About Wendy

I have proudly lived and raised my children in Bay Ward since 2001.  My children are entering grades 11
and 12 at Woodroffe High School this fall.  I have been actively involved in this community for more
than 17 years.

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As a stay-at-home mother, I had the privilege of being very engaged in my children’s early school years; I volunteered in many capacities from Vice-Chair of the Parent Council at Woodroffe Avenue Public School to grant writer, tree planter, book sorter and, my favourite, Head Lice Program Coordinator!  It was a wonderful opportunity to work with other parents, teachers and the school leadership team on a variety of projects.

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For more than a decade I was an active volunteer with the YMCA-YWCA.  I was involved in youth program development and delivery, I instructed innumerable fitness classes, and worked hard as a community Y ambassador and fundraiser to bring a Y presence back to the west end following the unhappy closure and demolition of the Carlingwood facility.  (There may be a piece of the façade of the Carlingwood Y in my garden.)

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For five years I served as the President of the Britannia Village Community Association.  Pivotal projects such as the reconstruction of Britannia Road and the village flood-proofing initiative were undertaken during my years as leader.  I worked collaboratively and effectively with the community, City politicians and staff, and other stakeholders such as the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority to give those projects life.  Through my affiliation with the Community Association I have had the honour of moderating political debates in the community during the 2006 federal and 2018 provincial elections.

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Originally from the Brockville area, I lived in Montreal for 15 years while I pursued my studies at McGill University.  I received a Bachelor degree in Psychology, a Masters in Speech Language Pathology and a Doctorate in Communication Sciences and Disorders.  I have also completed a Diploma in Fundraising at Algonquin College.  My academic specialties are child language development and disorders, early childhood bilingualism, and cultural determinants of caregiver-child communication patterns.  I have worked with several indigenous groups in Quebec including the James Bay Cree, Inuit and Mohawk.

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My career path reflects my diverse interests and abilities.  From my work as a graduate researcher and lecturer at McGill, I moved on to communications and academic administration which eventually led me to my present career as a not-for-profit fundraiser.  The bulk of my fundraising work has been in the youth development sector including the YMCA-YWCA, the Air Cadet League of Canada and Scouts Canada.  I am now pleased to be working with Spinal Cord Injury Ontario.  My personal interest in health and wellness led me to pursue training as a fitness instructor, personal trainer and life coach.

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For fun I run – on the roads or on the trails – and I love my bike!  Her name is Uhura which comes from the Swahili word uhuru, meaning "freedom".  I am an accidental gardener and I also write – prose, poetry, and a novel that I hope will never be finished.  But most of all, I love to spend time chillaxing with my kids, Ed and Rena, and my partner, Michael.