This conversation, featuring Monica Patten, Chair of Compassionate Ottawa, and Paul Adams, Co-Chair of the Canadian Grief Alliance, will delve into the work of the Canadian Grief Alliance—a group of leading grief specialists and over 150 national and provincial organizations advocating for a proposal to address national gaps in grief services that leave many Canadians unsupported. Together, they will explore the consultations on grief undertaken by the Alliance, the insights gained, and their implications for building compassionate communities. There will be time for questions following the conversation.
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Paul Adams is co-chair of the Canadian Grief Alliance. He is an author, former professor of journalism at Carleton University, and a veteran of CBC and the Globe and Mail. He was the primary caregiver to his wife, Suzanne Szukits, a Canadian diplomat, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2012 at the age of 52. She died of the complications of metastatic breast cancer in September 2016. Since Suzanne’s death, Adams has written about palliative care in publications such as The Walrus, The Ottawa Citizen, Policy Options and Healthy Debate. He has served as a family representative on numerous advisory bodies on palliative and end-of-life issues. He was educated at the University of Manitoba, the University of Oxford and Columbia University and in addition to Carleton has taught at the University of Manitoba and Massey University in Wellington, New Zealand.
Monica Patten is the Chair of Compassionate Ottawa. Her career included being Senior Vice President for United Way of Canada, followed by almost 20 years as President and CEO of Community Foundations of Canada, the national organization supporting local foundations across Canada. Throughout her career, Monica has remained an active community volunteer, especially committed to organizations serving women who live with poverty and in precarious housing. In 2013, Monica was appointed to the Order of Canada in recognition for her tireless work to encourage volunteering and generosity. She believes her work with Compassionate Ottawa is a continuation of her commitment to helping build strong communities.
