Executive Message



Dear friends,

This Impact Report is about more than numbers. It is about the real impact we are making, together, on the lives of 6 million Canadians living with arthritis. We are bold changemakers, and we are fueling impact to extinguish this debilitating disease.

2021-2022 was a pivotal year for the Arthritis Society.

We embarked on our second year of Accelerating Impact, our transformative five-year strategic plan. As part of this transformation, we rewrote our Vision and Mission to embody our commitment and drive to “fight the fire of arthritis.”

To give people living with arthritis a voice, we invested in a bold, national advertising campaign to raise awareness that 1 out of 5 Canadians live with the fire of arthritis, and that “it’s not just arthritis.”

Even when faced with pandemic-driven challenges like having to postpone in-person fundraising events, we leveraged new opportunities to finance our ambitions. We continued to invest in cutting-edge research, blazing a path for how we can treat arthritis, prevent it and some day cure it. We influenced federal and provincial public policy, making sure that people living with arthritis are heard. We unleashed innovation with our inaugural Arthritis Ideator AwardsTM and announced the launch of a $25-million Innovation Campaign. We empowered Canadians to better understand arthritis and make informed decisions about their journey with the disease.

None of this would be possible without the support, generosity and commitment of our donors, our volunteers, our partners and our dedicated staff. Thank you for being the fuel that allows us to think big, to be bold, and to lean into innovative approaches to fight the fire of arthritis.

Sincerely,

Duncan Mathieson signature

Duncan Mathieson
Chair, Board of Directors

Trish Barbato signature

Trish Barbato
President and CEO

The Arthritis Society is well on its way to achieving its five-year Strategic Plan goals. Visit our Accelerating Impact dashboard.


#Itsnotjustarthritis campaign


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“The Arthritis Society has and will continue to do essential work in supporting people who live with rheumatic diseases. Having had firsthand experience working with these people, I know how well they are supported. It is my deep pleasure to support the Arthritis Society's work by leaving a legacy gift.”
~ Dr. Angela How, rheumatologist, has left a gift to the Arthritis Society in her will