05/25/2026
We are deeply saddened to share news of the passing of our colleague and friend, Dr. Donna Pettey, whose work carried CMHA Ottawa through decades of growth and has had a lasting effect on how we operate today. As one longtime colleague said, “We’re all just standing on Donna’s shoulders.”
Over her remarkable 39-year career at CMHA Ottawa, Donna made significant contributions to research and evaluation in mental health and addictions, housing and homelessness and smoking cessation, and oversaw operations at CMHA Ottawa. In her role of Director of Integration, Research and Evaluation, Donna’s work focused on improving outcomes for people experiencing serious mental illness, often in combination with substance use and housing instability.
At the centre of Donna’s career was her life-restoring research on smoking cessation interventions for people with serious mental illness who are homeless or vulnerably housed, helping address a major and persistent health inequity and informing lasting practical changes in services at CMHA Ottawa and beyond.
As a widely published researcher, she also contributed to the study of Housing First and supportive housing approaches, looking at housing stability, substance use outcomes, and service effectiveness for people experiencing homelessness, helping inform some of the key principles that guide how we deliver services to our clients. Indeed, a key piece of Donna’s legacy includes her creation of the Bright Ideas webinar series, an annual roundup of research and evaluation activities at the branch, which will proudly be continued in her honour.
In addition, Donna’s work included program evaluation and system-level research focused on improving access to community-based mental health and substance use healthcare, including initiatives supporting individuals with complex needs and frequent use of hospital emergency departments. Without Donna, we would not have our system navigation program, among others.
At her recent retirement gathering, Donna’s esteemed colleagues, friends and family spoke about what it meant to work alongside her. They shared countless wonderful stories, expressed profound appreciation, and reflected on what they had learned from her.
Donna will be remembered for her contributions to the field, the knowledge she helped build, and the relationships she maintained across our community. She will also be remembered for her impeccable wit, which she maintained until the very end.
We extend our sincere condolences to Donna’s family, friends, and all who knew her. To share a memory, pay tribute to Donna or make a donation in her memory, please visit Donna Pettey's obituary here: https://www.weaverfuneralhomes.com/obituaries/Donna-Pettey?obId=48457016
