Editor

 
Robert Stewart

Professionally, Robert spent 12 years working in one of Canada's largest emergency communications centres and 17 years as a licensed Primary Care Paramedic. In 2010 he was appointed to a Superintendent position with BC Emergency Health Services managing dispatch training, development, and quality improvement across three centres directly supporting over 240 staff.
 
Robert is APCO Canada's Public Safety Steering Committee representative for the Canadian Institute for Public Safety Research and Treatment (CIPSRT) and a member of the PSSC's Training Sub-Committee. Representing a membership of almost 500 public safety professionals for APCO Canada, Robert continues to advocate for front-line emergency telecommunicators.
 
Robert graduated with distinction from the University of the Fraser Valley with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. He has also completed programs on Project Management (University of Victoria), Quality Improvement (BC Patient Safety & Quality Council), and Communication Center Management (Fitch & Associates).
 
Robert is currently the Director of Public-Safety Communications for the City of Brandon in Manitoba. His amazing team oversees Provincial 911 for most of rural Manitoba. His centre also dispatches over 200 rural Manitoba fire departments and 6 rural police services in addition to Brandon Police Service and Brandon Fire & Emergency Services.
 

Editorial Advisory Board

 
R. Nicholas Carleton, Ph.D.
 

R. Nicholas Carleton, Ph.D. is a Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Regina, Director of the Psychological Trauma and Stress Systems Lab, and a registered clinical psychologist in Saskatchewan. His work is focused on supporting the mental health of first responders and other public safety personnel. He served as founding Scientific Director for the Canadian Institute for Public Safety Research and Treatment until 2024. He has published more than 270 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters exploring the fundamental bases of anxiety- and trauma-related disorders. He has completed more than 500 national and international conference presentations. He also serves as an active member of several national and international professional associations. As principal or co-principal investigator he has been awarded more than $100M in competitive external funding. He has received several prestigious awards and recognitions, including induction to the Royal Society of Canada’s College and as a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, and he was awarded the 2023 Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation Mid-Career Award and the 2020 Royal-Mach-Gaensslen Prize for Mental Health Research. He is principal investigator for the RCMP Longitudinal PTSD Study (www.rcmpstudy.ca) and the associated extension study for Saskatchewan public safety personnel (www.saskptsistudy.ca), and co-investigator on the Federal Internet Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Program for public safety personnel (www.PSPSNET.ca). Dr. Carleton has supervised or co-supervised 15 post-doctoral trainees, 20+ successful graduate students (most awarded tri-council funding), and served as committee member for 25+ additional graduate students.

 

Ronald E. (Ron) Williscroft, ENP

Ron is currently a Director with APCO Canada, Past President and Lifetime member. Educated in Communications Technology, he has worked as a Sr. Field Technician, Subject Matter Expert, Systems Specialist and Trainer in telecommunications with Bell Cellular, Motorola, Unitel and AT&T. Moving to Manitoba; he shifted to work as a Paramedic with the North Eastman and Interlake Regional Health Authorities.

After a career changing back injury, Ron returned to apply his Paramedic experience with a focus on Communications. He holds several instructor and communications specific certifications, is also an active member of NENA, The Canadian Coalition for NG9-1-1, Director with The Project25 Technology Interest Group and served as Quality Assurance Lead for the design and implementation of the City of Winnipeg’s P25 public safety radio system.  Ron is also a founding member of the Collaborative Coalition for International Public Safety (CC:IPS). He is recently retired from the City of Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service where he served as Director of 9-1-1 Communications and Director of Special Projects for NG9-1-1.

 

Melissa Taaffe, BA ENP, Professor, Durham College

Melissa Taaffe is a Professor in the 9-1-1 Emergency and Call Centre Communications program at Durham College and the Executive Manager at 911Professor.com. She brings over two decades of experience in emergency communications, including roles as an Emergency Communicator with Oshawa Central Ambulance Communications, Emergency Medical Dispatcher with Toronto Paramedic Services, and Emergency Dispatcher with Oshawa Fire Services, where she also served as a trainer and Acting Supervisor.

Melissa is an Emergency Number Professional (ENP) through NENA and has earned multiple certifications, including APCO instructor credentials in Public Safety Communicator, Fire Service Communicator, and Emergency Medical Dispatcher. She is a certified emergency management and IMS instructor with Emergency Management Ontario and a Mental Health First Aid facilitator with the Mental Health Commission of Canada.

Since joining Durham College in 2009, she has earned various teaching credentials including certificates in Teaching and Training Adults and College Teaching certification. During her tenure at Durham College, she has taught courses in public safety telecommunications, emergency management, mental health, and anatomy, helping to prepare the next generation of emergency communications professionals.

 

Chris Kearns

Chris Kearns has operated in the public safety and emergency management realm for over 30 years.  Chris started his career as a 9-1-1, police, fire, and ems dispatcher in Fredericton New Brunswick.  Since then, Chris has advanced his career and moved across Canada.  He currently serves as Deputy Chief with Red Deer Emergency Services. 

Chris has a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of New Brunswick, and both Masters and Doctorate degrees in Emergency Management from Jacksonville State University.  Dr. Kearns has served on various 9-1-1 related committees over the years, and was presented with a lifetime achievement award by the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO) Canada in 2017. 

Emergency management is a side line activity for Chris.  He volunteers with Canada Task Force 2 (CANTF2), a heavy urban search and rescue team based out of Calgary.  Chris’ role is usually part of the incident management team.  He has deployed with CANTF2 to the Fort McMurray wildfire (2016), the North West Territories wildfires (2023), and the Jasper National Park wildfire (2024).  Chris is a Certified Emergency Manager, through the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM).

 

Stephen Czarnuch

Dr. Stephen Czarnuch is an Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering, joint-appointed to the Faculties of Medicine and Engineering and Applied Science, and the Director of the Centre for Artificial Intelligence at Memorial University. His research focuses on developing health-related technological interventions, commonly based on autonomously tracking human motion. His technical focus is on machine learning, deep learning, and computer vision. Dr. Czarnuch is also a founding member of the Canadian Institute for Public Safety Research and Treatment (CIPSRT), and a scholar in the field of public safety, mental health and wellness, predominantly focused on public safety communicators.

 

Dr Jonathan Sinclair CEng CertIoD

Dr. Jonathan Sinclair is a Chartered Engineer and award-winning technology leader with a deep-rooted commitment to innovation in public safety and emergency communications. As CTO of Inclutech, Jonathan has spearheaded the development of cutting-edge, inclusive technologies designed to protect the most vulnerable in society—most notably through mobile solutions for discreet incident reporting, domestic abuse intervention, and NG999 preparedness. Their work has received national recognition and supports cross-sector partnerships in emergency response, public transport safety, and gender-based violence prevention.
 
With a career spanning cybersecurity, social impact tech, and cloud-native mobile platforms, Jonathan combines technical depth with a strategic vision for real-world, mission-critical applications. He has published and patented in areas such as virtualisation and augmented reality, and recently represented the UK through APCO International and BAPCO at NG911 events in North America to bring back key learnings to shape the future of Next Generation 999 services.
 
Jonathan is also an advocate for inclusive innovation. He actively supports diversity initiatives including Tech She Can, the Tech Talent Charter, and Women in Business, and advises academic institutions and early-stage startups through his mentoring roles. His leadership continues to inspire and connect international stakeholders across public safety, transport, and digital transformation sectors.
 
Jonathan brings to Open Wavelength Journal a unique blend of engineering expertise, frontline experience with public safety technologies, and a passion for systems that make communities safer, smarter, and more resilient.