Information About The Waterloo Regional Health Network
With over 850 beds, Waterloo Regional Health Network (WRHN) is one of Ontario’s largest community hospitals and a leader in high-quality care. WRHN provides excellent patient-centred care to the over 700,000 residents of Waterloo Wellington. Through innovation and collaboration, WRHN has become a leader in the provision of patient care programs for our community. WRHN provides health services within 20 specialized programs at our Queen’s Blvd., Midtown and Chicopee sites. The Hospital is fortunate to have the services of over 7,000 staff members, 700 medical staff (physicians and midwives), over 500 learners, and 550 volunteers. WRHN is privileged to be a key partner in health sciences learning and has a rapidly growing role in research and in the education of healthcare professionals. We are affiliated with the DeGroote Medical School of McMaster University and we serve as the principal hospital site for the Waterloo Undergraduate Medical Campus. WRHN hosts post graduate residency training in a number of medical specialties including psychiatry, emergency medicine, pediatrics, critical care, and internal medicine. The Hospital partners with Conestoga College, Wilfrid Laurier University, McMaster University and the University of Waterloo in the professional education of nurses, social workers, medical physicists, pharmacists, physiotherapists, kinesiologists, dieticians and many other health related occupations. WRHN also has active research relationships with the University of Waterloo, McMaster University, Wilfrid Laurier University, and Cancer Care Ontario, among others.
The hospital has received recognition as one of the ten safest hospitals in Canada by the Canadian Institute for Health Information and was accredited with commendation by Accreditation Canada for outstanding patient care and safety.
Waterloo Regional Health Network and its Board have a strong relationship with the Waterloo Regional Health Network Foundation. To find out more about the WRHNF, please visit their website.
Application Process
The Board of Directors (“Board”) of WRHN is seeking community-minded, dedicated individuals to join their skills-based team in providing oversight and governance leadership of an organization that delivers an exceptional health care experience with compassion. The Board is looking for individuals to join the Board of Directors and its Committees.
The application can be downloaded in WORD or PDF.
All expressions of interest are confidential and all complete applications received by Monday, September 22, 2025, 9:00amwill be considered by the interview panel. To learn more, or to obtain an application package, please contact Catherine Heal, Manager, Enterprise Risk, Policy Management & Governance by e-mail at board@wrhn.ca.
Recruitment Priorities for the 2025 Recruitment Process
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
- Legal Expertise ideally with Intellectual Property, AI, and Innovation Experience
- Financial Accountability, Reporting and Investment Governance Expertise
- Governance in Large Scale Facility Development (Waterloo Region’s New Hospital)
- Strategic Leadership in Innovation
Eligibility Criteria for Waterloo Regional Health Network Board / Committee Members
Directors/Committee Members should have familiarity of the social, economic and political characteristics of the Region of Waterloo and the broader catchment areas including Wellington and Gray/Bruce counties.
In accordance with the Ontario Not-for-Profit Act or the WRHN Corporate By-law, any person belonging to one or more of the following categories will not qualify to be appointed or elected as a Director or Committee Member:
- is under eighteen (18) years old;
- has been found under the Substitute Decisions Act, 1992 or under the Mental Health Act to be incapable of managing property;
- has been found to be incapable by any court in Canada or elsewhere;
- has the status of a bankrupt; or
- is an “ineligible individual” as defined in the Income Tax Act (Canada) or any regulations made under it.
Duties and Expectations of a Waterloo Regional Health Network Board Director / Committee Member
Directors/Committee Members are expected to commit the time required to perform board and committee duties.
Directors are assigned to at least one committee of the board. Non-director Community Members are usually each assigned to one committee of the board. Assignments are made based on the skills and competencies of the individuals and the skills required by each Committee.
The typical time commitment of a Director is between 10-15 hours per month, spread out to an average of a few hours per week. Total time commitment depends on the number of committees a Director is on. The typical time commitment of a non-director Committee Member is 5-6 hours per month, 6 months per year. (See Meeting Schedule below.)
Directors and Committee Members must:
- attend at least 75% of all appliable meetings;
- fulfill the governance requirements and responsibilities, for example, preparing for and attending board and committee meetings, upholding their fiduciary obligation to the hospital, and working cooperatively and respectfully with other Directors;
- comply with the Public Hospitals Act and other legislation governing the corporation, it’s By-laws, policies, and all other applicable rules; and
- sign a declaration upon appointment and annually thereafter to confirm their agreement to adhering to their fiduciary duties, and board and corporate policies.
Successful candidates will be required to attend orientation sessions in October 2025.
Board and Board Committee Meeting Schedule
Board and committee meetings are typically held between September and June. The Board meets 6 times per year, on the first Tuesday of the month, 3:00-6:00 pm. Committees meet on Tuesdays or Wednesdays 6 times per year, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm. More meetings and/or educational sessions may be scheduled as required.
Responsibilities and Accountabilities of the Board of Directors and its Committees
The Board and its committees are accountable for the achievement of WRHN’s mission, vision, values and strategic directions, in accordance with good governance practices, policies and processes, and in manners that support sound and ethical decision making. In addition, the Board and its committees are accountable to all interested parties for acting consistently with its Articles, By-laws, applicable legislation, and the common law as it governs the hospital.
All committees carry out their respective mandates by providing strategic guidance on organizational plans and strategic initiatives that support their mandates, setting goals and objectives, monitoring results, and satisfying themselves that management has appropriate resources, policies, practices and risk management measures in place to implement such plans and initiatives.
The fiduciary role of individual Directors and Committee Members is to act in good faith, honestly, and in the best interests of the corporation as a whole.
Responsibilities and Accountabilities of Committees of the Board for which Members are being Recruited
The Finance & Audit Committee oversees the effective management of WRHN’s resources. The subject matters governed by this committee include, but are not limited to, financial resources, pension, human capital, digital technology (information, systems, management and technology), investments, assets, insurance, contractual commitments and liabilities, financial reporting, risk management, internal audits and external audits.
Redevelopment Committee provides strategic oversight to renew the hospital’s facility infrastructure and governance of project matters. The committee carries out its mandates by providing strategic guidance on the New Hospital project by setting goals and objectives, monitoring results, and satisfying itself that management has appropriate resources, processes and risk management measures in place to successfully complete the project.
The Governance Committee develops and maintains practices, policies and processes related to governance, community engagement and nominations.
The Quality Committee provides governance oversight of practices, policies and processes related to the hospital’s quality, family and patient-centred care and patient safety.
People, Culture and Engagement Committee will ensure that practices and processes related to people, culture and executive performance are developed, maintained and implemented.
Board Manual Documents
The following policies and documents provide additional detail regarding roles and responsibilities of Directors and Community Members:
- Role Description - Duties and Expectations of Individual Directors
- Confidentiality Policy
- Conflict of Interest Policy
- Decision Making and Ethics Frameworks
All policies are available in this document that opens as a PDF.
Additional Information
Should you have any questions, or wish to obtain an application package, please contact Catherine Heal, Manager, Enterprise Risk, Policy Management & Governance by e-mail at board@wrhn.ca.
Thank you for your interest in Waterloo Regional Health Network.