The Northern Policy Institute (NPI) has appointed six members to its first advisory council.
According to a release, members have been “strategically selected for their experience, knowledge and connections in key sectors across the entire Northern Ontario region.”
“The advisory council provides invaluable communication and access to sector-specific researchers and key stakeholders. Members also provide support and strategic guidance on the overall organizational direction of Northern Policy Institute.”
“Further appointments to the council are expected as candidates make their interest known and any identified gaps in representation and experience are filled in.”
Appointed council members include:
- Ron Arnold, the president of Sudbury-based construction company Dalron Construction Limited, a position he has held since 1969. He has also a served on many local boards.
- Murray Coolican, a former senior Ontario public servant, who is now the deputy minister of energy for the Province of Nova Scotia. He has held numerous leadership positions in the not-for-profit, government, political and private sectors.
- Barbara Courte Elinesky, the CEO of two drilling companies: Cobra Diamond Drilling and North Star Drilling. She is also a board member on the Thunder Bay Community Economic Development Commission (CEDC) and the Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce.
- Brian Davey, executive director of the Nishnawbe Aski Development Fund (NADF) and previously economic development manager for Matawa First Nations Tribal Council. He has worked for more than 28 years on First Nation issues mostly related to economic and business development.
- Tony Dean, former secretary to the Cabinet and head of the Ontario Public Service, and now a professor at the School of Public Policy and Governance at the University of Toronto. In 2010, he was appointed senior research fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation.
- Don Drummond, who was appointed to the Donald Matthews Faculty Fellowship on Global Public Policy at Queen's University in June 2010 and co-chair of the C.D. Howe Institute’s Fiscal and Tax Competitiveness Council in March 2011.
As one of the primary recommendations to come out of the province’s 2011 Growth Plan for Northern Ontario, the Northern Policy Institute has been charged with the development of policy options that reflect challenges faced by Northern Ontario and that foster sustainable development and long-term economic prosperity.
