2023 Crisis Communications Conference

Dr. Terry Flynn is one of Canada’s leading public relations/communications management researchers and an important bridge between the academy and the profession. 

In twenty years of communications consulting,  Terry specialized in crisis and risk communications and public/community engagement, working with CN Railway; the Town of Walkerton; the U.S. Navy & Marine Corps Public Health Agency; Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada; Novartis; and the Vinyl Council of Canada before joining the faculty of McMaster University.  

He is currently on the faculty of the Department of Communication Studies & Media Arts at McMaster University in Hamilton, where he founded Canada’s first and only Master of Communications Management degree program.  His innovative teaching style twice earned him  “Professor of the Year” by the DeGroote School of Business. In 2018 he was named “Mentor of the Year” by the Canadian Public Relations Society.

Janice Babineau is the Senior Director, Digital Communications at the Canadian Red Cross. She first joined the Red Cross in 2008 where she began to specialize in social media and the use digital channels to support people impacted by disasters. She now leads the Canadian Red Cross’ digital communications team where she provides strategic guidance to the organization, often working in the context of emergency responses in Canada and around the world. Janice strives to continuously find new ways to engage diverse audiences through storytelling, while also focusing on delivering accurate and timely information to people who need help.  

Ghislain Lamothe brings a wealth of experience and expertise with his 20+ years in public sector communications, bringing with
him a strong background in crisis and emergency communications. Since joining the City of Ottawa, the nation’s capital has
experienced an array of emergencies that required communications support, including two historic floods, devastating weather
events like tornados and a derecho, the Cenotaph shooting, global pandemic and Freedom Convoy Occupation.

Michaela Schreiter is the Manager of Communications Strategy and Media Relations at The Ottawa Hospital. As part of
the hospital’s Communications team, she has supported crisis communications and issues management efforts during
the COVID-19 pandemic, the Westboro bus crash and other community incidents. With over 10 years of experience in
Communications, Michaela has worked in a variety of industries, including health care, sports media and technology. The
only things that she loves talking about more than crisis communications are sports, music and her two dogs.

Elizabeth Payne is an award-winning reporter with the Ottawa Citizen who mainly writes about health and related issues. Her tireless coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic helped guide many readers through the changing landscape and trauma that marked its early months and told the stories of those working on the frontlines and directly affected. She continues to write about COVID-19, as well as other health issues, notably the strain on the health system. Elizabeth lives in Ottawa where she and her husband are parents of two grown daughters.

Chris Covelli began his law-enforcement career in 2004 in the Village of Lincolnshire, Illinois.  In 2010 he transferred to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office and has served in several sheriff’s office divisions since then.  Currently, he is the deputy chief of the court security division.  

In 2015 Chris was appointed as the lead public information officer for the sheriff’s office.  He also serves as the lead public information officer for the Lake County Major Crime Task Force.  Chris has been the lead public information officer on hundreds of critical incidents involving mass shootings, homicides, hazardous situations, and many more emergency situations. 

Chris also teaches the media relations module of Northwestern University’s School of Police Staff and Command.  

Constable Amy Gagnon and Corporate Communications Manager Julie Kavanagh led the Ottawa Police Service’s communications efforts throughout the 2022 Freedom Convoy as part of the integrated event command table (IECT). Supported by Corporate Communications Specialist Maeghan McGaraughty, the team adopted a new approach to OPS communications – sharing operational information with the public in real-time. The team, using social media, was able to contextualize what the public was seeing on various live streams and correct any misinformation before it was widely spread. This approach has been used in subsequent major events and demonstrations, including Rolling Thunder, Canada Day and Convoy 2.0.