FREDERICTON (CNB) – Roberta Dugas has become the first woman chairperson of the board of directors of the Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Commission (WHSCC). The appointment was announced today by Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour Minister Ed Doherty.
“I am certainly pleased with this appointment, and I am especially proud that Ms. Dugas is an exceptional individual who will serve the commission well,” Doherty said. “She has been past representative of the public for the WHSCC board, so she is no stranger to the topics and issues that are of utmost importance to the commission, and I am confident that her experience will be a definite asset. I would also like take this moment to commend outgoing chair Robert Scott on his hard work and dedication during the past several years on the board.”
A former mayor of Caraquet and a trained registered nurse, Dugas balanced a career in nursing with extensive community and cultural involvement. She became a councillor for the town of Caraquet in 1986 while she was a community mental-health nurse for the Acadian Peninsula. She served as mayor of Caraquet from 1992 to 2001. She is a past president and regional representative of the New Brunswick Nurses’ Union, past president of the New Brunswick Association of Francophone Municipalities, and past president of the Mayors’ Forum for the Acadian Peninsula.
Dugas previously served as public representative on the WHSCC board of directors from 1995 to 2001.
“Her tireless commitment to her community and her extensive background in public health make Ms. Dugas an excellent fit for this position,” Doherty said. “Being responsible for bringing forward recommendations for legislative change from the WHSCC, I welcome Ms. Dugas back to the board as the first woman to chair it. Together we will work to promote a safe and healthy work environment to the workers and employers of New Brunswick, while providing quality services and just adjudication.”