VegOttawa Fest 2025

Alan Wong, VegOttawa President

Alan has been the President of VegOttawa’s Board of Directors for the past year, and vegan for the past 4 years. He spends his days working for Humane World for Animals, and his evenings and weekends volunteering in various ways to help animals. He does this in a tiny house, alongside his wife, who does the same thing. Somehow, they’re very happy.

Dr. Jennifer Purdy, CD, MD, CCFP, DipABLM

Dr. Purdy is a family medicine physician. She obtained her Medical Degree from University of Ottawa in 2008, and completed her residency in Family Medicine at University of Ottawa in 2010. She retired from the military after a 23-year career, and opened Ottawa Lifestyle Medicine, the first medical clinic in Ottawa to offer evidence-based Lifestyle Medicine.

Dr. Purdy has the Certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition from eCornell, is board-certified in Lifestyle Medicine, and is a member of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine.

Susan Snitynsky, MScA, RD, CDE, Registered Dietitian & Athlete

Susan is an Ottawa-based Registered Dietitian holding a BSc and an MScA in Human Nutrition. She has been an active member of the vegan community for many years and previously ran a private practice specialized in vegan nutrition.

Presently, Susan works in clinical nutrition, which has allowed her to focus on her athletic pursuits as an obstacle course racer/hybrid athlete. Over the past four years, she has podiumed in nearly all her races. In 2024, she won the Spartan Canadian National Series and placed both first and second in her age group at the DEKA World Championship.

Samantha Shorkey, vegan trainer and bodybuilding coach

Samantha Shorkey is a trainer and coach, the first-ever VEGAN World Naturals Bikini Pro, author of “The Vegan Bodybuilder’s Cookbook,” and creator of the blog and podcaset “Jacked on the Beanstalk.” Her motto is “I don’t preach, I inspire.” Her biggest client success story was a meat-eater-turned-vegan who won bodybuilding.com’s $200k 12-week Transformation Challenge in 2015, beating out 345,000 contestants worldwide.

Jordan Pett, Chef/Owner, Keepin’ it Vegan

A red seal trained chef whose passion for creating upscale vegan fare is a dream that has propelled Keepin’ it Vegan to where it is today. She believes that everyone should feel included and be able to find high quality, great tasting baked goods or desserts for any occasion, no matter their dietary needs. She also believes in living life to its fullest, having fun, and not taking yourself too seriously!

Edelweiss D’Andrea

Animal, environmental and human rights advocate and activist and, professionally, communications officer and healthcare worker. Trained in lifestyle medicine. Lots of lived experience being on a shoestring budget!

2025 International Vegan Film Festival (IVFF) World Tour

The 2025 IVFF World Tour is coming to Ottawa, with inspiring, thought-provoking, and powerful storytelling that highlights the transformative impact of veganism. A global platform for filmmakers and activists, the IVFF showcases films that elevate activism to an art form and empower positive change. This curated selection will feature 6 films: I WANT, Kindness Town, Sanctuary, Aquifer Depletion (1-min excerpt), Vegan Origin Stories and The Humane Way To Kill.

Alanna Devine, Lawyer and Director of Campaigns at Animal Justice

Alanna is a lawyer and Director of Campaigns at Animal Justice, with over 15 years of experience in animal law and advocacy. She holds an undergraduate degree in Criminology from the University of Toronto, along with civil and common law degrees from McGill University. After clerking for the Supreme Court of Canada, Alanna began her career at Quebec’s leading animal protection organization, where she spent more than a decade as Director of Legal Advocacy.

Throughout her career, Alanna has been instrumental in advocating for significant legislative changes to protect animals, ensuring the effective enforcement of animal welfare laws, and educating the public on key advocacy issues. She has also taught animal law at McGill University, served on multiple non-profit boards, and lectured across North America on animal law and advocacy.

Me Sophie Gaillard, Director of Animal Advocacy & Legal and Government Affairs, Montreal SPCA

One of the first and leading animal protection lawyers in Quebec and Canada, Sophie Gaillard has worked at the Montreal SPCA since 2013. As Director of Animal Advocacy and Legal and Government Affairs, she oversees the organization’s efforts to advance animal law and strengthen animal protection legislation and public policy at the municipal, provincial and federal levels.

Sophie notably spearheaded the campaigns that led to the banning of cat declawing in Quebec, the authorization of dogs in the Montreal metro and the adoption of a new provision in the Civil Code of Quebec recognizing animals as sentient beings.

Riana Topan, Program Director, Farmed Animal Protection, Humane World for Animals Canada

Since 2017, Riana has worked to protect animals on farms with Humane World for Animals Canada (formerly called Humane Society International/Canada) by advocating for higher-welfare practices, policies and regulations, and encouraging institutions to offer more vegan options. She has been vegan since 2013.

Jo-Anne McArthur, Photojournalist, Founder and President of We Animals

Jo-Anne is an award-winning photojournalist, sought-after speaker, photo editor, and the founder of We Animals. She has visited over sixty countries to document our fraught relationship with animals and is the author of three books: We Animals (2014), Captive (2017), and HIDDEN: Animals in the Anthropocene (2020).

Jo-Anne is the subject of the acclaimed Canadian documentary, The Ghosts in Our Machine, and her photographs have received accolades from Wildlife Photographer of the Year, Nature Photographer of the Year, Big Picture, Picture of the Year International, the Global Peace Award, and others. Jo-Anne enjoys jurying photo competitions and has done so for World Press Photo, Big Picture, and others. She hails from Toronto, Canada.

Adam Clasky, Officer, Animal Protection Party of Canada

Adam Clasky is an Officer for the Animal Protection Party of Canada. He recently graduated law school at the University of Ottawa with a focus on animal and environmental law, and is currently undergoing the lawyer licensing process. He is passionate about animal rights and veganism, and hopes to further these causes throughout his career.

Lucas Solowey, Manager, Public Relations, Toronto Humane Society

Lucas Solowey is the Public Relations Manager at Toronto Humane Society, where he shares impactful stories that help animals and inspire change. His media work has earned over 1 billion impressions, with appearances on national and local TV, radio, and in print.

With a strong background in the non-profit sector, Lucas has held roles including National Outreach Coordinator at Mercy for Animals Canada and Interim Executive Director at VegTO. He has also interned with international NGOs such as PETA and Greenpeace. Lucas has worked with celebrities, politicians, athletes, and film directors to amplify voices and drive meaningful impact.

Daniel Monoogian, Director of Outreach, VegOttawa

Dan is a Director at VegOttawa, focusing on outreach and advocacy. His interest in veganism began in 2022 when he participated in Veganuary for the first time. Dan also leads a sustainability volunteer driven network for Ernst & Young Canada, leveraging the skills and enthusiasm of EY Canada’s more than 8,000 employees. He also heads EY Ottawa’s Ripples program, which engages EY employees in volunteer initiatives within the community.

Camilla Jastrzebski, Local Vegan Activist

After discovering the plight of animals exploited for food, clothing, experimentation, entertainment and other purposes, Camilla has devoted her life to raising awareness of this atrocity and inspiring people to live vegan. She is an organizer with the activist organizations Anonymous for the Voiceless and We The Free. She volunteers with vegan organizations such as PETA, Plant Based Treaty, and VegOttawa. She participates in many forms of activism such as protests, marches, leafleting, food giveaways, chalking and pressure campaigns, and is excited to share her experiences and show others all the ways to get involved!

Liz Wheeler, Founder, Secondhand Stories

Liz Wheeler is a passionate animal advocate. She holds certifications in Animal Welfare from Thompson Rivers University and Anthrozoology from the University of Windsor. Her professional journey includes roles at the Ottawa Humane Society and Humane Canada, leading to her current position as Philanthropy Manager at Faunalytics, a nonprofit organization that conducts research to help animal advocates with effective messages, strategies, and tactics.

In 2022, Liz founded Secondhand Stories, a registered nonprofit chicken sanctuary located near Perth, Ontario. The sanctuary is home to over 20 rescued hens and roosters, with a mission to inspire compassion for chickens through rescue, advocacy, and education.

73 Cows

73 Cows tells the story of Jay Wilde, the first farmer in the UK to trade beef farming for sustainable organic vegan farming. With a run-time of 15 minutes, this no-budget short won the British Academy Film Award in 2019 for British Short Film. 

Ask Me Anything Table

For part of the day, long-time vegans will be stationed at this table to answer any and all questions related to veganism. Drop by to chat about anything you’ve been wondering about, from how to live without cheese to plant-based sources of protein, or navigating social situations and where to find the best vegan eats in Ottawa.

Discussion Circle

Join fellow attendees for casual, facilitated conversations in a safe space. Open to anyone, from long-time vegans to anyone just curious to learn more. Connect with others, share experiences, and learn from the collective wisdom of the group. Topics listed below:

11:00 AM People Problems
Navigating relationships, from family to dating

1:00 PM Clever Kitchens
Cooking and baking hacks and techniques

3:00 PM Vegan Parenting
Tricks and challenges of raising kids

5:00 PM What’s Your Activism?
The big and small ways we advocate for animals

Eric Luca

Eric Luca is a local singer and songwriter who mostly plays country music mixed with classic rock and gets his inspiration from artists like Luke Combs, Brett Eldridge, Brad Paisley, Lee Brice, Zac Brown Band, Chris Stapleton and of course, his old man! When he’s not performing on stage or writing music, he’s hanging with his wife, two dogs (one happens to be quite the backup singer) and two young boys, or cheering on his favourite sports team (there are many).

YouTube: Eric Luca Music
Instagram: @ericlucamusic

Rick Davoice

Rick Davoice is a singer-songwriter based in the National Capital Region who has been writing and performing original music for nearly 20 years. These days, you can catch him live on Twitch, sharing a mix of originals and covers with his online community.

A vegan for over 11 years, Rick recently launched a social media presence to showcase the plant-based meals that fuel his days. He’s excited to be part of VegOttawa Fest and to connect through music, food, and compassion.

Links: Rick Davoice
Instagram: @rick.davoice (music) | @rickdavegan (food)

Mark Brownlee

Mark Brownlee plays rock music in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
His music is a pyramid of gruff melodies on a bedrock of lo-fi guitars.
He previously performed in the late 2000s rock and roll groups The Chorus Leaves and Field Museum.
His latest release, the Already Dead EP, came out in May 2025.

Links: Mark Brownlee
Instagram: @mmmmbrownlee

Kenny Hayes

Kenny is an award-winning singer-songwriter and actor. His music releases include his EP “Lightning…and Other Fears” (2022), singles “My Mind Goes Like (Nanana)”, Pride anthem “This Love Is Our Love” and his gorgeous homage to Nex Benedict, “Spirits In The Light”. He’s also written, arranged and conducted his own scores for multiple stage productions including Lysistrata (2019), Marion Bridge (Armagh Sifton-Price Award – Best Original Score & Theme Song) (2017), Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night (2023), and he was a finalist with his song “Statue of the Engineer” in the 2023 SongDoor International Songwriting Competition. Follow him on social media @kennyhayesmusic.

Links: Kenny Hayes Music
Instagram: @kennyhayesmusic