Ontario’s Clean Energy Task Force has been established to help broaden the Province’s energy focus. The Task Force will facilitate collaboration within Ontario’s clean energy industry to identify export markets, marketing opportunities and approaches to demonstrate Ontario’s advanced clean energy systems. The Clean Energy Task Force members include:
Annette Verschuren, Chair Annette Verschuren was formerly president of The Home Depot Canada and Asia, overseeing the growth of the company’s Canadian operations from 19 to 180 stores between 1996 and 2011. She also led The Home Depot’s entry into China. Annette recently joined energy storage start-up NRstor.
Appointed by Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Ms. Verschuren served as a member of the North American Competitiveness Council, part of the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America. She was also a member of Finance Minister Flaherty’s Economic Advisory Council, a group of 11 Canadian business leaders charged with advising the Government of Canada on the global economic crisis.
In 2011, she was appointed chair of the 2012 Governor General’s Leadership Conference, Canada’s premier leadership training event.
Lisa DeMarco Lisa DeMarco is recognized as a Canadian expert, and has over 15 years of experience in the law relating to emissions trading, the Kyoto Protocol and the evolving area of environmental finance. She represents several leading energy clients in a wide variety of natural gas and electricity matters before regulatory agencies and the Ontario Energy Board.
She also assists leading Canadian and international mining and energy companies on domestic and overseas power project development, renewable power projects, alternative fuel projects, corporate social responsibility, environmental disclosure and business strategy.
Ms. DeMarco is one of the leading carbon transaction lawyers in the international market, having worked for investment banks and energy companies on deals and projects in India, Brazil, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Argentina, Chile, Ireland, Africa, Mexico, China and Russia. She plays an ongoing and active role in the development of energy and GHG emissions policy and law throughout Canada and in various countries around the world.
She was appointed to the Premier’s Climate Change Advisory Panel, which provides advice on climate change strategies and policies, as well as scientific and economic research to the Premier of Ontario.
Andrew Heintzman Andrew Heintzman is President and co-founder of Investeco Capital. Andrew is also the Chair of the Premier’s Climate Change Advisory Panel for the Province of Ontario. He sits on a number of corporate boards, including Lotek Wireless, Triton Logging and Rowe Farms. In addition, he is on the board of directors of the Tides Canada Foundation, the Steering Committee of Sustainable Prosperity, and the Advisory Board for the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto. Andrew is the author of The New Entrepreneurs, and was co-editor of Fueling the Future: How the Battle Over Energy is Changing Everything, Feeding the Future: From Fat to Famine, and Food and Fuel: Solutions for the Future, all published by the House of Anansi Press. Before Investeco, Andrew was a co-founder and publisher of Shift Magazine.
Tim Weis Dr. Tim Weis is a professional engineer and the director of renewable energy and efficiency policy at the Pembina Institute. Tim specializes in clean energy policy design, research and strategic decision making. He has written extensively on sustainable energy technical and policy issues at national, provincial and municipal levels, as well as opportunities specific to First Nations’ and northern communities. He has assisted more than 20 communities at various stages of development of renewable energy projects and has also worked as a renewable energy consultant examining wind energy challenges in Northern communities.
Tim holds a PhD (Université du Québec à Rimouski) in environmental sciences (sciences de l’environnement), where he studied wind energy development in remote communities. He also has an M.Sc. (University of Alberta) and a B.A.Sc. (University of Waterloo) in mechanical engineering.
Rick Smith Rick Smith is a prominent Canadian author and environmentalist. He is Executive Director of Environmental Defence Canada.
Rick holds a Ph.D. in biology from the University of Guelph. As one of the country’s leading environmental campaigners he has spearheaded efforts to achieve important new environmental and health protections such as the federal Consumer Product Safety Act; Ontario’s Greenbelt; and Canada’s recent decision to ban the toxic chemical bisphenol A (BPA) in baby bottles. Rick has played a key role in the Green Energy Act Alliance: a grassroots coalition dedicated to furthering renewable energy.
David Timm David is the Vice President of Strategic Affairs at International Power Canada. Prior to joining International Power he served as the Ontario Policy Manager with the Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA) where he was responsible for provincial policy development in Ontario. Within International Power he is responsible for government relations and regulatory affairs including public policy development and regulation monitoring, stakeholder relations, issues management and communications. David brings a wealth of direct experience with technical management, financial planning, project development, and policy development.
Currently, David serves as the Board Chair of the Canadian Wind Energy Association and is an active member of the APPrO Renewables Caucus.
James Murphy
James J. Murphy is the Director, Business Development for Invenergy Canada and oversees the company’s clean energy projects in Ontario. Invenergy and its affiliated companies currently have over 6,600 MW of clean energy projects under contract, in construction, or in operation worldwide. This includes the 78MW Raleigh Wind Energy Centre in Chatham-Kent, the 580MW St. Clair Energy Centre near Sarnia and 89MW of FIT contracts.
Mr. Murphy has 10 years of experience in Ontario’s electricity industry and has been with Invenergy since 2005. Previously he was the Manager, New Project Development with the Ontario Sustainable Energy Association and is the co-author of the ‘Ontario Landowners Guide to Wind Energy.’ Mr. Murphy has a B.Com degree from McMaster University.
Gordon Forstner Gordon Forstner has served on the Boards of companies engaged in electricity distribution, advanced technology, and municipal economic development, and is the former Chairman of the Board of Directors of Burlington Hydro Inc. He also has a long record of community service with various organizations in the arts, healthcare, and environmental arenas.
He is currently an appointed member of the Premier’s Advisory Panel on Climate Change, to Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty and is a Principal with Drysdale Forstner Hamilton Public Affairs Limited.
Harry Goldgut Harry is a Senior Managing Partner of Brookfield Asset Management Inc. and Chairman of Brookfield’s Power and Utilities Group. Harry joined Brookfield in 1997 and has led the expansion of Brookfield’s power and utilities operations with primary responsibility for strategic initiatives and senior regulatory relationships. He played an active role in the restructuring of the electricity industry in Ontario as both a member of the Market Design Committee, appointed by the Ontario Government in 1998, and as a member of the Minister of Energy’s Advisory Committee. Mr. Goldgut attended the University of Toronto and is a graduate of Osgoode Hall Law School.
Tom Rand Tom Rand is Advisor, Cleantech for Toronto’s MaRS. Tom has been active in the cleantech sector both as a venture capitalist and from a policy perspective, so he understands the challenges entrepreneurs face. His focus at MaRS is on new ventures based on low-carbon technologies and the supporting infrastructure, such as renewable energy and energy efficiency.
Bill Smith As the Senior Vice President of the Energy Sector for Siemens Canada, Bill Smith is responsible for the overall strategic direction and management of the Energy Sector business in Canada, including all sales, service and project operations within the fields of Fossil Power Generation, Wind Power, Solar & Hydro, Oil & Gas and Power Transmission.
Prior to joining Siemens, he worked for 21 years at Ontario Hydro and Ontario Power Generation, initially as a Project Engineer at the Bruce and Darlington nuclear power plants, and then as Vice President-Supply Chain.
Mr. Smith is a Professional Engineer with a Bachelor of Engineering degree (with distinction) from Carleton University and an MBA from York University.
Carmine Marcello
As Executive Vice President, Strategy for Hydro One, Carmine Marcello is responsible for Strategy Development, External & Government Relations including First Nations & Métis Relations, Corporate Communications, Conservation Demand Management, Information Technology, Hydro One Telecom Inc. and the Management and Development of Hydro One Transmission and Distribution assets.
In 2009 he was appointed to the position of Senior Vice President, Asset Management and was responsible for the life cycle management of Hydro One’s transmission and distribution assets as well as Hydro One Smart Grid initiatives. Carmine has over 20 years experience in the electric utility industry as a senior executive, strategic planner and advisor on transmission and distribution utility processes.
Gregory Scallen As Assistant General Counsel, Canada, Greg is responsible for all aspects of SunEdison’s corporate, transactional, governance and regulatory compliance matters in Canada. He is also a member of the SunEdison Canada management team responsible for business development, sales and operations in Canada.
Greg has worked in the power industry for over 10 years, with extensive experience in the areas of utility scale development, green energy development, aboriginal law, financing, real estate and regulatory compliance. Prior to joining SunEdison, Canada, Greg held the role of Counsel at Ontario Power Generation (OPG), one of the largest electricity generators in North America. Greg was lead counsel on OPG hydroelectric development projects, including the 450 MW Lower Mattagami Redevelopment Project, responsible for providing legal, strategic and commercial advice in all stages of planning, definition and implementation of projects, including the negotiation and drafting of industry leading Aboriginal partnership agreements and internationally award winning project financing structures. He was with the organization for ten years.
Greg holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Toronto and a law degree from Dalhousie University. Greg is currently a member of the Board of Directors of CanSIA and also holds the position of Treasurer with that organization.
Michelle Chislett
Michelle Chislett is Chair of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Solar Industries Association (CanSIA), a national, not-for-profit association that promotes the responsible growth of solar energy across Canada. Mrs. Chislett is also Vice President of Solar Development for International Power Canada, Inc., an Ontario based wind and solar power development company. Previously, Mrs. Chislett held a number of senior positions with Skypower Corp, where she lead the team that developed Canada’s first fully operational solar farm (‘First Light’). In addition to her work with CANSIA, Mrs. Chislett is a member of the Advisory Council of Western Engineering (ACWE) a group of leaders who assist and advise the Dean and President in setting and pursuing strategic direction for the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Western Ontario.
