Board of Directors

Paul Andre, WSN President and CEO

Paul Andre was appointed as President and Chief Executive Officer of Workplace Safety North on April 30, 2018. Paul served as Vice President of Prevention Services at WSN since 2010, and is the former CEO and Field Services Manager of the Pulp and Paper Health and Safety Association. With more than 30 years’ experience in Ontario’s prevention system, he is known for his work in advancing occupational health and safety through his volunteer work with both the Board of Canadian Registered Safety Professionals and the Canadian Society of Safety Engineers.

Through his work with boards of directors as well as industry and prevention system partners, Paul has established a reputation as a strong and collaborative leader in health and safety promotion, and leads WSN in building on its successes and executing a transformative strategic plan designed to bring every worker home safe and healthy.

Lydia Renton, Chair

Lydia Renton B.Sc., CIH, ROH, FAIHA, is Chair of the WSN Board. Lydia is Director, Occupational Hygiene, Safety and Security with BluMetric Environmental Inc., an engineering and consulting firm headquartered in Ottawa, with northern offices in Sudbury and Thunder Bay. She brings career experience from Nortel and federal and provincial governments.

Lydia was awarded the Hugh Nelson Award of Excellence from the Occupational Hygiene Association of Ontario in 2008 and named a Fellow of the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) in 2014. She is a recognized Cyanide Code auditor for the International Cyanide Management Code for gold and silver mining operations.

Her volunteer activities on several Boards include current Chair with Workplace Safety North, past-President and current Chief Oral Examiner of the Board of the Canadian Registration Board of Occupational Hygienists (CRBOH), past Chair of the American Board of Industrial Hygiene (ABIH) Board of Directors, past Chair of the AIHA Fellows SIG, past Chair of the AIHA International Affairs Committee (IAC), and current Board of Directors for Workplace Health Without Borders (WHWB International). Lydia is the 2021 recipient of the AIHA Alice Hamilton Award for Social Responsibility.

Lydia served on the Board of Directors of the WHSA (Workplace Health and Safety Agency) 2000-2002 as an Order in Council appointment. By actively developing, delivering, and participating in loss control, health, safety, and environment programs, she guided, advised, trained, and consulted to senior management, health and safety committees, unions, and employees in Canada and globally.

Derek Budge

Derek Budge, CRSP, is the Vice-Chair of the WSN Board. Derek is the Director – Health, Safety and Environment at Redpath Mining Inc. With Redpath for over 20 years, Derek moved to the North Bay corporate head office in 2005 after working in the field for Redpath at Kidd Creek in Timmins. Derek is responsible for ensuring Redpath’s management of health, safety, and environment is consistent and focuses on delivering world-class practices throughout global operations.

Prior to Redpath, Derek worked as an underground miner in northern Ontario for almost 15 years with Noranda Minerals, and was a certified worker representative on the Joint Health and Safety Committee, and a member of the mine rescue team. He then held field safety supervisory and management positions at several mining operations throughout Ontario, progressively working toward more responsible safety positions at Redpath.

A member of the Ontario Mine Contractors Safety Association for over 20 years, including several years on the Board of Directors, Derek was recently recognized with a Lifetime Membership in the Association. For the past several years, Derek has served as chairperson of the Ontario Mining Association Mining Rules Committee and represents the Ontario mining industry as Industry Co-Chair of the Ontario Mining Legislative Review Committee.

Derek oversees health and safety on a global scale with Redpath Mining Inc. serving many of the world’s leading major mining companies. His previous experience in unionized and non-unionized operations gives him a unique perspective of workplace health and safety.

Marilyn Findlay

Marilyn Findlay, CRSP, is Health and Safety Manager at Domtar Pulp in Dryden. She has 30 years of experience in the pulp and paper industry with the past 14 years in health and safety. While overseeing the management of the pulp mill’s health and safety management system, Marilyn is also responsible for site security and emergency response.

Marilyn obtained her Canadian Registered Safety Professional designation in 2010 and completed her occupational health and safety education at Ryerson University. Marilyn is a member of the Workplace Safety North Advisory Committee and has held the position of Chair during her 10-year involvement.

Michele Gilbert

Michele Gilbert has a post-graduate management degree, and is North Atlantic Manager of Learning and Development with Vale. She has 30 years of experience in mining, infrastructure, oil and gas and energy sectors in five countries across four continents.

For the past 17 years, Michele has specialized in Learning and Development, Diversity and Inclusion and Indigenous Relations. While overseeing the management of training for some 7,000 employees, Michele is responsible for the delivery of health and safety, technical training and leadership development.

Marshall Greensides

Marshall Greensides is Plant Manager for Cascades Containerboard Packaging - St. Marys. He has worked in the pulp and paper and corrugated packaging industry for 22 years in various leadership roles, including corporate health and safety and most recently, operations management since 2018. Marshall was a board member of the Ontario Pulp and Paper Health and Safety Association and an inaugural board member through amalgamation with Workplace Safety North.

Eric Haapamaki

Eric Haapamaki, P.Eng., CMSE, is Vice President, Business and Product Development with The EPCM Group. Eric was born in Sudbury, Ontario, and was raised and lives in Espanola with his family. After completing his degree in Computer Engineering at the University of Manitoba, Eric moved back to Sudbury and established his career there. Eric has been working in the heavy industry sector for 17 years, providing specialty automation and robotic material handling solutions to the paper, steel, and in particular, mining sectors. He is currently the Vice President, Business and Product Development of EPCM Group, a Canadian mining technology and engineering firm.

Eric is a licensed and practicing Professional Engineer in the province of Ontario. He also holds a TUV-Nord Certified Machine Safety Expert designation and has been involved in designing machine safety systems for many years. More recently, Eric has been working as an industry advisor on machine safety, performing pre-start health and safety reviews, or ‘PSR’s, and presenting technical whitepapers on machine safety. He is very passionate about safety and the application of engineering and design to make safer workplaces.

Sandra Haddad

Sandra Haddad is past Chair of the Workplace Safety North Board of Directors, and as past Vice-Chair, she served WSN as a Board member for eight years and chaired three of the four sub-committees.

Sandra has more than 25 years of exposure to occupational health and safety, including seeing the impact of injury as a senior adjudicator for Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) and working diligently as the WSIB program director for a national private-sector employer focused on prevention strategies. Sandra is past Chair of the Industrial Accident Prevention Association, past Chair of the advisory council to the Office of the Employer Advisor.

A member of the Canadian Society for Safety Engineering and registered member of the Law Society of Ontario, Sandra is also a designated Certified Health and Safety Consultant, and Certified Disability Management Professional through the International Disability Management Standards Council.

She is presently working on a certificate program focused at counselling of mental health issues. She believes that “as a community, working together, we can all make a difference.”

As a professional conducting business in the north and the owner of a business based in the north, Sandra knows the distinct differences and the challenges northern Ontario poses. Growing up in a northern city, and being the daughter of a hard rock miner, has provided Sandra with a direct understanding of resource-based industries (read the interview).

David Kelly

David Kelly is involved with health and safety in many ways. Currently working underground in Goderich, as mechanic, Mine Rescue volunteer, and certified worker representative on the Joint Health and Safety Committee, David brings a unique perspective to issues. Drawing on skills acquired with a College diploma in Diesel Management, combined with a variety of technical tickets, including Canadian Welding Bureau Certified Welder, Crane Operator, and Technical Standards and Safety Authority Alternative Fuels Technician, David enjoys the challenge of solving problems.

A member of the Mine Rescue team, he has proudly competed at competitions for the past three years, most recently as Captain. He is involved in his community and volunteers with local non-profits collaborating on large projects and fundraising goals. David has a young family that keeps him on the go. The Kellys love taking time to recharge at their family camp located on Lake Timiskaming in Quebec.

Andrew Tempelman

Andrew Tempelman is a Process Technician in the Pulp and Paper Industry at Resolute Forest Products in Thunder Bay where he enjoys taking an active role in workplace safety improvement. He is also the WSIB Coordinator at Resolute Forest Products since 2015. He obtained his Honours Bachelor of Science in Chemistry with a minor in Geology from Lakehead University in 2015 and has experience in mineral exploration in Northern Ontario. Owning a small business has given Andrew the opportunity to pursue his interests in planning and finance. He believes that workplace safety will improve continually until zero harm is achieved.

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