterfox web browsers.

Once registered they are given a VRS number which they use to make and receive calls. The app connects Canada VRS users to a sign language interpreter who relays the call in real time, in ASL and LSQ.

CAV Board of Directors

CAV Board 2023 FINAL copy

Top Row (L-R):

Suzanne Laforest – CEO and Executive Director
David Joseph – Deaf, Hard-of-Hearing LSQ Director and Board Chair
Kate Southwell – Telecommunications Service Providers Director

Middle Row (L-R):

Ruth Altman – Telecommunications Service Providers Director
Dr. Jessica Dunkley – Deaf, Hard-of-Hearing ASL Director
Tony D’Onofrio – Independent Director
Anne Missud – LSQ Interpreter Permanent Invitee

Bottom Row (L-R):

Mark Kusiak – Deaf, Hard-of-Hearing ASL/LSQ Director
Carla Dupras – ASL Interpreter Permanent Invitee
Gwen Beauchemin – Independent Director

To see the bio for each director, click on their name.

Learn how registered stakeholder organizations influence CAV's Board of Directors, consisting of (7) Directors and (2) Permanent Invitees.

Learn more about Registered Stakeholders

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Staff

Top Row: Suzanne Laforest, CEO and Executive Director; Carmelle Cachero, Chief of Staff; Jonathan Masters, Acting CFO/COO; Paula Bath, Director of Regulatory Compliance & Strategy

2nd Row: David Egan, Service Operations Manager; Jodi Birley, Translation & Video
Producer; Wissam Constantin, Community Relations Manager; Diane Underschultz, Community Relations Assistant Manager

3rd Row: Jo-Anne Bryan, Community Outreach Specialist; Patrick Lazure, Community Outreach Specialist; Kim Pelletier, Community Outreach Specialist

SRV Canada VRS is powered by partners taking part in the CAV ecosystem.

CAV licenses a stand-alone VRS Technology Platform (VTP) which processes and tracks video calls. CAV also contracts for the services of several “Service Providers”, e.g. Video Interpreter Providers (VIPs) who provide call centres and sign language interpreting (relay) between American Sign Language (ASL) and English, and French and Langue des signes québécoise (LSQ).

VRS Administrator
CAV’s role is to design, implement and oversee the delivery of video relay service (VRS) in Canada.
VRS Technology Platform
IVèS will develop and deliver VRS as well as provide customer service and technical service support.

ASL (American Sign Language) Video Interpreters
Convo is the primary provider of VRS call centres and sign language interpreting (relay) for ASL.

LSQ (Langue des signes québécoise) Video Interpreters
Sivet is the primary provider of sign language interpreting (relay) for LSQ.

ASL (American Sign Language) Video Interpreters
Asign provides additional sign language interpreting (relay) for ASL.

ISEP – LSQ (Langue des signes québécoise) Video Interpreters
ISEP provides additional sign language interpreting (relay) for LSQ.
VRS Administrator
CAV’s role is to design, implement and oversee the delivery of video relay service (VRS) in Canada.
VRS Technology Platform
IVèS will develop and deliver VRS as well as provide customer service and technical service support.

ASL (American Sign Language) Video Interpreters
Convo is the primary provider of VRS call centres and sign language interpreting (relay) for ASL.

LSQ (Langue des signes québécoise) Video Interpreters
Sivet is the primary provider of sign language interpreting (relay) for LSQ.

ASL (American Sign Language) Video Interpreters
Asign provides additional sign language interpreting (relay) for ASL.

ISEP – LSQ (Langue des signes québécoise) Video Interpreters
ISEP provides additional sign language interpreting (relay) for LSQ.
Live Chat Live Chat is available during customer service hours. Supported on Chrome and Firefox on Windows, and Safari and Waterfox on Mac (desktop only).

Carla Dupras

ASL Permanent Invitee

Carla Dupras is a child of deaf adults (Coda), a heritage language user of American Sign Language, and a community freelance interpreter for the last 27 years. She is an honorary lifetime member of the Association of Sign Language Interpreters of Alberta (ASLIA) and a certified (COI) member of the Canadian Association of Sign Language Interpreters (CASLI).

Carla maintains an active and engaged presence in both provincial and national organizations, as well as in her local community in Alberta. Currently, Carla sits on the federal government Translation Bureau advisory panel in addition to mentoring colleagues who are new to the field of interpreting. She remains focused on enhancing the quality of interpreting service in all aspects of people’s life.

Mark Kusiak

ASL/LSQ Representative

Since 2008, Mark has been employed at London Drugs as a staff pharmacist for Nursing home and Compounding centre. Currently, he works as a pharmacy manager oversees the operational flow, staffing (human resources), policy development and implementing, financial including KPI and inventory controls. Mark holds Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from University of Alberta. In addition, he is the Member at Large for the Deaf and Hear Alberta Board of Directors. He is heavy involvement in Deaf sport community including President for the Canadian Deaf Sports Association for 10 years (2010-2020). In my free time, I am actively in Crossfit.

Ruth Altman

TSP Representative

Ruth has been employed at Rogers Communications since 2006, working in a variety of progressive roles in the Regulatory department. Currently, she is Director Regulatory Consumer Policy, where she provides advice on compliance with consumer-oriented regulatory policies and regulations and develops policy positions on regulatory proceedings, including matters related to accessibility. At Rogers she is actively involved in inclusion and diversity initiatives, and serves on the steering committee for Rogers AccessAbility Network, an employee resource group dedicated to empowering employees with visible and invisible disabilities to achieve professional and personal growth. Prior to working at Rogers, Ruth worked in Regulatory Affairs at Corus Entertainment and was Development Manager at Pro Bono Ontario, where she helped to secure operational and project funding. Ruth has a Bachelor of Journalism from Carleton University and an MBA from York University’s Schulich School of Business.

Jordan Sangalang, MA (Commencing May 2021)

DHH ASL/LSQ Director

JordanSangalang

Jordan is a Service Manager at New Directions for Children, Youth, Adults and Families in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Throughout his career, he has participated in numerous trainings and workshops which contribute to his leadership and management style. Additionally, he provides training as a Non-Violent Crisis Intervention instructor and teaches ASL at the University of Manitoba. He is involved in theatre, physical sketch comedy, and storytelling. When he is not performing, he dedicates time to both individuals and organizations that serve the Deaf community. Jordan holds a B.A. from the University of British Columbia and a M.A. from Gallaudet University.

Sue Decker

CEO and Executive Director, Canadian Administrator of VRS (CAV), Inc.

Sue is responsible for leading the development, implementation and administration of Canada’s inaugural video relay service, SRV Canada VRS. In the Spring of 2015, Sue assumed the leadership of the CRTCs vision to build a video relay service for Deaf Canadians, transforming a start-up organization to a fully operationalized telecommunications relay service which launched in the Fall of 2016.  Prior to becoming CAV’s Executive Director, Sue managed AT&T’s Accessible Communications Services business which included Text and VRS Relay Services. In her 20 years of service with AT&T she developed extensive experience in product development and providing telecommunications services for people who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Post AT&T, she served as a consultant to other VRS companies located throughout U.S. and Europe, making her one of the foremost VRS experts in the world.

J. Scott Fletcher

Board Secretary​

Scott Fletcher is a senior partner in Gowling WLG’s Ottawa office, practising in general corporate and commercial law with significant emphasis on telecommunications, technology, energy and government relations.

He is one of the firm’s authorities in providing corporate and commercial advice relating to commercial alliances, strategic and policy board advice and privatizations, as well as in general corporate and commercial matters. Scott also provides advice on a number of regulatory matters in the telecommunications, energy and gaming/lotteries industries. In addition, he routinely provides strategic counsel to corporate clients on telecommunications industry-based matters, the divestiture of government departments and programs into the private sector, and other corporate and commercial issues.

Scott is the firm client team leader for several major firm clients in the telecommunications and energy sectors. He has served as a director of a number of federal Canadian corporations and has represented numerous federal Crown corporations. Scott also serves as an executive team member for a number of firm clients.

Tony D’Onofrio, CFA, ICD.D

Independent Director

Tony gained extensive advisory and capital markets experience over a 20-year career in finance and investment banking. He has been working with the Canadian Coalition for Good Governance (CCGG) since 2010.  He is responsible for leading CCGG’s board engagement efforts and he regularly meets with the directors of leading public companies to discuss governance matters on behalf of Canada’s largest institutional investors.  He has been a frequent guest speaker and advises independently on governance matters and shareholder engagement.  Tony holds a Masters in Business Administration (Schulich School) and the Chartered Financial Analyst designation. He is a member of the Institute of Corporate Directors and a faculty member of The Directors College.

Renu Sangha, CPA, CGA (Resigned October 2020)

DHH ASL/LSQ Director

Renu has 10 years of experience in accounting, finance, information technology, and change management. Renu has been working as a Business Analyst at HSBC Bank Canada since 2014. She is responsible for gathering, analyzing, and documenting business needs and requirements as well as liaising between business and technical stakeholders to ensure that final solutions meet business objectives and add to the bottom line. Renu holds a Bachelor’s degrees in Information Technology and Business Administration and the Chartered Professional Accountant designation. She is also AgileBA Foundation certified and a certified Scrum Product Owner.

Dr. Marty Taylor

ASL Interpreter Permanent Invitee

Marty Taylor is an interpreter, educator and a nationally certified interpreter in Canada and the U.S. Dr. Taylor has been involved in video relay interpreting research for over ten years and has been a CAV Board Member since its inception. Marty has written two seminal books in the interpreting field: Interpretation Skills: English to American Sign Language and Interpretation Skill: American Sign Language to English which are used in over 100 interpreter education programs. Her current projects involve research on interpreting in educational settings, spoken language skills of native-English speakers, creating and supporting distance education, and developing materials to enhance interpreter skills development.

Jonathan Daniels

TSP Director

Jonathan Daniels, B.A. (McGill) 1990, J.D. (Toronto) 1994, is Vice President Regulatory Law at Bell. He has worked with Bell in various capacities since 2004.  His primary focus is on major telecommunications regulatory policy issues.  Previously he served as VP Regulatory for Cable & Wireless Caribbean, VP of Regulatory and Carrier Relations for C1 Communications in Toronto, Director of Regulatory for Covad Communications and Director of Regulatory Affairs for Sprint Canada.  After law school, Mr. Daniels articled and was an associate with the law firm Stikeman, Elliott.  In his various roles, Mr. Daniels has appeared before committees of the House of Commons, the Senate, the CRTC and numerous regulators in the Caribbean.  Mr. Daniels taught telecommunications law at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law and telecommunications market dynamics at Ryerson University.

Dr. Jessica Dunkley, MD, MHSc, CCFP

DHH ASL Director​

Dr. Dunkley is a family physician and resident physician in dermatology at the University of BC with a 16-year career in healthcare, including clinical medicine, health program evaluations and delivering professional development workshops.  She is involved in clinical research in dermatology, having presented at numerous conferences in North America.  She is a frequent speaker for various conferences related to accessibility and health care and provides mentorship to aspiring Deaf and hard of hearing health professionals.  Dr. Dunkley holds a Bachelor of Physical Therapy & Masters of Clinical Epidemiology from UBC and a Doctorate of Medicine from the University of Ottawa.   

Gwen Beauchemin

Independent Director

Gwen is an independent board member and an owner and cybersecurity consultant at Tillet Consulting. She engages with organizations that aim to improve citizen access and security to telecommunications and data networks in Canada. Gwen holds board positions with the Canadian Administrator of VRS (CAV), Canadian Internet Registry Authority (CIRA), Quantum Safe Canada (QSC), and the Human-Centric Cybersecurity Partnership (HC2P). With a career spanning more than 35 years, including roles at Bell Northern Networks, Nortel, the Government of Canada, and Payments Canada, she brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the table. Her extensive experience encompasses executive and management roles in IT development, IT operations, product-release management, operational and strategic policy, and security. Gwen has a Bachelor of Computer Science, with Honours, from Carleton University in Management & Information Systems. She is an accomplished leader, with certificates from the Council of Canadian Innovators (iGP L2), ICD (Governance Essentials Program), EC-Council (C|CISO), Canadian Forces Staff College (Executive Leaders’ Programme), Government of Canada School of Public Service (Direxion program), Queen’s University (Strategy Programs), and ITIL and PMBOK programs.

Kate Southwell

TSP Director

Kate joined Bell Canada’s legal and regulatory department in 2019 and currently holds the role of Senior Legal Counsel. She provides legal and regulatory guidance regarding compliance with accessibility-related legislation, regulations, and regulatory obligations. She also supports the establishment of associated policies, procedures, and best practices. Kate develops policy positions on regulatory issues, including accessibility, and is actively involved in internal accessibility and inclusion initiatives, including membership in accessibility steering committees and working groups. Kate is a lawyer and has been a member of the Law Society of Ontario since 2013. She has a Juris Doctor from the Faculty of Law at the University of Toronto and a B.F.A., with Distinction, from the University of Windsor. Prior to joining Bell, Kate managed a broad corporate/commercial litigation practice at DLA Piper (Canada) LLP, on whose behalf she appeared at the Supreme Court of Canada and all court levels in Ontario.

David Joseph

DHH LSQ Director and Board Chair

David currently works as a Financial Analyst at Health Canada.  With his 11 years tenure in the Federal Government, he has acquired experience in various divisions such as accounting operations, financial system, financial policy and corporate accounting. He is an analytical and critical thinking person that loves to be involved in various non-profit organizations.  In addition to CAV, he is the Treasurer for the Canadian Deaf Sports Association (CDSA).  David is fluent in 4 languages:  LSQ, ASL, French and English.  His first languages are LSQ and French.  He also teaches American Sign Language (ASL) at Carleton University for the past 10 years. 

Anne Missud

LSQ Interpreter Permanent Invitee

Anne Missud is a permanent invitee, representing the French-LSQ interpreters at the CAV board. She acquired long standing and wide interpreting experience over a 20-year career in various public and private settings. She is actively involved in the training of interpreters as a teacher at the University of Quebec in Montreal. She is currently completing her Ph.D./Psy. D in community psychology, her research focuses on the wellbeing of the deaf community. She is a certified member of the Ordre des traducteurs, terminologues et interprètes agréés du Québec.

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