Wigwamen Incorporated:

General Manager of Wigwamen Incorporated since 1998, Angus has overall responsibility for the management of Wigwamen’s 485 unit portfolio, as well as the Rural and Native Housing portfolio in the Peterborough and Owen Sound areas. As General Manager, his responsibilities include, but are not limited to, human resource management; long-range financial planning; and government relations. He took a lead role in the development of “Wigwamen Waabnong”, the award-winning transitional and affordable housing project constructed at 20 Sewells Road, and “Place Perrault”, Wigwamen’s new affordable housing project currently under construction in Ottawa.

Prior to joining Wigwamen, he worked as a Development Consultant, assisting in the development of 24 different non-profit and co-operative housing projects totaling over 800 units throughout Ontario, and assisting in the management of non-profit housing projects.

Angus has also played an active role in his community, having served on the Boards of Directors of the Sudbury District Local Housing Authority, Agincourt Community Services Association, and Access Housing Connections Inc., and having been Secretary of two non-profit housing corporations.

In his spare time he enjoys hiking the Bruce Trail, reading, and listening to classical music.

A graduate of the University of Western Ontario, Anita is a Certified Management Accountant. She has held senior positions in accounting for over 20 years and previously worked for more than 10 years in a commercial property management company. In her current role, she oversees the financial and accounting aspects of Wigwamen Incorporated and its clients. She is a valuable resource to our site staff in dealing with issues of accounting, bookkeeping, budgeting, investments and answering any financial questions. Anita enjoys listening to classical music and has been a pianist for a few decades.

Stacey is the Accounting Clerk for Wigwamen Incorporated and Wigwamen Non-Profit Residential Corp. She began working at Wigwamen in 2009 and handles all aspects of accounts payable and some accounts receivable functions.

Stacey was born in the Ukraine where she attended Odessa State University. She has a diploma in Marketing and Economy and has completed various accounting and computerized accounting courses at George Brown College.

In her free time, Stacey enjoys literature, history, architecture, gardening and travelling.

Lynne Vallis is Wigwamen’s Office Manager and Collections Officer. She is responsible for all matters related to the collection of arrears for the family housing tenants in Toronto and the RNH portfolio, as well as overseeing the daily activities of the Toronto office. Further to this, Lynne is responsible for receiving tenant repair requests, and for preparing maintenance contract and tender opening documents for Toronto and the Owen Sound portfolio.

Before coming to work at Wigwamen in 1997, Lynne was employed by Fenn Beattie Masterson, a chartered accountant firm. When not at work, Lynne enjoys reading and spending time with her grand-daughter.

As Maintenance Manager for Wigwamen Incorporated, Ron Timoon is responsible for: supervising maintenance staff; ensuring that a comprehensive preventative maintenance program is in place; co-ordinating the inspection of properties and inspecting repair work; co-ordinating the preparation of specifications for turnovers and major renovations; home inspections and the tendering process; and preparing and monitoring the maintenance and replacement reserve budgets.

Although he has been with Wigwamen since 1985, Ron’s work background is diverse and extensive. Having taught construction and renovation methods, he also has experience in drafting and blueprint reading, as well as having been an insurance adjuster and an automotive technician.
Raised in Toronto, Ron now resides up north in Stroud, near Barrie. He is the lead singer in a band called Switchbak, and would like to someday own a woodworking shop.

Peter joined Wigwamen in September 2005.  As a Maintenance Assistant, Peter completes maintenance work orders as assigned by the Maintenance Manager, and responds to service calls. As with the other maintenance staff he is also responsible for being available for emergency repair work on a rotational 24-hour on-call basis.  Before coming to Wigwamen, Peter worked as a hydro plant operator at Algonquin Power Nagagami.

Peter is Cree and is from the Constance Lake First Nation, Ontario.  Outside of work he enjoys spending time with his young son, working out, running, hunting, fishing, watching professional sports including basketball and soccer, and gaming.

Jonathan is a Cree member of Constance Lake First Nation and our newest addition to the Wigwamen Incorporated family. As the maintenance assistant, Jonathan, under the direct supervision of the maintenance manager, completes work orders, handles scheduling for water meter installations, and does the smoke alarm testing. As with the other maintenance staff, he is also responsible for being available for emergency repair work on a rotational 24-hour, on-call basis.

Previously, Jonathan was employed in the hydro electric field as an Aboriginal Liaison Officer for Northland Power Incorporated and as a Plant Operator with Brookfield Renewable Power. Jonathan’s hobbies include photography, film production, basketball and watching movies.

As the Tenant Relations Officer for Wigwamen’s 230 family housing units, Jodi Hetherington has extensive experience in tenant counselling, selection of new tenants, income verification, rent adjustments, and lease administration. As well as the on-the-job learning that such a position has demanded, Jodi has continued to advance her tenant relations skills, having for instance taken a course for frontline workers run by Community Information Services. Jodi has been with Wigwamen since 1989.

Jodi was born and raised in North York, and continues to live in the city. Her hobbies include sightseeing, bicycle riding and gardening. She is the driving force behind “Flower Power,” the annual garden contest for Wigwamen’s Toronto tenants.

Lisa Kristensen has been the manager of Wigwamen Terrace since 2009. Previously, she spent a year working for Upper Canada Property Management at Project Amik. A life-long feminist and social justice advocate, Lisa has decades of experience working with non-profit organizations and Boards of Directors. She lived in Holland for 15 years, where she operated a small but profitable publishing company; and was also actively involved in a high-profile Dutch social movement that worked to improve access to affordable housing for youth and refugees. Lisa graduated from the University of Toronto with an Honours B.A. in 1986 and then served two years as the Provincial Coordinator of the Ontario Public Interest Research Group. She and her partner of three decades now live in downtown Toronto. They are actively involved in their children’s schools and various community initiatives in their neighbourhood. Lisa cycle-commutes to work, but her favourite sport is reading on the couch.

Norm (“Neute”) Mitchell and Frances Folz have been the Resident Superintendents at Wigwamen Terrace since March 1999. Together they are responsible for the maintenance work on site and in the units, and for the general cleaning of all public areas in the building. Frances looks after most of the daily cleaning and janitorial maintenance tasks at the Terrace. In time off, she enjoys cooking and maintains an avid interest in computers. For his part, Neute takes on the inspection and upkeep of the building’s equipment. While taking responsibility for all work orders and turnovers at the Terrace, Neute also works half-time doing turnovers in Wigwamen’s family housing portfolio. His previous job experience ranges from the operation of large machinery and appliance repair, to arboreal work.

Milroy Hoosein joined the Wigwamen Incorporated team in 2003 as the Manager of Wigwamen Terrace, but moved over to manage the company’s new, 92-unit affordable housing project at 20 Sewells Road during the summer of 2005. In his new position, his duties include: general tenant relations; new tenant selection; arrears; administration of maintenance and repair work; office administration; and the coordination of activities and events for the tenants.

Milroy is a Registered Condominium Manager (RCM) and is an accredited member of the Institute of Housing Management. He came to Wigwamen with 7 years experience in property management, including condominium management, and extensive knowledge of both the Tenant Protection Act and the Condominium Act. Prior to becoming a condominium manager, he worked as a building manager for a 320-unit high-rise apartment building where his duties included the rent-up of apartments and ensuring that all building systems met the required standards.

In his spare time, Milroy enjoys reading, swimming and playing table tennis.

Terry Marcus and Donna Fanjoy are the Resident Superintendents at Wigwamen’s 92-unit apartment complex at 20 Sewells Road. Together they are responsible for the maintenance work on the site and in the units, and for the general cleaning of all public areas in the building. While Donna attends to the daily cleaning and janitorial maintenance tasks, Terry is responsible for all work orders and unit turnovers, as well as maintenance inspections and upkeep of the building’s equipment. Terry has been with Wigwamen since 1996 and prior to his promotion to 20 Sewells Road, he was the Maintenance Assistant for the Family Housing Portfolio. In their time away from work, Terry and Donna enjoy summer days at their cottage in the Kawarthas.

Weytk! (Traditional greeting in the Secwepemc language). Warren Canney is the Counsellor at the Aboriginal Housing Support Centre. He graduated from Seneca College in 1976 with an Honours Diploma in Applied Communications. After working at CBC Television for 5 years, he headed out west to British Columbia where he purchased a parcel of land and built his own house overlooking beautiful Shuswap Lake.

Warren developed his counselling skills over the 18 years that he lived in the B.C. Interior. Among other things, he created a sexual abuse support group program for abused children and youth, as well as co-authored a comprehensive training manual commissioned by the Mental Health Services of B.C. for sexual abuse program practitioners. He went on to be the District Special Counsellor for a school district for almost 10 years. He also worked under contract for a number of agencies, including the Elizabeth Fry Society where he was a Child, Youth and Family Counsellor and a Men’s Group Co-Facilitator.

During this time in B.C., Warren worked on 10 of the 17 Shuswap First Nations, and took language courses to better speak Secwepemctsin. The families of the Canoe Creek/Dog Creek Indian Band in particular are very dear to his heart, after having spent so much time in their remote community.

Warren has two adopted children, both of whom are Aboriginal – Corrin is Metis and David is Cree. Corrin and David now have children of their own, and continue to live in the west. Warren moved back east in 1999 when one of his parents took ill. Although born and raised in Toronto, and now technically “back home,” Warren very much misses his family and friends in the west. Re-connecting with the Aboriginal community through his work at Wigwamen helps him to bridge both his worlds, and being at the Aboriginal Housing Support Centre feels like a natural transition to him. Putucw! (Good-bye)

Lystra McCollin is the Receptionist/Administrative Assistant at Wigwamen’s head office in Toronto. She began working for Wigwamen in May 2008.
Before coming to work at Wigwamen, Lystra worked for several years as a property manager.

Lystra was born in Trinidad and enjoys working with people.

Alla Ponomarenko has been with Wigwamen since March 2002. Her responsibilities as Administrative Assistant include letter writing, filing, and various research projects. She is also Wigwamen’s official photographer!
Alla graduated from Donetsk’s Building Engineering Academy in Ukraine with an Honours Bachelor Degree in Civil Engineering. In 1999, she successfully completed a Property Management Career Preparation Course, gaining a thorough knowledge of the Tenant Protection Act. Alla continues to update her education, having most recently taken computer and other courses at the Yorkdale Adult Learning Centre.

Born and raised in Ukraine, Alla immigrated to Canada with her family in 1999. She has been an avid traveller since her adolescence, and very much enjoys site-seeing. Creating a warm and comfortable home for her family in Canada is a priority for Alla.

Dritan has been the Energy Efficiency Co-ordinator for Wigwamen Incorporated since 2007.

As Energy Efficiency Coordinator, Dritan oversees energy performance and upgrades in all properties of Wigwamen’s portfolio including identifying opportunities for energy efficiency improvements; analyzing potential impacts, benefits and paybacks; as well as following up with implementation of such upgrades. On an ongoing basis he also has responsibility for monitoring energy consumption at Wigwamen properties and preparing reports on energy savings arising from energy retrofits undertaken.

Before joining Wigwamen Incorporated, Dritan was working as energy advisor licensed by Natural Resources Canada (NRCan).

Dritan holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering from University of Tirana, Diploma in Building Systems Engineering from Seneca College, Certification as Energy Advisor and Trainer from NRCan and currently is pursuing RASDT/RHDT designations from HRAI.

With his strong background in the field, Dritan has been the keynote speaker on many public presentations to present the ecoEnergy program and raise public awareness about the importance of energy efficiency.

Dritan enjoys reading, fishing, swimming but above all spending time with his family.

Wigwamen Non-Profit Residential Corp.

General Manager of Wigwamen Incorporated since 1998, Angus has overall responsibility for the management of Wigwamen’s 485 unit portfolio, as well as the Rural and Native Housing portfolio in the Peterborough and Owen Sound areas. As General Manager, his responsibilities include, but are not limited to, human resource management; long-range financial planning; and government relations. He took a lead role in the development of “Wigwamen Waabnong”, the award-winning transitional and affordable housing project constructed at 20 Sewells Road, and “Place Perrault”, Wigwamen’s new affordable housing project currently under construction in Ottawa.

Prior to joining Wigwamen, he worked as a Development Consultant, assisting in the development of 24 different non-profit and co-operative housing projects totaling over 800 units throughout Ontario, and assisting in the management of non-profit housing projects.

Angus has also played an active role in his community, having served on the Boards of Directors of the Sudbury District Local Housing Authority, Agincourt Community Services Association, and Access Housing Connections Inc., and having been Secretary of two non-profit housing corporations.

In his spare time he enjoys hiking the Bruce Trail, reading, and listening to classical music.

Lori Ball has been with Wigwamen Non-Profit Residential Corp.’s Rural and Native Housing Program in Peterborough since its beginning in March 1996. Starting with 10 boxes of tenant and unit files and a hotel room as an office, Lori helped to launch what is today the very successful delivery of the Rural and Native Housing Program in the Peterborough area.

As the RNH Administration, Lori is responsible for new tenant selection, coordinating the move-in and move-outs of tenants, as well as counselling tenants in budgeting and arrears. In her capacity as Rental Administration Officer, she is responsible for performing annual income and hardship reviews for the tenants, and maintains a 300-plus unit data base and the administrative files for Wigwamen’s entire RNH portfolio.

Lori’s experience in the field of housing began in 1985 when she was first employed by CMHC in the RNH Program. In her position at CMHC, she gained experience in the delivery of RRAP, Total Quality Management (team member training), and underwriting mortgage insurance. Today, she continues to advance her knowledge in tenant relations issues, having completed a certified interpersonal mediation training course run by St. Stephen’s House and more recently, an introductory course in psychology from Sir Sandford Fleming College.

Born and raised in Peterborough, Ontario, Lori loves the city. She is an avid reader and gardener, and enjoys cooking, camping, and spending time with her husband and three children.

As Maintenance Inspector for the Rural and Native Housing Program in the Peterborough and Owen Sound areas, Ron Timoon’s duties include: ensuring regular maintenance work; coordinating emergency repairs; and preparing repair specifications and tendering contracts for vacant units.

Although he has been with Wigwamen since 1985, Ron’s work background is diverse and extensive. Having taught construction and renovation methods, he also has experience in drafting and blueprint making, as well as having been an insurance adjuster and an automotive technician.

Raised in Toronto, Ron now resides up north in Stroud, near Barrie. He is the lead singer in a band called Switchbak, and would like to someday own a woodworking shop.

Elizabeth Else is the Admistrative Assistant for Wigwamen Non-Profit Residential Corporation in Peterborough. She has been with Wigwamen since 2001.

Prior to coming to Wigwamen, Elizabeth worked as an Assistant Property Manager at Bentall Properties. She has also completed many relevant courses including the St. John’s Ambulance course, various Microsoft courses and a safety standards course.

In her spare time, Elizabeth enjoys baking, knitting and decorating.

Amber is the Peterborough Renovates Program (PRP) Assistant for Wigwamen Non-Profit Residential Corporation in Peterborough. She has been working within the company since February 2008.

Before coming to Wigwamen, Amber graduated the Social Service Worker Program at Sir Sanford Fleming College and worked alongside the Peterborough Social Planning Council with the Aboriginal Strategy Circle in the Kawarthas as a Community Development Assistant.

Amber was raised in Burleigh Falls and in her spare time she enjoys fishing, camping and spending time with her family.

Karen Watts is Wigwamen’s Special Initiatives Officer. Karen’s responsibilities include organizing regular, recurring programs such as the Book-of-the-Month Club, the Back-to-School Backpack program and the Dear Santa program. She is responsible for special initiatives such as the Growing Memories tree planting initiative, and is also involved with fundraising and the Wigwamen Scholarship program.

Prior to working at Wigwamen, Karen worked for the City of Peterborough in the Housing & Planning and Development Services department. In this capacity, she offered administrative support to the staff. She also worked on special projects which required contact with service providers within Peterborough and surrounding communities. After graduating from Trent University, Karen became a self-employed consultant who co-facilitated discussions between key stakeholders, the City of Peterborough and the Aboriginal community of Peterborough.

Karen is Odawa of Wikwemikong First Nation and is actively involved in the Native community of Peterborough, Ontario. As a mother of two children, she is very busy and can often be found driving her children to activities such as soccer, dance and choir.