Christine Taylor
Ottawa,ON
Summary
Bilingual public health professional with 10+ years of experience in emergency management, specializing in structured response, coordination, and strategic communications. Currently pursuing a Master's in Disaster and Emergency Management at Royal Roads University. In the role of Watch Officer at the Health Portfolio Operations Centre, responsible for overseeing local, national, and international inquiries, maintaining situational awareness, and producing key reports for senior PHAC members. Skilled at ensuring consistency and accuracy across communication tools and supporting seamless information flow within the agency.
Overview
14
14
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Watch Officer
Public Health Agency of Canada
10.2023 - Current
- Key responsibilities include monitoring and responding to inquiries and creating comprehensive daily reports.
- Achieve operational efficiency by continuously identifying areas for process improvement within the Watch Office.
- Provide real-time updates on emerging threats to inform decision-making processes across the organization.
Co-Chair City of Ottawa Extreme Heat, Cold and Smog Planning Committee
Ottawa Public Health
04.2023 - 10.2023
- Promoted activities to mitigate extreme temperatures and poor air quality effects on Ottawa's residents, focusing on priority populations.
- Mitigated risk factors proactively by developing comprehensive contingency plans addressing potential obstacles to success.
- Evaluated potential partnership opportunities by conducting thorough due diligence assessments and strategically aligning with key industry players where beneficial to goals.
- Developed strong working relationships with stakeholders, resulting in more effective collaboration and streamlined decision-making.
- Delivered consistent results under tight deadlines through practical time management skills and prioritization techniques.
Project Officer
Ottawa Public Health
09.2022 - 10.2023
- Led a project to develop web content on emergency management, emphasizing public health preparedness through a population health approach.
- Kept senior management well-informed by preparing and presenting project status reports.
- Identified potential risks and developed mitigation strategies to minimize impact on project success.
Project Officer
Ottawa Public Health
02.2014 - 01.2023
- From 2014 to 2023, I worked at Ottawa Public Health in various emergency management roles, including Communications Officer, Liaison Officer, Planning Section, and Duty Officer.
- Participating in various emergency responses, such as the 2014 Infection Prevention and Control Lapse at an Ottawa medical clinic, the 2015 Boil Water Advisory in Constance Bay, the 2016 Rideau Street Infrastructure Failure, the 2017 Ottawa River Flooding, the 2017 Opioid Response, the 2018 Ottawa tornadoes and extended power outage, and the 2020-2022 COVID-19 Response, among others.
- Conducted post-project evaluations to identify areas for improvement and implement best practices in future initiatives.
- Responsibilities included problem-solving, reviewing emergency plans, messaging, and strategic implementation.
Special Assignment
Ottawa Public Health
01.2022 - 02.2022
- Served as Duty Officer during the Convoy as a Duty Officer in the Emergency Operations Centre within the Health and Human Needs Branch.
- Participated in the City of Ottawa Command meetings daily and created Situation Reports to keep OPH Command. Informed the OPH Duty Officer Network about staff safety, mobility, continuity of operations, and community health impact assessments.
- Created and maintained documentation.
- Assisted in the development of emergency plans, contributing to a safer environment.
IMS Technical Support
Ottawa Public Health
11.2021 - 01.2022
- During COVID-19, Ottawa Public Health established a Senior Leadership Incident Management System (IMS) to limit morbidity and mortality rates among Ottawa residents, maintain essential services during high levels of community transmission, and focus on employee wellness.
- Collaborated with Ottawa Public Health colleagues on various prevention, mitigation, preparedness, and response activities.
- Authored Incident Action Plans for Senior Leadership and created an Issues, Actions, and Decisions Log to ensure ongoing, accurate information.
Emergency Management Coordinator
City of Ottawa
04.2021 - 08.2021
- During the ongoing State of Emergency regarding the COVID-19 pandemic response and associated mobilization of the City's Emergency Operations Centre, transitioning to the Planning Section to support their efforts.
- Tasks and learnings included Supporting (Roll Call and Scribed) the following meetings: Daily Situation Report (Sit Rep), Command Objectives and Strategy Operations Group, Group Situation Report, Support Planning Meetings and Vaccine Uptake Strategy meetings.
- Other duties included Maintaining the Provincial Orders Matrix, Supporting the Neighbourhood Clinic Strategy, Supporting Phase 2—Priority Review, Reviewing and providing comment on Ottawa's Vaccination Program Plan v1.1, Preparing 209G (Incident Status Summary) for Command approval, Preparing the Incident Action Plan for Command approval, and Co-Leading the 18-39-year-old vaccine uptake strategy.
Project Officer
Ottawa Public Health
12.2019 - 04.2020
- In December 2019, Health Units received directives to transition their Mass Notification Systems from ERMS to RAVE Alert by Spring 2020.
- Tasked with leading this project for Ottawa Public Health, and with support from the City of Ottawa IT Department, we completed the transition on time, trained staff, uploaded over 7,000 contacts, managed internal communications, developed a training plan, established security and admin verification processes, and created bilingual message templates for protective measures and staff deployment.
- This achievement realized through collaborative team effort, demonstrated our ability to adapt and innovate swiftly during a public health crisis.
- I'm incredibly proud of the dedication and success demonstrated by our team.
Project Officer - Social Media
Ottawa Public Health
05.2017 - 07.2018
- Collaborated closely with internal clients to clarify project requirements, goals, budgets, and timelines, ensuring alignment with organizational objectives.
- Developed and monitored project schedules, budgets and objectives for successful completion.
- Implemented quality control measures to minimize errors and maintain high standards throughout the project lifecycle.
Health Information Coordination | Events
Ottawa Public Health
03.2014 - 03.2018
- Responsible for public presentation of information on matters both routine and exceptional.
- On-call 24/7 Emergency Communications support.
- Emergency and crisis communications.
- Strategic planning and community development.
Special Assignment
City of Ottawa
03.2014 - 03.2015
- Project Managed Emergency Support Volunteer Program, successfully developing and implementing policies and procedures to activate volunteers during city-wide emergencies
- Researched best practices for program creation, implementation and deployment
Executive Assistant to the Medical Officer of Health
Ottawa Public Health
03.2011 - 03.2012
- Worked as Executive Assistant to the Medical Officer of Health for the City Of Ottawa.
- Provided support to senior leadership and handled confidential high-level systems.
- Proactively solved problems by communicating effectively with colleagues and utilizing attention to detail.
- Maintained a flexible yet consistent work style while performing duties in a busy office environment.
- Maintained confidentiality with sensitive documents, ensuring proper storage and distribution as needed.
Education
Master of Arts - Disaster And Emergency Management
Royal Roads University
Victoria, BC11.2025
Emergency Management
George Brown College
Toronto, ON03.2022
Skills
- Active listening
- Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion
- Effective Communication
- Problem-Solving
- Teamwork and Collaboration
Certification
- Anti-Racism I - University of Boulder Colorado
- Indigenous Canada | University of Alberta
- Indigenous Primary Health Care Council - Anishinaabe Minoʼayaawin – Foundations in Cultural Safety
- Research Ethics based on the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans
- San'yas: Indigenous Cultural Safety Training
Languages
English
Native or Bilingual
French
Native or Bilingual
Accomplishments
Awarded the Queens Diamond Jubilee pin for volunteer contributions to Canada.
June Callwood Outstanding Achievement Award for volunteer contributions to my community and Ontario.
Timeline
Watch Officer
Public Health Agency of Canada
10.2023 - Current
Co-Chair City of Ottawa Extreme Heat, Cold and Smog Planning Committee
Ottawa Public Health
04.2023 - 10.2023
Project Officer
Ottawa Public Health
09.2022 - 10.2023
Special Assignment
Ottawa Public Health
01.2022 - 02.2022
IMS Technical Support
Ottawa Public Health
11.2021 - 01.2022
Emergency Management Coordinator
City of Ottawa
04.2021 - 08.2021
Project Officer
Ottawa Public Health
12.2019 - 04.2020
Project Officer - Social Media
Ottawa Public Health
05.2017 - 07.2018
Health Information Coordination | Events
Ottawa Public Health
03.2014 - 03.2018
Special Assignment
City of Ottawa
03.2014 - 03.2015
Project Officer
Ottawa Public Health
02.2014 - 01.2023
Executive Assistant to the Medical Officer of Health
Ottawa Public Health
03.2011 - 03.2012
Master of Arts - Disaster And Emergency Management
Royal Roads University
Emergency Management
George Brown College