• Campaigns
• Getting Off the Bottle
• Pesticides
• Right-to-Know

Major Donor
Leonard Schein
President,
Festival Cinemas

"I'm very impressed with the difficult work that Toxic Free Canada does. I support Toxic Free Canada because I know their knowledge and hard work will result in great strides in protecting the health and environment of the people of BC and Canada."

About Toxic Free Canada

2008 Annual Report

Who We Are

Toxic Free Canada is the new voice of the Labour Environmental Alliance Society (LEAS). LEAS was founded in 1998 to bring workers and environmentalists together in cooperative projects for toxics reduction and a green economy. Under our new name, we continue that mission and work to create alliances and initiatives that promote healthy workplaces, healthy homes and communities and a healthy environment. We bring together environmentalists and health activists, unions and green businesses, parents and teachers, scientists and cancer prevention advocates to eliminate health and environmental toxins and reduce our carbon footprint on the planet. Our name is our goal — a Toxic Free Canada for future generations.

Executive DirectorExecutive Director

Mae Burrows leads the project team, providing strategic guidance, workshop development and facilitation and ongoing communication. Mae is a powerful public speaker who is called regularly for comment by print, radio and television media. Mae has been the executive director of Toxic Free Canada (formerly LEAS) since 1998. She is a skilled administrator and educator, and has published in academic and popular journals. Mae is the recipient of the Canadian Labour Congress' Environmentalist of the Year Award, the Wilderness Committee's Eugene Rogers activist award and, most recently, a Canadian Cancer Society's partnership award. Mae holds a Masters Degree in Applied Science and is a Director of the Canadian Cancer Society, BC and Yukon region.

Research Coodinator

Sean Griffin will coordinate project research, writing and development of print materials. Sean is author of the CancerSmart Consumer Guide and the Cleaners and Toxins Guide and serves as instructor for the Chemical Hazards in the Workplace course offered by the B.C. Federation of Labour Occupational Health and Safety Centre. He has worked with health and safety committees in the carrying out toxins reduction programs in several major hotels, office centres and B.C. school districts and conducted a WorkSafe B.C.-funded research project that resulted in two major school districts moving to green procurement. Sean also worked with the property management branch of the B.C. Buildings Corporation in establishing their environmental cleaning standard.

Communications and Donor Development Coordinator

Claudia Ferris is responsible for budgeting, scheduling and reports, liaison with project team, contractors, community partners and the media. Claudia brings to this project 25 years of project management experience in communications and television media. Claudia has worked with the organization since 2002, having been a Director of the Board prior to accepting her current staff position. Claudia is an accomplished media spokesperson and credible contact, having developed and maintained strong relationships with Canada's top journalists in all her areas of interest.

Toxic Free Canada launch!

We were busy across the country in April as Toxic Free Canada was officially launched at events in Vancouver and Ottawa. In Montreal Toxic Free Canada research coordinator Sean Griffin joined project partner Option Consommateurs in launching the brand new French edition of the CancerSmart Guide. Check out the photos from the Vancouver launch.