Actsafe aims high under new board leadership
Burnaby, B.C. November 13, 2024
The Actsafe Safety Association is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Roslyn Kunin as Chair and John Beckett as Vice Chair of the Actsafe Board of Directors.
Roslyn Kunin, a well-respected labour economist, author and lecturer, also brings extensive board experience to Actsafe, including Chair of WorkSafeBC, the Vancouver Crisis Centre and the Vancouver Stock Exchange; Governor of UBC; and director of the Business Development Bank of Canada and the Canada West Foundation. She is also a member of the Order of Canada and the Order of British Columbia.
Roslyn has served for the past two years as Actsafe Board Vice Chair and is excited to be taking on the role of Chair.
“We have a dedicated and hard-working board that does its homework, along with a team that understands its mission and is focused on its vision,” says Roslyn.
“We want BC to have the safest and healthiest arts and entertainment workplaces in the world. I’m happy to see us aim high and I’m proud to say we’re well on our way.”
One of the many things Roslyn enjoys about serving on the Actsafe Board is helping the organization find ways to meet the needs of a varied and special industry. “It’s different from a mine, or a factory, or an office. It has many different faces. Motion picture production for a major studio is one thing, an independent production is another, live performance venues are something completely different, and festivals and theatre productions are different yet again. Where I see Actsafe really adding value is tailoring what we do to the specific needs of the various components of the industry.”
John Beckett is another Past Chair of WorkSafeBC whose board and work experience also includes President of the WCB Employers’ Forum, Chair of the London-based International Cargo Handling Coordination Association, Director of the National Maritime Safety Association, Governor of the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, and Employer Representative at the International Labour Organization (ILO). He hopes his extensive board, training and safety experience will help Actsafe continue to successfully serve the B.C. entertainment industry. “I’ve worked with private industry and governments at all levels, including internationally,” says John. “Everything I’ve done – including serving on non-profits in my neighbourhood – have added to the skills and tools I need to be an effective board member.”
John is pleased to be joining the board of an organization that is ambitious and has a good reputation, and he looks forward to meeting the challenges of the role.
“I’m from outside the industry so I don’t know the inner workings of making a movie or staging a large event. But I understand people and know that they have similar needs and desires, regardless of which industry they’re in.
I look forward to working with and learning from the industry, and ensuring Actsafe can move forward with its mandate and successfully deal with the demands and challenges of the ever-changing nature of health and safety.”
Roslyn and John began their terms as Chair and Vice Chair on September 12, 2024.
Actsafe CEO Trina Pollard welcomes John to the Board as Vice Chair and looks forward to continuing working with Roslyn in her new role as Chair. She also extends thanks to out-going Chair Ted Violini for his four years of service on the Actsafe board. “I will be forever grateful to Ted for his guidance as I transitioned into my role at Actsafe,” says Trina. “Not only did he provide valuable advice to me, he helped us navigate the uncharted waters of COVID-19 and led the organization through the development and implementation of a new five-year strategic plan. Actsafe evolved and became a more effective organization under his leadership.”
For any media enquiries, please email communications@actsafe.ca.
