Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research
Encyclopedia
The Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research is a Canadian charitable foundation whose goal is to raise awareness
of HIV
/AIDS
to increase funds for research
. All of CANFAR’s fundraising efforts are geared towards raising money to fund Canadian HIV/AIDS research. CANFAR is the only privately funded, national charity dedicated solely to advancing research in the area of HIV and AIDS.
Three doctors and scientists, Dr. Mary Fanning, Dr. Michael Baker and Dr. Norbert Gilmore were brought on board to scientifically determine which research projects were most promising and deserving of funding.
CANFAR was incorporated in 1987, and Rober Ross became the charity’s Executive Director.
Also 1987, CANFAR held the first Food for Thought gala dinner, raising over $150,000 for HIV/AIDS research. This event has grown and changed over the years, but is an integral part of CANFAR’s fundraising efforts.
Prominent philanthropist Bluma Appel joined CANFAR’s Planning Committee, later becoming a creator of a Board of Advisors and a Junior Committee, as well as acting as Chair of the Executive Committee until her passing in 2007.
In 1989, the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) was organized to identify the most promising HIV/AIDS research projects and providing them funding. Dr. Gilmore headed up this group and in 1989, CANFAR announced the its first seventeen grant recipients. That year, CANFAR gave $184,445 to HIV/AIDS research projects across Canada.
CANFAR continued to grow its funding capabilities with its Outreach to Industries campaign, securing the support of both the banking and insurance industries. The new support enabled CANFAR to grant its first Canadian Industry Research Award (CIRA) to Dr. Tak Mak
in the amount of $100,000. With to the renewed support of major supporters, CANFAR awarded a second CIRA to Dr. Frank Plummer in 1994.
A peer-review process determines which studies are funded. Each proposal is reviewed and graded by at least three other scholars in the HIV/AIDS field. Proposals are judged on scientific merit; relevance of the research; the qualifications, experience and productivity of the researcher; the uniqueness of the project within the Canadian and global context; and the facilities available to undertake the proposed research. Once graded, the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) decides which studies deserve funding.
The SAC uses the grades and comments of the reviewers along with their own knowledge of the studies to make their decisions. The proposals are then ranked with a cut off point beyond which the SAC does not recommend funding. From there the Board of Directors meets to approve the SAC selections as to which proposals will be funded based on the rankings by the SAC and the funds available. Since 1987 CANFAR has reviewed close to over 1000 proposals, funded well over three hundred studies across ten provinces, and directed over $15 million towards HIV/AIDS research.
Within the HIV/AIDS funding landscape in Canada, there are currently only three organizations devoted to research and two of those are funded by the federal and provincial levels of government respectively. As well as CANFAR there is the Canadian Institutes of Health Research
(CIHR) and the Ontario HIV/AIDS Treatment Network (OHTN). Over the course of its history, CANFAR has worked towards increasing the amount and number of the grants that it supports. In its first year CANFAR awarded five grants totalling almost $60,000. CANFAR now consistently funds over twenty research studies worth approximately $1 million per year.
is working to discover
ways to combat HIV through gene therapy. In her research, Dr.
Joshi targets both the cells that are infected by HIV, and the virus
itself. Dr. Joshi is experimenting with ways to prevent infection by
removing receptors that HIV uses to enter immune cells. She is also
targeting genes in HIV to prevent replication after infection.
Dr. Clifford Lingwood from The Hospital for Sick Children
and
Dr. Donald Branch from Canadian Blood Services
have identified
a new resistance factor in the battle against HIV. They discovered
that immune cells from individuals who have a certain rare blood
type called blood group antigen Pk, also have a drastically reduced
sensitivity to HIV infection. This factor protects cells from infection,
indicating that it may have therapeutic potential.
Dr. Deborah Money’s research at the Children’s and Women’s
Health Centre of British Columbia has provided new insights to
guide the safe use of antiretroviral therapy during pregnancy. Dr.
Money studies the risks of toxicity and health outcomes in both
mothers and uninfected children following antiretroviral therapy.
Dr. Frank Plummer from the University of Manitoba
is studying
a small group of Nairobi prostitutes to discover the source of
their natural resistance to HIV infection. He has discovered
that HIV resistant women have higher levels of a protein called
elafin/trappin-2 that helps to confer immunity. Dr. Plummer was
named Canada’s Health Researcher of the Year in 2007 for his
work on HIV/AIDS.
Dr. Mark Wainberg
, CANFAR funded researcher and Director of the
McGill University
AIDS Centre, discovered a critical component in
the highly effective “AIDS cocktail”. This major breakthrough led to
a dramatic fall in AIDS deaths and has improved the lives of people
living with HIV/AIDS since the mid-1990s. Dr. Wainberg continues
to make discoveries at the forefront of HIV/AIDS research with a focus on anti-viral drugs, understanding drug resistance, and gene
therapy. For his seminal contributions in the field, Dr. Wainberg has
been made an Officer of the Order of Canada
and a Chevalier de
Legion d’Honneur - the highest honours of Canada and France.
In 1993, Food for Thought was renamed the World AIDS Day
Gala and moved from the fall to coincide with World AIDS Day
on December 1. The event had grown to include after-dinner reception at the Art Shoppe, the Toronto Design Exchange, and the Bata Shoe Museum among others.
In 1997 CANFAR’s the event was renamed Bloor Street Entertains. Now, shops and boutiques in the Bloor-Yorkville
area hosted intimate dinners. The annual event has raised close to $4 million since 1988. On November 28, 2007, Bloor Street Entertains, hosted by Salah Bachir and Belinda Stronach
, celebrated its 11th anniversary and raised over $500,000.
CANFAR has been honored with the coveted Canadian Event Industry’s award for Best Fundraising Event 2004, and nominated for the same award in 2005 and 2006. In 2007 and 2008 BizBash, Toronto’s Event Planning Magazine, listed Bloor Street Entertains as the top benefit event in Toronto.
Currently, Bloor Street Entertains provides intimate dinners catered by Toronto’s top chefs at over 20 prominent stores and galleries in the Bloor-Yorkville area including Tiffany & Co.
, Liss Gallery, Chanel
, Cartier
and Holt Renfrew
. Afterwards guests convene at “The Party”, which in recent years has been held at Royal Ontario Museum
(ROM).
Officially named AIDSbeat in 1996, the event raised $20,000 for HIV/AIDS research.
By the time Olasker became a member of CANFAR’s Board, AIDSbeat had becom a "must do" event in the Toronto legal-community. As of 2008, attendance exceeds 1200 people each year and raises over $200,000 for CANFAR and HIV/AIDS research.
Now called Heart-o-grams, these packages include gum, a red ribbon, HIV/AIDS awareness pamphlets, and optional condoms. In 2011, the Have a Heart campaign was run in over 1,600 schools across Canada with more than 1 million students participating.
Each year CANFAR gives out The Heart Award which is presented annually to the high school that demonstrates outstanding dedication and community spirit while raising research funds and HIV/AIDS awareness among their peers.
In 2006, CANFAR introduced the first annual Have a Heart Scholarship Program to recognize Have a Heart participants who have made a difference in raising awareness in their school community. Each year a $500 scholarship is awarded to a deserving student who has displayed outstanding leadership in running a successful Have a Heart campaign and demonstrated dedication to the fight against HIV/AIDS.
CANFAR has partnered with the Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD) to create the awareness posters that are displayed in the schools. Those posters then form the basis for the awareness materials that are sent to the schools the following year.
in 2003. At McGill, Catherine Pringle and a friend decided to throw a party to spread AIDS awareness on campus called Affair en Rouge, raising funds for CANFAR.
The second CANFAR Club was born at Dalhousie University
in 2004. In their first year, Dalhousie generated funds for CANFAR through small fundraising and awareness initiatives and a gala event.
In 2005, following the example set by McGill and Dalhousie, three new CANFAR Clubs were formally established at the University of Toronto Mississauga
, University of Guelph
and The University of Western Ontario. Together, the schools raised a combined total of more than $15,000 for HIV/AIDS research in 2005 and held AIDS awareness symposiums on campus, with the goal of initiating a frank discussion about the AIDS pandemic among their peers. In 2008, nineteen campuses were actively engaged in raising funds and awareness about HIV/AIDS.
Influential members have included: Bluma Appel, Dr. Stanley Read, Dr. Mark Wainberg
, and Andrew M. Pringle who served as President of the Board for twelve years before stepping down in 2007 to assume the role of Chairman. In 1999 Andy’s wife, Valerie Pringle
, became CANFAR’s National Spokesperson.
Awareness
Awareness is the state or ability to perceive, to feel, or to be conscious of events, objects or sensory patterns. In this level of consciousness, sense data can be confirmed by an observer without necessarily implying understanding. More broadly, it is the state or quality of being aware of...
of HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
/AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
to increase funds for research
Research
Research can be defined as the scientific search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method...
. All of CANFAR’s fundraising efforts are geared towards raising money to fund Canadian HIV/AIDS research. CANFAR is the only privately funded, national charity dedicated solely to advancing research in the area of HIV and AIDS.
History
CANFAR was created in 1985 by Dinah Koo, Van Beltreme, and Robert Mang. At the time, Canada’s emerging HIV/AIDS organizations primarily dealt with the care and support of people living with the disease, but little was being done to fund research. This inspired the three friends to establish an organization to raise money for Canadian HIV/AIDS research, and ultimately, a cure.Three doctors and scientists, Dr. Mary Fanning, Dr. Michael Baker and Dr. Norbert Gilmore were brought on board to scientifically determine which research projects were most promising and deserving of funding.
CANFAR was incorporated in 1987, and Rober Ross became the charity’s Executive Director.
Also 1987, CANFAR held the first Food for Thought gala dinner, raising over $150,000 for HIV/AIDS research. This event has grown and changed over the years, but is an integral part of CANFAR’s fundraising efforts.
Prominent philanthropist Bluma Appel joined CANFAR’s Planning Committee, later becoming a creator of a Board of Advisors and a Junior Committee, as well as acting as Chair of the Executive Committee until her passing in 2007.
In 1989, the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) was organized to identify the most promising HIV/AIDS research projects and providing them funding. Dr. Gilmore headed up this group and in 1989, CANFAR announced the its first seventeen grant recipients. That year, CANFAR gave $184,445 to HIV/AIDS research projects across Canada.
CANFAR continued to grow its funding capabilities with its Outreach to Industries campaign, securing the support of both the banking and insurance industries. The new support enabled CANFAR to grant its first Canadian Industry Research Award (CIRA) to Dr. Tak Mak
Tak Wah Mak
Tak Wah Mak, OC OOnt FRS FRSC is an award-winning Canadian researcher who has worked in a variety of areas including biochemistry, immunology, and cancer genetics...
in the amount of $100,000. With to the renewed support of major supporters, CANFAR awarded a second CIRA to Dr. Frank Plummer in 1994.
Funding Research
CANFAR supports research in four main areas of study; basic science, epidemiology, clinical studies, and psycho-social studies. Grants are awarded in two categories; one-year grants up to $25,000 and under or two-year grants up to $80,000 per year.A peer-review process determines which studies are funded. Each proposal is reviewed and graded by at least three other scholars in the HIV/AIDS field. Proposals are judged on scientific merit; relevance of the research; the qualifications, experience and productivity of the researcher; the uniqueness of the project within the Canadian and global context; and the facilities available to undertake the proposed research. Once graded, the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) decides which studies deserve funding.
The SAC uses the grades and comments of the reviewers along with their own knowledge of the studies to make their decisions. The proposals are then ranked with a cut off point beyond which the SAC does not recommend funding. From there the Board of Directors meets to approve the SAC selections as to which proposals will be funded based on the rankings by the SAC and the funds available. Since 1987 CANFAR has reviewed close to over 1000 proposals, funded well over three hundred studies across ten provinces, and directed over $15 million towards HIV/AIDS research.
Within the HIV/AIDS funding landscape in Canada, there are currently only three organizations devoted to research and two of those are funded by the federal and provincial levels of government respectively. As well as CANFAR there is the Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Canadian Institutes of Health Research is the major federal agency responsible for funding health research in Canada. It is the successor to the Medical Research Council of Canada. It aims to create new health knowledge, and to translate that knowledge from the research setting into real world...
(CIHR) and the Ontario HIV/AIDS Treatment Network (OHTN). Over the course of its history, CANFAR has worked towards increasing the amount and number of the grants that it supports. In its first year CANFAR awarded five grants totalling almost $60,000. CANFAR now consistently funds over twenty research studies worth approximately $1 million per year.
CANFAR-funded Breakthroughs
Dr. Sadhna Joshi at the University of TorontoUniversity of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
is working to discover
ways to combat HIV through gene therapy. In her research, Dr.
Joshi targets both the cells that are infected by HIV, and the virus
itself. Dr. Joshi is experimenting with ways to prevent infection by
removing receptors that HIV uses to enter immune cells. She is also
targeting genes in HIV to prevent replication after infection.
Dr. Clifford Lingwood from The Hospital for Sick Children
Hospital for Sick Children
The Hospital for Sick Children – is a major paediatric centre for the Greater Toronto Area, serving patients up to age 18. Located on University Avenue in Downtown Toronto, SickKids is part of the city’s Discovery District, a critical mass of scientists and entrepreneurs who are focused on...
and
Dr. Donald Branch from Canadian Blood Services
Canadian Blood Services
Canadian Blood Services is a national, not-for-profit charitable organization that manages the blood supply in all provinces and territories of Canada, outside of Quebec, and oversees the OneMatch Stem Cell and Marrow Network . A separate organization, Héma-Québec, operates in the province of Quebec...
have identified
a new resistance factor in the battle against HIV. They discovered
that immune cells from individuals who have a certain rare blood
type called blood group antigen Pk, also have a drastically reduced
sensitivity to HIV infection. This factor protects cells from infection,
indicating that it may have therapeutic potential.
Dr. Deborah Money’s research at the Children’s and Women’s
Health Centre of British Columbia has provided new insights to
guide the safe use of antiretroviral therapy during pregnancy. Dr.
Money studies the risks of toxicity and health outcomes in both
mothers and uninfected children following antiretroviral therapy.
Dr. Frank Plummer from the University of Manitoba
University of Manitoba
The University of Manitoba , in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, is the largest university in the province of Manitoba. It is Manitoba's most comprehensive and only research-intensive post-secondary educational institution. It was founded in 1877, making it Western Canada’s first university. It placed...
is studying
a small group of Nairobi prostitutes to discover the source of
their natural resistance to HIV infection. He has discovered
that HIV resistant women have higher levels of a protein called
elafin/trappin-2 that helps to confer immunity. Dr. Plummer was
named Canada’s Health Researcher of the Year in 2007 for his
work on HIV/AIDS.
Dr. Mark Wainberg
Mark Wainberg
Mark A. Wainberg, is a Canadian AIDS researcher and activist. He is the Director of the McGill University AIDS Centre at the Montreal Jewish General Hospital and Professor of Medicine and of Microbiology at McGill University. His laboratory primarily studies HIV reverse transcriptase, and the...
, CANFAR funded researcher and Director of the
McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
AIDS Centre, discovered a critical component in
the highly effective “AIDS cocktail”. This major breakthrough led to
a dramatic fall in AIDS deaths and has improved the lives of people
living with HIV/AIDS since the mid-1990s. Dr. Wainberg continues
to make discoveries at the forefront of HIV/AIDS research with a focus on anti-viral drugs, understanding drug resistance, and gene
therapy. For his seminal contributions in the field, Dr. Wainberg has
been made an Officer of the Order of Canada
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
and a Chevalier de
Legion d’Honneur - the highest honours of Canada and France.
Events
Bloor Street Entertains
On September 29, 1988 CANFAR hosted the first Food for Thought, and over $150,000 was raised for CANFAR.In 1993, Food for Thought was renamed the World AIDS Day
World AIDS Day
World AIDS Day, observed December 1 every year, is dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection. Government and health officials observe the day, often with speeches or forums on the AIDS topics. Since 1995, the President of the United States has made an...
Gala and moved from the fall to coincide with World AIDS Day
World AIDS Day
World AIDS Day, observed December 1 every year, is dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection. Government and health officials observe the day, often with speeches or forums on the AIDS topics. Since 1995, the President of the United States has made an...
on December 1. The event had grown to include after-dinner reception at the Art Shoppe, the Toronto Design Exchange, and the Bata Shoe Museum among others.
In 1997 CANFAR’s the event was renamed Bloor Street Entertains. Now, shops and boutiques in the Bloor-Yorkville
Yorkville, Toronto
Yorkville is a district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, well known for its shopping. It is a former village, annexed by the City of Toronto. It is roughly bounded by Bloor Street to the south, Davenport Road to the north, Yonge Street to the east and Avenue Road to the west, and is considered part of...
area hosted intimate dinners. The annual event has raised close to $4 million since 1988. On November 28, 2007, Bloor Street Entertains, hosted by Salah Bachir and Belinda Stronach
Belinda Stronach
Belinda Caroline Stronach, PC is a Canadian businessperson, philanthropist and former politician. She was a Member of Parliament in the Canadian House of Commons from 2004 to 2008. Originally elected as a Conservative, she later crossed the floor to join the Liberals...
, celebrated its 11th anniversary and raised over $500,000.
CANFAR has been honored with the coveted Canadian Event Industry’s award for Best Fundraising Event 2004, and nominated for the same award in 2005 and 2006. In 2007 and 2008 BizBash, Toronto’s Event Planning Magazine, listed Bloor Street Entertains as the top benefit event in Toronto.
Currently, Bloor Street Entertains provides intimate dinners catered by Toronto’s top chefs at over 20 prominent stores and galleries in the Bloor-Yorkville area including Tiffany & Co.
Tiffany & Co.
Tiffany & Co. is an American jewelry and silverware company. As part of its branding, the company is strongly associated with its Tiffany Blue , which is a registered trademark.- History :...
, Liss Gallery, Chanel
Chanel
Chanel S.A. is a French fashion house founded by the couturier Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel, well established in haute couture, specializing in luxury goods . She gained the name "Coco" while maintaining a career as a singer at a café in France...
, Cartier
Cartier SA
Cartier S.A., commonly known as Cartier , is a French luxury jeweler and watch manufacturer. The corporation carries the name of the Cartier family of jewellers whose control ended in 1964 and who were known for numerous pieces including the "Bestiary" , the diamond necklace created for Bhupinder...
and Holt Renfrew
Holt Renfrew
Holt Renfrew is a chain of high-end Canadian department stores. It is comparable to Barneys New York and Saks Fifth Avenue in the United States, and to two other upmarket chains owned by the same family, Britain's Selfridges and Ireland's Brown Thomas...
. Afterwards guests convene at “The Party”, which in recent years has been held at Royal Ontario Museum
Royal Ontario Museum
The Royal Ontario Museum is a museum of world culture and natural history in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. With its main entrance facing Bloor Street in Downtown Toronto, the museum is situated north of Queen's Park and east of Philosopher's Walk in the University of Toronto...
(ROM).
AIDSbeat
In 1994, Patricia Olasker organized a CANFAR fundraising event for lawyers which featured breakfast and amateur bands.Officially named AIDSbeat in 1996, the event raised $20,000 for HIV/AIDS research.
By the time Olasker became a member of CANFAR’s Board, AIDSbeat had becom a "must do" event in the Toronto legal-community. As of 2008, attendance exceeds 1200 people each year and raises over $200,000 for CANFAR and HIV/AIDS research.
Have a Heart for CANFAR
In 1993, Have a Heart for CANFAR was organized at Northern Secondary High School in Toronto. Students sold candy-grams of cinnamon hearts with red ribbons to each other near Valentine’s Day. Approximately $560 was raised through this awareness initiative.Now called Heart-o-grams, these packages include gum, a red ribbon, HIV/AIDS awareness pamphlets, and optional condoms. In 2011, the Have a Heart campaign was run in over 1,600 schools across Canada with more than 1 million students participating.
Each year CANFAR gives out The Heart Award which is presented annually to the high school that demonstrates outstanding dedication and community spirit while raising research funds and HIV/AIDS awareness among their peers.
In 2006, CANFAR introduced the first annual Have a Heart Scholarship Program to recognize Have a Heart participants who have made a difference in raising awareness in their school community. Each year a $500 scholarship is awarded to a deserving student who has displayed outstanding leadership in running a successful Have a Heart campaign and demonstrated dedication to the fight against HIV/AIDS.
CANFAR has partnered with the Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD) to create the awareness posters that are displayed in the schools. Those posters then form the basis for the awareness materials that are sent to the schools the following year.
CANFAR Clubs
CANFAR Clubs are groups of students across Canada that have joined forces on college and university campuses to raise awareness about the virus and to raise funds for research. Annually, these student leaders organize parties, hold informative focus groups, and panel discussions to address the issue of AIDS, both within their demographic and internationally. The first CANFAR Club was initiated at McGill UniversityMcGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
in 2003. At McGill, Catherine Pringle and a friend decided to throw a party to spread AIDS awareness on campus called Affair en Rouge, raising funds for CANFAR.
The second CANFAR Club was born at Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University is a public research university located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The university comprises eleven faculties including Schulich School of Law and Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine. It also includes the faculties of architecture, planning and engineering located at...
in 2004. In their first year, Dalhousie generated funds for CANFAR through small fundraising and awareness initiatives and a gala event.
In 2005, following the example set by McGill and Dalhousie, three new CANFAR Clubs were formally established at the University of Toronto Mississauga
University of Toronto Mississauga
The University of Toronto Mississauga is a satellite campus of the University of Toronto, located in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. The university is set upon a park-like campus on the valley of the Credit River, approximately 33 kilometres west of Downtown Toronto...
, University of Guelph
University of Guelph
The University of Guelph, also known as U of G, is a comprehensive public research university in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. It was established in 1964 after the amalgamation of Ontario Agricultural College, the Macdonald Institute, and the Ontario Veterinary College...
and The University of Western Ontario. Together, the schools raised a combined total of more than $15,000 for HIV/AIDS research in 2005 and held AIDS awareness symposiums on campus, with the goal of initiating a frank discussion about the AIDS pandemic among their peers. In 2008, nineteen campuses were actively engaged in raising funds and awareness about HIV/AIDS.
Board of directors
The main role of the Board of Directors is to set the strategic direction of the organization, to hire and support the Executive Director and National Director of Development to provide financial, regulatory and reputational oversight. The Board also takes on a fundraising role by assisting the staff through events or programs, as well as providing advice according to each individual’s professional area of expertise.Influential members have included: Bluma Appel, Dr. Stanley Read, Dr. Mark Wainberg
Mark Wainberg
Mark A. Wainberg, is a Canadian AIDS researcher and activist. He is the Director of the McGill University AIDS Centre at the Montreal Jewish General Hospital and Professor of Medicine and of Microbiology at McGill University. His laboratory primarily studies HIV reverse transcriptase, and the...
, and Andrew M. Pringle who served as President of the Board for twelve years before stepping down in 2007 to assume the role of Chairman. In 1999 Andy’s wife, Valerie Pringle
Valerie Pringle
Valerie Pringle, CM is a Canadian television host and journalist.Pringle began her career in broadcasting as a summer student with Toronto radio station CFRB in 1973, and became a fulltime reporter for the station the following year...
, became CANFAR’s National Spokesperson.