Ava Czapalay
Ava Czapalay was appointed Deputy Minister of the Department of Labour, Skills and Immigration in August 2021.
Biography
Ava served as Deputy Minister and CEO of the Office of Immigration and Population Growth before becoming Deputy Minister of the Department of Labour, Skills and Immigration. She was also founding President and CEO of EduNova, a co-operative industry association of education and training providers in Nova Scotia.
Ava has a Master of Education from Dalhousie University and a Graduate Certificate in Workplace Innovation from Royal Roads University. She’s currently Chair of the International Women’s Forum Atlantic Chapter.
Current role
Deputy Minister, Department of Labour, Skills and Immigration
The Deputy Minister of the Department of Labour, Skills and Immigration provides strategic and operational direction to guide the department. They also support and advise the minister on policy, equity and diversity, workplace safety, skills and learning, apprenticeship, labour services, immigration and population growth.
Responsibilities include:
- leading the department and helping the department meet its mandate
- making sure the department is aligned with government priorities
- providing leadership to the department’s senior team
- providing advice to the minister and Government of Nova Scotia
- overseeing policy direction
Previous roles
- Deputy Minister, Office of Immigration and Population Growth
- Associate Deputy Minister, Department of Labour and Advanced Education
- Senior Executive Director, Higher Education Branch, Department of Labour and Advanced Education
- President and CEO, EduNova
- Corporate Strategist, Department of Economic Development