About Us
Learn more about the team behind the Canadian Prostate Cancer Guide.
About us
We can assist you in receiving the support, information, and guidance you need. Together we will help you along the way no matter where you are in your prostate cancer journey.
Staff
Jackie Manthorne – BA, BEd
President & CEO
Jackie Manthorne, BA, BEd, is President and CEO of the Canadian Cancer Survivor Network, a national network of patients, families, survivors, friends, community partners and sponsors. Its mission is to work together by taking action to promote the very best standard of care, support, follow-up and quality of life for patients and survivors. It aims to educate the public and policy makers about cancer and encourage research on ways to alleviate barriers to optimal cancer care in Canada.
Manthorne is currently Lay-Reader-in-Training at St. Martin’s Anglican Church in the Diocese of Ottawa and is studying towards a B.Th. at Thorneloe University, which is part of the Laurentian University federation and affiliated with the Anglican Church of Canada. She is on the Board of Directors of Beechwood Cemetery, the national cemetery of Canada, which, in addition to being home of the National Military Cemetery, the RCMP National Memorial Cemetery and the Ottawa Police Service Memorial Cemetery, is the final resting place for over 75,000 Canadians from all walks of life and of all religious affiliations.
Manthorne was President and CEO of the Canadian Breast Cancer Network for 12 years. She was a representative on the Global Metastatic Breast Cancer Advocacy Board; a member of the Episodic Disabilities Network; an external reviewer for Health Canada’s Population Health Fund and the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation Ontario Chapter; a judge on the Radio Science Programs Panel and the Annual Book Award of Science Writers & Communicators Canada; and a member of the Project Advisory Group of the Ovarian Cancer Information Project.
Manthorne was also national administrator of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts; executive director of the Canadian Centre for International PEN (PEN Canada) and is a director of www.womencan.ca. She was the 2017 recipient of the Jack Shapiro Lifetime Achievement Award from the Canadian Cancer Action Network (CCAN).
Lindsay Timm
Executive Director
Lindsay Timm is our Executive Director. Before joining CCSN on staff, Lindsay was a volunteer helping to organize fundraising events and always coming up with new and innovative ideas and project proposals for fundraising. As a staff member, she started out as our Administrative Coordinator where she gained valuable experience in how to support the office through organization, active participation in projects, and supporting the educational and awareness goals of CCSN. She also took on the responsibility of learning how to complete patient voice submissions for the Health Technology Assessment (HTA) process.
Lindsay then tackled the opportunity of being our Community Engagement Manager. In this role she worked closely with patients, survivors, and caregivers within our network. She also fostered new and existing partnerships with organizations that align with CCSN’s mission and vision. She also organized community events around World Cancer Day and National Cancer Survivors’ Day each year to bring together the patient community with decision makers to foster conversation around cancer care issues. She continued to develop her skills in completing HTA patient voice submissions so that the Canadian Drug Agency (CDA) and Institut national d’excellence en santé et en services sociaux (INESSS) consider the patient perspective in the decision-making process.
Lindsay has been leading the presentation of our All-party Cancer Caucuses across the country. The skills and knowledge learned during these meetings have helped equip her with new perspectives and ideas on how to support and communicate effectively with decision and policy makers.
Throughout the time that Lindsay has been with CCSN she has gained valuable knowledge and experience through each role she has held. She attributes a great amount of her learning to being able to work closely with Jackie Manthorne and observe how to navigate through different environments and situations. Jackie’s guidance and sharing of her knowledge has made all the difference in how prepared Lindsay feels to take on this new role. She is also grateful to the partnering organizations that she closely works with for being a source of knowledge and guidance.
Lindsay is a graduate of the Early Childhood Education program at Algonquin College. She enjoys knitting, reading, music, and listening to podcasts. She enjoys walks throughout her neighbourhood with her dog.
Jennifer Spence
Office Manager
Jennifer is our Office Manager. Her primary role is to implement CCSN’s financial plans and policies and maintenance of its fiscal records. She also helps with various administrative duties as required.
Jennifer’s qualifications include a Bachelor of Arts from Lakehead University, an Executive Business Administration Diploma from Willis College and a Bookkeeping Certificate from Algonquin College.
In her free time, she enjoys long walks with her dog and spending time with her family.
Trevor Smith-Millar – BA
Communications Manager
Trevor handles communications, website maintenance, social media, webinars and the monthly e-newsletter. Former radio personality at various stations. Has worked for stations in Bancroft, Barry’s Bay, Kemptville, Prescott, Bolton, Brockville and Ottawa. Born and raised in the Ottawa Valley. Has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Ottawa and a certificate in Radio Broadcasting from Algonquin College.
Is an avid writer and has written for multiple websites. Interested in cooking, geography, history and politics at the municipal, provincial, federal and international level. Has two cats and a dog.
Natalie Bennett – BSc
Community Engagement Manager
Natalie Bennett is the Community Engagement Manager at the Canadian Cancer Survivor Network (CCSN). Starting her career as a microbiologist at Thomson Research Associates, she then moved to Japan for a few years to teach English before returning to Canada to pursue a career in health-focused nonprofit work. She joined the Lung Health Foundation (LHF) as a coordinator supporting two medical societies where she contributed to the organization’s research program and annual continuing education conference, gaining valuable experience in health education and professional engagement. She subsequently transitioned into health advocacy and public affairs, where she built a strong foundation in stakeholder engagement, advocacy, and policy-focused communications within the nonprofit health sector.
Prior to joining CCSN, Natalie advanced to Lead, Advocacy and Public Affairs at the Lung Health Foundation. In this capacity, she supported national and provincial advocacy initiatives, coordinated multi-stakeholder working groups, and worked closely with those with lived experience, caregivers, clinicians, researchers, and partner organizations to advance lung health priorities. She developed extensive experience translating lived experience and evidence into policy submissions, briefing materials, and public education initiatives.
Natalie also played a key role in supporting lived experience input into health technology assessment (HTA) processes, including submissions to Canada’s Drug Agency (CDA) and the Institut national d’excellence en santé et en services sociaux (INESSS). In addition, she was actively involved in coordinating advocacy campaigns and engaging federal and provincial decision-makers. These experiences have shaped her approach to community engagement, grounded in collaboration, equity, and the meaningful inclusion of lived experience voices across the health system.
In her current role at CCSN, Natalie works closely with those who have lived cancer experience, caregivers, and partner organizations to strengthen community engagement and ensure lived experience meaningfully informs cancer policy and decision-making. She continues to support lived experience input into HTA processes, while also organizing and supporting advocacy days, consultations, and coalition-based initiatives. Natalie is committed to fostering inclusive partnerships, supporting survivor leadership, and advancing advocacy efforts that improve quality of life and outcomes for those with lived cancer experience across Canada, while advancing CCSN’s education and awareness goals.
Muna Derie
Web Communications Manager
Muna Derie is currently an undergraduate student at the University of Ottawa studying health sciences. She is also a research assistant at a lab focused on pelvic health research. Muna is interested in public health and anything related to health research and health policy. In her free time, Muna enjoys baking, spending time with her friends and family, and listening to a good podcast.
Martin Dufresne
Translator
Martin Dufresne is a profeminist translator, coordinating the web-based TRADFEM translation portal and involved in publishing French versions of writings by Andrea Dworkin, Julie Bindel, Lundy Bancroft, Kajsa Ekis Ekman, John Stoltenberg, Helen Joyce – and organizations such as the Canadian Cancer Survivors Network.
Édouard Beaudry
Translator
Édouard Beaudry loves to translate content relating to health and women’s rights. His bachelor of Fine Arts has allowed him to teach drawing both to children and adults, surrounding him with creativity. He is also a spin instructor, eager to motivate a crowd to push the limits of what can be achieved, and much enjoys cycling around beautiful Vancouver.
Brad sterling
Advisory Committee
Jeff Greig
Jeff Greig is a prostate cancer survivor, and was diagnosed at a relatively young age of 54. Jeff underwent a successful radical prostatectomy in April 2021, and is an advocate for taking a proactive approach to one’s health to ensure early detection and survivorship. Jeff is a trained Peer Navigator with the True North Peer Navigator program that supports men who have been recently diagnosed with or treated for prostate cancer. Jeff is also a co-leader of the North Shore Prostate Cancer Support Group in North Vancouver, BC, and co-captain of the “Butts in a Boat” dragon boat team, Canada’s first dragon boat team for men living with, or surviving prostate cancer.
Brad Sterling
Every man diagnosed with prostate cancer has a different story. Mine started with my first biopsy when I was 53 years old. Within 3 months my PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) went from 4.7 to 5.7 and with a Gleason score 7 (3+4) I underwent surgery before I turned 54. Since then, the cancer has returned. I have undergone chemotherapy, ADT (androgen depravation therapy) and radiation. ADT has stopped working and I was able to enroll in a study involving a recently approved drug. 3 years later at age 68, I am still in remission with my PSA undetectable at <0.1.
I retired from Royal Bank after 37 years and now volunteer with PROSTAID Calgary Society, a local support group for men and their families along their cancer journey. I am one of the luckier men, with a favourable response to any treatment I have undertaken and, who has minimal side effects. My spouse attends all my doctor appointments and keeps me on track. I have a supportive family and a well-informed support network of friends whom I met in PROSTAID Calgary.
Arminee Kazanjian – DrSoc
Dr. Arminée Kazanjian, is Professor, School of Population and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, The University of British Columbia (UBC), Canada.
A Sociologist by training and a recognized health services researcher for 30 years, her more recent work has focused on research on cross-cultural cancer care, psycho-social oncology and cancer survivorship. Dr Kazanjian pioneered a program of intervention research, the True NTH Prostate Cancer Peer Navigation Solution: Peer Empowered Partnership in Prostate Cancer (PEP_PC) funded by the international Movember Foundation.
Dr. Kazanjian has consulted in British Columbia and across Canada on various issues pertaining to health systems and health policy, to foster health equity and inclusion for deserving populations. She co-leads the Canadian Cancer Survivorship Research Consortium (CCSRC).
John Roth
John is the Webmaster and past co-chair of Prostate Cancer Support Toronto. He is a 20 plus year prostate cancer survivor.
Al Carl
Chair, PCS Ottawa
Leanne Kopp
I have spent over twenty-five years supporting and leading non-profits in their work, with twenty years of those as Executive Director at Island Prostate Centre. Through these experiences I have enjoyed working with amazing and inspiring people on some highly fulfilling initiatives.
With strengths and experience in revenue development, community engagement, facilitation, and strategic planning, my life’s work has focused on the charitable sector and it has been my privilege to make a difference in my community.
My approach to work is to communicate well, think outside of the box, and produce strong results with great care. I bring these values to everything that I do.
Sue Sohnle
My husband was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2010 at the age of 54, and since then we have been very involved with the prostate cancer community. Since 2017 I have been leading a women’s peer support group for spouses of men with prostate cancer in Edmonton. I was also the inaugural chairperson of the Prostate Cancer Support National Council with Prostate Cancer Foundation Canada in 2020-2021. I’m pleased to take part in this initiative to make reliable and Canada-focused medical and support information available and aggregated all in one place.