Meet the Commissioners
The National Citizens Inquiry presents to you our Commissioners for the Vancouver 2024 Hearings along with the Commissioners that sat for the 24 days of testimony during the 2023 hearings, and 3 days of testimony in Regina, Saskatchewan in the spring of 2024.
We thank every one for their sacrifice and dedication. For more information about the Commission Rules please see the following pdf.
Ken Drysdale, FEC, P.Eng.
Ken Drysdale is an executive engineer with over 40 years of experience as a Professional Engineer, which includes 29 years experience in the development and management of national and regional engineering businesses. Ken is currently retired from full time practice as a consulting engineer, but continues to be active in the area of forensic engineering, investigations, preparation of expert reports and expert testimony at trial, arbitrations, and mediations. He has testified as expert witness at trials in Manitoba and Ontario. He has acted as the arbitrator and mediator in disputes.
Patricia Robertson
Patricia has a passion for learning something new everyday. She spent 5 years studying Advanced Level Medical Science in Liverpool University with a specialty in Immunohaemotology (FIMLT), working in the UK at Chester City Hospitals West Cheshire Maternity and Walsall Manor.
She came to Canada in 1976, worked at the University of Alberta Hospital Blood Bank and also worked as a home care nurse. After challenging the Canadian Exams in 1996, Patricia studied Alternative and Traditional Therapies and began her own practice as a member of the Canadian Remedial Massage and Osteopathic Therapist Association (CMMOTA) and COTTI. She continues to consult as an invited guest working with a variety of health care professionals.
As a mother of 5 children, she volunteered and organized school hot lunch programs and worked with Mary Sullivan (gifted student program) in the County of Parkland, Alberta. She Chaired and Co-Chaired events at local, provincial and inter-provincial levels in Figure Skating, including the World Championships when they were held in Edmonton. Patricia also organized the Ardrossan Bicycle Stage Race in Alberta, which was a sanctioned qualifying event for Canadian cyclists to compete internationally. Patricia is still a practising therapist in Edmonton, Alberta.
Myriam Bohémier
Born on the south shore of Montreal, Quebec, Myriam Bohémier has two degrees from McGill University, one in civil law and another in Common Law. She is a member of the Quebec Bar since 2000 and an accredited mediator since 2015.
She practices in many fields of law ranging from employment and labour, family, social and health, civil and disciplinary law, as well as mediation. She developed a specialization in psychological harassment and family violence. She is a member of the Association de médiation familiale du Québec and of the Institut d’arbitrage et de médiation du Québec. In 2022, Me Bohémier founded a non-profit organization called La Main des Enfants or Children’s Hand, of which she is the president, to defend the rights of children regarding their health. She creates bracelets and sell them to help finance this organization, and she is at the head of a collective book concerning the resilience showed by people during the health crisis.
She hosted her own radio show for a year in 2023 and 2024, is a speaker and is motivated by a deep-rooted sense of justice and love of humans.
Dr. Stephan Larsson
Dr Stephan Larsson was born in the UK and went to medical school at Birmingham University. He subsequently trained and obtained specialist qualifications in Internal Medicine, Clinical Oncology and Radiotherapy and Radiation Oncology.
In 1989 D Larsson and his wife emigrated to Canada and from 1989-93 he worked as a radiation oncologist at the Manitoba Cancer Foundation and Assistant Professor at U of M. In 1993 he took up a position as radiation oncologist with the BC Cancer Agency, with his practise in Victoria and Nanaimo, and with Assistant Professorships at UBC and UVic. His main areas of clinical interest are skin, gastrointestinal and head and neck cancers. He had a busy teaching commitment to undergraduate and postgraduate students. Dr Larsson served for many years on the Royal College of Physicians of Canada examination board in radiation oncology and as an accreditation surveyor for training programs for Radiation Therapy Technology. He has a significant interest in medical ethics, patient autonomy and rational evidence-based decision making in medicine.
Since retirement, Dr Larsson and his wife farm in Nova Scotia, where they train sheep herding dogs and keep chickens, ducks, quail and bees.
Janice Kaikkonen
Janice Kaikkonen’s passion is community outreach. She works primarily with vulnerable populations and youth. Academically, she holds degrees in Island Studies (M.A.), English and Political Science (B.A.), and Public Administration. Janice has taught in both K-12 and post-secondary education (Faculty of Arts, Education, Journalism, pre-Med). Her research specialization involves the intersection of public policy and the social fabric which has led Janice to pursue a Ph.D in Theology and Discipleship.
Professionally, Janice served as a researcher on the PEI Task Force for Student Achievement, as Coordinator for Canadian Blood Services, and was a contributing member to the Supply Chain Management Sector Council. At one point, Janice established a transportation service for adults with special needs and owned/operated a summer day camp for youth. In her spare time, Janice enjoys reading and writing, and leading workshops on effective communications and media.
Currently, Janice serves as an elected trustee for Bluewater District School Board. Married to Reima, they have 7 children and 17 grandchildren. They live on a farm in Southgate, Ontario.
Louis Olivier Fontaine
After studying health sciences and completing a bachelor’s degree in architecture at Laval University, Louis Olivier Fontaine studied law at the University of Quebec in Montreal. Becoming a lawyer in 2013, he has practiced in various workplaces and areas of law. He notably defended professionals in disciplinary matters and acted as prosecutor for the National Citizens Inquiry during the hearings held in Quebec in May 2023.
He has also been active within the Réinfo Québec collective since the summer of 2021 and participates in the achievement of its mission, which is the dissemination of fair, factual information without conflicts of interest in health and other social issues.
Mr. Fontaine recently resigned from the Quebec Bar, denouncing the refusal of debate by the courts and the repression exercised by professional orders against all those who question the official narrative surrounding the COVID crisis.
Dr. Bernard Massie
Bernard Massie, Ph.D., graduated in microbiology and immunology from the University of Montreal in 1982 and completed a three-year postdoctoral fellowship at McGill University studying DNA tumor viruses. He worked at the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) from 1985 to 2019 as a biotechnology researcher and held various management positions, including the position of Acting Director General of the Therapeutics in Human Health Center from 2016 to 2019. He has devoted a significant part of his career to the development of integrated bioprocesses for the industrial production of therapeutic antibodies and adenovirus vaccines. He was also an associate professor in the department of microbiology and immunology at the University of Montreal from 1998 to 2019. He is currently an independent consultant in biotechnology.
Read Dr. Massie’s personal statement: ENGLISH
Heather DiGregorio
Heather DiGregorio is a senior law partner at a regional law firm located in Calgary, Alberta. Heather has nearly 20 years of experience in the areas of tax planning and dispute resolution, which involves assisting her clients to navigate the complex and ever-evolving Canadian tax landscape. She is a past executive member of each of the Canadian Bar Association (Taxation Specialists) and the Canadian Petroleum Tax Society. She continues to be a frequent speaker and presenter at these organizations, as well as at the Canadian Tax Foundation and the Tax Executives Institute. Repeatedly recognized within the legal community as an expert and leading lawyer, Heather has represented clients at all levels of Court, including the Alberta Court of King’s Bench, the Tax Court of Canada, the Federal Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada.