Surrogacy and Equity Ad-Hoc Committee
The Surrogacy and Equity Ad Hoc Committee examines Canada’s Assisted Human Reproduction Act (AHRA) with a focus on identifying equity gaps and assessing the impacts of current surrogacy regulations. Its mandate is to develop evidence-based recommendations for legal and policy reform that address discriminatory outcomes while upholding surrogate rights, autonomy, and protections against exploitation. The Committee also reviews international models of compensated surrogacy and considers how alternative frameworks may better support reproductive justice, including access for LGBTQ+ individuals and people experiencing infertility.
Bringing together a multidisciplinary group of clinicians, legal experts, ethicists, advocates, and health system stakeholders, the Committee integrates lived experience and professional expertise to evaluate clinical, ethical, economic, and regulatory dimensions of surrogacy in Canada.
Sherry Levitan, LL. B. - Fertility Lawyer
Chair
Sherry Levitan is a leading Canadian fertility and surrogacy lawyer and one of the early pioneers in the field of third-party reproductive law in Canada. She has been practicing fertility law since 1991 and is widely recognized for her extensive experience advising intended parents, donors, surrogates, and fertility clinics on complex legal issues relating to assisted reproduction.
After graduating from Osgoode Hall Law School and being called to the Ontario Bar in 1986, Ms. Levitan began her legal career at a major Toronto Bay Street law firm before establishing her own practice focused on family and reproductive law. Since the early 1990s, she has devoted her practice to helping clients build families through sperm, egg, and embryo donation as well as gestational surrogacy arrangements.
Over the course of her career, Ms. Levitan has worked on thousands of surrogacy and gamete donation agreements, and is known for her deep expertise in drafting parentage agreements and navigating Canada’s evolving legal framework for assisted human reproduction. She also provides legal guidance to fertility clinics, reproductive agencies, and international clients seeking to understand Canadian fertility law.
In addition to her legal practice, Ms. Levitan is a frequent speaker and educator on fertility law and has contributed to professional training programs, legal conferences, and media commentary on assisted reproduction and surrogacy issues. She has been recognized for her leadership in the field and has served in advisory and governance roles within professional organizations related to reproductive medicine and ethics.
Ms. Levitan is regarded as a trusted authority in Canadian fertility law, known for combining legal expertise with a practical, client-centered approach to helping individuals and families navigate the complex path to parenthood.
Dr. Shawn Winsor, MHSc, PhD (c), Cert - Ethicist
Shawn Winsor is a bioethicist whose work spans clinical practice, public policy, research, and education, with a focus on reproductive health and health technology assessment.
He co-founded the Ethics Programs at TRIO Fertility (Toronto) and the Reproductive Care Centre (Mississauga–Oakville), and is the founding Chair of the Ethics-Law Group within the Canadian Fertility and Andrology Society. He has held leadership roles including Director of the Ethics Centre at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and Head of the Ethics Program at Trillium Health Partners, where he established a multi-hospital regional ethics program.
In public policy, Shawn serves on the Ontario Genetics Advisory Committee, a subcommittee of the Ontario Health Technology Advisory Committee, advising Ontario Health on evidence to guide investment in health programs and technologies. He is also an expert reviewer for the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technology in Health, an advisor to the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care, and a consultant on health policy across North America.
In research and education, he is a Member of the Dalla Lana School of Public Health and the Joint Centre for Bioethics at the University of Toronto, where he has taught bioethics, genetics, and human reproduction. He holds an MHSc in Bioethics and completed a Clinical Ethics Fellowship at the University of Toronto. He is currently a Vanier Canada Scholar at McMaster University’s Centre for Health Economics and Policy Analysis, where his doctoral research examines how social and ethical values shape government assessment of assisted reproductive technologies.
Stefanie McGlynn, RN - Nursing Representative
Stefanie McGlynn, RN is a Registered Nurse with over 15 years of experience, including the past six years specializing in donor and surrogacy program at Markham Fertility Centre. She currently serves at MFC as Nursing Operations Manager and Director of the Donor and Surrogacy Program, where she provides strategic leadership and clinical oversight to support safe, ethical, and compassionate family-building journeys.
Stefanie has served on the Nursing Special Interest Group (SIG) for three years and is currently Co-Chair, contributing to professional development and collaborative advancement within the fertility nursing community. She is deeply committed to patient-centered care, advocating for intended parents, donors, and surrogates to ensure safe and successful outcomes for all.
Baden Colt, M.S. - Surrogate Advocate
Baden Colt is a passionate storyteller, award-winning fertility change-maker, mom-by-surrogacy, and the founder of Not My Tummy Marketing and Communications for Surrogacy. A master's degree in health communication has led to over a decade of experience working in health care as a writer, marketer, and social media expert.
In 2017, Baden began her journey into the surrogacy world when doctors confirmed she would be unable to safely carry a pregnancy. Using skills honed from the corporate world, she began sharing her surrogacy journey online. Her story quickly went viral, reaching millions of people - most importantly, her first surrogate Ashley. After years of heartbreak and hope, Baden and her husband welcomed their daughter Scottie in the summer of 2023. Since then, she has
When intended parents from around the globe began asking for her help telling their own stories, she saw an opportunity to put her experience into practice. From there, Not My Tummy was born.
Dr. Ari Baratz, B.Sc., MD, FRCSC (REI) - REI 
Dr. Ari Baratz is a dedicated Reproductive Endocrinologist and Infertility Specialist with over 20 years of clinical and academic experience committed to advancing women’s reproductive health. He is a faculty member in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology at the University of Toronto and a senior clinician at CReATe Fertility Centre and Women’s College Hospital. His expertise encompasses advanced assisted reproductive technologies (ART), minimally invasive surgery, third-party reproduction, and reproductive telemedicine, all aimed at expanding equitable access to fertility care.
Dr. Baratz’s professional mission focuses on providing compassionate, evidence-based, patient-centered fertility services while mentoring the next generation of clinicians and scientists. He has been instrumental in developing innovative approaches to fertility care that incorporate psychosocial, ethical, and medical considerations, including expanding third-party reproduction and reproductive telemedicine to improve inclusivity and access across Canada.
Beyond clinical practice, Dr. Baratz is actively involved in education and leadership. He contributed to designing surgical and reproductive medicine curricula and has received multiple teaching awards, including the 2024 Teaching Excellence Award from the University of Toronto. His scholarly contributions include peer-reviewed publications on embryo selection, reproductive genetics, and hysteroscopic interventions, significantly shaping evidence-based practices in Canada and internationally.
Additionally, he serves as President of Fertility Matters Canada and Chair of the Ontario Medical Association’s Reproductive Biology Section, advocating for equitable fertility services and reproductive rights. His influence extends globally through presentations and leadership roles at major conferences, fostering international collaboration and innovation in reproductive medicine.
Dr. Laine Halpern Zisman, PhD - 2SLGBTQ+ Fertility Advocate
Laine Halpern Zisman is the Director of Training and Education at Birth Mark and a certified fertility support practitioner and full spectrum doula. Funded by Health Canada’s Sexual and Reproductive Health Fund, Laine is currently leading the Reproductive Health Equity Project (RHEP), an online healthcare provider training, aimed at improving perinatal care for underserved communities. Laine is founder and project lead on Family Building Canada (familybuildingcanada.com) and the chair of CFAS’ 2SLGBTQ+ Special Interest Group. She also lectures at the University of Toronto in sexual diversity studies and is an adjunct assistant professor (status only) at the School of Public Health and Social Policy at the University of Victoria. She has published two collected volumes, Women and Popular Culture in Canada (2020) and the second edition of Queerly Canadian, co-edited with Professor Scott Rayter (2023). Her third book Conceivable: A Guide to Making 2SLGBTQ+ Family was published by Fernwood Publishing in November 2024.
Marisa Bernardo, BSW, RSW - Counsellor / Mental Health Representative
Marisa Bernardo, BSW, RSW, Social Worker, Psychotherapist, is the founder of Defining Journeys, a counselling and support practice dedicated to individuals and families navigating the emotional complexities of fertility, surrogacy, reproductive health, and life-altering health challenges. She specializes in supporting people through infertility, oncofertility, reproductive loss, cancer, grief, and other life-altering health conditions and diagnoses.
As both an intended mother through surrogacy and a cancer survivor, Marisa brings the unique combination of lived experience and professional expertise to every session and support space. Her own journey as an intended parent revealed how overwhelming and isolating the surrogacy process can feel without guidance. Out of this experience, Defining Journeys was created to provide surrogacy counselling that walks intended parents through the process from A–Z: receiving ethical education, preparing emotionally, matching, navigating legal and medical systems, and building and sustaining healthy relationships with surrogates.
Today, Defining Journeys has expanded into a full counselling and psychotherapy practice, providing a safe space for those navigating fertility struggles, grief, health challenges, and major life transitions. Marisa’s work blends therapy, practical guidance, and community-building, offering clients compassionate support grounded in both lived and professional experience.
She is also deeply engaged in the fertility community as a board member of the Oasis Fertility Support Network, where she runs free support groups, develops accessible resources, and connects with the wider community through education, advocacy, and empowerment.
Marisa approaches her practice with compassion, empathy, and a strong commitment to advocacy, helping clients feel seen, supported, and empowered throughout their journey.
Dr. Art Leader, MD, FRCSC, Emeritus Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology - REI
Dr. Arthur Leader is an Emeritus Professor, Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Medicine at the University of Ottawa. Over the past 45 years, he has been committed to the application of science guided by standards to the improvement of safe, effective and accessible fertility care. He has served on many CFAS boards and committees and was CFAS President in 1998-99 when he piloted the introduction of special interest groups. He has worked with Accreditation Canada, the Canadian Standards Association, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, Ontario Premier’s Expert Panel on Infertility and Adoption and federal Health Ministers in the development and acceptance of standards to improve fertility care. As a founding member of Conceivable Dreams, he lobbied for improved access to fertility services in Ontario. He was a founding member of and spokesperson for CIHR’s Stem Cell Oversight Committee and continues to serve on the Institute’s New Investigators Grant Committee on reproductive health. He was a founding partner of two successful academic IVF clinics (Calgary, Ottawa) and the Ottawa Fertility Centre. The author of over 120 peer-reviewed publications, Dr. Leader is the recipient of awards for excellence from the CFAS, Faculty of Medicine, UOttawa, Canadian Standards Association, Fertile Futures and King Charles III. Dr. Leader’s personal journey with infertility has made him acutely sensitive to the needs and concerns of patients.
Kathleen Adams, JD, LLB, Barrister & Solicitor - Fertility/Reproductive and Family Law Expertise
Kathleen Adams, JD, LLB, is a Canadian fertility and surrogacy lawyer and the founder of KJ Adams Law, a boutique legal practice based in Vancouver, British Columbia, dedicated to assisting clients with assisted reproduction and family-building law.
She specializes in legal services related to surrogacy agreements, donor agreements (egg, sperm, and embryo), and assisted reproductive technology (ART) arrangements, supporting intended parents, donors, surrogates, and families navigating complex reproductive legal processes.
Kathleen Adams, JD, LLB, was called to the bar in both Nova Scotia and British Columbia, and brings a unique background that includes experience working within a fertility clinic environment prior to establishing her legal practice. This hands-on exposure to assisted reproduction informs her practical, compassionate approach to fertility law.
Her practice is known for its strong emphasis on inclusivity, clarity, and client-centered service, with a particular commitment to supporting 2SLGBTQIA+ families and diverse paths to parenthood. She provides tailored legal agreements designed to protect all parties involved in assisted reproduction while ensuring compliance with Canadian law.
In addition to client work, Kathleen Adams, JD, LLB, also provides consulting services to fertility professionals and clinics, helping them navigate regulatory requirements, compliance issues, and legal risk management in the evolving field of reproductive law.
Through her writing and educational resources, she contributes to public understanding of fertility law in Canada, helping make complex legal processes more accessible to individuals and families pursuing assisted reproduction.