Board of Directors

John deHooge brings both public and private sector experience into his role as Chairman of the Board for CanOps.

His fire service career spanned 40 years with increasingly senior positions in the Town of Oakville Fire Department before becoming Fire Chief & General Manager of Protective Services for the City of Waterloo. Chief deHooge proudly served as Fire Chief for the City of Ottawa from 2010 – 2015. In 2015, Chief deHooge established John W deHooge Consulting Inc., and served as a senior Strategic Advisor to Public Safety Canada and Defence Research Development Canada’s Canadian Safety & Security Program on matters related to public and first responder safety. John also served as the Commissioner & Fire Chief for the Town of Halton Hills and subsequently as Fire Chief for the Town of Meaford.

As the first international student, Chief deHooge graduated in 2011 from the US Center for Homeland Defense and Security’s Executive Leadership Program. He holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of Western Ontario, is a graduate of the Ontario Fire and Canada’s Emergency Preparedness Colleges’. John also holds the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs (CAFC) Executive Chief Fire Officer (ECFO) designation.

As part of a group of international speakers, Chief deHooge was honoured to be invited by Brigadier General Saeed Salem Al Hanki representing the United Arab Emiratis (U.A.E.’s) Ministry of the Interior to speak on “proactive and reactive measures in dealing with major fires” at the 2014 International Conference on Security Challenges (ICSC).

Throughout his extensive Public and private service career, John has served on numerous local, national and international boards and committee’s:
• International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) Executive Committee Director at Large; representing the Canadian Division of the IAFC Board of Directors
• Executive Board member of the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs
• Public Safety Canada’s (PSC) National Cross Sector Forum, Safety Sector Chair of the Critical Infrastructure Committee and member of the Domestic Group on Emergency Management
• Defence Research Development Canada’s (DRDC) Canadian Safety and Security Program member and Co-Chair of the Fire Community of Practice (COP) Committee
• IAFC/CAFC Mutual Aid System Task Force member
• Canadian Tri-Services (CACP, PCC, CAFC) Emergency Management Committee
• Ontario Fire Marshal’s (OFM) Shaping Fire Safe Communities and Performance Measurement & Benchmarking Committee

He also served as a Board member of the Tema Conter Memorial Trust (Heroes Are Human), a hub of education, research, scholarships and training in the fields of Operational Stress Injuries and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Candice Molnar brings extensive management and governance expertise to the Board of Directors. After a diverse career with Sasktel spanning positions in finance, strategic business development, customer service operations and regulatory/government relations, Candice was appointed to the Canadian Radio Television and Telecommunications Commission ( a quasi-judicial regulatory agency responsible for regulation and oversight of Canada’s communications industry) as Commissioner, Saskatchewan and Manitoba – a position she held from 2008-2017.

Candice is a Chartered Director and a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CMA). She has a Master of Business Administration degree from Heriot Watt University and a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Regina.

As Treasurer of CanOps, Councillor Paul Grenier brings an educational background in economics from Brock University, and a professional background as a sales manager for environmental services.

From 2005 to 2014, Councillor Grenier was a member of the Ontario Small Urban Municipalities (OSUM) Board and was Chair from 2010 to 2012. He concurrently served on the Board of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO).

Councillor Grenier began his public service career when first elected to the Welland City Council in 2013. He went on to serve three consecutive terms in that role, serving with distinction for 11 years, with perfect attendance. He began his first full term at the Regional Council in 2014, and currently serves on the Public Works Committee and the Niagara Regional Housing Corporation (Chair 2016).

In addition, Councillor Grenier was the Chair of the Corporate Services and Budget Review Committees from 2009 to 2011 and 2014, and has served on several other committees including:

• Welland Hydro Corporation.
• Welland Recreational Canada Lands Corporation.
• Welland International Flatwater Centre Technical Committee.
• Emergency Planning.
• Chair of the Conservative Committee.

Timothy Denton offers a unique and dynamic background to the role of Secretary for CanOps. Holding a master’s degree in Law and Communications from the University of Ottawa, and a Bachelor of Civil Law from McGill, Timothy began his career in law and government and migrated to a focus on Internet Issues following 1997.

Since then, Timothy has been on the Board of the American Registry of Internet Numbers, and is currently the chairman of the Canada Branch of the Internet Society.

Between 2009 and 2013, Timothy was a Commissioner at the Canadian Radio Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). During that time, he promoted Canada’s balanced net neutrality- traffic management regime, and opposed extending the Broadcasting Act regime over the Canadian portion of the Internet.

Near the end of his time in the CRTC, Timothy was appointed Inquiry Officer into 9-1-1 issues in Canada, where he discovered the system needed a transition plan to cope with new communications devices and protocols – and that the levels of cooperation among provinces, municipalities and agencies left much to be desired.

Brian Bentley has spent 32 years in the fire service with the City of Saskatoon Fire Department. Prior to being appointed Fire Chief and General Manager in 2003, a position he held until his retirement in 2012, Brian held the positions of Fire Inspector, Fire Investigator, Assistant Chief of Training, and Assistant Chief of Administration and Quality Assurance.

Brian led Saskatoon Fire and Protective Services through three significant external audits of National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards in the areas of Emergency Planning and Preparedness, Administration and Service to the Public, and the NFPA 1710 Response and Deployment standard, resulting in Saskatoon being the first city in Canada to adopt the standard as a goal for service delivery.

During his time as Chief, Brian led the department through significant growth in stations, staff, training, and apparatus and equipment. Additionally, he was designated the City of Saskatoon Chief Property Inspector.

Brian holds many NFPA Professional Certifications and was trained at the United States National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, Maryland. His formal education includes a Certificate in Business Administration from the University of Saskatchewan, an Associate Degree in Fire Protection Technology from Forest Park College, St. Louis, Missouri, a Certificate in Fire Service Administration from Henson College, Dalhousie University and a Certificate in Management in Municipal Government from the Banff School of Management.

Brian has received recognition for his services and significant involvement with the Saskatchewan Association of Fire Chiefs sitting on the Labour Relations and Government Affairs committees. He has also been recognized for his service and involvement with the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs (CAFC) holding positions as Vice-Chair of the Government Relations Committee, Chairman of the Nominations and Elections Committees, and Chairman of the Constitution, Resolutions, and Bylaws Committee.

In addition Brian has also:

• Acted as the CAFC representative on the Constitution, Resolutions, and Bylaws Committee of the International Association of Fire Chiefs.
• Served on the Board of Directors for the Teachers Credit Union Place Theatre and Convention Centre owned by the City of Saskatoon.

Jeff Brooks has worked in Emergency Medical Services for more than 35 years, starting as a front-line Paramedic and currently holding the rank of Deputy Manager with a County run service.

Jeff graduated from Conestoga College in the Paramedic Program in 1986.  He was an Equivalency Examiner for the Ontario Ministry of Health, is a Certified Municipal Manager with his EMS Executive and has his Emergency Management Professional Designation.  Jeff continues to be involved in Paramedic education as an associate professor at Lambton College, as well as training for allied agencies and industry. Jeff has completed his Masters of Public Safety and a Graduate Diploma in Emergency Management through Wilfrid Laurier University.

Jeff was the Paramedic Chiefs of Canada Representative on the Board for CITIG, before joining the CanOps Board of Directors and is the provincial lead for the Ontario Association of Paramedic Chiefs and Paramedic Chiefs of Canada on Interoperability.  Jeff has also been active with both Canadian and U.S. agencies and committees on initiatives to improve Cross Border Interoperability.