Peter Dinsdale is a First Nations member of Curve Lake First Nation. He is the current President and Chief Executive Officer of YMCA Canada, and serves on the boards of Wawanesa Insurance, the CSA Group and the Canadian Olympic Committee. Dinsdale has received extensive recognition for his work, including the Order of Ontario and the Indspire Award for Public Service.
Dinsdale’s professional career has been focused on addressing the impacts and legacies of the residential school system within Indigenous communities. He has worked with the Assembly of First Nations, National Association of Friendship Centres, the Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres and worked to build education programs for street-involved youth at Native Child and Family Services of Toronto.
Peter Dinsdale has also served on multiple national boards of directors, including the First Nation Market Housing Fund and the Public Policy Forum. Dinsdale has been instrumental in advancing the Friendship Centre movement in Canada. He also authored and co-authored policy papers, including Urban Aboriginal Communities in Canada: Complexities, Challenges, Opportunities.
"The impact I hope to have is practical and lasting. I want to help ensure the NCR becomes a trusted, independent voice that keeps reconciliation visible, measurable, and grounded in truth. If our work helps strengthen accountability, build public trust, and support real change for Indigenous peoples and future generations, then it will have mattered."
Peter Dinsdale