Niagara Regional Housing gets new boss
POSTMEDIA NETWORK
There’s a new man at the helm of Niagara Regional Housing.
The organization’s board of directors announced Tuesday that Dan Troke has been appointed chief executive officer, effective March 6.
Troke brings 20 years of experience to the job, with extensive knowledge in housing and finance, including a decade of leading major housing initiatives at a provincial level.
In a news release, Troke said he’s excited about working with a community committed to providing affordable housing.
“The NRH team and its partners have worked hard to provide housing options and we will build upon that work for the people who call NRH their home,” he said.
Considering the increasing demand for social housing within the region, NRH board chair Henry D’Angela said the organization needed a CEO with “strategic and leadership skills to guide NRH forward.”
With assistance from Organization Consulting Ltd., D’Angela led an NRH committee that selected Troke for the job from among more than 70 applicants from across Canada.
“Troke was selected for his housing sector experience, his vision for delivering public value in housing services and for his proven leadership in government processes,” D’Angela said. “We look forward to adding his leadership strength and expertise to the NRH team to meet goals and objectives of Niagara Regional Housing.”
The CEO’s position had previously been held by Ellen Balmain.
Carousel Players theatre company will hold a free memorial performance for its former board chairwoman Debra McLauchlan.
The arts advocate and Brock University teacher, who helped create Carousel’s outreach programs in Ontario schools, died suddenly at her home on Oct. 31. She joined the St. Catharines theatre’s board in 2004.
A performance of Matt Mackenzie’s will be held in her memory on Saturday at E.L. Crossley Secondary School in Fonthill.
It’s the start of what will be an annual free show in her honour, says Carousel Players artistic director Jessica Carmichael. The location will change each year.
The first show is sponsored by many of McLauchlan’s friends and family members.
“Debra was a unique, bright and compassionate human being who cared deeply for the cultivation of young peoples’ passion and appreciation for the arts,” says Carmichael, who also directs the show. “She championed the ways in which arts can open dialogue for young people to express their concerns
Tick – Memorial performance for Debra McLauchlan
Where: E.L. Crossley Secondary School, 350 Highway 20, Fonthill When: Saturday, 11 a.m. Admission: Free. To reserve a seat contact 905-682-8326 or schools@ carouselplayers.com in society, and therefore creating a more inclusive society.”
Carousel Players’s Artist in the Classroom and Playlinks outreach programs involved more than 41,680 children in 2,358 classrooms between 2007 and 2016.
In 2008, McLauchlan spearheaded a partnership between Carousel and Brock in which students research and develop study guides for each of Carousel’s plays as part of their final-year project.
In 2013, she received the Volunteer in the Arts Award from the City of St. Catharines.
“Her impact is manifold and we hope to impart her insights through the opportunity of having these free public performances,” says Carmichael.
follows a young girl’s battle against city hall when cost-cutting measures appear to be a war on adolescents. Without aid from her family or friends, she instead turns to heroes she discovered through books: Louis Riel, Che Guevara and J.K. Rowling.