Bio:

JOHN FINN is the Executive Director of the School Lunch Association, located in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. The association provides hot, nutritious, and non-stigmatizing lunches to primary and elementary school children. Since its founding in 1989 in one school, it has grown to serve over 7,100 meals daily across 46 schools operating on a pay-what-you-can model. Previously, John spent over ten years in the non-profit sector working in housing and homelessness and employment programs and also served as an elected municipal councillor and elected provincial politician in the Newfoundland and Labrador legislature.

THIBAUD LINÉ is the Director of La Cantine pour tous, a social economy non-profit providing more than 56,000 healthy, affordable, and accessible school meals every day across 15 regions in Quebec. Through its flagship program, La Cantine dans les écoles, the organization works with over 50 community catering partners to deliver nutritious hot lunches using a “pay what you can” pricing model designed to support universal access.

Thibaud has dedicated his recent career to improving food security and advancing equitable access to healthy meals. Since joining La Cantine pour tous in 2018, he has become an advocate for accessible, sustainable, and community-driven school food programs in Canada.

SAMANTHA DOUGAY – Acting Executive Director of The PEI School Food Program Inc., a non-profit organization responsible for the successful development and delivery of the school lunch program in all 62 public schools across Prince Edward Island. The program operates using a “Pay What You Can” (PWYC) model to ensure equitable access for all students in Kindergarten- Grade 12 across the province. PEI was the first province in Canada to commit to a universal school lunch program. Samantha is also a Registered Dietitian who has previously worked with Health PEI and held various food service positions including working as a Food Service Manager overseeing school food hub operations with PEISFP prior to the Acting ED role. She is passionate about promoting and nourishing healthy and inclusive school food environments.

AMANDA NORTHCOTT is the Executive Lead for School Food with the Nova Scotia Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, where she leads the development and implementation of Nova Scotia’s universal, pay-what-you-can School Lunch Program. Launched in 2024–25 for elementary students, the program will expand to all 372 public schools and all grade levels in fall 2026. Amanda’s work focuses on building a provincial school food delivery system that balances nutrition policy, operational feasibility, equity, student uptake, and sustainability. She brings experience in public policy and health promotion across federal, provincial, and municipal settings.

EMMA COX has spent 3 decades in the food service industry. After graduating with a BA in History/Politics and Native Studies from Trent University, she purchased a fine dining restaurant and catering company that she successfully ran for 10 years. During the pandemic, Emma found herself working in the nonprofit world of food rescue/food security, working up to the position as program director. Since then, she has taken on the role as the Senior Food Hub Lead for the FoodSharing Project, where she created the recipes and leads the kitchens which are preparing lunches for delivery to schools in The Food Sharing Project’s new Lunch is Ready!  program. Lunch is Ready! started as a pilot in March 2025 with 7 schools and has grown to serve individually packed hearty lunches and large heat and serve shareable meals to 39 schools in the Kingston area. Families order online for this free lunch program which includes a pay-what-you-can option.

As an educator, BRENT MANSFIELD Mansfield teaches Edible Education as a specialist teacher at Lord Roberts Elementary in the Vancouver School Board. He is a co-founder of LunchLAB, an educational lunch program run that provides Grade 6 and 7 student leaders with hands-on, cross-curricular learning around food literacy. Brent is an advocate for school food programs and has worked as part of the Coalition for Healthy School Food, both nationally and in co-founding the BC Chapter. An avid runner, In 2023 and 2024, he undertook a number of runs, around his elementary school, at Parliament in Ottawa, and the Provincial Legislature in Victoria, which gained significant attention about the need for federal investment of $1 Billion over 5 years in a National School Food Program and increased BC investment in school food. An avid runner, in 2023 and 2024, he undertook a number of runs, around his elementary school, at Parliament in Ottawa, and at the Provincial Legislature in Victoria, which gained significant attention about the need for federal investment of $1 Billion over 5 years in a National School Food Program and increased BC investment in school food.