Sages-Femmes Rouge Valley Midwives | Serving Scarborough and Durham.

Midwives

Carolynn Prior was born and raised in Scarborough and has also lived in downtown Toronto and Kingston. Carolynn attended York University Women’s Studies Programme before joining the Midwifery Education Programme in 1997. She graduated from the Ryerson Midwifery Education Programme in 2003 on the Dean’s List and completed her New Registrant Year with Community Midwives of Kingston. She is passionate about midwifery and informed choice, and chose midwives for the births of her two children. Carolynn has also been involved with union Local start-up, co-operative housing, crisis counseling, FoodShare, and childbirth education.

Carolynn currently sits on the Midwifery Education Programme Advisory Committee as the elected Association of Ontario Midwives Representative and is one of the founding partners of this practice.

Lisa M. Weston is a lifelong resident of the practice catchment area, having been born and raised in Scarborough and becoming a resident of Pickering in 1986. Her strong community ties come from 11 years as founder/facilitator of Birthing Circle, a grassroots birth support group with a focus on VBAC and other special women, and from her work as a childbirth educator and doula. Her work in the field of midwifery began as a consumer and advocate in 1987, through the pregnancies and births of her four children. She worked as a member of the Midwifery Task Force prior to and during regulation. She is well known in the local women’s health field, having been involved in the task force on implementation of the Healthy Babies/Healthy Children Program in Durham, as well as an employee of the program who worked in the community for over two years. Her contributions to this community include public speaking and activism around education for women’s choices in childbirth.

Lisa graduated with honours and on the Dean’s List from Ryerson MEP in 2003 and completed her New Registrant year with Riverdale Community Midwives in Toronto. She is the southeast regional coordinator of the Association of Ontario midwives and one of the founding partners of this practice.

Claudette Leduc is a francophone woman who is originally from Northern Ontario. She has been a resident of the practice catchment area for over 11 years. Claudette is active in the francophone community both locally and regionally and she is committed to offering French language midwifery services to that community. She has been a registered nurse for 18 years and has had an 11 year relationship with Rouge Valley Centenary as a critical care nurse before becoming a midwife. Her passion for women's health and birth led her to return to school and make the career change to midwifery.

Claudette studied at Ryerson Polytechnic University and graduated with honours and on the Dean's List in the spring of 2004. She is presently completing her New Registrant year. She had both her children in the care of midwives and she is excited about sharing the unique experiences of her clients and families. She is one of the founding partners of this practice.

Jay MacGillivray began work as a midwife in the early ‘80s. She is one of the senior midwives in the province. Jay has trained in Canada and the United States. She has worked as a midwife in different countries worldwide and continues to have a passion for birth. She is currently working on a Masters of Midwifery degree.

Jay has been deeply involved in the social justice movement for years and is committed to improving access to midwifery for all women, regardless of circumstance.

Jay has two children, a son, Jeremy, who is 30 years old and a firefighter in Whistler, BC and a daughter, Lita, who is 3 years old. She also has a dog named “Jim the Dog”.

Melinda Soares was born and raised in a small town in Northern Ontario, but has lived in the GTA for the past several years. She finished her first university degree (in Liberal Studies at Brock University in St Catharine's) in the early 1990's and worked as a government employee for 6 years before deciding to change her career path and become a midwife. She has two daughters, the second of whom was born at home in a pool of water, under the kind and gentle care of midwives. She is strongly committed to the underlying principles of midwifery care, and thrilled to be a part this rewarding and always interesting profession, particularly the unique opportunity it affords to meet and provide care for women and families from a wide variety of backgrounds. 

Jenni Huntly is a newly registered midwife in Ontario, having completed the Ryerson Midwifery Education Program in 2006. She has always been passionate about women's health and completed post-secondary studies in Health Sciences in Montreal. She has also studied popular education and social justice. Jenni has learned about the art of midwifery from wonderful midwives in Toronto and Guelph (Ontario) and in a rural Quebec birthing centre. These experiences have cemented her strong commitment to accessible midwifery care for all women and to supporting normal birth in all settings. French being one of her first languages, she has experience in providing care in either English or French and enjoys connecting with the francophone community in and around Toronto. Other interests include sustainable agriculture, city gardening, salsa dancing, and cooking and eating food in community. She has not yet been in midwifery care herself but looks forward to it!