Sport Speaks gives you a chance to hear from a panel of experts discussing relevant topics in the current sport landscape. Along with the panel, guests in attendance will have a chance to network with like-minded individuals over a fun group activity.
MAR
7
Women in Sport Leadership
TIME: 8:30 AM
Register now for OSN Sport Speaks: Women in Sport Leadership
In celebration of International Women’s Day, join us for OSN Sport Speaks: Women in Sport Leadership!
International Women’s Day on March 8th is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievement of women. The 2023 theme is #EmbraceEquity, and although progress continues to be made towards achieving gender equity there is still lots of work ahead.
Women continue to make gain within the Sport Industry, but Women in Sport has found that 40% of women in the sports industry say they have faced discrimination because of their sex. It’s time to change this narrative.
The Host:
Kayla-Marie Tracy
Journalist/Anchor/Reporter
Kayla-Marie Tracy is an Anchor/Reporter for Canada’s #1 breaking news channel, CP24, in Toronto.
She has covered a variety of stories over her career from the Toronto International Film Festival, provincial elections, the 2016 Grey Cup, the 2019 NBA Championship and the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics.
An athlete for most of her life, Kayla-Marie excelled in volleyball, playing at Grambling State University, the Jamaican National Indoor Volleyball team and professionally in the Philippines, capturing the 2015 PSL Championship.
Kayla-Marie is a proud native of Scarborough, ON, and enjoys giving back to her community by collaborating with non-profit organizations and hosting events linked with empowering marginalized youth. There is power in representation and she is committed to using her platform to inspire and help the next generation strive to be the best version of themselves.
Kayla-Marie is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. She lives in Hamilton with her husband Adrian, daughter Kennedy-Ann and two American Akita dogs, Solomon & Ivy.
The Panel:
Michele O’Keefe
Athletic Director, Niagara College
Michele O’Keefe has been with Niagara College in Welland, Ontario for over four years serving in the role as Athletic Director. In May 2022, her portfolio was reconfigured to Director, Athletics & Student Engagement. Prior to assuming this role in her hometown, Michele was the president and CEO of Canada Basketball. She has been a member of the FIBA Central Board since 2014.
Debbie Low
CEO, Canadian Sport Institute Ontario (CSIO)
As President and Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Sport Institute Ontario since November 2005, Debbie has established Ontario as a leader in high performance sport in Canada. As a strategic thinker with a passion for sport, Debbie led the creation of Ontario’s first facility-based sport institute as a legacy of the Toronto 2015 Pan/Para Pan American Games. Debbie has successfully grown the organization from five full-time staff to over 50 full-time staff across three locations, delivering best-in-class programs and services to Ontario’s next generation of athletes and Canada’s Olympic and Paralympic athletes and coaches.
Debbie’s leadership in the development and delivery of sport programs in Ontario includes her previous roles as Executive Director of Parasport Ontario and Director of Sport for Toronto’s 2008 Olympic Bid. In addition, Debbie worked for the Ontario Government in the former Ministry of Tourism and Recreation, working within the Multi-Sport Games unit.
The desire to empower Canadians who live with a disability led Debbie to roles as Team Canada’s Chef de Mission for the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games and Assistant Chef de Mission for the Athens 2004 Paralympic Games. She strongly believes in the importance of volunteerism and has served on numerous boards and committees in leadership positions including: the Canadian Paralympic Committee; the Association of Sport Performance Centres; Ontario Sport Network; the International Paralympic Committee’s Games Committee; and as a Selection Committee member of the Toronto Sport Hall of Honour and the Canadian Disability Hall of Fame.
On three occasions, Debbie has been appointed to serve on the Government of Ontario’s Minister Advisory Sport Panels including as recent Co-Chair of the Minister’s COVID-19 Advisory Panel for Amateur Sport and Recreation.
Debbie is a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal; and was previously named as one of the Top 20 Most Influential Women in Sport in Canada by the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women in Sport.
Fran Rider
President, Ontario Women’s Hockey Association
Fran Rider has made a substantial impact on the growth and development of the modern game of female ice hockey and is one of the founders of the Ontario Women's Hockey Association. She began playing ice hockey in 1967 with the Brampton Canadettes, the predecessor to the Brampton Thunder. Among many of her accolades, she was the first female recipient of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association's Award of Merit, and was the first female to be awarded the Ontario Hockey Association's Minor Hockey Service Award. In addition, the Fran Rider Cup is an award named in her honour and is given to the silver medal-winning team at the annual Canadian Senior Women's National Championships
Anita Comella
Senior Director, Tennis Canada
As Senior Director of Facilities Development at Tennis Canada, Anita leads facility development projects at both the grassroots and high-performance levels across the country. She has recently worked on the development of a world-class Atlantic Tennis Centre in Halifax, NS and is currently working on the development of a Pacific Tennis Centre in Burnaby, BC. At the grassroots level she leads a new national strategic initiative to increase the number of year-round covered tennis and revitalize outdoor courts across the country to allow Canadians to play tennis in any community, any time of the year. Prior to joining Tennis Canada, Anita was the Assistant Dean of Co-Curricular Physical Activity and Sport at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education. Anita completed her Bachelor of Kinesiology at York University, her Bachelor of Education at University of Windsor and her Master of Education at University of Toronto. She has also sat on numerous federal/provincial sport committees and has held multiple sport development positions within the Government of Ontario including the A/Director of Sport and Recreation in the former Ontario Ministry of Health Promotion and Sport. With over two decades of sport and recreation experience, Anita has also been on the leadership team for multiple Canada Games Mission Teams, as well as Team Canada Mission Team for Commonwealth and Paralympic Games. She also chaired Tennis Canada’s Equality Strategy Committee with a goal of developing a strategy to enhance opportunities for women and girls in tennis.
This is a free event!
Event Details:
Date: Tuesday, March 7th
Panel will start at 8:30 AM
Past Events
OCT
20
Safe Sport
TIME: 5:30 PM
The pandemic has shifted the community sports landscape in Ontario and outreach is now more important than ever.
We are proud to announce our next OSN Sport Speaks series event being held at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa on Thursday, October 20th. We will have an exciting group of panelists discuss Safe Sport in the industry today! The conversation will focus on key topics in sport such as the mental health and wellness of those involved in sport, concussion safety and the issue of maltreatment.
Following the panel discussion, guests will be able to enjoy a networking opportunity and the Ottawa Senators game against the Washington Capitals!
The Panel
Ian Mendes
Host
Ian Mendes has covered the Ottawa Senators and NHL for more than 20 years. He is currently a senior writer with The Athletic and a regular host of The Athletic Hockey Show podcast. Prior to that, Mendes spent seven years as a host and writer for TSN Radio in Ottawa. He also worked as a television broadcaster and host for 12 years with Rogers Sportsnet. A graduate of Carleton University’s journalism program, Mendes lives in Ottawa with his wife Sonia and their two daughters.
Brock McGillis
Brock McGillis is the first openly gay men’s professional hockey player and a leading activist in the LGBTQ+ space. His continuous work to shift the conversation around sports and the LGBTQ+ community earned him recognition as one of The Hockey News 100 most influential people in hockey for 2022. Alongside international speaking engagements and educational content, Brock hosts a digital series with the creators of RuPaul’s Drag Race.
Brock’s passion lies with creating shifts and shift makers. He speaks at schools to educate students on the importance of their language, the impact of bullying as well, as the importance of mental health. Having spoken to many corporations and companies, Brock sees the value in educating individuals in corporate settings. Not only does this help employees live authentically, it helps them engage with their children or in an coaching they do but it also can be of benefit to the corporation to help them create a more inclusive workforce.
Stephanie Cowie
Stephanie Cowle is the Director of Knowledge Translation at Parachute, a national injuryprevention charity, and leads the organization’s national projects to improve concussionprevention, recognition and management. Stephanie led the publication of the first-everCanadian Guideline on Concussion in Sport and has worked with more than 50 nationalsport bodies on policies, protocols and education.
Bridget Carleton
Bridget Carleton has represented Canada since 2013 serving as captain of the U16 FIBA Americas team and joined the Senior National team in 2016.
Drafted 21st overall in the 2019 WNBA draft by the Connecticut Suns, Carleton played a handful of games before ending up with the Minnesota Lynx.
Upon earning a starting role in her second season with the Lynx, Carleton became just the third player in league history to score 25 or more points and have more than five rebounds in her first WNBA start.
Bridget is currently one of only 3 Canadian women in the WNBA.
During the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Bridget was impressive and one of the staring five players for each game. She received the Toyota Drive of the Game honours for her game high of 18 points in their game against Korea.
Bridget is passionate about growing the game and being a positive role model for youth and young girls.
View Basketball Canada ProfileMark Aubry
Mark Aubry is a Canadian physician and sports medicine specialist. He is the team physician for the Ottawa Senators, and serves as the Chief Medical Officer of both the International Ice Hockey Federation, and Hockey Canada. He researches and lectures on concussions, plays a leadership role for safety in sport, and is an injury prevention activist in minor ice hockey. He is a recipient of the Paul Loicq Award for his international work, the Dr. Tom Pashby sports safety award for Canada, and the USA Hockey Excellence in Safety Award for the United States. He has contributed greatly to the research of spinal cord injuries and concussions.
Tickets will be for sale - $25.00
What your ticket includes! Key details below:
Entry to Canadian Tire Centre for the Sport Speaks panel discussion
Light refreshments
Opportunity to network
A ticket to the Ottawa Senators Game versus Washington Capitals
Event Details:
Registration will begin at 5:30 p.m.
Panel will start at 6 p.m.
Followed by networking and Senators/Capitals game
There’s no better way
to spend an evening!
JUN
29
State Of Sport Today
TIME: 3:30 PM - Late
Register now for
OSN Sport Speaks!
The pandemic has shifted the community sports landscape in Ontario and outreach is now more important than ever.
We are proud to announce our first OSN Sport Speaks series event being held at BMO Field where we will have an exciting group of panelists discuss the State of Sport Today! The conversation will focus on key topics in sport today such as the barriers many are facing in day-to-day activities and the rate of engagement in a post-pandemic world.
The discussion will kick off with a presentation by Laura Janes, VP, IMI International. Following the presentation, the State of Sport Today discussion will continue.
The panel will be hosted by Maria Papadakiss, Toronto FC’s In Stadium Host.
Maria Papadakiss
Digital Host & In - Stadium Host, Toronto FC
Maria Papadakis is currently the Digital Host & In - Stadium Host for Major League soccer club - Toronto FC. Maria has been in this role for 6 years now and was able to witness her first championship in 2017 when Toronto FC won the MLS Cup. Alongside her hosting with the club, Maria is a content producer with Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment under the Red Vertical, creating content for Toronto FC and for the Toronto Raptors. Maria has produced a wide variety of videos for both teams and was able to produce one of the championship video series with the Raptors, witnessing another Championship Season in 2019. Alongside her work with MLSE... Maria has had the opportunity to work with many other companies and brands in the entertainment industry.
Laura Janes
VP, IMI International
Laura’s core passion is helping brands optimize and grow. Starting her career at ACNielsen, then moving to the client-side at Procter & Gamble before landing at IMI International over 12 years ago, her experience to-date has been focused on uncovering strong insight.
Throughout her career to-date, Laura’s experience has spanned 100+ clients in over 60 unique categories. Her experience encompasses brand health & partnership, positioning and in-market evaluations, to name a few. Laura has a passion for the not-for-profit space and currently leads IMI’s cause marketing insights, including custom studies, syndicated efforts and content/best practices.
Justin Bobb
Director of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE)
Justin Bobb is the Director of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion for Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) with a focus on the development and execution of team strategies, primarily for Toronto FC and Toronto Argonauts. In addition to his role at MLSE, Justin is a Board Director for Canada’s National Ballet School, Coaches Association of Ontario and has over 12 years’ experience as a coach at the Ontario College level. Justin has an extensive background in social impact through community and sport development, as well as the social housing sector, all while using sport as a tool of engagement to support youth facing barriers. Justin is a graduate of Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University) with a B.A. in Sociology.
Jamaal Magloire
Assistant Coach & Community Ambassador at Toronto Raptors
Jamaal “Big Kat” Magloire, was born and raised in Scarborough, Ontario. Jamaal is an accomplished basketball player, coach and philanthropist who graduated from Eastern Commerce and went to the University of Kentucky on a basketball scholarship, winning a NCAA Championship in his sophomore year. He is currently in his 8th season as an Assistant Coach and Community Ambassador with the Toronto Raptors.
Jamaal’s passion is basketball, but he is equally passionate about giving back to his community through sports and the arts. In 2017, he established the Jamaal Magloire Charitable Foundation to improve the lives of underserved youth by helping them to obtain and nurture academic and social skills through the arts, sports and community.
The old adage “It takes a village to raise a child” rings true with Jamaal’s family and community leaders, seeing his potential and turning it into possible. Jamaal wants to do the same for today’s youth, creating a pathway for success.
Rylee Foster
Professional Goalkeeper at Liverpool F.C.
Rylee Ann Foster, she/her, speaks English and both of her parents Kim and Dave were born in Kitchener, ON, CAN. She was just a year old when her family moved from Kitchener to Cambridge, ON. and grew up competing in soccer and gymnastics. She was five years old when she started playing soccer for Cambridge Youth SA. Rylee enjoys music, travel, reading. While growing up, favourites included Sophie Schmidt, Steve Gerrard, Simon Mignolet, Liverpool FC. Some other favourites included Usain Bolt, Toronto Maple Leafs. Rylee has a tattoo that reads “You’ll never walk alone” on her left arm.
She represented Canada at three FIFA youth tournaments (U-17 at Costa Rica 2014; U-20 at Canada 2014 and Papua New Guinea 2016)! Rylee won two Concacaf youth medals with Canada (2013 silver U-17 and 2015 silver U-20)!
Tickets will be for sale - $25.00
What your ticket includes! Key details below:
Entry to BMO Field for the Sport Speaks panel discussion Light refreshments
Opportunity to network
A ticket to the Toronto FC game vs Columbus Crew
Event Details:
Registration will begin at 3:30 p.m.
Panel will be 4:15 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Networking 5:30 p.m. to kick off