Council Members

Moni Snell, NP, began a lifelong nursing career in 1979 at the Regina General Hospital. For 39 years, Moni practiced as a bedside/transport nurse, nursing educator and Neonatal Nurse Practitioner in the NICU.

Moni believes nurses need to remain relevant, skilled and independent. We need to adapt and grow with rapidly changing health care advances. Regulation of nursing practice for public interest and safety is a vital and critical role of a regulatory body. We cannot allow outside agencies or groups to regulate our scope of practice. We must state clearly to the public what we do and how we improve their health outcomes. As professionals, we are responsible for regulating our practices and not allowing those outside the profession to tell us what that looks like.

Doug Finnie has served in various leadership roles with Royal Bank and Canadian Western Bank in Saskatchewan, other provinces, and the United States. He has extensive leadership and board experience with Saskatchewan charitable, cultural and business development organizations. He was the Executive Director of Leadership Saskatoon and served on the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency board.

Doug has experience on the Discipline and Professional Practice Committees of the Chartered Professional Accountants of Saskatchewan. He was a Public Representative with the Saskatchewan Dental Assistants Association.

In addition to the CRNS, he is also a Public Representative with the Saskatchewan College of Physical Therapists.

Gaston de la Sablonniere had been involved with the public almost all his life. Gaston retired from the RCMP in 1996 as an instructor at the RCMP Depot in Regina, SK. Since then, Gaston and his wife have owned and operated their sign shop until they decided to close the company in 2020 after 24 years.

While operating his business, Gaston was involved in several appeal boards. Gaston also served as a representative on several professional associations. Gaston’s involvement in the boards of directors, administrative tribunals, and professional associations is aimed at answering the public’s needs and understanding applicable laws and legislation through their proper applications.

Ryan Klassen currently serves as the Chief Legal Officer for the Brandt Group of Companies and has responsibility for all legal matters for Brandt globally. In his role, Ryan has assisted Brandt in its growth across Canada and by expanding into the United States, Australia and New Zealand. Before his role at Brandt, Ryan was an in-house counsel at Viterra Inc. and an associate counsel at MacPherson Leslie & Tyerman LLP (now MLT Aikins LLP).

Ryan previously served as a Public Representative on the Saskatchewan Association of Medical Radiation Technologists and the board of directors for Junior Achievement.

Mariam Nganzo has over 20 years of progressive experience in registered nursing, holding various roles in Alberta and Saskatchewan. Before her current role, she worked in Alberta as a researcher at the University of Calgary, as an instructor with the Saskatchewan Collaborative Bachelor of Science in Nursing at the University of Regina, and as an RN in different units at Dr. F. H. Wigmore Regional Hospital, including float pool, ER, medical/surgical, and home care). Mariam works with Saskatchewan Polytechnic as a Faculty Member for the Registered Nurse Bridging Program for Internationally Educated Nurses (RNBP-IEN, formally ONCIEN) in the School of Nursing.

Her vast experience, knowledge and roles in the registered nursing profession, teaching and leadership motivated her to join the CRNS Council.

Alison has been nursing for over 30 years in rural southeast Saskatchewan. She graduated with her Diploma in Nursing from SIAST in 1992. She has witnessed the sea of change in health care, starting under a local hospital board in an acute/LTC facility to the present LTC/stable outpatient department under the SHA.  She is passionate about maintaining professional standards during agency transitions and staffing challenges.

Alison believes that nurses' mentorship is critical to maintaining standards and RN retention. She has precepted and mentored students, grad nurses, IENs and new hires.

She is honoured to represent rural Saskatchewan and LTC nurses on the CRNS Council.

Natalie Thiessen has been an RN since 2012 and is currently practicing in multiple domains of registered nursing practice; as an educator for Saskatchewan Polytechnic’s Critical Care Nursing program, in clinical practice in various acute care settings, as a nursing research assistant at Athabasca University, and now in leadership on the CRNS Council.

Natalie graduated with a Master of Nursing from Athabasca University in the spring of 2022. As part of her degree, Natalie’s thesis research examined how self-employed RNs are regulated across Canada. This stimulated her desire to learn more about registered nursing regulation and represent the professional voice on the CRNS Council.

Leah Thorp acknowledges that nurses within all practice areas contribute to a healthy and vibrant population. She believes the future is optimistic and that nursing will be at the forefront of the observed societal changes within the dynamic health care system.

Leah is the Perinatal Outreach Education Program Coordinator, where she can share her passion for perinatal and obstetrical care. She is also a point-of-care nurse in the Labour and Birth Unit at the Regina General Hospital. Also, she educates undergraduate nursing students as a clinical instructor at the University of Saskatchewan. Her other nursing experiences have concentrated on critical care, medicine, and interprofessional education.

Leah received her BScN in 2001 and her Master of Nursing in 2016 from the University of Saskatchewan. She is keenly interested in research on simulation education, patient and family-centred care, perinatal loss, and indigenous health.

Nursing Practice Area: advanced practice nursing or direct care nursing

Joelynne Radbourne is a Nurse Practitioner currently working in Fort Qu’Appelle, specializing in Women’s Health. Her professional career started as a Registered Nurse in 2012 before completing her graduate degree from the University of Saskatchewan in 2018 to become a Nurse Practitioner. She is passionate about providing safe, ethical and family-centred care to the people of Saskatchewan.

As a Nurse Practitioner, Joelynne practices in Primary Care. She believes in creating a supportive provider-client rapport through collaboration with an interdisciplinary approach. She is passionate about advocating for NP practice, public education and supporting interdisciplinary collaborative practice. As a CRNS Council member, she hopes to create a diverse community that supports a team-based approach from nurses of all designations, including LPN, RPN, RN and NP, and a supportive learning environment for nurses to develop strengths, skills and knowledge.