Ms. Viki Scott, RC (c); BSc; RRP; CHRM; MBA; ADR (c)

Viki Scott is the President and Principal Consultant & Chief Lobbyist of Scott & Associates Inc.

Viki currently manages a successful National Consulting Firm of which provides solutions to Canadian based companies with at concentration in Labour Management Relations, Conflict Risk Management, Occupational Health and Safety , Human Rights, Workplace Investigations, Organizational Development and Effectiveness,  and General Business Advisory Services. Her firm also provides lobbying and advocacy services to their not for profit and broader public service clients.

Viki has an extensive history with both the public and private sectors, primarily in unionized environments. She has led significant change management initiatives for major public, non for profit and private sector organizations. Her leadership positions include the Ontario Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services, Workplace Health and Safety Agency, OPSEU and Extendicare, Canada   In addition, she was a National Practice Leader at Watson Wyatt Worldwide and a Senior Manager with KPMG LLP where she directed and led a high performance team supplying direct technical consulting services to Employers concentrating in the areas of labour management relations, occupational health & safety, absence and attendance and human resource management consulting practice. She also, has had the privilege of being a Chief of Staff and Senior Policy Advisor to an Ontario Premier and a Cabinet Minister where she influenced the appointment of the first Employment Equity Commissioner for the Province of Ontario. She also has worked as a Senior Policy Advisor for various Political Leadership Campaigns, National, Provincial and Municipal.

Viki has a particular expertise in labour management relations, with both employer and union sided experience, and has been successful in introducing workplace interest based consensus models for managing identified areas of conflict.  She has established a reputation for the effective work she has led resulting from her Transformational Mediation skills she brings to the parties for resolving conflict.

She has developed strong working relationships with the various government Labour Agencies and has an in-depth knowledge of federal and provincial workplace statutes. She has presented cases before the Workers Compensation Appeals Tribunals, Labour Relations Boards, Grievance Settlement Board, Pay Equity Commission and the Human Rights Commission.  Viki lead the Employment Equity initiative for a major public sector union and successfully negotiated and implemented various Employment Equity Plans with the OPS and BPS Sector Employers. She also led a provincial Pay Equity Negotiation Team responsible for negotiating well over 400 Pay Equity Agreements.  As a Rehabilitation Specialist, Viki has been very successful with supporting workplace parties in developing strategies for meeting their return to work and workplace accommodation obligations.

Viki has also worked with various employers in meeting Occupational Health and Safety due diligence compliance in Canadian (Provincial and Federal), U.S.A., and European jurisdictions. She has developed standardized assessment and diagnostic tools that are used for identifying and minimizing risks. She also led a research development team for the development of objective functional abilities/capacity testing that is currently used today in the physical rehabilitation and functional ability testing sector. One of her many accomplishments is that in her capacity as the Senior Development Officer with the Ontario Workplace Health and Safety Agency, she was responsible for the development and implementation of the Occupational Health and  Safety Certification Training Program. In addition, during her tenure with the Ontario Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services she received a number of commendations for her leadership during a provincial strike, SARS and the provincial “blackout”.

Viki has worked with a wide range of Bargaining Agents such as CAW, OPSEU, CUPE, AMAPCEO, CEP, USWA, OPSSU, ASU, UFCW, PSAC, LIUNA, PAO, AJC, ONA, OLBEU, SEIU, UNIFOR and the Teamsters Union in the capacity as a Chief Negotiator/Spokesperson, a Grievance Mediator and as a Training Facilitator. She also conducts workplace investigations in support of the workplace parties’ obligations under the various OH&SA and Human Rights Legislation.

Viki has an MBA with a concentration in Industrial Relations and a Bachelor of Science, in Occupational Health and Rehabilitation. Viki also holds post graduate degrees in Alternative Dispute Resolution from York University and in Human Resource Management. She also has an Advanced Certificate in Board Governance. She is a Registered Rehabilitation Professional operating under license #SCOV0381-R. Viki has held Associate Professorship positions with the Rehabilitation Services Program, Seneca@York, and the Transformational Leadership Program for Women at Atkinson College, York University, the “NIDMAR” Disability Management Program for the WSIB, and the Seneca@York Government Relations Management Post Degree Program and the Public Relations -Corporate Communications Post Degree Program. She currently is a Professor with the Pacific Coast University, Workplace Health Sciences and with the School of Legal and Public Administration with Seneca College. She is also an Adjunct Professor with the Ryerson University Centre for Labour Management Relations.

Viki has received Order in Council Appointments (Ontario Cabinet) for the North York Board of Health, and the Toronto Hospital Community Advisory Board, held Executive positions with the Canadian Association of Rehabilitation Professionals, the Ontario Association of Rehabilitation Professionals and the Canadian Association for Disability Management Coordinators. She is a member of the Human Resources Professionals Association of Ontario, the ADR Institute of Canada, the Ontario Bar Association ADR Section (Affiliate), the ADR Institute of Ontario, the Canadian Industrial Relations Association,  the Association for International Arbitration, the International Association on Workplace Bullying and Harassment, the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering,, the Vocational Rehabilitation Association of Canada, the Vocational Rehabilitation Association of Ontario, the International Association of Rehabilitation Professionals,  the Association for Workplace Investigators, the Canadian Association of University Teachers,  the Women’s Executive Network,  and an inducted Member of the Women of Influence. She is a past Member of the Humber River Regional Hospital Board of Directors and Quality Assurance Committee. She is also a member of the Toronto Board of Trade, the Government Relations Institute of Canada, the Public Affairs Association of Canada, and the Institute for Public Administration of Canada.

Viki can be reached at:

416 756 4785 or 416 768 4785

viki.scott@scottandassociatesinc.com

Deborah McGale is a graduate of the Honours Bachelor of Social Work program from Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario. She has worked in the vocational rehabilitation field for over 20 years in the areas of Community Living Employment Training Programs; Long Term Disability; Labour Market Re-entry; ODSP Employment Supports, and Canada Pension Plan Disability.

She holds the Registered Rehabilitation Professional (RRP) and Certified Vocational Rehabilitation Professional (CVRP) designations, and has been a VRA Ontario BOD since 2016.

Deborah has been with the March of Dimes Canada for the past 12 years as a Team Leader, managing staff working in several government sponsored vocational rehabilitation and employment programs. 

Laura Smillie is a passionate leader with over 19 years of results-oriented, business management experience with expertise in vocational rehabilitation and human resources.  She has partnered with many corporations across a wide spectrum of industries to help them achieve their business objectives and personal best.  Laura has successfully managed teams of multidisciplinary professionals having a tremendous impact on the lives of thousands of clients. 

With extensive project management experience, Laura has managed various government funded employment support programs including Employment Ontario, Service Canada, Ontario Works, Canada Pension Plan VR Program, Veterans Affairs Canada VR, WSIB and numerous fee-for-service clients’ accounts.

Laura currently owns and operates a boutique business management consulting firm focusing on human resources consultation with a specialization in training & development and disability management services. Her clients span across Canada and across various industries.

Laura’s studies in Vocational Rehabilitation Counselling, Human Resources Management and Adult Education combined with her drive and passion has resulted in many clients realizing their business goals.  Laura is a Registered Rehabilitation Professional (RRP), Certified Vocational Rehabilitation Professional (CVRP), Certified Human Resources Leader (CHRL), Certified Human Resource Executive (CHRE), and a Certified Training and Development Professional (CTDP). Additionally, Laura is a certified Personality Dimensions Level 2 Trainer (qualified to certify Level 1 facilitators), Certified WHMIS Train-the-Trainer, Certified DISC Analyst and a Certified EQ-I (Emotional Intelligence) Trainer.

Laura is an active member of the Human Resources Professional Association, the Institute for Performance and Learning and the Vocational Rehabilitation Association of Canada (VRA) and a member of the VRA Board of Directors for the Ontario Society.

My career has consisted of working with people for over 33 years.  I have accumulated extensive varied experience from to role of frontline staff, program supervisor to business owner.  I am a Registered Rehabilitation Professional and I am a certified Solution Focus Counselor and a certified Program and Community Developer who is fluently bilingual in both French and English. 

I have worked in the Social Service field as a Child & Youth Worker and Program Manager in both Ontario and Alberta.  In 1990, I opened the first office in Northern Ontario for the Huntington Society of Canada; educating professionals and the communities while providing group counseling and support to individuals and their families. 

While living near Sudbury, I accepted a position as a Rehabilitation Case Manager, which quickly became my passion.  I worked for various rehabilitation companies helping individuals injured in motor vehicle accident with their recovery and return to work or to their previous activities of daily living.   As the industry changed and many rehabilitation companies folded, in 1998 I was asked by insurance adjusters to continue in the field and to open my own business, something I had never considered.  I established a rehabilitation company and named it  On Track Support Services, which continues to operate to this day.  We had the great fortune to work with both the Auto and Life insurance companies and the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP)

In 2010, I received a call from the Ontario March of Dimes in Kingston and accepted a position as a Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist where I worked helping individuals return to work under the programs of WSIB, ODSP, OW, CCP and Can Vet.  

In April 2012, I accepted the position as a Manager of Program and Services for Community Living North Frontenac.  The focus is on assisting individuals with needs to be part of an inclusive environment that fosters respect for individuals by having the opportunity to contribute, thrive and meet their full potential.  Our goals for the individuals we serve include living independently with support and securing meaningful employment.  

I am a graduate of the York-Seneca Rehabilitation Services Certificate Program. I graduated from the program with High Honors. I have a B.A. Psychology Degree from York University. I also possess an Adult Education & Staff Training Certificate and Life Skills Coaching Certificate from Seneca College.

I am currently a Registered Rehabilitation Professional RRP in good standing with VRA Canada and a Certified Vocational Rehabilitation Professional (CVP). I am currently employed at the Workplace Safety & Insurance Board (WSIB) and have held many positions for the past 20 years ranging from working as a Vocational Rehabilitation Caseworker, Claims Adjudicator, Quality Improvement Specialist in the Labour Market Re-entry Program (LMR),  a LMR Provider Management Specialist managing WSIB Provider Contracts in the quality assurance of the WSIB LMR Program in Ontario when LMR was outsourced between 1999-2010. Currently, I am in the role of a Work Transition Specialist in the Work Reintegration Branch assisting injured workers in transitioning back into the workforce.

For the past 10 years I have enjoyed teaching in the York-Seneca Rehabilitation Services Certificate Program. I teach the The Rehabilitation Process Course. As well I teach in Seneca's Rehabilitation Certificate Distance Learning Program. My most recent contribution to this Program was writing a new course manual for The Canadian Health and Welfare Policy course.

Further to my professional involvement and promotion in the field of rehabilitation, I have sat as an active member for several years on the York-Seneca Rehabilitation Services Advisory Board, providing valuable input on industry changes in vocational rehabilitation and making positive recommendations and contributions to the program to further the profession. I have been a guest speaker for the program and helped to promote and champion new students to become involved in the field of vocational rehabilitation. Many of the students who graduated from the York-Seneca program are now working in this industry and in some cases are colleagues of mine at the WSIB, which is great!

I have also been a professional member of the CHCAA (Canadian Health Care Anti-Fraud Association) for several years. The Canadian Health Care Anti-fraud Association was founded in 2000 to give a voice to the public and private sector health care organizations interested in preventing fraud in the Canadian health care environment. The Association is responsible for the detection, prevention, investigation and prosecution of health care fraud. I am a professional member of the Canadian Evaluation Society (CES) which is a Canada-wide, non-profit association dedicated to the advancement of evaluation theory and practice. CES leads the professional community of evaluators, positioning and building evaluation theory and practice.

Overall I'm excited and very enthusiastic about being a part of the Ontario VRA Board of Directors serving as President. I look forward to contributing and providing valuable insight to the Board in support of promoting and providing effective and ethical delivery of professional rehabilitation services throughout Ontario and all across Canada.

Helping others, help themselves to become independent and contributing members of society, is the greatest gift one can give in this profession.

As a Return to Work Specialist for the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, Jennifer uses alternative dispute resolution skills including; negotiating, facilitating and mediation to facilitate RTW planning. This role also encompasses; educating workplace parties on RTW principles, best practices and the rights and obligations under the Workplace Safety & Insurance Act and other relevant legislation. 


Prior to this, Jennifer held roles with the Ontario March of Dimes, Ontario Teachers Insurance Plan and Manulife Financial. Jennifer is a frequent speaker and has presented on a variety of topics throughout Ontario such as Mental Health in the Workplace, Early Intervention and Disability Management. Jennifer holds an Honours degree in Kinesiology and an MBA.  Jennifer is active in her community, volunteering for a variety of community groups and is kept quite busy with two young children. 


Jennifer has been a member of the VRA board of directors since 2010. Jennifer joined the board to assist in advancing the profession of vocational rehabilitation and elevating the status of the RRP designation.