Mike Filey, Toronto Historian
Mike Filey was born in Toronto in 1941 and was educated at North Toronto Collegiate Institute and Ryerson Polytechnical Institute.
Following a nine-year stint with the Ontario Water Resources Commission (now the Ontario Ministry of the Environment) Mike decided to pursue employment in the fields of event planning and public relations with the Canadian National Exhibition (1974-79) and at Canada’s Wonderland (1979-1982).
Over the past years he has turned his interests to researching and recording the fascinating history of his hometown and has written more than two dozen books on various facets of Toronto’s past.
Mike has contributed a popular column titled “The Way We Were” to the Toronto Sunday Sun newspaper for more than 30 years and presently co-hosts “Mike Filey’s Toronto” that airs following the Sunday noon news on AM 740 radio. He also hosts guided tours of Toronto and presents illustrated talks on the history of his city.
The Fileys, Mike and his wife Yarmila, live, cut grass, shovel snow and pay taxes in the Willowdale area of Toronto.
Chief Inspector Tim Marjason, Corporate Business Continuity Manager – CO3 Emergency Preparedness OCU
Metropolitan Police Service
Tim Marjason MBCI, MEPS is a serving Chief Inspector with the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) London, England, UK. He has 27 years’ experience in the Police Service, the last six of which in emergency management. Chief Inspector Marjason also leads on performance management for CO3’s four workstream areas, encompassing business continuity, emergency procedures, CBRNe and partnership with GoL. He is the current IAEM (Europa) Scholarship Commissioner, a Member of the Business Continuity Institute (BCI) and a member of the UK Emergency Planning Society (EPS). He is also a member of BAPCO, and until 2009 was the London/South East Executive Committee Representative. Chief Inspector Marjason has spoken twice at the IAEM conference (US), twice at the WCDM (Toronto, Canada), as well as at the Emergency Management Summit (EMS) in Washington DC.
Tom Russell, Superintendent – Toronto Police Service G20 Task Force
Tom Russell has been a police officer for the last 31 years where he has gathered a wealth of experience working in almost all areas of the Toronto Police Service.
Tom’s dedication to community policing was most notably demonstrated in his role as Unit Commander of 11 Division. There, Tom worked closely with his officers and the community to identify, prioritize and address areas of concern for the local residents and business owners. As Inspector at 52 Division, Tom integrated himself with his officers and the community by leading policing efforts throughout the downtown core.
Tom has also been a valuable member of the service’s corporate initiatives. He was the Project Manager for the Toronto Police Service’s In-Car Camera project and oversaw all facets of the pilot project, implementation plan and capital budget. He developed the first Community Action Policing proposal in partnership with the City of Toronto and was a founding member of the service’s widely regarded Toronto Anti-Violence Intervention Strategy. He has also been an active member of various Community Police Liaison Committees.
Most recently, as Superintendent, Tom was the Project Manager for the Toronto Police Service’s G8-G20 Planning Team. In this role, Tom led hundreds of service members to plan for the largest security event in Canadian history. Tom’s leadership, planning and operational insights inspired everyone around him and resulted in the successful deployment of almost every member of the service. During this time, Tom applied the Incident Command System and the successful application of this planning model has resulted in several best practices for future events. His dedication to working cooperatively with other police services and the community showcased the Toronto Police Service as a leader for this global event.
Tom is a graduate of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia, and has a Police Foundations diploma from Humber College. He has received many awards and commendations for his dedication to the Toronto Police Service.
Rahul Singh – Founder and Executive Director, David McAntony Gibson Foundation/Global Medic
Rahul Singh founded the David McAntony Gibson Foundation (GlobalMedic) in 1999 to honour the memory of his best friend who tragically lost his life in 1998. In just 11 years, Singh’s tireless efforts have resulted in a globally recognized, innovative and efficient organization. He has personally led over 30 GlobalMedic missions around the world.
Singh has been a professional emergency worker since 1988. Currently he serves the citizens of Toronto as a frontline Paramedic. Singh has also worked on capacity building missions for the UN. Combining a passion for humanitarian assistance with a frontline emergency perspective, Singh created GlobalMedic’s unique operational mandate of providing efficient and cost effective disaster relief in the immediate aftermath of a catastrophe with professional emergency workers. Prime Minister Harper presented Singh with the Indo-Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s 2006 Humanitarian of the Year Award, Singh also received the Ontario Paramedic Association’s Humanitarian of the Year Award in 2007, an award from Toronto Paramedic Association for Humanitarian Effort in 2005, and the William Allen Award from Toronto EMS in 2004. In 2010, Singh was on Time Magazine’s List of the 100 Most Influential People in the World, and received the Caldwell Partners award for the Top 40 Under 40 in Canada.
Allen Vansen – Senior Vice-President, Operations
Toronto 2015 Pan / Parapan American Games Organizing Committee
Vansen brings more than 15 years of senior leadership experience in managing sports venues and events to Toronto 2015. He most recently served as the VANOC Vice-President of Work Force Operations and Integration for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. Prior to VANOC, Vansen held a senior operations role at the Humber Valley Resort in Newfoundland. He has a Masters Certificate in Project Management from the Schulich School of Business and has pursued studies in Environmental Sciences at Memorial University in Newfoundland. Active in both the sporting and entertainment communities, Vansen was a director on the boards of Triathlon Canada, Marble Mountain Ski Resort and Wreckhouse Entertainment. In his new role, Vansen will be responsible for Games operations, including transportation, security and the Athletes’ Village.