Archie MacKeigan Educational Day

Future Inns, Halifax, Nova Scotia
October 16, 2025

Learn Together!

Join us at the 2025 Continuing Care Association of Nova Scotia (CCANS) Archie MacKeigan Education Day on Thursday, October 16, at the beautiful Future Inns hotel in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

This year’s theme is Voices at Work: Cultivating Respect, Safety, and Dignity.

Event Details

Registration is now closed.

Vendor applications are now closed.

Schedule

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Attendee Registration

Vendor Application

Sessions

Trade Show Vendors

About

Educational Day Recaps

Schedule

8:15 – 9:00 Registration

9:00 – 9:05 Opening Remarks

9:05 – 10:30 Dignity of Risk
With Elizabeth Gillis

10:30 – 10:50 Morning Break & Trade Show

10:50 – 12:00 The Remedy and the Future of Care
With Thivjan Tharmaratnam & Lora Church

12:00 – 1:30 Lunch & Tradeshow

1:30 – 3:00 Psychological Health and Safety: From Awareness to Action
With Reza Jannati & Jonathan Murley

3:00 – 3:15 Afternoon Break

3:15 – 4:25 Psychological Health and Safety: From Awareness to Action (Continued)
With Reza Jannati & Jonathan Murley

4:25 – 4:30 Wrap-Up

Archie MacKeigan Education Day Sessions

Dignity of Risk

With Elizabeth Gillis

Older adults with frailty are at greater risk of falls, disability, hospitalization, and loss of independence, yet health systems often lack capacity to meet their complex needs. At the Frailty and Eldercare Network, we develop resources and education to promote frailty-informed care using the Clinical Frailty Scale to improve outcomes.

About Elizabeth Gillis

Elizabeth Gillis

With over 40 years of experience as a physiotherapist, Elizabeth Gillis has practiced across a wide range of clinical settings, including acute care and long-term care, in six different provinces. Throughout this extensive career, Elizabeth has developed a deep understanding of the unique needs of older adults and the importance of tailoring approaches to support their health, dignity, and quality of life.

Passionate about education and knowledge-sharing, Elizabeth now focuses on helping healthcare staff integrate frailty-informed care into their practice. This approach emphasizes practical, compassionate strategies that prioritize function, independence, and meaningful care for older adults. By drawing on decades of clinical insight and a broad perspective gained from working across diverse healthcare systems, Elizabeth aims to inspire and equip teams to deliver care that truly makes a difference.

The Remedy and the Future of Care

With Thivjan Tharmaratnam & Lora Church

In this session, you will gain a comprehensive understanding of the Remedy (Nova Scotia’s Human Rights Remedy) and its vision for advancing person-centered care and human rights in continuing care.

About Thivjan Tharmaratnam

Thivjan Tharmaratnam

Thivjan spent several years in Toronto as a Ready, Willing and Able Labour Market Consultant with Community Living Ontario, before moving to Nova Scotia in 2018 as Director of Community Economic Development with the Town of New Glasgow, and then as Chief Operating Officer of the YMCA. He is now the Executive Director of Inclusion NS and the DRC Board Chair.

About Lora Church

Lora Church

Lora Church is passionate about disability advocacy and creating communities that are inclusive. She is also the Executive Director of Nova Scotia Community Living Organizations (NSCLO) and the Disabilities Rights Coalition (DRC) Board Secretary.

Psychological Health and Safety, 2025 Archie MacKeigan Education Day

Psychological Health and Safety:
From Awareness to Action

With Reza Jannati & Jonathan Murley

This interactive session will explore the following topics:

The relationship between psychological health and psychological safety
Risk factors for workplace violence, both immediate and potential
Workplace bullying and harassment
Self-care and resiliency
Engagement for the individual and leader

About Reza Jannati

Reza Jannati

Since 2018, Reza has built a strong foundation in occupational and environmental health and safety risk management through academic research, administrative leadership, and field experience. His work includes human factors engineering, safety audits, and regulatory compliance across healthcare, education, and other service-oriented sectors.

He holds a Master’s degree in Occupational Health and Safety from Memorial University of Newfoundland and a Bachelor’s in Occupational Hygiene Engineering.

Outside of work, Reza enjoys hiking, backpacking, live music, and connecting with others through board games and shared experiences.

About Jonathan Murley

Jonathan Murley

Jonathan Murley joined AWARE-NS in 2025 as an Occupational Health and Safety Advisor.
He has over a decade of experience working in the pharmacy sector and providing safety support for both long term care pharmacies, and retail.

His background in Safety focuses heavily on providing safety related training, performing safety audits, and development of safety programs.

Jonathan graduated from Saint Mary’s University in 2015, receiving a Bachelor of Arts with a major in Psychology and a Certificate of Human Resource Management. In 2024, he earned his designation as a Canadian Registered Safety Professional.

In his free time Jonathan enjoys games, sci-fi movies, brain-teasers, and hosting Dungeons and Dragons adventures.

Trade Show Vendors

Don’t miss the trade show! Visit during the morning break and lunch to connect with the vendors below.

In Honour & Memory of Archie MacKeigan

Archie was a long standing member of CCANS, formerly known as the Associated Homes for Special Care, and held various positions on the Board. He was also the Administrator at the Cove Guest Home for many years. Archie was involved in several committees, representing the Association in dealing with all aspects of care, with DOSD and DSLTC.

Archie always had a “fire in his eye” for the Association and fought hard to maintain it’s continuity and presence in Nova Scotia.