National Bottom Line Conference to Highlight the Heroes of Workplace Mental Health

The 2016 National Bottom Line Conference is about heroes. The conference theme, Heroes in the Workplace: Stories from the Champions of Change, celebrates the individuals and organizations helping to achieve psychological health and safety for all in the workplace.

Over two days, delegates will hear from a number of outstanding champions of change about their successes, their failures, the challenges they see ahead, and what keeps them inspired. Program highlights include:

• One Woman’s Crusade: Day 1 keynote speaker is award-winning author and journalist Ann Dowsett Johnston, the author of Drink: The Intimate Relationship between Women and Alcohol, named one of the top 10 books of 2013 by the Washington Post. Two days after her presentation, the CBC will broadcast Girls Night Out, a new documentary inspired by her book which will also mark the launch of a national campaign called RethinkTheDrink. Founder of the National Roundtable on Girls, Women and Alcohol, she is also a founding director of Faces and Voices of Recovery Canada.
• Sport and Mental Health: For some world-class athletes, the sports venue can be a mentally unhealthy workplace. Olympic gold-medal rower Silken Laumann (Keynote Day 2) talks about the tough times behind her triumphant headlines. On the Day 1 morning panel, Vancouver Canucks Vice President TC Carling talks about the transformation of the Canucks’ organization and its determination to keep the conversation about mental health going four years after the suicide death of Canuck Rick Rypien.
• Mental Health on the Front Lines: Front line workers, the people who handle crisis every day, experience relentless stress and trauma. On Day 1, a special tribute to firefighter and mental health advocate Kevin Hegarty, who died by suicide in March 2015. On Day 2, Steve Fraser (VFF) and Seia Roots (CMHA Vancouver-Fraser) hold a breakout session on tools to strengthen mental health and build resiliency for front line workers. Also on Day 2, Patricia Doiron of Veteran Affairs, Maryse Neilson of Canadian Forces and Gabriella Freyenmuth of Corrections Canada participate in a panel on Change in First Responder Communities.
• First Nations and Workplace Mental Health: On the Day 2 morning panel, Jacki McPherson, Health Director, Osoyoos Indian Band, Brenda Baptiste, project manager for the Osoyoos Indian Band Centre for Aboriginal Community Enterpriseand Allison Beardsworth,  Wellness and Culture Specialist for the First Nations Health Authority are joined by Rob Nielsen, head of aboriginal procurement for BC Hydro’s Site C project and Claire Marshall, aboriginal consultant for TransCanada Pipelines to discuss Healthy and Safe Relationships – creating inclusive workplaces and the role of values in creating trusting, healthy and safe relationships.
• CM Hincks Award: This winner of this year’s award, the third annual, will be revealed at noon on Day 1. A representative of last year’s winner, NAV Canada, Canada’s air traffic control organization (responsible for 40 million flights a year), will make the presentation. The winner exemplifies the spirit and social commitment of the founder of the Canadian Mental Health Association, Clarence Meredith Hincks.

For more information on the speakers highlighted here and the conference program, please see www.bottomlineconference.ca or contact Paul Sullivan at 604-685-4742 or [email protected].

Media are invited to attend this year’s conference and there will be a media table on site. If possible, please register in advance by contacting Jennifer Quan at 604-688-3234 or [email protected].

About the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA):

CMHA is Canada’s most established mental health charity and the nation-wide leader and champion for mental health. CMHA helps people access the resources they need to maintain and improve mental health, build resilience, and support recovery from mental illness. Each year in BC alone, CMHA serves more than 100,000 people all across the province. For mental health and addiction information and resources visit www.cmha.ca.

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