As attention turns toward the 2026 Milano Cortina Paralympic Winter Games, 14 athletes have been named to Curling Canada’s National Wheelchair Curling Program. In this final season of the quadrennial, a strong emphasis will be placed on assembling and preparing a team to compete for the Paralympic title in the mixed event.
On the heels of a successful 2024-2025 season that secured Canada’s spot in the four-person mixed event in Milano Cortina, the coming season will continue to prioritize leading Canadian wheelchair curlers to the top of the podium. Last season, National Program athletes found success across seven international events and earned three gold, one silver, and two bronze medals.
Looking ahead, a group of projected Paralympic athletes will travel overseas this fall to face off against many of the same teams they’ll see in Italy. Canadian athletes will be competing in Wetzikon, Switzerland, and Stirling, Scotland, in October before heading to Prague, Czech Republic, in November. On home soil, the National Program will host mixed and mixed doubles events in Leduc, Alta., Jan. 11-17.
The official Canadian Paralympic Committee team announcement is expected in late fall, ahead of the Games, which run from March 6-16.
“This group of National Program athletes shows up every day, ready to put in the work and dig into the process of improving,” said Mick Lizmore, National Program Head Coach. “The way they support and push each other forward is what makes this journey so special.
“Together, with the support of family, friends, and a dedicated support staff, they’re building toward benchmarks and goals throughout the season with eyes on arriving at the Paralympics prepared and ready to execute.”
The 2025-2026 National Program includes the following senior athletes:
• Gilbert Dash (Kipling, Sask.)
• Douglas Dean (Thunder Bay, Ont.)
• Ina Forrest (Spallumcheen, B.C.)
• Jillian Hopkins (Toronto)
• Mark Ideson (London, Ont)
• Collinda Joseph (Ottawa)
• Chrissy Molnar (Trent Lakes, Ont.)
• Dennis Thiessen (Sanford, Man.)
• Jon Thurston (Dunsford, Ont.)
• Marie Wright (Moose Jaw, Sask.)
The following athletes have been named to the 2025-2026 National NextGen Program:
• Karl Allen (Keene, Ont.)
• LeeAnn Cayer (Port Robinson, Ont.)
• Terry Fowler (Cochrane, Alta.)
• Reid Mulligan (Ottawa)
This program is supported by a group of dedicated high-performance coaches and staff, which includes Jason Boivin, Erin Brennan, Louise Delorme, Dana Ferguson, Jorie Janzen, Mick Lizmore, Steven Macaluso, David Murdoch, Gordon Ngo, Kyle Paquette, Alysia Patience, Emily Riley, Sari Shatil, Larissa Simone, and Kyle Turcotte.
The program is grateful for the expertise and contributions of various program supporters, partners, and home coaches that include the Canadian Paralympic Committee (Jordan McGuire and Tessa Gallinger), Columbia Sportswear, Ben Gamble, Erica Gavel, Doug Gelmich, Goldline Curling, Bruce Gorsline, Bernard Hébert, Louis Hébert, Rick Lang, Wendy Morgan, Sharon Morrison, Own the Podium (Walter Corey), Gerry Peckham, Martin Purvis, the Red Deer Polytechnic group, Carl Rennick, Shoreview Sports Analytics (Mike Heenan and Ryan McDonnell), Sport Canada, and Ron Westcott.
While development is not the program’s primary objective this coming season, it remains an important focus.
A renewed pathway is set to launch that is designed to better support athlete progression on their path to high performance. This season will serve as a transition point that sets the stage for a more clearly structured approach to the grassroots-to-podium pathway.
The program’s current long-term athlete development framework has not undergone significant changes since 2014, and with increased participation and interest in high performance, the time is right to build on the athlete pathway.
“The system we’ve had in place thus far has done a commendable job, but we need a refresh,” said Kyle Paquette, National Program Director. “The sport has evolved, and so have the athletes and the community. We’re committed to ensuring that every athlete, whether they’re just getting started or preparing for Paralympic competition, knows there’s a clear and supported path forward.”
A full launch of the new pathway is expected by the end of the calendar year and will define the direction of the next quadrennial once the Paralympics wrap up in March.