At IPC, we built IPC Cares to bring together the various efforts we make towards enhancing the communities within which we operate. By adopting causes that are close to our hearts, we keep ourselves committed and accountable.

Last year alone, as a company, we supported the aid efforts on the Fort McMurray fires, palliative care through The Healing Cycle Foundation and women and children through The Salvation Army.

Perhaps the most significant effort we undertake, and one that we believe is representative of the kind of work that inspires and keeps us committed to our CSR efforts, is the community development project in Honduras with The Carpenteros & Friends. Last year’s project involved a group of IPC staff and Advisors volunteering their time and energy on the ground. Very little is as inspiring and rewarding as living the lives of the people you’re helping, and every one of the people who took the journey came back a changed person, even more determined to stay committed to making a difference in the world!

We also made countless small but significant contributions of our time and resources within our communities through many grassroots charities we believe in, and the ripple effect of their efforts are always rewarding.

Like many who have come here, soon after I arrived in North Bay in 1993, I began to realize what a special place this is. The natural beauty which surrounds us has been a magnet drawing visitors to our region for decades.

But what struck me most, was the commitment people I met, had to making their city the best it could be. In short, North Bay is full of people who, like me, chose to make this place their home and like me, built careers and businesses to make that vision a reality.

From those initial friendships, and my luck to join the Kiwanis Club of North Bay was born that same spirit of volunteerism and doing what I can to “take care of my community”.

As a member, president and chair of numerous committees in that service club over many years, I focused much of my attention on assisting in the community fundraising for 2 key pieces of community infrastructure, Laurentian Ski Hill (formerly Jack Pine Hill) and the North Bay Regional Health Centre.

Laurentian is situated in the heart of North Bay and has been a mecca for winter sports activity for generations. It was a terrible loss to the youth and families of our community when it had to close. However, through a community partnership which included the Kiwanis Club of North Bay we were able to raise the funds necessary to re-open the facility and it is once again a key piece of recreational infrastructure for our area. The Kiwanis Club of North Bay led the community fundraising which raised $500,000 for the re-opening of Laurentian Ski Hill.

The North Bay Regional Health Centre opened its doors for patient care on January 31, 2011. This state of the art facility came to be only because of the dedication and tenacity of community leaders over many years. Finally having a local hospital with up to date facilities and equipment not only allows for better patient care, but as importantly, will help us continue to attract top level doctors and other health care professionals to North Bay. Local Kiwanis clubs gave the largest service club gift of $750,000 to the Caring For Generations Campaign, which raised over 18 million dollars toward the construction of the North Bay Regional Health Centre. 

Briggs Financial, with assistance from our corporate partners provided support to these projects through committee leadership and ongoing financial sponsorship of numerous Kiwanis events over a 15 year period. The 2 most prominent of these were the Million Dollar Hole In One, which became a fixture at the annual North Bay Heritage Festival, and the Kiwanis and Friends Scramble and Ramble golf tournament which ran from 2007 to 2010.

I am happy to have played a role in ensuring North Bay continues to be a great place to live, work and raise a family.