Liz Hovarth
Senior Advisor, Psychological Health and Safety
Mental Health Canada
Abstract TBC
Liz is on a mission to make work a great part of life for as many people as possible. With nearly 30 years’ experience in occupational health and safety (OHS), she is accomplished professional and international speaker, known for her empathy, interpersonal skills, and her expertise in employee wellbeing, disability management, and leadership development.
Specializing in psychological health and safety (PHS) for the past 15 years, her work is dedicated to helping organizations achieve their goals with a healthy, productive, and motivated workforce by integrating PHS into how work is designed and carried out.
Her understanding of what people need to succeed was honed through her past work, which includes:
• helping organizations implement programs and systems to support employee wellbeing and success through her own company, Hale Health and Safety Solutions Ltd.
• managing the development of several ground-breaking OHS standards including the National Standard of Canada for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace, as a project manager with CSA Group;
• leading a team of consultants in the OHS legal practice of Gowlings, which specialized in providing training, consulting, and legal services to clients in every sector throughout Canada;
• 10 years as an OHS professional in unionized manufacturing facilities in automotive, packaging, and confectionary production; and
• 18 years as server/bartender.
Liz holds a Bachelor of Applied Sciences degree, having been among the first students to graduate from the Environmental Health program specializing in OHS from Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University). Valuing lifelong learning, she also has numerous other certificates, including Integrating Workplace Wellbeing and Occupational Health and Safety from Harvard School of Public Health Executive Education.
In her personal time, Liz loves spending time with her grandchildren, gardening, cooking, and exploring the wilderness of this beautiful country with her husband on their fishing kayaks.