Arthritis Society of Canada

Head Table Guests

Catherine Hofstetter, Volunteer and Patient Advocate, Arthritis Society of Canada; Rev. Dr. John Niles, Victoria Park United Church; Alex Squires, Managing Director, Brant Securities Limited and Secretary, The Empire Club of Canada; Margaret Samuel, CFA, Equity Analyst, Royal Bank Investment Management Inc. and Director, The Empire Club of Canada; Michael S. Cloutier, President, Pharmacia Canada; Lee Simpson, Chair, The National Board of the Arthritis Society; Denis Morrice, President and CEO, The Arthritis Society of Canada, Malcolm Moffat, Chief Planning Officer and Vice-President, Patient Care Program, St. Michael's Hospital; and Dr. Lawrence Rubin, Division Director of Rheumatology, St. Michael's Hospital.

Introduction by Catherine Steele

It is my privilege to welcome our guest speakers, Todd Brooker and Catherine Hoffstetter, who will today deliver messages as spokespeople for the Arthritis Society of Canada.

Here are some quick facts about arthritis to set the stage:

• More than four million Canadians, that's one in seven, have arthritis.
• With the aging of the baby boomer population, the number of Canadians with arthritis is expected to increase to 6.5 million in 30 years.
• One in five women in Ontario have arthritis. Arthritis affects twice as many women as men in Ontario.
• Arthritis is the most common cause of long-term disability in Canada and the third most-frequent reason for prescription drug use in Canada.
• An estimated 1,900 Canadians die from ulcers induced from traditional arthritis medications. This is why new developments in drug therapies like the new COX 2s such as Celebrex or the disease-modifying agents known as DMARDs are so important.

Before we hear from Todd Brooker, I'd like to call upon Bill Graham, M.P. for Toronto Centre Rosedale to say a few words.

Now it's my pleasure to introduce Todd Brooker, a former member of Canada's National Ski Team from 1976-1987, better known as one of Canada's crazy canucks. Todd won three world cup downhill titles in 1983 and 1985, was ranked the #1 downhill skier in the world in 1983 and 1984 and was a member of the 1984 Canadian Olympic Team. Todd is here today as a spokesperson for the Arthritis Society and before we hear from him, I'd ask you to turn your attention to the screens at the front of the room.

Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Todd Brooker to The Empire Club of Canada.

Todd Brooker

Mr. Brooker showed a video of some of his career highlights, reminisced about some of those events and explained that he is an arthritis victim now and is speaking out on behalf of the Arthritis Society of Canada.

Catherine Steele

Now it's my pleasure to introduce Catherine Hoffstetter, a volunteer and patient advocate with the Arthritis Society of Canada.

President of McGowan Fence and Supply in Toronto, Catherine was diagnosed eight years ago at age 36 with rheumatoid arthritis. Catherine is very involved with the Arthritis Society teaching physicians how to properly examine patients with arthritis through the Patient Partners Program. She also works with the Arthritis Self Management Program which teaches people how to live with and manage the disease.

Ladies and gentlemen please welcome Catherine Hoffstetter to the Empire Club of Canada.

Catherine Hoffstetter spoke a few words.

The appreciation of the meeting was expressed by Alex Squires, Managing Director, Brant Securities Limited and Secretary, The Empire Club of Canada.