Aisling Discoveries and East Metro Youth Services Amalgamation

November 5, 2019

We are very pleased to announce that our Boards of Directors and Members of our Corporations have unanimously approved the amalgamation of Aisling Discoveries and East Metro Youth Services. The target date to begin operating as a new corporation is January 1, 2020, subject to regulatory review and approval.

After extensive consultation with staff, clients and board members, we are pleased to announce that our new name will be Strides Toronto. This name reflects the organization’s vital role in supporting our clients’ journey to achieve their full potential.

We are also delighted to inform you that following a robust selection process, our new Chief Executive Officer will be Janet McCrimmon. Janet’s experience and strong leadership attributes combined with her commitment to service excellence will position Strides Toronto well for success now and into the future. Janet’s appointment will be effective as of the official amalgamation date. A brief biography of Janet’s background and experience is below.

Strides Toronto will continue to provide excellent programs and services to our clients and families. Our current array of services will join together to support young people from pre-natal to 29 years of age and their families. In moving forward with amalgamation, we have worked hard to maintain a client and family lens. We believe the new organization will be better positioned to respond to client transitions and stages of development.

As we move forward with implementation, we are committed to no disruption of service; clients will continue to receive the excellent services they have come to expect from both of our agencies. Our plan for the future is to build on this strong foundation by enhancing our programs, improving coordination, and allowing for easier navigation. We hope to better meet the growing needs of children, youth and families across our communities. Our new organization will also continue to work closely with our funders and our many partners across Toronto.

Our staff are passionate and committed to the work we do, and we are excited to be bringing together their collective expertise for even greater impact across our communities. Attracting and retaining skilled staff will continue to be important goals for Strides Toronto.

We are beginning a phase of detailed implementation planning, and we will be sharing more information with staff, clients and partners as we proceed. In the meantime, if you have questions or comments, feel free to connect with either Janet McCrimmon, Executive Director at Aisling Discoveries (416-321-5464 ext. 227) or Vince Tedesco, Interim CEO, EMYS (416-438-3697 x 21111).

Thank you for your ongoing support and we look forward to a bright and productive future.

Jordan Ross
Chair, Aisling Discoveries Child and Family Centre

Mary Jarrell
Chair, East Metro Youth Services

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Biography of Janet McCrimmon

Janet McCrimmon is a strategic, transformative leader with over 20 years of senior leadership experience in not-for-profits. Since 2016, she has served as Executive Director of Aisling Discoveries Child and Family Centre, a multi-service organization serving children, youth and families. Established in 1998, the Centre is an accredited charitable organization providing prevention, early intervention, children’s mental health and autism services.

Previously, Janet was the founding Executive Director of Community Organizational Health Inc. (COHI), a provincial organization accrediting community health centres across Ontario. Janet was later part of a consulting team that completed a business feasibility study resulting in COHI transforming to become the Canadian Centre for Accreditation, a national non-profit that accredits nine different types of organizations today.

At Family Service Toronto, Janet served as Director, Building Inclusive Communities, a department that provided developmental services to adults and children as well as a range of community development programs. She was also Director, Research, Evaluation and Planning for the organization where she provided organization-wide leadership on these topics for the 100-year-old, multi-service organization.

Previous roles included work in a community health centre, a violence against women shelter and two years volunteering in Africa as Non-Formal Learning Advisor with ActionAid Sierra Leone.

Janet is honoured and privileged to be given the opportunity to lead Strides Toronto. She looks forward to working with the board, staff and clients of the merged organization as well as community partners and funders to continue to strengthen infant, child, youth and family services.