Board Members

President and Chair:   Al Hogarth
Treasurer:  Brad McCanell
Director:  Ian D. Robertson
Director:  Melanie Crombie
Director:  Andrew Sixsmith
Director:  Roger Purdy
Director:  Christine Flegal
Director:  Adam Bielecki
Executive Director:  Patrick Simpson

Al Hogarth
, President and Chair
Al Hogarth is one of British Columbia's leading voices for sustainable community design. A former Mayor of Maple Ridge, he has served as a chairperson and board member for various regional committees and task forces, including co-chairing the Greater Vancouver Regional District's Sustainability Committee.
Al is certified in site planning, has been a licensed real estate agent for 25 years, and has a private practice coordinating land use consultations.

Brad McCannell, Treasurer
Brad McCannell's expertise comes from both personal experience and practical knowledge. Through his company, Canadian Barrier Free Design, he improves access for persons with disabilities by minimizing physical barriers during the design stage of construction and by retrofitting existing structures. His company also develops and delivers disability-awareness training programs. Clients have includes the Province of British Columbia and its employees and Independent 92, the largest-ever international congress and exposition on disabilities. CBFD has already helped make Vancouver one of the most accessible cities in the world: the 2010 Olympics, Sky Train's Millennium Line rapid transit expansion, the redevelopment of Vancouver's International Airport and the Greater Vancouver Transit Authority are a few of his company's clients. Brad serves on several other boards, including the BC paraplegic Association.

Ian D. Robertson, Director
Ian D. Robertson: A lawyer with experience in both the construction and technology industries, Ian Robertson has been instrumental in contributing both legal counsel and technological knowledge to the SAFERhome design standards. A founding partner in Vancouver law firm Robertson & Company, he is also a principal in Norstar Properties, a Vancouver-based construction management and design-build development company.
 Since 1995, Ian has been President & CEO of NS Telcom Group Inc., a private investment firm specializing in the communications and technology sector. He is also President of its various US and Canadian subsidiaries, including Norstar Multimedia (DIVA Systems), NST Network Services Inc. Novus Communications Inc., and Ranger Online Inc.

Melanie Crombie, Director
Melanie Crombie has been the Executive Director of the BC Paraplegic Association since 2004. With a background encompassing over 20 years in the not-for-profit sector, Ms. Crombie's previous leadership experience with various health organizations includes significant accomplishments in the areas of advocacy, program development, strategic planning, fund development, and marketing and communications. An effective communicator and consensus builder, Ms. Crombie has successfully brought together communities, special interest organizations and levels of government in support of social program development.

Andrew Sixsmith, Director
Professor and Director Gerontology Research Centre, Vice-President International Society for Gerontechnology, Chair of ISG10 World Conference on Gerontechnology, Simon Fraser University Centre, Vancouver.

Roger Purdy, Director
Roger Purdy is a Professional Engineer, with more than25 years experience in chemical process plant design, safety and environmental awareness. He has been involved with the design of several major chemical plants in Canada, Europe and Asia, ensuring that all designs met the highest levels of performance and safety. This included several years operating specifically in the Health and Safety Groups of several firms, designing standards and teaching safety principles to the employees ensuring that the facilities operated to the highest standards of safety.

Christine Flegal, Director
Christine Flegal has a Master of Arts in Gerontology from Simon Fraser University in which she specialized in the built environment and assistive technologies. She has over 15 years of research experience in both the private and public domain. Her expertise is in human factors evaluation research with special focus on older adults, persons with disabilities and healthcare workers. Currently, she is the Research Head of the Dr. Tong Louie Living Laboratory, and BCIT's Technology and Product Evaluation Group.

Adam Bielecki, Director
Adam Bielecki is a business development and management consultant, with more than forty years experience in land development, urban planning/design and construction; including strategic marketing, acquisitions and joint ventures, managing redundant-discontinued and non-performing real estate assets.
Adam began his career in municipal government.  He took this experience, working for leading developers which included The Cadillac Fairview Corporation as a senior executive, and as a corporate team member managing a diverse portfolio of discontinued assets exceeding $1.6B across North America until 1983.
Widely recognized as a catalyst and innovator; Adam was at the forefront in the concept of “SMART Communities”.  He has earned a reputation as a pragmatic and insightful interpreter of issues, partnering with numerous industry sectors and post secondary institutions in applied research, and identifying new business opportunities for private and public interests.

Patrick Simpson, Executive Director
Executive Director: Patrick Simpson is known as a pioneer of safe home design and home wiring technologies. He has been involved in the housing industry for more than 25 years through real estate and development, including market research, land assembly, project management, and design. He is a specialist in Universal design issues, seniors and child safety, aging in place and future home technology. Patrick has sat on the boards of the BC Paraplegic Association, Vancouver Resource Society, and the Developmental Disabilities Association. He was Co-Chair of the Rick Hansen Wheels in Motion Vancouver Steering Committee in 2004, and is a current member of the City of Vancouver's Access and Inclusion Advisory Committee.
In 2001, the GVRD and the BC Paraplegic Association awarded Patrick for his recycling contribution and years of volunteerism, respectively. As Executive Director of the SAFERhome Standards Society he works closely with various non-profit and business organizations, and keeps his finger on the pulse of the community and all things sustainable. Patrick is the man behind the dream that everyone can live out his or her lifetime with more good choices in a SAFERhome.