The People Behind The Commission

These are the people who were active with the Commission as it wrapped up its activities in late 2019 and early 2020.

Commissioners

Canada’s Ecofiscal Commission was formed by a group of experienced, policy-minded economists from across the country. With hundreds of years of combined experience, they have helped design, implement, and analyze policies for governments across Canada.

Member

CHRIS RAGAN

Chair, Canada's Ecofiscal Commission
Director, Max Bell School of Public Policy
Department of Economics, McGill University

Formerly

Clifford Clark Visiting Economist, Finance Canada
Special Advisor to the Governor, Bank of Canada

Christopher Ragan is the inaugural Director of McGill University’s Max Bell School of Public Policy and is an Associate Professor in McGill’s Department of Economics. He is the Chair of Canada’s Ecofiscal Commission, which launched in November 2014 with a 5-year horizon to identify policy options to improve environmental and economic performance in Canada. He is also a member of the federal finance minister’s Advisory Council on Economic Growth, which began in early 2016.

Chris Ragan is a Research Fellow at the C.D. Howe Institute, from 2010-13 he held the Institute’s David Dodge Chair in Monetary Policy, and for many years was a member of its Monetary Policy Council. In 2009-10, he was the Clifford Clark Visiting Economist at Finance Canada; in 2004-05 he served as Special Advisor to the Governor of theDr Bank of Canada. In 2010-12 he was the President of the Ottawa Economics Association.

Ragan’s published research focuses mostly on the conduct of macroeconomic policy. His 2004 book, co-edited with William Watson, is called Is the Debt War Over? In 2007 he published A Canadian Priorities Agenda, co-edited with Jeremy Leonard and France St-Hilaire from the Institute for Research on Public Policy. The Ecofiscal Commission’s The Way Forward (2015) was awarded the prestigious Doug Purvis Memorial Prize for the best work in Canadian economic policy.

Chris Ragan is an enthusiastic teacher and public communicator. In 2007 Ragan was awarded the Noel Fieldhouse teaching prize at McGill. He is the author of Economics (formerly co-authored with Richard Lipsey), which after fifteen editions is still the most widely used introductory economics textbook in Canada. Ragan also writes frequent columns for newspapers, most often in The Globe and Mail. He teaches in several MBA and Executive MBA programs, including at McGill, EDHEC in France, and in special courses offered by McKinsey & Company. He gives dozens of public speeches every year.

Ragan received his B.A. (Honours) in economics in 1984 from the University of Victoria and his M.A. in economics from Queen’s University in 1985. He then moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts where he completed his Ph.D. in economics at M.I.T. in 1989. See his personal McGill website for downloads of his published research as well as his newspaper columns: https://mcgill.ca/economics/christopher-t-s-ragan


Member

ELIZABETH BEALE

Economist

Formerly

President and CEO, Atlantic Provinces Economic Council

Elizabeth Beale is an economist. She recently retired as President and CEO of the Atlantic Provinces Economic Council (APEC), a position she held from 1996 to 2015. She currently serves as a director of Wawanesa Insurance, Invest Nova Scotia, DHX Media, and Compute Canada. She remains active in Canadian public policy as a commissioner of Canada’s Ecofiscal Commission, advisory board member for Smart Prosperity, member of the National Statistics Council and member of the Board of Economic Advisors for the government of Prince Edward Island. In 2015, she was appointed as a lifetime member of the Atlantic Canada Economics Association and Fellow of the World Academy of Productivity Science.

Ms. Beale has served as an advisor to government and industry on economic strategies for Atlantic Canada throughout her career, authoring numerous studies on regional development, labour market, and trade topics. She has combined her commitment to progressive policy research with civil society engagement, serving as governor of Dalhousie University from 2000 to 2010, director of the University of Prince Edward Island’s research commercialization initiative (Three Oaks Innovation) from 2006 to 2010 and advisory board member of the Leslie Harris Centre of Regional Policy and Development at Memorial University from 2005 to 2014.

Ms. Beale is a graduate of the universities of Toronto (B.A.) and Dalhousie (M.A. Economics). She resides in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Member

PAUL BOOTHE

Ivey Business School, Western University

Formerly

Deputy Minister, Environment Canada
Deputy Minister, Finance, Saskatchewan

Paul Boothe is the Managing Director for the Trillium Network for Advanced Manufacturing. He recently retired as Professor and Director of the Lawrence National Centre for Policy and Management at the Ivey Business School, Western University. His career has included university research and teaching, acting as an independent consultant to Canadian and international organizations, and serving at the deputy minister level in provincial and federal governments.

Dr. Boothe’s public sector career includes serving as the Deputy Minister of Finance and Secretary to Treasury Board for Saskatchewan (1999-2001), Associate Deputy Minister of Finance and G7 Deputy for Canada (2004-2005), Senior Associate Deputy Minister of Industry (2007-2010) and Deputy Minister of the Environment (2010-2012).

He was appointed to the faculty of the University of Alberta from 1984 to 2007.  He has authored more than 70 publications in the areas of macroeconomics, international finance, debt management and public finance. An internationally recognized scholar, he was promoted to full professor in 1991.  He founded the Institute for Public Economics in 1997.  As an independent consultant, he has worked with Canadian and international clients in the areas of monetary and fiscal policy, and public sector management.

Dr. Boothe was trained in economics at Western (Hons BA) and UBC (PhD).


Member

MEL CAPPE

School of Public Policy and Governance, University of Toronto

Formerly

President IRPP
Clerk of the Privy Council

Mel Cappe is Professor in the School of Public Policy and Governance, University of Toronto. From 2006- 2011 he was President of the Institute for Research on Public Policy. Prior to that for four years he was High Commissioner (Ambassador) for Canada to the United Kingdom. Before that he served as Clerk of the Privy Council, Secretary to the Cabinet and Head of the Public Service.

Earlier in his career he held senior economic and policy positions in the Departments of Finance and Industry. He was Deputy Secretary to the Treasury Board, Deputy Minister of the Environment, Deputy Minister of Human Resources Development, Deputy Minister of Labour and Chairman of the Employment Insurance Commission.

He has graduate degrees in Economics from the Universities of Western Ontario and Toronto and honourary doctorates from both. He is an Officer of the Order of Canada and a recipient of the Queen’s Golden and Diamond Jubilee Medals.


Member

BEV DAHLBY

School of Public Policy, University of Calgary

Formerly

Member of the Technical Committee on Business Taxation

Bev Dahlby is a Distinguished Fellow and Research Director in the School of Public Policy at the University of Calgary.

He has published extensively on tax policy and fiscal federalism. In May 2010, Bev was awarded the Doug Purvis Memorial Prize by the Canadian Economics Association for a work of excellence relating to Canadian economic policy.

Bev has served as a policy advisor to the federal and provincial governments in Canada on the reform of business taxation, the fiscal equalization program, tax credits for television and film industry, taxation of inbound foreign direct investment, saving non-renewable resource revenues, and programs in support of research and development and innovation.

His international experience includes advisory work on tax reform in Malawi for the IMF, in Thailand for the Thailand Development Research Institute in Bangkok, and in Brazil and Mexico for the World Bank.

Bev served on Statistics Canada’s advisory council from 2005 to 2012. In 2010-11, he was a member of the Expert Panel on Federal Support to Research and Development (Jenkins Panel).

In July 2016, he was appointed Chair of the British Columbia Commission on Tax Competitiveness by the BC Minister of Finance. The Commission’s report, Improving British Columbia’s Business Tax Competitiveness, was released on November 23, 2016

Bev has a PhD in economics from the London School of Economics.


Member

DON DRUMMOND

School of Policy Studies, Queens University

Formerly

Senior Vice President & Chief Economist, TD Bank
Associate Deputy Minister, Finance Canada

Don Drummond is the Stauffer-Dunning Fellow in Global Public Policy and Adjunct Professor at the School of Policy Studies at Queen’s University. In 2011-12, he served as Chair for the Commission on the Reform of Ontario’s Public Services. Its final report, released in February 2012, contained nearly four hundred recommendations to provide Ontarians with excellent and affordable public services.

Mr. Drummond previously held a series of progressively more senior positions in the areas of economic analysis and forecasting, fiscal policy and tax policy during almost 23 years with Finance Canada. His last three positions were respectively Assistant Deputy Minister of Fiscal Policy and Economic Analysis, Senior Assistant Deputy Minister of Tax Policy & Legislation and most recently, Associate Deputy Minister. In the latter position he was responsible for economic analysis, fiscal policy, tax policy, social policy and federal-provincial relations and coordinated the planning of the annual federal budgets.

He subsequently was Senior Vice President and Chief Economist for the TD Bank (2000-2010), where he took the lead with TD Economics’ work in analyzing and forecasting economic performance in Canada and abroad. For Canada, this work was conducted at the city, provincial, industrial and national levels. TD Economics also analyzes the key policies which influence economic performance, including monetary and fiscal policies. He is a graduate of the University of Victoria and holds an M.A. (Economics) from Queen’s University. He has honorary doctorates from Queen’s and the University of Victoria and is a member of the Order of Ontario.

Member

STEWART ELGIE

Institute for the Environment, University of Ottawa
Executive Chair, Smart Prosperity Institute

Stewart Elgie is a professor of law and economics at the University of Ottawa, and director of the University’s interdisciplinary Environment Institute. He received his Masters of Law from Harvard, and his doctorate (J.S.D.) from Yale. He is also the founder and chair of Sustainable Prosperity, Canada’s major green economy think tank and policy-research network. His research involves environmental and economic sustainability, with a particular focus in recent years on market-based approaches.

Elgie started his career as an environmental lawyer in Alaska, litigating over the Valdez oil spill. He returned to Canada and founded Ecojustice, now Canada’s largest non-profit environmental law organization; he was counsel on many precedent setting cases, including four wins in Supreme Court of Canada on constitution and environment issues. He was later hired by Pew Trusts as founding executive director of the multi-stakeholder Canadian Boreal Initiative. Prior to his faculty position at University of Ottawa (2004), Elgie held appointments at several Canadian universities (U.B.C., Alberta, York). He has served on or chaired many advisory bodies in the environment/sustainability area. In 2001, Elgie was awarded the Law Society of Upper Canada medal for exceptional lifetime contributions to law – the youngest man ever to receive the profession’s highest honour.


Member

GLEN HODGSON

Senior Fellow, C.D. Howe Institute, and Chief Economist for International Financial Consulting Ltd.

Formerly

Senior Vice President & Chief Economist, Conference Board of Canada

Glen Hodgson has 37 years of experience in global and Canadian macro-economics, international trade analysis and finance, fiscal and tax policy, and other “big picture” topics.

Glen’s career has spanned the Conference Board of Canada, where he was Senior Vice-President and Chief Economist for twelve years; the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington D.C.; Export Development Canada (EDC); and the Canadian Department of Finance. His affiliations include: Senior Fellow at the C.D. Howe Institute; Chief Economist with International Financial Consulting Ltd (IFCL); member of Canada’s Ecofiscal Commission; Fellow with the Public Policy Forum; and represented by Speakers Spotlight.

Glen has travelled the world and Canada as an economic policy analyst, financial negotiator, public speaker, and advisor to governments, businesses and international organizations.

Topics of expertise and interest include: Canadian, U.S. and global economic performance; globalization and trade; international finance; disruption and technology; managing catastrophic risk; the emerging low-carbon economy; fiscal and tax policy; and the business economics of sports. Recent major assignments include the legislative review of EDC by IFCL, a CD Howe Institute study on the competitive challenges facing a new federal government, and a briefing series on green finance.

Glen has co-authored two books and written over 400 reports, briefings and articles, with regular commentary in the Globe and Mail. He has delivered many presentations to audiences of all types and sizes, and done numerous media interviews via print, TV, radio and social media.

He is a graduate of McGill University and the University of Manitoba; is married to economist Christina Caron, with two adult sons; and is an active volunteer in kids’ sports and other areas.


Member

JUSTIN LEROUX

Associate Professor, Department of Applied Economics, HEC Montréal

Justin Leroux is an Associate Professor at the Department of Applied Economics of HEC Montréal. He is also a member of the Center for Interuniversity Research and Analysis of Organizations (CIRANO) and the Centre de Recherche en Éthique (CRÉ).

Prof. Leroux holds an M.A. and a Ph.D. in Economics from Rice University, as well as an M.A. in Mathematics applied to Economics from the Sorbonne University in Paris. He is also laureate of the Nationwide French competition for tenured professorship in Economics. Prof. Leroux also holds an engineering degree from the National Superior School for Advanced Technologies (ENSTA), Paris, France.

His research interests focus on fair division and cost sharing, specifically of public services and in environmental issues. Prof. Leroux is also involved in consulting for private firms and governments for which he made contributions regarding the optimal pricing of call center services, road networks and water services.

Prof. Leroux is also the recipient of several research grants from different organizations including Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), the Quebec Research Fund for Society and Culture (FQRSC) and the French National Research Agency (ANR).


Member

RICHARD LIPSEY

Professor Emeritus, Department of Economics, Simon Fraser University

Richard G. Lipsey, FRSC, OC, Fellow of the Econometric Society, and Professor Emeritus at Simon Fraser University, has held professorial posts at the London School of Economics and Essex University in England, and Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, as well as visiting professorships at Yale, the University of California at Berkeley, Manchester, and the University of British Columbia. He was Senior Economic Advisor, C.D. Howe Institute (1983-89) and Fellow of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (1989-2002).

His several textbooks have been translated into more than 15 foreign languages and he has written more than 180 articles and book chapters on theoretical and applied economics and policy. His book Economic Transformations: General Purpose Technologies and Long Term Economic Growth (Richard Lipsey, Kenneth Carlaw and Clifford Bekar) won the 2006 Schumpeter prize for distinguished writing on evolutionary economics. He was awarded the SSHRC gold medal for distinguished lifetime achievement in 2005 and in 2011 he received one of three inaugural fellowships awarded by the Canadian Economics Society.

He co-founded Simon Fraser’s ACT (Adaptation to Climate Change Team), the only university-based think tank initiative in North America dedicated to climate change adaptation.

He has a Ph.D. from the London School of Economics.


Member

NANCY OLEWILER

School of Public Policy, Simon Fraser University

Formerly

Member of the Technical Committee on Business Taxation

Nancy Olewiler is an economist and Professor of Public Policy in the School of Public Policy, Simon Fraser University. Prior to coming to the Economics department at SFU in 1990, she was a professor in the Economics department at Queen’s University.

Her PhD is in economics from the University of British Columbia. Nancy’s areas of research include natural resource and environmental economics and policy. She has published in academic journals, edited books, has written two widely used textbooks – The Economics of Natural Resource Use and Environmental Economics, and produced numerous reports for the Canadian federal and provincial governments on a wide range of environmental and natural resource issues, including studies on energy and climate policy, natural capital and ecosystem services, and federal tax policy. From 1990 to 1995 she was Managing Editor of Canadian Public Policy.

She is a research advisor and mentor for the Environment and Economy Program for Southeast Asia and the Latin America and Caribbean Environmental Economics Program where she helps supervise research undertaken by researchers in those regions on environmental economics and natural resource issues.  She has served on the Board of Directors for BC Hydro and TransLink.


Member

FRANCE ST-HILAIRE

Vice President of Research, Institute for Research on Public Policy

France St-Hilaire is vice-president of research, having joined the Institute for Research on Public Policy (IRPP) as a research director in 1992. She currently oversees the Institute’s research agenda and coordinates ongoing projects in economic and social policy.

France is the author of a number of monographs and articles on public finance, social policy and fiscal federalism, as well as co-editor of several volumes published by the IRPP, including the most recent Art of the State volume Northern Exposure: Peoples, Powers and Prospects in Canada’s North (2009), A Canadian Priorities Agenda: Policy Choices to Improve Economic and Social Well-Being (2007) and Money, Politics and Health Care: Reconstructing the Federal-Provincial Partnership (2004).

She holds a graduate degree in economics from the Université de Montréal, and has worked as a researcher at the Institute for Policy Analysis at the University of Toronto and in the Department of Economics at the University of Western Ontario.


Member

LINDSAY TEDDS

Associate Professor & Scientific Director, Fiscal and Economic Policy, School of Public Policy, University of Calgary

Dr. Lindsay Tedds is an Associate Professor of Economics and Scientific Director of Fiscal and Economic Policy in the School of Public Policy at the University of Calgary. Lindsay holds a BA in Political Science from Carleton University, a BA and MA in Economics from the University of Victoria, and a PhD in Economics from McMaster University. Before becoming an academic she held several posts with the Government of Canada in Ottawa as well as in municipal government in the areas of public economics and policy implementation.

Lindsay’s primary research and teaching area is applied economic research and policy analysis, with a particular focus on the design and implementation of tax policy. She has written a number of peer-reviewed journals articles, book chapters, and technical reports, as well as two books in this field.

Her objective as an academic is to make both an academic contribution and to have an impact on Canadian policy-making and policy-implementation with the hope of changing public policy for the better. She regularly stimulates and engages in broader conversations about public policy beyond the academic community through a variety of channels.

Advisory Board

Composed of some of Canada’s most respected leaders in industry, the environment, and across the political spectrum, the Commission’s Advisory Board provides critical insight, guidance, and a wealth of perspectives on designing practical and effective ecofiscal policies for Canada’s unique context.

Member

ELYSE ALLAN

President and CEO, GE Canada
Vice President, GE

In her role as President and Chief Executive Officer of GE Canada and Vice President GE, Elyse is a passionate champion for Canada’s competitiveness, advancing the country’s science and technology base and competitive fiscal policy. Her career spans many businesses within GE as well as executive roles external to GE in healthcare and energy.

She actively engages in developing and shaping public policy through industry groups, research and advocacy organizations. Elyse serves on the Board of Directors for the C.D. Howe Institute and the Conference Board of Canada. As well, she recently completed her Board term at the Business Council of Canada (Canadian Council of Chief Executives) and the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, where she also served as Chair. Elyse has participated on a number of federal and provincial government advisory boards and currently serves on the Federal Finance Minister’s Growth Council. Through her role on the MaRS Discovery District Board of Directors and the leadership council for Scale Up Ventures, she also works to advance innovation and entrepreneurism. Within GE, Elyse co-chairs the global Women in Commercial Markets initiative. Elyse is member of the Brookfield Asset Management Board of Directors.

Elyse was recognized as: Energy Person of the Year in 2016 by the Energy Council of Canada; a Top 100 Women of Influence and Hall of Fame inductee by the Women’s Executive Network; the YWCA 2012 Woman of Distinction (Business); and by Maclean’s and Canadian Business Magazines as one of Canada’s most influential business leaders. In 2014, Elyse was appointed Member of the Order of Canada for her community engagement and achievements as an innovative business leader.

She received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Dartmouth College in New Hampshire where she studied Biology and Environmental Studies and an MBA from the Amos Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. An active alumnus, she currently serves on the Tuck School Board of Overseers. Elyse holds honorary doctorate degrees from Ryerson University, Saint Mary’s University and Royal Roads University.


Member

GORDON CAMPBELL

Formerly

Canada’s High Commissioner to The United Kingdom and Northern Ireland

Gordon Campbell was Canada’s High Commissioner to The United Kingdom and Northern Ireland (2011-2016) where he sat on the Board of Governors of the Commonwealth and led the revitalization of Canada House on Trafalgar Square. The project has been hailed for excellence in design and for its reflection of Canada today and led to substantial operational savings and returned over C$ 300 million to Canadian taxpayers.

He was also Canada’s special envoy the Ismaili Imamat.

Campbell served as British Columbia’s 34th Premier (2001-2011).

As Premier, he led the re-establishment of a strong, internationally-competitive economic foundation in British Columbia based on low taxes, and regulatory reform. Under his leadership B.C.’s AAA credit rating was restored and the province had the best provincial job creation record Canada.

Campbell’s P3 infrastructure development was recognized in 2008 with the Canadian Council of Public Private Partnerships’ Champion Award.

The Campbell government’s climate policy has been described as “the best climate policy in the world” in the New York Times.

The Fraser Institute ranked Gordon Campbell as the best of the Premiers for fiscal performance in “Measuring the Fiscal Performance of Canada’s Premiers”.

Campbell was the 40th Mayor of Vancouver(1986-1993), served as the Chair of the Greater Vancouver Regional District (1990-1993) and was President of the U.B.C.M.1992-3.

Campbell founded his own development company in 1981 and was General Manager of Development, Marathon Realty (1976-1981).


Member

JEAN CHAREST

Partner, McCarthy Tetrault

Formerly

Premier of Quebec

Jean Charest is a Partner in the Montréal office of McCarthy Tétrault. With a public service career spanning almost 30 years, Jean Charest is one of Canada’s best known political figures. Mr. Charest was first elected to the House of Commons in 1984 and, at age 28, became Canada’s youngest cabinet minister as Minister of State for Youth.

In 1992, as Minister of the Environment he led Canada’s delegation to the Rio Earth Summit on the economy and the environment. Mr. Charest has also served as Minister of Industry and Deputy Prime Minister of Canada. In 1994, Jean Charest became Leader of the federal Progressive Conservative Party, becoming the party’s first French Canadian leader. In 1998 he became the Leader of the Québec Liberal Party. He then broke a 50-year provincial record, winning three consecutive election campaigns in 2003, 2007 and 2008.

Under his leadership, Québec experienced stronger economic growth than the US, Europe and Canada, during the global financial crisis. Charest’s government was a world leader on climate change, bringing forward the first carbon levy in North America.

Mr. Charest has received the many distinguished awards and honours, including being member of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada, June 1986 (Canada); Commandeur of the Légion d’honneur, February 2009 (France); The Woodrow Wilson Award for Public Service, October 2011 (United-States).

Mr. Charest has been a lecturer in political science at Concordia University. He obtained his law degree from the University of Sherbrooke in 1980 and was admitted to the Québec bar in 1981.


Member

KAREN CLARKE-WHISTLER

Chief Environment Officer, TD Bank Group

Karen Clarke-Whistler is an environmental scientist who is widely recognized as a thought leader in environmental business matters. Prior to joining TD she spent more than 15 years consulting to a diverse base of clients in North and South America, Europe and Africa.

Karen is responsible for developing a program that embeds an environmental perspective into TD’s core business strategy. As a result TD is recognized as a North American environmental leader and as a global climate leader.

Through Karen’s leadership TD has been able to demonstrate a strong positive link between the environment and the economy. TD’s numerous innovations include being the first North American-based bank to be carbon neutral, development of net zero energy branches, creation of low carbon product offerings, and being the first Canadian commercial financial institution to issue a green bond. Collaboration with TD Economics has resulted in a series of papers on the green economy.

Karen’s was recognized as one of the 2014 Clean16 for her outstanding contribution to clean capitalism within the financial services sector. She supports a number of groups focused on environmental innovation and collaborative problem solving, including the Boreal Leadership Council, Business Network for Sustainability, Private Sector Advisory Board to the Network Centres of Excellence (NCE), and advisor to Canada’s Commissioner of Environment and Sustainable Development.

Karen holds a master’s degree in land resource science from Canada’s University of Guelph and a bachelor’s degree in ecology from the University of Toronto.


Member

JIM DINNING

Corporate Director

Formerly

Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta

Alberta Treasurer

Jim Dinning is chair and director of a number of public and private companies and not-for-profit organizations. He is a past chair of Export Development Canada (trade finance).

Mr. Dinning held key positions during his 11 years as a member of the Alberta legislative assembly, including provincial treasurer from 1992 to 1997. After his elected career, he served as Executive Vice President of TransAlta Corporation.

Jim is a graduate of Queen’s University with a Bachelor of Commerce and a Masters in Public Administration. He received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Calgary in 2002 and, having completed a four-year term as Chancellor of the University of Calgary in mid 2014, was named Chancellor Emeritus. He is Chair Emeritus of Canada West Foundation and Director Emeritus of the Institute for Research on Public Policy. In 2015, he was named a member of the Order of Canada and a Fellow of the Institute of Corporate Directors.


Member

PETER GILGAN

Founder and CEO, Mattamy Homes

Peter Gilgan is Founder and CEO of Mattamy Homes, the largest privately owned homebuilder in North America, with more than 60,000 homes built in hundreds of communities across Canada and the United States.

One of Canada’s most successful entrepreneurs, Mr. Gilgan was awarded one of the country’s highest civilian honours in 2013 when he was appointed to the Order of Canada, in recognition of his innovative leadership in Canada’s construction industry, and for his philanthropic support of initiatives in health care, education and athletics. Mr. Gilgan was also named to the Order of Ontario in 2012, for his business leadership and philanthropic initiatives. In 2013, he was inducted as a Companion into the Canadian Business Hall of Fame and honoured with a Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal.

Mr. Gilgan’s multi-million dollar commitment to philanthropy and community building is unparalleled, from health care to physical activity to higher education and community legacies – he truly is a respected and dedicated community leader.

In March 2012, Mr. Gilgan announced the largest gift to a pediatric hospital in Canadian history with his $40 million donation to SickKids Hospital. In November 2011, he announced an historic $15 million gift to Ryerson University for the development of a new student and community athletic centre at the site of the former Maple Leaf Gardens. In 2010, Mr. Gilgan kicked off the capital campaign to build the New Oakville Hospital with a $10 million pacesetting gift.

Member

MICHAEL HARCOURT

Formerly

Premier of B.C.
Mayor of Vancouver

As former premier of British Columbia, Mayor of Vancouver and City Councilor, Mike Harcourt helped British Columbia earn its reputation as one of the most liveable, accessible and inclusive places in the world. His focus on conservation and sustainable development – and his resolve to contribute to the transformation of cities and communities around the world – has played a significant role in promoting quality of life for those in Canada and abroad.

Mr. Harcourt was appointed by the Prime Minister of Canada to the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy, and chaired the Urban Sustainability Program. He is Honorary Co-Chair at the University of British Columbia’s President’s Advisory Council on sustainability.

He is the author of A Measure of Defiance, and co-author of Plan B: One Man’s Journey from Tragedy to Triumph and City Making in Paradise: Nine Decisions That Saved Greater Vancouver’s Livability.

Harcourt’s exemplary career as Lawyer, Community Activist, and Politician has been honoured with the Woodrow Wilson Award for Public Service, the Canadian Urban Institute’s Jane Jacobs Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Order of Canada.

Mr. Harcourt holds a B.A. and a L.L.B. from the University of British Columbia, and has been awarded Honourary Degrees from UBC, Royal Roads University, Simon Fraser University, University of Northern B.C., Kwantlen Polytechnic University, B.C. Institute of Technology and Okanagan University College.


Member

BRUCE LOURIE

President, Ivey Foundation

Bruce is President of the Ivey Foundation, a private charitable foundation in Canada, a Director of the Ontario Power Authority, a Director of Philanthropic Foundations Canada and a Director of the San Francisco-based Consultative Group on Biological Diversity.

Bruce is co-author of the best-selling books Toxin, Toxout: Getting Harmful Chemicals Out of Our Bodies and Our World, and Slow Death by Rubber Duck. He is an Honorary Director of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment and a founding Director of Canadians for Clean Prosperity. In 2014 Bruce received Earth Day Canada’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

Bruce is well known for his work in convening large collaborative efforts among businesses, NGOs and government that achieve significant progress. Examples include the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement, one of the world’s largest conservation initiatives, and his pioneering role in connecting environmental issues to human health, most notably with the shutdown of coal-fired power plants in Ontario, the single largest climate action taken in Canada.

Bruce is a founder of a number of for profit and non-profit organizations including Summerhill Group, the Sustainability Network, and the Canadian Environmental Grantmakers’ Network. He has acted on numerous international, federal, provincial and municipal bodies advising on environmental, health and energy policy issues. Bruce holds a B.Sc. in Geology and a Master’s in Environmental Studies.


Member

PAUL MARTIN

Formerly

Prime Minister of Canada

During his tenure as Minister of Finance, Paul Martin erased Canada’s deficit, subsequently recording five consecutive budget surpluses while paying down the national debt and setting Canada’s debt-to-GDP ratio on a steady downward track. He was the inaugural Chair of the Finance Ministers’ G-20 in 1999.

During his tenure as Prime Minister, Mr. Martin set in place a ten year, forty-one billion dollar plan to improve health care and reduce wait times; signed agreements with the provinces and territories to establish the first national early learning and child care program and created a new financial deal for Canada’s municipalities. Under his leadership an historic deal was reached with Aboriginal people of Canada to eliminate the funding gaps in health, education and housing known as the Kelowna Accord.

After leaving politics, Mr. Martin founded the Martin Aboriginal Education Initiative focusing on elementary and secondary education for Aboriginal students and the Capital for Aboriginal Prosperity and Entrepreneurship (CAPE) Fund, whose aim is to aid in developing business expertise and mentoring for Aboriginal business..

Internationally, he chairs the Congo Basin Forest Fund, sits on the Advisory Council of the Coalition for Dialogue on Africa, and is a Commissioner for the Global Ocean Commission.

Before entering politics, Mr. Martin was Chairman and CEO of The CSL Group Inc., the largest self-unloading shipping company in the world.

Mr. Martin studied philosophy and history at St. Michael’s College at the University of Toronto and is a graduate of the University of Toronto Faculty of Law. He was called to the Ontario Bar in 1966.


Member

PETER ROBINSON

Formerly

CEO, David Suzuki Foundation

Peter Robinson began his career working as a park ranger in wilderness areas throughout British Columbia, where he was decorated for bravery by the Governor General of Canada. After his park career, he worked at BC Housing, a provincial crown corporation, eventually becoming its CEO. Prior to his appointment as CEO of the David Suzuki Foundation, he was the CEO of Mountain Equipment Co-op. Dr. Robinson retired from the David Suzuki Foundation in June, 2017.

Peter has a long history of humanitarian work, including monitoring prison conditions with the International Red Cross in Rwanda in 1998, and leading a team for seven years that monitored detained asylum seekers in British Columbia. He has served as the Chair of the Board of Governors and the Chancellor of Royal Roads University in Victoria, and with the Board of Governors of the Canadian Red Cross Society. More recently, he was appointed to the Board of Directors of Imagine Canada, an organization that supports charities across the country.

Peter holds a Doctor of Social Sciences, a Master of Arts in Conflict Analysis and Management, a Bachelor of Arts in Geography, as well as diplomas in Community Economic Development and Fish & Wildlife Management.


Member

LORNE TROTTIER

Co-founder, Matrox Electronic Systems Ltd.

Engineer, entrepreneur and philanthropist, Lorne Trottier has poured his passion for science into research, technological development and education in Quebec.

In 1976, he co-founded Matrox Electronic Systems Ltd., a company known for its innovative computer graphics products. Through his technical innovation and market sense, he has helped Matrox become a leading multinational company in the field of computer graphics, video and imaging.

He is a Board Member of the Trottier Energy Futures Project (TEFP), a project to chart a course for Canada in the reduction of its energy-related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 80% below 1990 levels by 2050, which is overseen by a board comprising the President of the Trottier Family Foundation, the President of the Canadian Academy of Engineering, and the Chief Executive Officer of the David Suzuki Foundation.

He was named a member of the Order of Canada in 2007. He holds three Honorary Doctorate of Science degrees, one from McGill University (1996), one from École Polytechnique de Montréal (2011), and the other from the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) in
(2013).

He is unfailing in support of his alma mater, McGill University, in addition to supporting École Polytechnique Montreal and the Montreal Science Centre.


Member

ANNETTE VERSCHUREN

Chair and CEO, NRStor Inc.

Annette Verschuren is Chair and CEO of NRStor Inc., an energy storage technologies venture. Formerly she was president of The Home Depot Canada and Asia, overseeing its growth from 19 to 180 stores (1996-2011) and entry into China, and president and co-owner of Michaels of Canada, the country’s largest chain of arts and crafts stores. Ms. Verschuren began her career with the Cape Breton Development Corporation, a coal mining operation in Nova Scotia.

Ms. Verschuren holds board positions with Liberty Mutual Insurance Group, Air Canada, Saputo, Canadian Natural Resources Limited, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Foundation (CAMH) and the Conference Board of Canada. She serves as a member of the North American Competitiveness Council, appointed by Prime Minister Stephen Harper, was a member of Finance Minister Flaherty’s Economic Advisory Council. She chairs the Ontario Clean Energy Task Force and the Federal Government’s Expert Panel for the Venture Capital Action Plan. She’s also Chancellor of Cape Breton University, and chairs fundraising efforts for the University’s new Verschuren Centre for Sustainability in Energy & the Environment (VCSEE).

Ms. Verschuren was appointed as an Officer of The Order of Canada (2011) for her contribution to the retail industry and Corporate Social Responsibility. She’s been honoured by Canada’s Marketing Hall of Legends (2010) and the Nova Scotia Business Hall of Fame (2010). Recently the Public Policy Forum honoured Ms. Verschuren for her many contributions to public policy.

Ms. Verschuren holds four honorary doctorate degrees and has a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from St. Francis Xavier University.


Member

STEVE WILLIAMS

President & CEO, Suncor Energy

Steve Williams is president and chief executive officer of Suncor Energy Inc.

Steve’s career with Suncor began in May 2002 when he joined the company as executive vice president, Corporate Development and chief financial officer. He then served as executive vice president, Oil Sands and chief operating officer. Steve has more than 40 years of international energy industry experience, including 18 years at Esso/Exxon.

Steve holds a Bachelor of Science degree (Hons.) in chemical engineering from Exeter University and is a fellow of the Institution of Chemical Engineers. He is a graduate of the business economics program at Oxford University as well as the advanced management program at Harvard Business School.

In 2016, Steve was named to the Board of Directors of the new Alcoa Corporation. He is a Board member of the Business Council of Canada, is a member of the Institute of Corporate Directors and is also a member of member of the McKinsey & Company Canada Advisory Council. In 2014 and 2015 Steve acted as co-chair of Indspire’s “Building Brighter Futures” campaign, which provides financial support for Indigenous students.

Steve has long been an advocate for sustainable development in the energy industry and a leader in conversations that connect the environment and economy. In 2005 he was appointed to the National Roundtable on the Environment and the Economy by the Prime Minister. He has also been a member of the advisory board of Canada’s Ecofiscal Commission since its inception. He is one of 12 founding CEOs of Canada’s Oil Sands Innovation Alliance (COSIA) and he was invited to attend the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP21) in Paris, France as an official member of the Government of Canada delegation.

Staff

Member

DALE BEUGIN

Executive Director

Dale is Ecofiscal’s lead policy wonk. He moves comfortably from big-picture strategy to quantitative analytics.  He has deep expertise and experience in environmental economics and policy, and in particular carbon pricing. He has consulted for governments and organizations across Canada and internationally. He also worked as a Policy Advisor with the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy. Dale holds a masters degree in resource and environmental management from Simon Fraser University, with a specialization in energy-economy modelling. Read his blogs here.


Member

JONATHAN ARNOLD

Senior Research Associate

Jonathan Arnold is a Research Associate with Canada’s Ecofiscal Commission. Since joining the team in 2015, his research has focused on transportation, climate change, municipal water and wastewater, and solid waste policy. Jonathan previously worked as an economist with Environment Canada’s Regulatory Analysis and Valuation Division in Gatineau and holds a Master’s of Public Policy from Simon Fraser University. Jonathan was born and raised in Halifax, NS, and has lived in Stockholm, Ottawa, and now Vancouver. As an avid cyclist, Jonathan spends much of his free time in the mountains, but can also be found on the basketball court, travelling, or lounging with a good book.


Member

ANTONIETTA BALLERINI

Project Administrator

Antonietta Ballerini is the Project Administrator for Canada’s Ecofiscal Commission. Based at McGill University, she manages finances, logistics and operations for the commission. Antonietta oversees the funding and budgets for the administrative, communications & research teams and also provides executive assistance to the Chair. Before being appointed to the commission in mid-2015, Antonietta was Administrative Coordinator for the Departments of Economics, Political Science and Philosophy at McGill University. She has coordinated numerous special events and assisted with various organizational projects; from planning to implementation, handling process improvements, accounting, auditing and financial management. With an educational background in Accounting, Antonietta has worked for over 15 years in a broad range of finance and administrative roles, in both the academic and business worlds. Certified in Project Management and Comprehensive Business Analysis, Antonietta knows how to find the answers, create the solutions and make things happen in a way that allows operations to unfold quite seamlessly. Antonietta lives in Montreal Quebec with her 2 daugthers. She has a deep appreciation for nature and loves to travel.


Member

JASON DION

Lead Researcher

Jason is Lead Researcher with Canada’s Ecofiscal Commission. Before joining the Commission, he worked as a project manager and economist at the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), where his work focused on climate change mitigation and adaptation, green public procurement, and sustainable infrastructure. Jason is the author of numerous publications, including environmental fiscal reform studies for the governments of Mauritius and Mozambique, funded by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Prior to IISD he worked as a consultant for EnviroEconomics and Global Advantage Consulting. Jason is a graduate of the MA Economics program at York University, and holds a certificate from Laval University’s Partnership for Economic Policy (PEP) in development policy modelling. Outside of work he enjoys spending time with his wife Fiona and dog ‘Beans’, and bringing an economist’s obsession with efficiency to his small urban garden.


Member

ANNETTE DUBREUIL

Communications Director

Annette’s career has been focused on advancing and disseminating cutting edge sustainability research and practice. At the Ecofiscal Commission, Annette oversees all communications and events. She is also a marketing and development consultant with Learning for a Sustainable Future, an organization focused on integrating sustainability concepts into the education system. Prior to joining the Commission, Annette served as coordinator at York University’s Institute for Research and Innovation in Sustainability for seven years. She also served as a board member for Centres d’Accueil Héritage for seven years, including acting as its chair for one year. Annette has a Master of Business Administration from the Schulich School of Business, where she specialized in sustainability, strategy and nonprofit management. She also holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Waterloo, specializing in environmental science and business, with minors in both economics and biology. In her spare time, she enjoys yoga, rock climbing, cooking, and the contemplative practice of focusing.


Member

BRENDAN FRANK

Research Associate

Brendan is a Research Associate with Canada’s Ecofiscal Commission. Before joining the Commission, he held positions with Natural Resources Canada and the University of Calgary, where his work and research focused on climate change and energy policy. Brendan also spent four years in various advisory and analytical roles in the energy sector, working on sustainability, reclamation, and environmental policy files. He holds a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Calgary. Brendan was born in Ottawa, raised in Calgary, and has also lived in the UK. Outside of work he enjoys playing and writing music, blogging, spending time outdoors, and nursing addictions to politics, news, and books.


Member

ALEXANDRA GAIR

Outreach Manager

Alexandra is the Outreach Manager for Canada’s Ecofiscal Commission. Her portfolio includes public affairs and online communications. Before joining the Commission, Alexandra worked as the Manager of Corporate Development for the Ontario Chamber of Commerce. Prior to the Chamber, Alexandra was a public affairs consultant, project managing large government relations files. Alexandra has always had a passion for politics and was able to gain a solid understanding of government during her years working in Ontario politics in the Office of the Premier and the Minister of Economic Development and Innovation. Alexandra brings with her strategic communications and stakeholder relations experience; she has a keen understanding of how to identify and connect with an audience. Born and raised in Toronto, Alexandra is a graduate of the University of Toronto. Outside of work, when she is not immersed in the news or a book, Alexandra enjoys spending time outside with family and friends.


Funders & Supporters

Canada’s Ecofiscal Commission is proud to acknowledge the support and contributions of:

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