2018

Annual ReportA future without asthma

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Asthma Canada's mission is to help Canadianswith asthma lead healthy lives througheducation, advocacy and research.

Our Mission

Our VisionAsthma Canada's vision is a future withoutasthma.

How we Fulfill our MissionAbout UsAsthma Canada is the only national registeredcharity solely devoted to improving thequality of life for people living with asthmaand respiratory allergies. For more than 45years, Asthma Canada has proudly served asthe national voice for Canadians affected byasthma.

We engage and empower the asthma communitythrough programs, services and advocacy efforts.

We strive for excellence in service delivery bycontinually assessing our operational practices tostreamline, maximize donor dollars and apply bestpractices in all that we do.

We educate and inform people living with asthmaand their families, enabling choices for bettersymptom management.

We support researchers working to find bettertreatments and a cure for asthma.

We advocate for awareness and change so that allCanadians understand the seriousness of asthmaand support positive changes in access tohealthcare, medications, and environmentalpractices.

Asthma In Canada

Annual Report | 2018

More than 3.8 millionCanadians have asthma

317 Canadians are diagnosedwith asthma every day

Asthma is the third mostcommon chronic disease inCanada

Roughly four Canadian familieslose a loved one to asthma eachweek 

Severe Asthma affectsbetween 150,000-250,000Canadians

850,000 Canadian childrenunder the age of 14 haveasthma

Asthma is the leading causeof absenteeism from school

The cost of asthma to theCanadian economy isexpected to climb to $4.2billion annually by 2030

Roughly 1 in 10 Canadians withasthma have gone withoutmedication because of cost

There is no known cure forasthma

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Joint Letter From CEO & Chair

Annual Report | 2018

This past year we celebrated 45 years serving theCanadian asthma community – an accomplishment onlymade possible through the generous support of ourdonors, supporters, and volunteers whose dedicationallows us to continue advancing each area of our mission. Glancing back over 2018, we have taken great strides toensure that every Canadian impacted by asthma canaccess the support they need to live healthy andsymptom-free lives. In an effort to make asthma expertsand education more accessible, we replaced our annualconference held in Toronto, with our Speaker SeriesWebinars – available anywhere across the country. We also continued to provide vital support servicesthrough our programs including our Asthma & AllergyHelpLine, Asthma Pals Mentorship program, and the manynew educational resources available on our website. This year, we expanded our Scientific and MedicalAdvisory Committee to include multi-disciplinary andcross-country representation. This expansion greatlyincreases our capacity to continue providing the very best,evidence-based education and support services. On the advocacy front, we established the asthmacommunity as a key stakeholder in Canadian healthcaredialogue by advocating for change on important issuessuch as choice and access to medications. Through ourletter writing campaign, we carried on the fight fornational pharmacare, while also supporting choice andaccess to treatment options like biologics. Our advocacyefforts are helping ensure improved health outcomes forall Canadians with asthma. Through our National Research Program, we awardedgrants to both a lead investigator and to four graduatestudent researchers. These grants supported theirinnovative work to find better treatments and a cure forasthma.

2018 also marked a transition within our researchprogram – our partnership with AllerGen NCE Inc. hasdrawn to a close. We sincerely thank the AllerGenteam for a rewarding partnership, and we aregrateful for the opportunity to have worked togetherto provide training grants to emerging asthmaresearchers. In 2019, we will continue to foster thenext generation of talented asthma researchersthrough a partnership with the Canadian Allergy,Asthma, and Immunology Foundation (CAAIF).  We also made significant progress extending ourreach through partnerships on both the national andinternational level. In Canada, we are an activemember of the Health Charities Coalition of Canada,which helps us to strengthen our ability to advocatecollectively by working with other health charities oncommon issues. Internationally, our membership inthe Global Allergy and Asthma Patient Platform(GAAPP) gives us the means to participate in globalinitiatives with asthma organizations worldwide tobenefit all those affected by asthma in Canada andbeyond. As we reflect on 2018 and all that we haveaccomplished together, we are deeply thankful foreach and every one of our loyal supporters. Yourdedication is what empowers us to build on thesuccess of the past 45 years and helps bring us closerto achieving our vision of a future without asthma.

Vanessa ForanPresident & CEO

John C. HealyChair

4 5 Y e a r s H e l p i n g C a n a d i a n s

w i t h A s t h m a B r e a t h e E a s y

T h a n k y o u F o r y o u r S u p p o r t

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Meet our Community

Annual Report | 2018

Vibhas supporting Asthma Canada in the 2017Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon

Asthma is never far from my mind. It has been a majorpart of my life since childhood, and as a parent to twochildren who also have asthma, it has an impact onevery single member of my family. Back in the 1970s, when I was growing up in smalltown Canada with moderate asthma, there wasn't thesympathy and understanding that there is now aboutthe disease — most teachers were sympathetic butreally didn't understand the condition and why havingasthma meant that I couldn't keep up with the otherchildren in gym class. For a long time, living with asthma kept me fromparticipating in sports and exercise, but as I grewolder I became inspired not to let my asthma stop mefrom living my life and being active. I took up mallwalking and have since become much healthier andhave gained better control over my asthma— havingto rely on my reliever inhaler far less. Both my son and daughter live with asthma, and thethree of us collectively have caused my wife Swatimany sleepless nights. Asthma doesn't just impactthose who live with the disease but also those whocare for them. All three of us have been hospitalized because of ourasthma at different times, and it's distressing to thinkthat we are only one trigger away from a dangerousasthma attack. That's why I'm glad to be a part of the Asthma CanadaMember Alliance (ACMA) and a volunteer. Thanks toAsthma Canada and the incredible asthma communityto which we belong, my children and I can accesseducation and support to get the help we need tocontrol our asthma. Since first becoming involved with Asthma Canada asan ACMA member, I have seen firsthand how theirwork can change lives. I am a proud supporter of theirmission, which empowers families just like mine tostay healthy, and have taken my passion for the causeone step further by joining Asthma Canada's Board ofDirectors.

Until a cure for asthma is found, this disease willalways have an impact on my family. And even now, Istill have to avoid going outside on winter daysbecause the cold air triggers my asthma symptoms. But, as my family and I have come to realize, we don'thave to face asthma alone. We have support fromAsthma Canada and their efforts to provide asthmaeducation, while advocating for change and supportingasthma research in Canada. I wholeheartedly believe that Asthma Canada's visionof a future without asthma is possible, and thatsomeday no family will have to face the burden of thisdisease. Vibhas Bapat

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Education & Support Programs

Annual Report | 2018

Education is at the heart of our mission. Properasthma education not only empowers patients togain a better understanding of their disease but alsogain control over their symptoms, leading toimproved health outcomes. We are committed to delivering the best evidence-based education and support services to ensure thatevery Canadian with asthma has the tools they needto live healthy and symptom-free lives.

Asthma & Allergy HelpLine

Speaker Series Webinar

Asthma & Allergy Friendly™Certification Program

Resources & Campaigns

Our bilingual HelpLine service connects Canadianswho have questions about their asthma andrespiratory allergies to Certified RespiratoryEducators who provide regional and personalizedsupport. In 2018, we expanded our HelpLine through improved integration with our social media networks, openingnew channels of support for our community.Throughout the year we answered hundreds ofinquiries from parents, caregivers, and people livingwith asthma from across the country.

This year, we transformed our national conferenceinto a webinar series, giving our community access totop asthma experts from across Canada speaking ona wide range of asthma related topics. In 2018, wehosted a total of five webinars on diverse subjectsranging from asthma phenotypes to asthmamanagement in children. Overall, the webinar seriesadds an interactive way to make asthma educationaccessible to our national audience through ourwebsite and YouTube channel.

We continued our partnership with Allergy StandardsLimited through the Asthma & Allergy Friendly™Certification Program, which identifies, scientificallytests and certifies products that are better suited tocreating a healthy home environment for people withasthma and respiratory allergies. This partnership and program help ensure that ourcommunity can make informed decisions when lookingfor products to add to their home.

We are always working to expand our vast library ofeducational resources and inform our community aboutkey asthma issues through awareness campaigns. In2018, we updated and redesigned our Asthma ActionPlan—a vital tool for everyone living with asthma. Wecontinued to educate our community on biologictreatments, through a bilingual explainer video, whichwas widely viewed across our communications platforms. We also added to the “Get Help" section of our website,which we consider our most valuable educational tool. Webolstered our educational resources with the addition ofpages on pneumococcal disease and the importance ofvaccination, as well as added a new media library, whichis home to our webinar video resources. To help raise awareness and educate our community, weran informative campaigns throughout the year on topicsincluding vaccination, rescue inhaler overuse, SevereAsthma, and the September Asthma Peak.

Everyday in Canada,317 people are

diagnosed withasthma

6Annual Report | 2018

Asthma Canada Member Alliance

Asthma Pals Mentorship Program

Following the successful programpilot in 2017, we added the AsthmaPals Mentorship Program to our listof core programs and services. TheAsthma Pals program connectschildren aged 7-11 affected byasthma to other kids from acrossthe country and peer-mentors tohelp them gain confidence in livingwith and managing the disease.

Your Impact by theNumbers

Our 2018 Asthma Pals session began in March and ran for eightweeks, covering topics such as stigma, bullying, exercising withasthma, and healthy living. It's wonderful to see the positive impactof peer mentorship and we will be continuing to offer this program inthe future.

"I loved Asthma Pals and I'm sad it's over. Thank youfor the wonderful experience."

asthma clinics in ournational resource

distribution network

print resourcesdistributed to

clinics & patientsannually

people accessed ourAsthma Action Plan

ten provinces &three territories with Asthma &

Allergy HelpLinesupport

The Asthma Canada Member Alliance (ACMA) continues to be thepatient arm and voice of Asthma Canada, made up of thousands ofindividuals from across the full spectrum of the asthma community. In 2018, we conducted a needs assessment survey of the ACMAmembership base to gain insight into how we can better serve ourcommunity. The feedback we received from our members will beused to help shape the future of our programs and services. This year, we also changed the ways in which we communicate withthe ACMA community. We overhauled our e-newsletter and socialmedia design and strategy, providing subscribers with asthmainformation and updates more frequently. We also successfullylaunched our new Instagram account, adding a new channel toconnect with our larger community. Our dedicated ACMA members continue to play a vital role in theAsthma Canada team. By raising asthma awareness, sharing theirstories, creating a support network and fundraising to helpCanadians with asthma, ACMA members are instrumental to oursuccess.

312

40,000

11,026

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-Charlotte, 2018 Asthma Pals Participant

Advocating For Change

Advocating for positive and lasting change onissues important to the Canadian asthmacommunity is a cornerstone of our mission tohelp Canadians with asthma lead healthy lives. Through our advocacy efforts, we continue tocall for choice and equitable access tomedication for all Canadians, as well assustainable clean air and energy. The ultimategoal of our advocacy work is to keep asthmaissues at the top of mind for government tohelp ensure that asthma is included inhealthcare and environmental policy decisions.

Choice & Access toMedications

Every Canadian living with asthma deservesaccess to the treatments and medicationsneeded to manage their asthma. We continue toadvocate for a national pharmacare strategythat eliminates gaps in care and is centered onbest health outcomes. In 2018, we took action through our letterwriting campaign, strategic meetings withgovernment, and by supporting access to newtreatment options. Letter Writing Campaign We continued our letter writing campaign onnational pharmacare, streamlining oursubmission platform and publishing communityletters. This campaign gives members of theasthma community the opportunity to getinvolved by sending letters to their governmentrepresentatives on the impacts of limitedaccess to prescription medications.  Strategic Collaboration andConsultation A major part of advocating successfully isworking together with like-mindedorganizations and meeting with governmentrepresentatives to initiate change. On the national stage, Asthma Canada andACMA members participated in consultationswith the Advisory Council on NationalPharmacare led by Dr. Eric Hoskins, Ontario'sformer Health Minister to ensure that thevoices and concerns of the asthma communityare heard in the development and design of anational pharmacare program.

Annual Report | 2018 7

Sustainable Clean Air &Energy

With climate change and pollution on the rise,advocating for clean air and energy is moreimportant than ever. As a member of the Clean Economy Alliance,Asthma Canada, along with 60 other memberorganizations signed onto a letter addressed toOntario's Minister of the Environment,Conservation and Parks, calling foran effective plan to deal with climate change inOntario and fought against a roll-back toexisting climate change initiatives. We also participated in the development of theprovincial Make it Better Campaign, which isfocused on building a unified approach tochildren's health and climate change in Ontario. Asthma Canada will continue to advocate forand work towards clean air and clean energyfrom coast to coast. We are determined to helpbuild a better future where all Canadians canbreathe easy.

We believe in equitable andtimely access to prescriptionmedications for all Canadians,

based on the best possible healthoutcomes rather than the abilityto pay. That is why we advocate

for national pharmacare.  

CADTH Submissions As a chronic disease with no cure, having variedand innovative treatment options available isvital to ensuring that all Canadians are able tocontrol their asthma. This year, we madesubmissions to both CADTH (Canada’'s nationaldrug review body) and British Columbia'sPharmacare Review in support of the biologictreatment benralizumab (Fasenra). Asthma Canada responded to a CADTH Requestfor Advice regarding all currently availablebiologic medications used to treat severeeosinophilic asthma. We made a number ofrecommendations regarding criteria foreosinophil levels, reversibility, and on preventingwastage, ensuring patient and physician choice,age indications, ensuring equal accessthroughout Canada and ensuring that thosewith asthma who smoke are not disqualifiedfrom accessing required treatments. We also made another submission to BritishColumbia's Pharmacare Review for AermonyRespiClick and Arbesda Respimat. By makingsubmissions to CADTH and provincial drugreview bodies, we work to ensure that patientinput is taken into consideration when newtreatments are being reviewed, helping improveaccess and advocating for increased treatmentcoverage.

Annual Report | 2018 8

This year, we also participated in consultationswith the Ontario government, meeting withhealth officials on the impacts of OHIP+ and thenew Ontario Lung Act. Working alongside otherkey stakeholders, we successfully played a rolein getting valved-holding chambers covered forthose aged 12 and under.

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Supporting Research

Asthma Canada remains committed to fundinginnovative asthma research in Canada and supporting talented asthma researchers working to discoverbetter treatments and unlock a cure for the disease. We believe that collaboration is key to finding a cure. In2018, we continued our partnership with AllerGen NCEInc. to award training grants to emerging researchers.We also supported a research pitch presented by theChild Cohort Study to Genome Canada, resulting in $9million dollars being allocated to asthma research.

National Research Program

This year, we continued to invest in asthma researchthrough our National Research Program, which providesgrants to support the work of both Lead Investigatorsand Graduate Student Researchers conducting researchin the respiratory field. Our Research Program is supported by two researchfunds. The Goran-Enhorning Research fund is focusedon early onset asthma research and the Bastable-PottsResearch Fund supports investigations into late-onsetasthma. Each year, with the help of our donors andpartners, we take a step closer to our vision of a futurewithout asthma.

A future without asthma

Graduate Student ResearchAwards

As part of our National Research Program we are proudto support the work of Masters and PhD level graduatestudent researchers striving to expand ourunderstanding of asthma and ultimately, improve thelives of patients. In 2018, we awarded $20,000 grants to three PhD levelstudent researchers and one $10,000 grant to aMasters level student researcher. These awards allow usto invest in the training and development of talentednew investigators and their innovative research projects.We are extremely proud of our role in fostering the nextgeneration of leading asthma researchers in Canada.

Leadership AwardOur annual Leadership Award gives us the opportunityto recognize the outstanding research contributions ofan experienced lead investigator working in therespiratory field.  We were pleased to present our 2018 award to Dr.Catherine Lemiere for her groundbreaking research intooccupational, work-related asthma and the assessmentof airway inflammation in both asthma and SevereAsthma.

Dr. Lemiere is a Professorof Medicine at theUniversité de Montréal andStaff Chest Physician atSacre-Coeur Hospital inMontreal. Her manycontributions to asthmaresearch throughout hercareer make her a trueleader in health researchand an inspiration forupcoming researchers inthe field. We honour hermany significantachievements over thecourse of her distinguishedand ongoing career.

It is an honour to receive thisprestigious award from AsthmaCanada. I am very proud to be part ofan elite group of past recipients of thisaward; Drs. Brauer, Sears, Nair andAaron."

Annual Report | 2018

-Dr. Catherine Lemiere

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Meet Our Researchers

Hadeesha Piyadasa - PhD recipient of the Goran-Enhorning Graduate Student Research Award for hisresearch into Innate Defence Regulator (IDR) Peptidesto help control steroid unresponsive forms of asthma.

Ryan Huff - PhD recipient of the Bastable-PottsGraduate Student Research Award for his work on therelationship between air pollution and inhaledcorticosteriods in a human clinical study.

Xiaoshu Cao - PhD recipient of the Bastable-PottsGraduate Student Research Award to support herresearch investigating the causal link betweenasthma and obstructive sleep apnea. 

Jaclyn Parks - MSc recipient of the Goran-EnhorningGraduate Student Research Award supporting herstudy into indoor environmental exposures in early lifeas a predictor of childhood asthma.

Annual Report | 2018

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Financials

Corporate45%

& Individual4%

Asthma & Allergy Friendly Program10%

Foundations1%

How the Money was Used

Sources of Revenue

Annual Report | 2018

45%

44%

10%1%

Mission Delivery59%

aising8%

Operations13%

59%

13%

28%

Corporate Giving

Individual Giving and Bequests

Asthma & Allergy FriendlyCertification Program

Foundations

$345,191

$344,129

$74,509

$10,114

Mission Delivery (Education,Advocacy & Research)

Fundraising

Operations

$381,233

$180,946

$83,446

401-124 Merton St., Toronto, Ontario

M4S 2Z2

1-866-787-4050info@asthma.caCharitable Registration Number 898537048RR0001

www.asthma.ca

@asthmacanada

@asthmacanada

@asthma_canada

Thank you for 45 years ofhelping Canadians withasthma breathe easy!

Above: Asthma Canada staff participating in the 2018 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon