Canada’s Chartered Directors

The Directors College is pleased to present Canada’s Chartered Directors. The graduates listed below have completed The Chartered Director Program, an intensive individual examination, and have met the other requirements to become a Chartered Director (C.Dir.)

The Directors College and the Collège des administrateurs de sociétés (CAS) of Université Laval have a reciprocal agreement, whereby their respective designations – Chartered Director (C.Dir.) and Administrateur de sociétés certifié (ASC) are recognized as equivalent.

To see the ASC Graduates who also hold the Chartered Director designation please click here.

C.Dir. Graduates

Mr. Ernie Sirski, C.Dir.
Director, Independent


Ernie and his wife Janet farm at Dauphin, Manitoba. They operate a grain and oilseeds farm, growing wheat, canola, oats, winter wheat, and specialty crops and forage seed. Ernie graduated from the Agricultural Diploma Program at the University of Manitoba in 1980. Ernie was elected to the Board of Directors of United Grain Growers in 1993 and the Board of Agricore United in 2001. He's a member of the Audit Committee, the Member and Community Relations Committee, and the Ag Committee, and has served on the Risk Management Committee in the past. He's written for the former United Grain Growers publication "Grainews", under the column head "Dirt Farmers Arithmetic". In 1990, he also traveled extensively in Ukraine and wrote a series of articles entitled, "Inside Ukraine", highlighting the challenges and opportunities of this Former Soviet Union country. Ernie is past president and currently treasurer of the Manitoba Canola Growers Association, (MCGA) a producer association of approximately 10,000 members. He has served on the Board of MCGA since 1994. He currently serves on the Canola Council of Canada, an industry wide organization that represents the entire canola value chain. He serves on the executive as the Finance Chairman for the Canola Council. Ernie's other community involvement's have included Chair of the local Safe Grad Committee, President of a local Ukrainian dance group, and the Master of Ceremonies at many community events. Being fluent in Ukrainian, Ernie and his wife Janet were the official host and hostess of Canada's National Ukrainian Festival in 2002, one of Canada's premier Ukrainian events. Ernie currently serves on the board of St. Paul's Home, a senior citizen's personal care home, and he's a cantor at a local rural church. Ernie's wife Janet teaches Grade One in the Ukrainian Bilingual program in Dauphin. Ernie and Janet have three daughters: Tanis has completed the Bachelor of Science in Agriculture program at the university of Manitoba; Rachel is currently attending Vermilion College in Alberta; and Alyssia is enrolled at the University of Manitoba in the Bachelor of Science in Agriculture faculty.

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What our graduates say?

“I thought the entire program was very well developed and comprehensive. You never know what to expect when you sign-up for these programs and this exceeded my expectations and was a great learning opportunity.”

James Scongack, Head of Corporate Affairs, Bruce Power LP

“I found the Chartered Director Program to be an excellent forum to understand how strong governance complements effective management. The ability to create and execute an effective strategy is significantly enhanced by a robust process inclusive of board engagement where the right questions are asked and expected outcomes are identified. I truly enjoyed the setting which fostered a strong level of interaction that was supported by quality presentations and material. As CEO of a Shared Service Organization set to deliver benefits to its members, I see the advantage of having a number of our board members participating in this program.”

Tony Di Emanuele, MBA, C.Dir., President and CEO, Mohawk Shared Services

“I found the Directors College to be an excellent survey of the important matters of which a director must be aware in today’s corporate environment. The quality of the presentation and materials was first-rate and the perspectives gained were invaluable. I would highly recommend the Directors College.”

The Honourable John Manley, P.C., O.C., C.Dir., Former Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister

“The changes that impact corporate governance are establishing a pattern of increased accountability for the delivery of long-term value to customers, shareholders, employees and society. Proper corporate governance is now being defined to include knowledge of critical elements such as risk management and the measurement of strategic performance. At the end of the day, each board will be judged on its ability to effectively deliver value, rather than on its structure. The Directors College innovative program fills a unique and important gap in providing knowledge and insight as to how this expectation can be met. CMA Canada is pleased to be a sponsor of this timely initiative.”

Steve Vieweg, C.Dir., Director, Executive Development, I.H. Asper School of Business – University of Manitoba

“As an organization focused on educating corporate secretaries, the ICSA believes in furthering the potential of board members to better contribute to building effective governance structures. Given the key role of directors and corporate secretaries in applying proper boardroom practices, corporations need to ensure that these individuals meet a professional standard. The Directors College curriculum covers all the formal regulatory issues for directors and also addresses the informal skills of building effective and appropriate relationships with senior management. We see significant benefits to this program and ICSA is pleased to endorse it.”

Lynn Beauregard, Executive Director, Chartered Secretaries Canada

“The Directors College has developed a director education program which goes well beyond the fundamentals to address the structures and the behavioural components of principle-based governance. I am proud to be associated with the Directors College and I am honoured to lend my name to the College’s graduate award. ”

Gilbert Bennett, Director and Recently-Retired Chairman of the Board, Canadian Tire Corporation Limited

“Our strategy is to raise the horizons and potential of directors by deepening and enriching their knowledge and application of advanced skills. Increasing the effectiveness of existing directors and broadening the pool of potential directors will contribute to the professionalism of boards across Canada.”

David Beatty, Managing Director, Canadian Coalition for Good Governance