Our
Scale of Impact
10,000
Teaching hours each season
350+
Volunteers
50+
Years of delivering adaptive snow sports
1000's
Smiles every year
Our
Mission & Values
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Discovering Ability through the Freedom of Adaptive Sports
The Ontario Track3 Adaptive Sports Association, is an inclusive volunteer, non-profit charitable organization that teaches children and youth with disabilities alpine sports. The name “Track3” comes from the three tracks left in the snow by an amputee skiing with one ski and two outriggers. Ontario Track3 began at a single Collingwood location assisting a small number of young amputees and has since grown to a provincial registered charity with eleven host locations, more than two dozen programs, and two regional affiliates in Kitchener and London, Ontario. We help children and youth each year with a wide variety of cognitive and physical disabilities.
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Inclusion. Ability. Freedom.
Our mission is to change lives by serving young athletes, their families and the broader community with empowering adaptive sports experiences.
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Celebrating our Fifty Year History
Track3 is a story of success. Success not only for its growth over the last 50 years but for the thousands of young people with varying disabilities, who, through the challenge of skiing and snowboarding, have discovered that despite their disability, they could live an active and full life.
Track3 was established in 1972 when a few students with amputations took to the slopes with second-hand equipment. The name Track3 was derived from there, as there were three tracks left in the snow- one ski and two outriggers. The program was funded by Doug Keary and Earling Morris alongside a dedicated group of volunteers and the Easter Seal Society. Doug and Earling put in so many volunteer hours to get Track3 off the ground and discovered the equipment that allowed the students to ski was genius and wrapped with engineering marvel. The perseverance of both men was incredible. Up until five or so years ago, Doug Keary was still involved with Track3 at the age of 93. Still putting forth his great ideas and ways to accommodate these special kids. He created training manuals, programs, protocols and space for many children and youth with disabilities to participate on the hill. They had some great volunteers to support them and some of those are still involved with the program today.
Since the program proved so successful to amputee youngsters, it was not long before those with other disabilities were introduced to the program. Once instructor-training methods were developed to teach these skiers, they too began to benefit. In 1987, Doug Keary and a group of volunteers involved with Track3, decided to separate from the Easter Seal Society, and incorporate as the "Ontario Track 3 Ski Association for the Disabled'' now formally Ontario Track3 Adaptive Sports Association. Our mandate became to provide the best possible program for youngsters with disabilities, using only current ski and snowboard equipment and fully trained and qualified instructors, support staff and ski technicians.” To further this goal, Track3 created a Board of Directors, charged with keeping the organization financially viable and finding ways to successfully continue.
Over the years, Track3 has more than met its mandate. The organization has developed a training system with detailed manuals that correspond to a graded instructor training program. Track3 has its own trained, experienced course conductors to help enable new volunteers to work with the children on the hill. Each year on average, close to 80 recruits receive level one training, and 30 or more instructors strive for level 2 and 3 certifications. Although we are fortunate enough each year to recruit new volunteers, we also, for various reasons i.e. work, family, school etc. lose some volunteers. Each year we try to maintain and expand our volunteer base. This sometimes presents a lot of challenges but we always seem to continue to move forward. Coming into the 2023 season, we have a waitlist of over 150 students waiting anxiously to hit the slopes. Unfortunately, we cannot currently welcome these children into the program.
It is now almost 20 years since Track3 stepped out on its own, working with skiers and snowboarders with a wide variety of physical and mental disabilities. The program has grown so much that new ski schools had to be developed. Over 300 volunteers actively participate in these programs, to ensure that the students get the best instruction we can provide. With their ongoing support and the addition of new and energetic volunteers, Track3 can look to the future with such optimism!
Risk Management and Governance
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Policies
Ontario Track3 is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors who set policy standards for our organization. Our most recent policies are available for review HERE.
Contact our Office Administratorr for a copy of our By-laws, Accessibility, Privacy, Code of Conduct, Screening, Graduation and Safety Policies. Ontario Track3 Adaptive Sports Association is a registered non-profit charity.
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Fiscal Year End and AGM
Our fiscal year-end is April 30. Our AGM's are held in the 3rd or 4th week of October annually. Visit the Canada Revenue Agency website to review our profile.
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Rowan's Law - Concussions
Rowan's Law came into effect on July 1st, 2019. Link HERE to see what this policy means for Track3 members.
Our Motto: Safety,
Fun, and Learning
Stay Updated
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Membership in Track3
Ontario Track3 Adaptive Sports Association is a volunteer-based charity enabling kids (between the ages of 6 to 19) with disabilities to discover their confidence, develop their talents and achieve their potential through the magic of snow sports.
For five decades, Ontario Track3 has served as the only provincial organization dedicated to long-term adaptive alpine sports programs for children with disabilities. We serve hundreds of children and youth each year with a wide variety of cognitive and physical disabilities.
Qualified adaptive volunteer instructors use specialized training and adaptive equipment to remove barriers that Track3 kids experience in their daily lives. We deliver programs that enable each child to achieve physical, personal and social development.
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Track3 Today
Ontario Track3 Adaptive Sports Association is a volunteer-based charity enabling kids (between the ages of 6 to 19) with disabilities to discover their confidence, develop their talents and achieve their potential through the magic of snow sports.
For more than five decades, Ontario Track3 has served as the only provincial organization dedicated to long-term adaptive alpine sports programs for children with disabilities. We serve hundreds of children and youth each year with a wide variety of cognitive and physical disabilities.
Qualified adaptive volunteer instructors use specialized training methods and adaptive equipment to remove barriers that Track3 kids experience in their daily lives. We deliver programs that enable each child to achieve physical, personal and social development.
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JOIN OUR COMMUNITY
CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE
Meet Our
Board of Directors
Ontario Track3 is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors who offer their time and talents. Each and every one of them bring a unique set of skills and expertise to our organization.
Madison Jones
Madison is a CSIA certified instructor with over 10 years of volunteer experience with Track3 as an instructor and course conductor. Madison also served as co-chair of the Track3 training committee for 3 years. In her professional life, Madison has 8 years of management experience in health care staffing and project management. Madison also served as a Venue Manager during the 2015 ParaPan-Am games in Toronto. Track3 has played an important role in Madison's family since 2001 when Track3 first gave her younger sister the ability to join her family on the slopes in a sit-ski. Since then, Madison and her dad have volunteered with Track3 on the hill, in fundraising and event planning, and on a variety of committees. She is excited to bring her experience and love for parasports to the board to continue to serve Track3 and its athletes. Madison was elected as President October 2024.
Catherine Fagnan
Skiing is one of Catherine’s passions having grown up in Quebec City, where loving and embracing the snow is a “Must”. Track3 became a big part of Catherine’s life as it allowed her son Samuel to gain confidence and strength while enjoying himself as an athlete and became a place where her daughter could give back as a volunteer.
Catherine is the Chief Legal and Compliance Officer at Spectrum Health Care, a leading provider of innovative home health care in Ontario and Quebec. Catherine has more than 20 years of broad legal experience, proven leadership skills and board governance expertise. She is trilingual and licensed to practice law in Ontario and Quebec. Catherine holds an Executive MBA from Kellogg-Schulich, a Bachelor of Common Law from the University of Ottawa, a Bachelor of Civil Law from Laval University and is a certified Corporate Director (ICD.D). Catherine currently serves on the Board of Polaris Renewable Energy (TSX:PIF) and is the Co-Chair of the Schulich Women Network.
Catherine is appointed Track3's Secretary on our board of directors.
Victoria Wilkes
Victoria has a passion for empowering others and brings a strong professional background in mergers and acquisitions and strategic planning. As a volunteer ski instructor with Track3, she proudly continues a family tradition of supporting adaptive snowsports, following in the footsteps of her mother and brother. In her role at Moneris, Victoria leads the Corporate Development team in identifying and evaluating acquisition and investment opportunities. She is a CFA charterholder and holds an MSc in Computer Science from the University of Toronto and a BA in Economics from the University of Cambridge. Outside of work, she enjoys running, skiing, traveling, reading, and spending quality time with friends and family.
Ted Larkin
Ted is a certified CSIA instructor and has been volunteering with Track3 as an instructor with a sit ski specialty for 14 years at Craigleith Ski Club.
Ted is a special advisor at Rally Assets, an impact investment management firm which manages the Government of Canada’s Social Finance Fund. Ted has over 40 years’ experience at senior levels in international finance, investment and sustainability at UBS (London and Toronto) and Onex.
Ted has a Bachelor of Commerce from Queens University.
Geoff Rupert
Geoff has been a volunteer with Track3 since 2020, as a ski instructor for the Sunday Beaver Valley program. Geoff's family are all passionate about mountain sports, and since he first learned to ski at the age of 9 he finds genuine pleasure in visiting the mountains and enjoys the opportunity that Track3 provides to share that passion with others.
Currently working as a Risk Manager for Jacobs Engineering, Geoff provides advisory services for major transportation infrastructure projects. In his spare time, Geoff enjoys travelling, sailing, listening to live music, playing tennis, and watching sports. In the summers, he also volunteers with Blind Sailing Canada where he shares his enjoyment of the water by facilitating accessibility for the blind community.
Adam Hagarty
Meet Adam Hagarty, Vice President and Head of Wealth Management Canada Operations at RBC, a seasoned professional with over 20 years of leadership experience, an MBA, and a Professional Engineer. Adam is not only a dedicated leader at RBC but also serves as the Executive Co-Sponsor of RBC's REACH Employee Resource Group, focusing on removing barriers and eliminating stigma for persons with disabilities.
His commitment extends beyond the office as he volunteers at Canada Adaptive Sports (CADS) and passionately supports organizations like Holland Bloorview and SickKids.
Moreover, his personal journey in understanding disability and the pursuit of sports for individuals with disabilities began in 2016 with the birth of his son, Colton. Today, Colton is an enthusiastic participant in sit skiing and sledge hockey.
Maggie McIntyre
Maggie joined Track3 as a volunteer with the Earl Bales program in 2015. She grew up skiing with her family in the Collingwood area and began working with young athletes as a ski coach in high school. In her professional life, Maggie has led Customer Success and Operations teams at several successful Toronto tech startups. Her focus has been supporting mission-driven teams as they prepare to scale, creating processes to support their growth. Outside of work, she enjoys being outdoors, cooking for friends and family, and exploring her home city of Toronto. Maggie is keen to bring her passion for problem-solving and love of sport to the Track3 Board.
Rachel Megitt
There isn’t a time Rachel can remember when she wasn’t on skis. Now the parent of two ski racers, Rachel happily splits her time between the city and the slopes in the winter. When not cheering and ringing a cowbell at the bottom of a course (or skiing or racing herself), Rachel is the Vice President, Operations Strategy and Business Management for RBC’s Personal and Commercial Banks. Rachel is responsible for the strategy supporting Personal and Commercial Operations, the financial health of its portfolio and the culture of engagement across all 6,000 Operations employees. Prior to this role, Rachel was the Vice President, Term Investments & Savings, RBC InvestEase and RBC Healthcare for Personal Banking & Investments. During her tenure, she was involved in the due diligence for the HSBC Canada acquisition and oversaw the conversion of the Term Investments and Savings balances and clients to RBC. Prior to that Rachel was a Managing Director for RBC Capital Markets where she worked for 9 years. Rachel holds a Joint Honours degree in Economics and Political Science from McGill University, where she served as President of the Arts Undergraduate Society. She also holds a Masters of Arts in Business Economics from Wilfrid Laurier University, and an MBA from the Rotman School of Management, where she was the President of the Graduate Business Council. Rachel also currently chairs the Rotman Global Alumni Board.
Peggy Lang
Having participated with Track3 for over 20 years, Peggy brings a deep understanding of the organization’s mission, programs, and commitment to providing meaningful opportunities for individuals through outdoor recreation. Peggy’s experience as a Track3 Ski Instructor, Course Conductor and service on the Training Committee has given her valuable insight into the organization’s operations, training standards, and volunteer community. Professionally, Peggy brings more than 30 years of project management experience, including owning and operating a construction project management company. Throughout her career, Peggy has developed strong leadership, strategic planning, problem-solving, and organizational skills, with a focus on creating effective solutions that support diverse teams and achieve shared goals. Peggy is passionate about contributing her experience, knowledge, and collaborative approach to support Track3’s continued growth and success and believes in the importance of strong governance, effective teamwork, and sustainable organizational practices.
Trevor Gillis
Trevor Gillis is a senior financial-services executive with 25 years of experience spanning business leadership, strategy, risk management, analytics, customer experience and large-scale transformation. He currently leads North American credit card acquisition and portfolio management at BMO and has held senior roles across BMO, Scotiabank/Tangerine, TD, Bank of America/MBNA. Throughout his career, Trevor has combined business leadership with a strong commitment to community involvement and developing others. His experience includes leadership within Indigenous employee diversity initiatives, and extensive involvement in charitable fundraising. Trevor has taken a particularly active role in major charitable events, including leadership with BMO teams supporting the hospital and medical research programs. His involvement has included mobilizing colleagues and supporting fundraising initiatives. Outside work, Trevor has a longstanding interest in sport and an active lifestyle, including cycling, running and skiing, and is a proud parent of twins involved in competitive swimming. Trevor is particularly drawn to organizations that use sport to create opportunities for children who might otherwise face barriers to participation. He believes his combination of governance experience, financial and strategic leadership, fundraising, relationship building and passion for sport can help an adaptive skiing organization broaden its reach and create meaningful experiences for more children and families.
Michael Foulds
Michael Foulds is a Partner at Ricketts Harris LLP, a Toronto-based law firm, where he maintains a civil litigation practice with a focus on insurance, risk management, construction, professional liability and product liability matters. He has extensive experience representing both individuals and large multinational corporations in complex litigation and dispute resolution. Michael also serves as editor in chief of Watson & McGowan, Ontario Civil Practice, an annually published, pre-eminent civil litigation text. Michael has a long history of community involvement that started in his hometown of Thunder Bay. Over the past decade, his volunteer work has increasingly focused on promoting inclusion and independence of people with disabilities, a passion that stems from his own experience being a father to a son with cerebral palsy. Michael currently serves on the Board of Directors of March of Dimes Canada and the Not-for Profit Housing Corporation. While Michael is still somewhat new to the slopes, his son is no stranger! With an adapted Track3 ski walker and the support of a team of incredible volunteers, his son is now a force on the slopes of Moonstone. Michael is excited to make this experience a reality for other children with disabilities and to give them a chance to set and meet their goals and have fun in sport and life.