Staff and Board of Directors

Previously, Bonnie spent over five years at Rideau-Rockcliffe Community Resource Centre and, prior to that, she held positions at United Way Ottawa, Hire Immigrants Ottawa, and the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences.  Bonnie holds a Master of Arts degree in Conflict Studies from Saint Paul University.

In 1995, Bonnie applied for a one-year Volunteer in Mission position and was sent to Papua New Guinea on Christmas Day 1996. This one year term turned into 10 years and three months, in three different locations (Bundun, Banz and Lae) within Papua New Guinea!

Bonnie is a cradle Lutheran and a lay worship leader who is engaged in her church. Since July 2012, Bonnie has served as an Eastern Synod Council member; she is also the Co-Chair of The Mainstreeter Board since February 2017. Bonnie has also held Board positions on the Board of the Community Activities Group, Canadian Churches’ Forum for Global Ministries (now the Forum for Intercultural Leadership and Learning) and The Yellow Door. Bonnie is a member of St. John’s Lutheran Church Montreal although she has lived in Ottawa since 2008.

Bonnie enjoys writing the “Our Neighbours” column for The Mainstreeter community newspaper. Bonnie and her dog, Dakota, have garnered many, many miles, walking through Ottawa over the past 11 years. Bonnie loves cycling through the city; her guerrilla gardening antics of transplanting flowers from homes slated for development to her own garden; and movies.

“For the last 10 years, almost everything I have done vis-à-vis professional development has brought me to The Church Council on Justice and Corrections. I returned to Canada in order to do my MA – Conflict Studies at Saint Paul University in Ottawa. The bulk of my research focused on Canada’s missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. I completed two International Institute for Restorative Practices – Canada professional development courses as well as Hire Immigrants Ottawa’s seven cross-cultural competency modules. I have trained with Community Mediation Ottawa and Circles of Support and Accountability (CoSA) and I was involved with a CoSA circle for three years, ending June 2018. I have also learned a great deal, and met really great people, through participation in numerous KAIROS Covenant Chain events.”

Fondation du Grand Séminaire de Montréal, Fondation de la Vidéo Religieuse, Comité de placements du Diocèse de Montréal, Institut Jeanne-Mance and Director of the spiritual exercises of Saint-Ignatius and is studying philosophy at the Grand Seminary at the Grand Seminary of Montreal.

He did his undergraduate and early graduate years in the U.S. and returned to Toronto to continue his seminary studies at Knox College, U. of T.
For 30 years Daniel has been involved in multi-ethnic ministry and has strongly advocated for fostering the rich diversity of the church. Last spring he was appointed minister of St. Mark’s Presbyterian Church in Toronto. Daniel is past Moderator of the 2018 General Assembly of The Presbyterian Church in Canada. He is also a certified pastoral counsellor and certified mediator.
Daniel has served at all levels of the church and was appointed convener of a synod special commission adjudicating the first case of alleged racial discrimination. He has represented the church on international trips to Japan, China, Malawi, and the U.S. Daniel has also served on a community safety panel with the Toronto Police Sex Crimes Unit, and since 2002 he has served in an advisory role with the Correctional Service of Canada working closely with senior CSC leaders and government officials. His academic background also includes study in psychology, constitutional law, and political theory at the Universities of London, Harvard and Princeton Theological Seminary.
Daniel enjoys running and martial arts training. His wife, Esther, works in the healthcare field and they have three adult children – twin daughters and a son. He is an avid Star Trek fan and lover of sweets.

 Within this role she focuses on trauma education, restorative justice capacity building, and promoting reconciliation opportunities. She loves leading workshops and has been able to do this in a variety of settings and countries. Currently, she leads a Restorative Justice class and a Grief & Loss course at the Saskatoon Correctional Centre. She regular visits at the Saskatchewan Penitentiary.

When not working, Heather is playing with her young daughter, taste testing her partner’s baking, and scheming ways to ruralize her urban property in Saskatoon. Heather’s education has come in the form of a MA in Human Security and Peacebuilding, a BA in International Development, a Bachelor of Theology, and many life lessons from living around the world and seeking good and interesting relationships from the people that come into her life.