We are very pleased to announce the appointment of Zach Fitzsimmons as the incoming Council Commissioner for Nova Scotia Council!
Born and raised in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Scouting has been a part of Zach’s life since he can recall. Following in the footsteps of his parents and older siblings, Zach first joined Scouting when he dawned his Beaver vest at the age of 5, and hasn’t looked back since. After spending a number of years as a youth in the movement, Zach moved into the role of Scouter at the age of 17. Since then, Zach has been a Scouter at the Colony, Pack, Crew and, most recently, Company levels. In addition to his various Scouter roles over the years, Zach also took on the role of Deputy Council Commissioner – Recognition for the Nova Scotia Council in 2018. Following his graduation from Dalhousie University with a Bachelor of Science degree with Honours in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Zach returned to school and completed his diploma as a Primary Care Paramedic. After a number of years providing frontline healthcare to Nova Scotians, Zach moved into the educational industry and began preparing new Paramedics for their careers. Now an Advanced
Care Paramedic, Zach currently runs a college dedicated to Paramedic training programs.
In his free time, Zach enjoys tackling renovation projects with his wife Sandi, as well as any time spent in the great outdoors. An avid hiker, camper and outdoor enthusiast, Zach is always up for an adventure.
Zach is very excited to take on this next chapter in his Scouting career and is looking forward to joining the Council Key 3 with Kate Larkin, Council Relationship Manager and Amy Kehoe, Council Youth Commissioner.
Zach can be reached at Zach.Fitzsimmons@scouts.ca
Please join us in welcoming Zach; we are thrilled to have him join the team and know that he will be an excellent addition.
In other Council news, we would like to formally announce that Justin Dubreuil will be stepping in as Council Relationship Manager as Kate Larkin takes some time off for maternity leave.
Justin will be stepping into the role of Council Relationship Manager for both Nova Scotia and New Brunswick Councils.
Those of you that have had the pleasure of working with Justin already know that he will excel in this role, and we are very happy to have him take this on.
For those of you who don’t know Justin yet,
Originally from Truro, Nova Scotia, Justin started his adventure with Scouts Canada as a Beaver with 3rd Truro when he was 5. Since then Justin has always loved camping and exploring the outdoors.
As a graduate from the N.S.C.C. in Recreation and Leisure Studies he continued his love of the outdoors and camping working for the Canada Games Centre. During its initial start up in 2011 he led the development of the year round youth programming, policy development, including the day camp program and after school recreation program. That same year he returned to school, and studied International Development at Dalhousie University incorporating sport and recreation as a catalyst for community development on a global scale.
Before joining Scouts Canada, Justin worked with the Tim Hortons Foundation Camps. For over 4 and half years Justin held may roles including most recently General Manager of Tim Horton Camp Whiteshell located in Manitoba. Justin is a certified Wilderness First Responder and has enjoyed leading hiking trips with summer campers and staff through parts of the beautiful Canadian shield. His most memorable moment was hiking the Galiuro Mountains in Arizona with his team and the National Outdoor Leadership School in 2016.
Nova Scotia has always been home, and the opportunity to work with Scouts Canada, doing something he loves, in his home province drew him back out East. He is excited to step into this new adventure with Scouts Canada and the Nova Scotia Council as the Interim Council Relationship Manager. "Over the last year we have navigated through an unprecedented time but the dedication, commitment and passion that I have seen here from our members in Nova Scotia has been truly inspiring. I wish Kate the very best on her maternity leave and am excited to welcome Zach Fitzsimmons as our new Council Commissioner".
Thank you again Zach and Justin for stepping into these important roles.
