Who We Are

Cancer Care Ontario, Indigenous Tobacco Program is now part of Ontario Health, an agency created by the Government of Ontario with a mandate to connect and coordinate our province’s health care system to help ensure that Ontarians receive the best possible care.

The Ontario Health website contains information about our board of directors and leadership.

Acting Senior Manager, Indigenous Tobacco Program: Amanda Di Ilio

Amanda holds a Master of Public Health from the University of Guelph. She joined Ontario Health’s Indigenous Cancer Care Unit in January 2017. Since then, Amanda has had the honour of visiting and working closely with many First Nations, Inuit, Métis and urban Indigenous communities across Ontario to help make the cancer system more accessible and effective.

Tobacco-Wise Lead: Lisa Beedie

Regions: Central East, Simcoe Muskoka, Mississauga Halton/Central West, Central, Erie St. Clair, Southwest, Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant, Waterloo Wellington, Toronto and Champlain

Lisa Beedie (Aisance-Kwe) is a proud Ojibway Kwe from Beausoleil First Nation, and has been working for the Indigenous Cancer Care Unit for over 5 years. Before joining Ontario Health, Lisa served as the health promotions coordinator, primarily in smoking cessation, at a healing lodge in southern Ontario for a number of years. She holds an honours diploma from Georgian College’s Native Community and Social Development program, and a Bachelor of Political Science.

Lisa was recognized in May 2016 for her efforts in promoting smoking cessation with the Robin Chapchuck Award for outstanding contributions to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health’s Training Enhancement in Applied Cessation Counselling and Health (TEACH) Project as an advocate, teacher, mentor, content expert and champion of engaging communities across Ontario.

Tobacco-Wise Lead: Nicole Carnochan

Region: Northwest

Nicole Carnochan is based in Sioux Lookout. She is a registered dietitian and holds a Master of Health Studies from Athabasca University.

She has spent the past 15 years travelling to the Sioux Lookout Zone northern communities through the Meno Ya Win Diabetes Program, and has helped to support and manage diabetes and health promotion in many of the remote communities. Nicole also has worked on research projects like the Canadian Normoglycemia Outcomes Evaluation (CANOE) and the Northern Ontario Pediatric Type 2 Diabetes Project to help prevent and manage diabetes care in the area.

When not at the airport, she usually is found teaching fitness classes, playing sports or coaching her daughter’s and son’s gymnastics, soccer or baseball teams.

Tobacco-Wise Lead: Alicia Topp

Regions: Northeast and Southeast

Alicia Topp is a member of Mattawa North Bay Algonquin First Nation with Algonquin and French ancestry. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in History with a minor in English from Laurentian University and a Bachelor of Education from Nipissing University. Throughout her career, she taught at both the elementary and secondary level with a focus in special education.

Alicia joined the Indigenous Cancer Care Unit in 2017 and is honoured to provide health promotion services in partnership with First Nations, Inuit, Métis, and urban Indigenous communities. She lives outside of Sudbury, on the traditional territory of Atikameksheng Anishnawbek.

Project Coordinator: Vidya Holder

Vidya brings a wealth of experience through working at CCO, supporting the Chief Information Office Leadership Council and, more recently, Cancer Screening. Before joining CCO, she worked in the private sector supporting senior leadership in coordination and core operational activities.