Denis Gertler
Denis Gertler is an independent regulatory consultant and board member active in cannabis, gaming, beverage alcohol and other areas. With more than 20 years’ experience crafting regulatory policy, delivering major projects, and leading operations, he is known for providing clear advice and timely support to private and public sector clients. In December 2021 he joined the Board of Niagara College’s Learning and Enterprise Centre (NCLEC) which governs the teaching winery, brewery, distillery, cidery and the Niagara College Cannabis Institute.
Previously, Denis was Senior Regulatory Advisor at CannDelta Inc., a Toronto-based cannabis regulatory and scientific consultancy where he commented widely on cannabis issues and assisted the firm’s clients on regulatory matters. Before joining CannDelta, Denis worked as a consultant in the cannabis and gaming industries, in the latter as a strategic alliance partner with McCarthy Tétrault LLP.
In government, Denis headed Compliance and Audit at the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) and led the Smoke-Free Ontario initiative, implementing the Act and overseeing its programs. At the Ontario ministries of Finance and Revenue, Denis worked with Ontario First Nations to reduce the manufacturing, sale and use of illegal tobacco. As Director of Ontario’s II&E Secretariat he led a government-wide initiative to modernize regulatory practices, including passage of the Regulatory Modernization Act, 2007. He received the Commonwealth Association for Professional Administration and Management’s (CAPAM) Gold Award for Innovation in Governance on the Secretariat’s behalf.
Denis has an M.A. from Purdue University and holds advanced certificates from the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management, and for the Strategic Management of Regulatory and Enforcement Agencies from the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.
