David J. McFadden, QC

Chair of the Board
Ontario Centres of Excellence

 

David McFadden is Chair of Gowlings' National Energy and Infrastructure Industry Group. He acts for corporations, municipalities and utilities involved in the generation, distribution, marketing and financing of energy. He also acts for clients involved in infrastructure development, management and renewal. He has acted as counsel in a variety of infrastructure projects including toll highways and tunnels, light rail systems and health care facilities.

McFadden has been Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) Inc. ("OCE Inc.") since 2004. Under McFadden’s leadership, OCE launched the new Centre of Excellence for Energy in 2005. He has also served as a member of the Ontario Research and Innovation Council from 2006 to 2008. As mandated by the Premier, the Council developed and submitted a long-term innovation strategy for the Province of Ontario.

Since October 1996, McFadden has been Chair of the Stakeholders Alliance for Electricity Competition and Customer Choice, a broad coalition of business and energy-related organizations including the Association of Major Power Consumers, Association of Exporters and Manufacturers, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, the Electricity Distributors Association of Ontario, the Ontario Energy Association and the Association of Power Producers of Ontario.

McFadden was appointed by the Government of Canada to serve as a member of the Electric System Working Group. The final report of the Task Force, issued in April 2004, set out a blueprint to enhance the reliability of the North American electricity grid. In June 2003, McFadden was appointed to the Ontario Government's Electricity Conservation and Supply Task Force. The Task Force, which issued its final report in January 2004, provided a comprehensive strategy to meet the future energy demands of the province which has formed the basis of the current Ontario energy policy.

McFadden is Chair of the Board of PCI Geomatics Inc. and Vice Chairman of the Board of Macquarie Canadian Infrastructure Management Limited. He is a Director and Audit Committee Chair of 407 International Inc., and a Director and Governance and Nominating Committee Chair of Atlantis Systems Corp., and a Director of the COLLUS Power Corp., Sanyo Machine Works Inc., and Anthony Domtar Inc. He also serves as Chair of the Advisory Panel of LPF Infrastructure Fund.

McFadden was born and raised in Thunder Bay, Ontario. He received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toronto, his law degree from Osgoode Hall Law School and was called to the Ontario Bar in 1972. He was appointed Queen's Counsel in 1983.