Our Contributors

Sarah has spent the past six years working in financial empowerment, taxes, and financial reporting. She is thrilled to bring that experience to Plan Institute. With a background in Environmental Studies focusing on sustainable buildings and a current journey toward my CPA designation, she has developed a real passion for sustainability, numbers, and helping people. She loves making sense of things like data, taxes, the Disability Tax Credit (DTC), and turning complicated financial language into simple, helpful advice. Her goal is to make finance easy to understand and empower others to achieve financial stability.

B.J. has been involved with assisting people all across Canada to navigate the process of applying for the Disability Tax Credit (DTC) since January 2017. She has a passion for the DTC and Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP) and for assisting others. She was awarded a national advocacy award from Diabetes Canada and appeared in their magazine in 2018 after she assisted in having adults with insulin dependent diabetes allowed to claim the DTC after they were briefly denied the DTC during that time. She currently administers a Facebook group focusing on the DTC and RDSP and enjoys spending her time moderating this group and answering people’s questions. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her two golden retrievers and her two cats, and doing various craft projects.

Audrey is the sibling and advocate for a man on the autism spectrum, which has taught her a lot about the importance of future planning and disability rights. She holds a degree in Health and Community Services from UVic, and still lives on Vancouver Island. She is very excited to use her experience and knowledge to support families at all stages of the future planning journey.

Laurie is a lifetime member of PLAN, as well as being a dedicated parent and volunteer who has worked with a variety of non-profit, non-government organizations for over 30 years. She has founded and/or served on the boards of corporate, non-profit and charitable non-government organizations in a variety of capacities, including most recently the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Society of BC due to her experience with and knowledge of autism and Planned Lifetime Advocacy Networks (PLAN) where her daughter has been a lifetime member for many years.  Laurie also published the electronic newsletter for PLAN’s Lifetime Members, is bilingual (English and French) and also speaks some Spanish. She has a broad range of interests including creating hand-bound leather journals, art cards and jewelry, as well as studying brain development and cognition enhancement technologies. Laurie has co-led the Plan Institute Wills, Trusts, and Estates Workshop for over 13 years.

Alison works as a Helpline Advisor and Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP) 2 Workshop Facilitator for Plan Institute. She has had her Financial Planning Designation since 2004 and brings experience from both the banking and brokerage areas of the Financial Industry. Alison has always been a strong believer in building financial security through planning, and the peace of mind this can bring. She is excited by how Plan Institute applies these principles in all of their offerings. Alison also gives back by being involved with Vancouver Adaptive Ski Sports and BC Guide Dogs.

Laura is an experienced coach and former financial professional, with a strong commitment to supporting individuals with disabilities. Born with severe arthritis, Laura achieved her Bachelor of commerce degree from the University of British Columbia. After becoming totally blind in her mid-twenties, she continued her pursuit of education by earning a graduate certificate in Executive Coaching from Royal Roads University and is a Certified Executive Coach and an Associate Certified Coach.

Laura has dedicated much of her career to advocating for people with disabilities, with a special focus on the Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP). As a passionate advocate, she has supported Plan Institute by leading over 150 national teleconferences and Webinars for the RDSP. Additionally, she serves as an advisor on the Disability Planning Helpline and has contributed to numerous advisory committees in the community.

Her past leadership roles include serving as Co-Chair of the Persons with Disabilities Advisory Committee for the City of Vancouver and as Chair of the TransLink HandyDART Users Advisory Committee.

Laura is also proud to advise Destination BC’s Accessibility and Inclusion Committee, which was established to enhance accessibility in the tourism industry.

In her personal time, Laura enjoys audiobooks, cooking, and travel, with a special love for exploring the world on cruises.

Krys is a late-identified neurodivergent person and disability advocate based in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. His employment experiences and educational pursuits tend to build on his lived experience with disability, chronic illness, and queerness. They have a Disability Tax Credit (DTC) and Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP) and love to help others access these important resources for financial security. Krys enjoys reading, learning, and crushing crunchy leaves.

Keith is a former financial advisory professional who focused his practice on providing educational opportunities around the Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP) and financial planning for people with disabilities, and their families. His motivation and passion for this field stem from family circumstances, and he is an enthusiastic advocate for life-long financial (and all other forms of) education.

Ian is a proud neurodivergent individual who lives with Cerebral palsy, learning disabilities, and mental health challenges. He is a new Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP), Disability Tax Credit (DTC) and upcoming Canada Disability Benefit (CDB) helpline advisor at Plan Institute. He has his own RDSP, and is passionate about helping other people with disabilities and their families avoid poverty, achieve greater financial security, and enjoy the “good life.”

Before joining Plan Institute, Ian previously worked at the Working Centre (a non-profit social support organization) where he helped neurodivergent individuals living with addiction and mental health issues work towards their goals and better lives.  He has also worked for RBC Royal Bank of Canada for 13 years as a client advisor, where he informed many of his customers about the DTC and RDSP.  Outside of work, Ian is a movie buff, enjoys politics and travel, and likes to advocate for a more equitable, understanding, and inclusive world. Ian lives in Kitchener, Ontario with his partner, and believes that there is no such thing as a stupid question.  Please feel free to reach out to him!

Shelley is the Director of Family Support and Leadership at PLAN. Shelley’s passion is supporting people to discover, nurture and share their gifts, skills, and abilities.  Her experience as a facilitator and planner has helped her to understand that when a person and their network combine their dreams with a plan for action – anything is possible!

Two significant experiences changed everything about the way Shelley views “the work”.  First was an opportunity early in her career to be trained by Jack Pearpoint and Marsha Forrest as a PATH facilitator (followed by life-altering training from Dave and Fay Wetherow). Second has been the privilege of sharing her home with people who experience disability.  Life sharing has been a deep personal learning experience that shows up in everything she does.  In the past 3 years, Shelley created her own consulting business “In the Company of Others” and has been privileged to work in BC, Ontario, Australia and the US.

Shelley co-facilitates the Personal Support Network Course offered through Plan Institute!

Rebecca is an enthusiastic leader and creative facilitator with a broad range of experiences in community development and collaboration with people who have disabilities.  She is passionate about seeing the unique gifts each person has and is convinced that our communities will be stronger, safer and more resilient when each of us is contributing and recognized for our gifts.

Rebecca is the Executive Director of Planned Lifetime Advocacy Network (PLAN), a Vancouver-based social enterprise that partners with families and people facing social isolation to secure their future by mobilizing relationships and leveraging community assets. Since joining PLAN six years ago, Rebecca has led a complete re-design of programming to integrate principles of person-centred planning, ABCD, narrative therapy and independent facilitation. After demonstrating the strength and flexibility of this community approach, Rebecca is regularly invited to consult with organizations about how it can be scaled and applied to population groups across North America.

Rebecca co-facilitates the Personal Support Network Course offered through Plan Institute!

Geoffrey has 28+ years of expertise in Will, Estate and Trust matters. He assists clients both at his “heritage” office in Kelowna and at Clark Wilson LLP in downtown Vancouver. Geoff is an editor of B.C.’s Probate and Estate Administration Practice Manual, which is acknowledged as the primary source for all estate matters in the province. He has litigated estate and trust matters at all levels of court including the BC Court of Appeal and Supreme Court of Canada. These matters include: discretionary trusts, multiple wills, removal of an executor, and international conflict of laws.  

 He is a past chair of the BC Law Foundation, and has held leadership roles with national Canadian Bar Association, the Society of Estate and Trust Practitioners, and Estate Planning Societies. Geoffrey White has been recognized by Best Lawyers Canada for Trusts and Estate Law since 2019. Geoffrey was honoured with the title of King’s counsel on December 2, 2021. 

Geoff is a regular and dedicated facilitator of Plan Institute’s Wills, Trusts and Estates online workshop as well as contributing to the development of resources and other workshops.  

Cathy and her family joined PLAN as young parents, and she truly feels blessed for the journey that her son Josh has led her on. What has enriched her has been the connection to families, who have been her mentors, guides and supporters. Cathy has over 25 years of experience supporting and advocating with families who have a family member with disabilities, including facilitating workshops, including Plan Institute’s annual Caregivers Retreat, as well as group discussions. She joined the Plan Institute Board in 2017 and has also recently become the Chair of PLAN’S Board of Directors.

Called to the bars of Ontario and British Columbia, Halldor has been practicing law since 1991. Halldor’s experience includes estate planning, the preparation of wills, trusts, representation agreements, powers of attorney, and probate applications. He has appeared in BC Supreme Court as counsel on Wills Variation Act applications, challenges to trustees, and committeeship applications, and as an expert witness on disability trusts. Halldor’s interest in estate planning for families with disabled relatives is illustrated by his former regular estate planning workshops at Plan Institute. He has written numerous articles on estate planning, including the disability-related estate planning materials in the BC Professional Legal Training Course. He regularly lectures on disability issues at the University of BC, University of Winnipeg, Langara College, and the West Coast School of Massage. 

Vickie was the founding director of Plan Institute and a co-founder of PLAN. She was a social entrepreneur who has established many groundbreaking organizations dedicated to strengthening community and addressing isolation including the Family Support Institute of British Columbia and Tyze Personal Networks, a pioneering Canadian social venture that delivers online networks of care for people facing life challenges. Vickie’s unique response to the isolation and loneliness that underpins some of our most intractable social problems – a network model of care, has been adopted internationally. Vickie was a member of the Order of Canada.

Helene has been associated with PLAN for more than ten years as a parent and former board member. Before her work with PLAN and Plan Institute, she was a primary teacher with the Vancouver School Board for twenty years.

Since 2010, she has been serving as one of Plan Institute’s Disability Planning Advisors offering one-to-one Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP) support for people through the toll-free helpline. In this role, she has consulted with doctors, advocates, lawyers, social workers, investment advisors as well as family members and people with diverse disabilities everywhere from Haida Gwaii to Fogo Island.

Her passion is providing information so that people can be better equipped to qualify for the RDSP. Her goal is to help as many people as possible open and grow their RDSPs so that they may enjoy a better life.

Al is an author, community organizer and social entrepreneur. Since the birth of his daughter, he has been an activist in the family arm of the disability movement. As co-founder of PLAN he proposed and led the successful campaign to establish the world’s first savings plan for people with disabilities – the Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP). He is also a co-founder of Social innovation Generation (SiG) and BC Partners for Social Impact, and was recently awarded the Order of British Columbia and the Order of Canada. His new book, Impact: Six Patterns to Spread Your Social Innovation is a Canadian bestseller. You can follow Al’s blog at aletmanski.com.

Ted is a parent, author, and retired psychotherapist. Ted has been involved in the disability movement for more than 30 years. Ted and his family became one of PLAN’s youngest Lifetime Members when they joined PLAN in the 1990’s. Over the years Ted has been an active member of Plan Institute and PLAN facilitating numerous workshops and retreats and making a regular contribution to PLAN’s newsletter. Ted is the author of ‘Peace Begins With Me’, and ‘Making Peace With the Future’.

Dan is a Lifetime member of PLAN as well as a Certified Professional Accountant (CPA) with a Ph.D. He is a former accounting professor at Simon Fraser University. Dan immediately recognized the exceptionally generous terms of the Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP) when the plan was announced in 2008 and immediately set one up for his daughter. He worked with Plan Institute as a facilitator for many of their free information RDSP sessions and events around the province. 

Tom has been a North Shore resident most of his adult life. An all-abilities advocate, Tom has three daughters: his daughter Vicki in her mid-thirties is supported by CLBC. Tom had been active with PLAN and Plan Institute for over 20 years and is active with Vancouver Adaptive Snow Sports for over ten years. He facilitated Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP) sessions virtually and throughout the Lower Mainland. 

David is an inspirational humorist, motivational speaker and performer who has transformed the challenges and gifts of living with a facial difference into a compelling message that uplifts and delights audiences around the world. What really makes David unique, however, is his remarkable spirit, warmth, wit and authenticity. He presents keynote speeches, entertainment and storytelling workshops at conferences for associations, corporations, non-profit, educational and disability organizations.

Marlena had a thriving private practice as a massage therapist and nutritional counselor when she and David married in 1996. Connected to the world of personal storytelling through David, Marlena jumped right in. Although shy by nature, she discovered a natural gift for speaking and storytelling. And it wasn’t long before she was performing as a founding member of the Circle of Women storytelling group.

Ric is a Lifetime Member of PLAN who supports his daughter Erin to live a meaningful life with a personal network, a Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP), a Representation Agreement, a Trust and individualized staffing through a Microboard. Ric has extensive knowledge of the RDSP and many other aspects of future planning. He facilitated RDSP sessions virtually and around the Lower Mainland for Plan Institute. 

Ken was the founder and principal of KMK Law Corporation, a boutique law firm in downtown Vancouver providing Estates, Trusts, Elder Law, Litigation and Mediation services. As a long-standing member of the legal community and designated Queens Counsel, Ken had a unique understanding of the disability community combined with his expertise in the area of estates and trusts law to serve families with disabilities. 

Ken was extremely passionate and a strong advocate for both the disability and seniors communities and greatly appreciated the opportunity to give back to these important groups. In this regard, Ken has served on numerous boards and committees over the past 25 years with a focus on disability and seniors issues. More specifically, at the time of his passing, Ken was the  Chair of the Board for the BC Centre for Elder Advocacy and Supports and Co-Chair of BC’s Elder Law section of the Canadian Bar Association. 

However, one of Ken’s biggest passions over the past several years was in the area of home care supports and specifically, the Choices for Support In Independent Living program (“CSIL”). In fact, Ken had been the forefront in leading the community negotiation with the BC government resulting in two recent rate increases for the CSIL program culminating in over $25 million being allocated to the home care community in British Columbia. 

Outside of the legal field, Ken’s diverse portfolio also included the pleasure of Chairing the Province of BC’s Emergency Medical Assistants Licensing Board since 2011, which oversees licensing and discipline for over 11,000 First Responders in British Columbia. More recently, KMK Law is now in association with Sabey Rule LLP, a well-respected estate and trust firm in Kelowna, British Columbia. 

Ken was a regular and dedicated facilitator of Plan Institute’s Wills, Trusts and Estates in-person and online workshop as well as a contributor to the development of resources and other workshops.